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Catholic youth and women

Dear Reader,

Our striking cover photo and the accompanying stor y show once again, as we have so often in the past, that the Catholic faith is alive in young South Africans In this month’s profile article, the successful international debater Noluthando Honono speaks about her faith and how growing up in a Jesuit-run parish shaped her It seems natural that a Catholic champion debater should have been influenced and mentored by the Jesuits, an order that emphasises the value of robust dialogue!

Noluthando clearly loves her faith and her Church, even as there are some questions she would like to be open for debate At a time when the Catholic Church is going through the synodal process, we need to listen to the voice of the youth Noluthando articulated that voice already in 2019, at a global Jesuit congress in Rome, when she warned: “If the Church is a place whose credibility is contradictor y, we [the youth] will simply leave, and if religion and spirituality are contradictor y, we will choose spirituality and leave religion ”

Our Saint of the Month for August is also someone who as a young woman (and throughout her life) was prepared to argue her case St Clare of Assisi prosecuted her arguments with cardinals and popes who thought her attachment to voluntar y poverty was too extreme and contrary to societal norms St Clare stood her ground and prevailed

We tell St Clare’s remarkable life stor y this month, to go with a ver y special poster It may look like a painting but it is, in fact, a photograph by Kristyn Brown, whom we inter viewed in our November 2020 issue The following month, our pull-out poster was a beautiful photo by Kristyn depicting the Holy Family The poster of St Clare in this issue, showing the saint repelling invading soldiers with the Blessed Sacrament, is Kristyn’s favourite because the model representing the saint of Assisi is her own mother!

The theme of youth and faith finds further echo in our stor y about a young doctor and seminarian in Brazil

who died in a surfing accident Pope Francis has recognised Guido Schäffer, the “Surfing Angel”, as venerable

We also conclude our two-part series on the histor y of World Youth Day, this month covering the years 2008 to 2019 (from Sydney to Panama City), while Fr Chris Chatteris SJ reflects on the pope’s prayer intention for August, which relates to WYD Many of us will be following events with great interest as the world’s Catholic youth gathers in Lisbon this month

It is right that in Women’s Month, our cover should feature a strong woman, and our back-cover a religious Sister who in her time blazed a trail in the Southern African and, indeed, the global Church Sr Brigid Flanagan HF, who effectively ran the bishops’ conference in the turbulent 1980s, stands as a giant in the histor y of our local Church Read more about her in our monthly “Histor y in Colour ” feature

We had simultaneously good and bad news: our May, June and July editions were sold out even before the respective months were over The good news obviously is the increased demand for The Southern Cross, which indicates that our content has broad appeal and that our promotional campaigns, especially in Gauteng , are bearing fruit Some parishes are now asking to have such promotional campaigns as well There is a lot of enthusiasm about our monthly Catholic magazine

But the bad news is that there are many people who wanted to buy these editions and couldn’t. That needs to find remedy, and it means building effective partnerships between The Southern Cross and parishes. The goal must to have a Southern Cross in ever y Catholic home

Thank you for reading The Southern Cross and please tell your friends about your monthly Catholic magazine

God bless

Are

Part two of our history of World Youth Days

The Salesians are active in war-torn Syria

where all nuns are called Rosa A look

a convent dedicated to St Rose of Lima

What Christ’s Transfiguration means to us today

Book on a great priest reviewed

Peter Sadie reviews a tribute to Fr Michele D’Annucci

Getting ready for our final judgment

Why we must always examine our conscience

What other faiths, cultures can teach us

We

Why did Jesus choose a backwater?

The life of St Clare of Assisi

Debating champ Noluthando Honono

FROM OUR VAULTS

45 Years Ago: August 20, 1978

Who will be the new pope?

As the world mourns Pope Paul VI, who died on August 5 at the age of 80, the cardinals prepare to elect his successor Among the favourites are Italian Cardinals Benelli, Felici, Pignedoli, Baggio and Pirinio Outside Italy, König of Austria, Willebrands of the Netherlands, and Hume of England are mentioned African possibilities are Gantin of Benin and Zoungrana of Upper Volta [now Burkina Faso]. Not mentioned: Luciani of Venice or Wojtyla of Poland

Tribute from detention cell

Among the many tributes to Pope Paul VI, there was a poignant one from detention in an apartheid jail by Young Christian Students activist Joyce Mokhesi, who in a message wrote that Pope Paul’s “concern was human life, his perseverance a sight to the people”.

New Bloemfontein archbishop

About 8 000 people witnessed the installation of Archbishop Peter Butelezi as metropolitan of Bloemfontein Among the honoured guests gathered at Christian Brothers’ College was the archbishop’s mother, Christine Archbishop Butelezi had previously been bishop of Umtata [now Mthatha] and auxiliary in Johannesburg

Editorial: Paul VI, the teacher

In his editorial, Mgr Donald de Beer notes that above all Pope Paul VI “knew how to teach: gently, patiently, persuasively, yet clearly; with fidelity to the while of apostolic tradition, yet in a way that bridged a gap between revealed truth and contemporar y thought”.

What else made news in August 1978:

• Cardinal Albino Luciani, patriarch of Venice, is elected pope to succeed Pope Paul VI. He takes the names of his two predecessors as Pope John Paul. He is the first-ever pope with a double name.

• South Africa’s State President Nicolaas Diederichs dies on August 21 at the age of 74, three years into his term of office. A day later, Jomo Kenyatta, founding president of independent Kenya, dies at 87.

• The South African Defence Force carries out a raid against Zambia in retaliation for Zambian shelling of the small South African garrison town Katimo Mulilo in eastern Caprivi, Namibia

• The Shroud of Turin is displayed in public for the first time since 1943

• Double Eagle II becomes the first balloon to successfully cross the Atlantic Ocean, flying from Presque Isle in the US state of Maine, to Miserey, France

• The White House announces that President Jimmy Carter will meet with Egypt’s President Anwar al-Sadat and Israel’s premier Menachem Begin in September.

Why do we transfer feast

Q W h y d o e s t h e C h u rc h t r a n s f e r o u r g re a t s o l e m n i t i e s , s u c h a s t h e A s c e ns i o n i n M a y o r A s s u m p t i o n o f O u r L a d y i n A u g u s t , t o t h e f o l l o w i n g S u n d a y ? W h y c a n ’t w e j u s t k e e p c e l e b r a t i n g t h e m o n t h e a c t u a l d a t e ?

SOUTHERN AFRICA’S BISHOPS d e c i d e d t o t r a n s f e r f e a s t s t h a t a r e h o l y d a y s o f o b l i g a t i o n s u c h a s t h o s e o f t h e A s c e n s i o n , t h e A s s u m p t i o n o r t h e E p i p h a n y f r o m w e e k d a y s t o S u n d a y s t o m e e t a p a s t o r a l n e e d D u e t o w o r k a n d f a m i l y c o m m i t m e n t s , o r b e c a u s e o f l o n g d i s t a n c e s t o t h e n e a r e s t c h u r c h , m a n y p e o p l e a r e u n a b l e t o a t t e n d M a s s o n h o l y d a y s o f o b l i g a t i o n w h e n t h o s e f a l l o n w e e k d a y s S i n c e C a t h o l i c s a r e o b l i g e d t o a t t e n d M a s s o n S u n d a y s , a d a y w h e n m o s t C a t h o l i c s h a v e m o r e t i m e t h a n t h e y h a v e d u r i n g t h e w e e k , t h e r i s k o f m i s s i n g t h e o b l i g a t i o n t o a t t e n d M a s s i s d i m i n i s h e d w h e n f e a s t s a r e t r a n sf e r r e d f r o m w e e k d a y s t o S u n d a y s .

In many traditionally Catholic countries, feasts such as the Ascension or the Assumption are still public holidays (a term derived from exactly such holy days of obligation), making it possible for the faithful to celebrate

them on the given day, often with processions and other public shows of devotion However, in countries where such days are not public holidays, like South Africa or the United States, these feasts often are transferred What really counts is not when these feasts are observed but the spirit in which they are celebrated In a Southern Cross article published in 2016, Bishop Edward Risi of KeimoesUpington, then in charge of the bishops’ liturgy department, suggested that transferred feasts might be seen as an opportunity to have two bites of the holy cherry: on the actual feast day, and then again on the Sunday to which the feast is moved (see www t ly/DYxP)

S e r m o n s & h o m i l i e s : W h a t ’ s t h e

Q On Facebook I recently saw a meme that corrected certain terminology which is often used wrongly. One of them said that in the Catholic Church, the correct usage for the priest’s address at Mass is supposed to be “homily”, not “sermon” I have heard both terms used. Is the meme correct, and if so, what is the difference between these terms?

IN THE CATHOLIC LITURGY, THE terms “sermon” and “homily” are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference between the two

A sermon is a formal discourse or speech that is delivered by a priest, deacon or bishop during a religious service It tends to be more structured and prepared than a homily, and may touch on a wider range of topics that are relevant to the faith

difference?

and the community In a way, it can be compared to a lecture.

A homily, on the other hand, is a more informal and personal talk given by the priest, deacon or bishop which is meant to provide spiritual guidance and insights to the congregation Homilies are usually based on the readings of the day and are intended to help the congregation better understand and apply the message of the Scriptures in their daily lives.

While both sermons and homilies aim to educate and inspire the congregation, the main difference resides in their style and focus. Sermons are more formal and may be delivered on specific occasions such as weddings, funerals or feast days, while homilies are a regular part of the Mass and are given every Sunday and on major holy days

D o y o u h a v e q u e s t i o n s a b o u t o u r f a i t h ? S e n d t h e m t o : e d i t o r @ s c r o s s c o z a

The bishops “encourage priests and laity to use the traditional days of the solemnities for celebrations in Catholic schools, institutions like hospitals and old age homes”, Bishop Risi said at the time It is up to the parishes to offer Masses for the feast days on their actual day, using the particular liturgy and if this is not offered, for parishioners to ask their priest to do so

H o w e v e r , t h i s h a s t o b e m a d e m o r e e x p l i c i t . T h e b i s h o p s o u g h t t o e x p l a i n t h e r e a s o n s f o r t r a n s f e r r i n g t h e s o l e m n i t i e s m o r e w i d e l y a n d r e p e a t e d l y , e v e n t o p r i e s t s , a l s o g i v i n g g u i d a n c e a s t o t h e c o r r e c t u s e o f l i t u r g y o n t h e a c t u a l f e a s t d a y T h a t w o u l d g o a l o n g w a y t o a v o i d i n g c o n f u s i o n a n d m i s g i v i n g s a b o u t t h e t r a n s f e r r i n g o f f e a s t d a y s (Günther Simmermacher)

The meme you saw on Facebook, therefore, is making a rather sweeping generalisation While we mostly hear homilies at our ordinary Masses, there are also times when there are sermons delivered in the Catholic liturgy

W h y w a s J e s u s b a s e d i n a b a c k w a t e r ?

Q. Why did Jesus base himself in provincial Galilee? It does seem that his main opposition would have been in Jerusalem Norther n Galilee, including Caper naum, had a largish Gentile presence, which was not Jesus’ primary audience.

PRESUMABLY JESUS MINISTERED mostly in Galilee because it was the region where he grew up and where most of his early followers were from While it is true that the region had a significant Gentile population, Galilee was also an important centre of Jewish culture and of commerce at the time

Capernaum was an astute choice of base. It was the residence of several apostles including his first follower, Andrew, and also Simon Peter and therefore had an existing infrastructure of housing and social networks

M o r e o v e r , C a p e r n a u m w a s l oc a t e d o n t h e s t r a t e g i c a l l y i m p o r t a n t V i a M a r i s t r a d e r o u t e , w h i c h s t r e t c h e d f r o m E g y p t t o D a m a s c u s , s o t h e r e w a s c o n s t a n t t r a f f i c o f p e o p l e w h o m i g h t c a r r y J e s u s ’ m e s s a g e a c r o s s g r e a t d i s t a n c e s

S t i l l , G a l i l e e w a s r e l a t i v e l y r e m o t e f r o m t h e r e l i g i o u s a n d p o l i t i c a l c e nt r e s o f p o w e r i n J e r u s a l e m a n d J u d e a T h i s g a v e J e s u s a c e r t a i n m e a s u r e o f f r e e d o m t o s p r e a d h i s t e a c h i n g s a n d g a t h e r a f o l l o w i n g w i t h o u t d r a w

p e r f o r m i n g m i r a c l e s Jesus knew that his ministry was dangerous business Often he asked the beneficiaries of his miracles to keep their healing a secret When that was not possible, such as after the feeding of the multitudes or the raising of Lazarus, Jesus went into hiding

Of course, Jesus also took his ministry out of his base around the sea of Galilee He went as far north as Tyre, the region of the Phoenicians in present-day Lebanon; he went into Samaria, whose population engaged in mutual enmity with the Jews of Palestine; and he performed miracles in Jericho, near the River Jordan

The Gospels mention that Jesus travelled to Judea, particularly to

W h o f o r g i v e s s i n s :

G o d o r p r i e s t ?

Q A social media post by a priest stated that one of a priest’s functions is to forgive sins. I think that’s wrong In the sacrament of reconciliation, who actually forgives the sins God, the priest, or both?

HO P E F U L L Y T H A T P O S T W A S L I S T I N G T H E f u n c t i o n s o f a p r i e s t i n s o m e k i n d o f s h o r th a n d T o b e c l e a r : I n t h e s a c r a m e n t o f r e c o nc i l i a t i o n , i t i s G o d w h o f o r g i v e s s i n s , b u t t h e p r i e s t a c t s a s a m e d i a t o r b e t w e e n t h e p e n i t e n t a n d G o d

T h e C a t h o l i c C h u r c h t e a c h e s t h a t w h e n a p e r s o n s i n s , t h e y h a r m t h e i r r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h G o d a n d w i t h t h e C h u r c h c o m m u n i t y T h r o u g h t h e s a c r a m e n t o f r e c o ni a t i o n , t h e p e n i t e n t c o n f e s s e s t h e i r s i n s t o a p r i e s t a n d e x p r e s s e s c o n t r i t i o n f o r t h e i r a c t i o n s T h e p r i e s t , a c t i n g i n t h e p e r s o n o f C h r i s t , a b s o l v e s t h e p e n i t e n t o f t h e i r s i n s , a n d g r a n t s t h e m

G o d ’ s f o r g i v e n e s s . T h e p r i e s t d o e s n o t f o r g i v e s i n s o n h i s o w n a u t h o r i t y o r p o w e r H e a c t s a n i n s t r u m e n t o f G o d ’ s g i v e n e s s , a n d t h e a b s o l u t i o n h e g r a n t s i s n o t h i s o w n , b u t G o d ’ s

T h e C a t e c h i s m o f t h e C a t h o l i c C h u r c h e x p l a i n s t h a t “ t h e p r i e s t i s t h e s i g n a n d t h e i n s t r u m e n t o f G o d ' s m e r c i f u l l o v e f o r t h e s i n n e r ” ( 1 4 6 5 )

C a p e r n a u m ’ s 4 t h - c e n t u r y s y n a g o g u e , w i t h t h e b a s a l t f o u n d a t i o n o f t h e 1 s t c e n t u r y s y n a g o g u e i n w h i c h J e s u s m i n i s t e r e d

Jerusalem and Bethany But when he performed miracles there the healings at the pools of Bethesda and Siloam, for example, or the raising of Lazarus he attracted the hostile attention of the religious authorities We know how that story ended

So it made sense for Jesus to concentrate his ministry mostly in a small area on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, where the threat of prosecution by the authorities was smaller than it might have been in Judea

(Günther Simmermacher)

J o i n F o w l e r T o u r s

P i l g r i m a g e s i n 2 0 2 3

/ 2 4

Holy Land: Led by Fr Patrick Ddladla OMI • 11 to 20 September

Holy Land: Led by Fr Chris Townsend • 22 September to 1 October

Lourdes & Paris: Led by Fr Christopher Slater • 8-16 May 2024

Holy Land & Rome: Led by Mgr Simon Donnelly • 20 May to 1 June 2024

Holy Land: Led by Fr Solomon Mphela OFM • 24 June to 3 July, 2024

Holy Land: Led by Fr Thabiso Ledwaba • 9 to 18 September 2024

C o n t a c t G a i l a t 0 7 6 3 5 2 3 8 0 9

o r i n f o @ f o w l e r t o u r s . c o . z a w w w . f o w l e r t o u r s . c o . z a

on a wave to sainthood

By Courtney Mares

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS ONE step closer to canonising a sur fing saint Pope Francis recently recognised the heroic virtue of Brazil’s “Sur fer Angel”, Guido Schäffer, in a decree issued by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints With the decree, the pope declared Schäffer “venerable”. The Church will now need to approve a miracle attributed to Guido’s intercession before he can be beatified.

Schäffer was a seminarian, a doctor, and a sur fer who drowned while sur fing in 2009 off the coast of Rio de Janeiro at the age of 34 He died before he could fulfil his desire of being ordained to the priesthood The Brazilian seminarian, known locally as the “Anjo Sur fista” (“Sur fer Angel”) used to begin each of his sur fing lessons with a prayer and was known for his work with the poor, providing medical care to Rio’s favelas (comparable to our townships), alongside the Missionaries of Charity

Born on May 22, 1974, Guido grew up near the beaches of Rio’s Copacabana suburb His father was a physician and his mother was engaged in the Charismatic Renewal in their parish, Nossa Senhora de Copacabana She instilled in Guido a

love of scripture and prayer

As a student, Guido was an active member of a charismatic prayer group called Canção Nova (New Song) With his girlfriend and a priest known as Fr Jorjão, he later co-founded the prayer group “Fire of the Holy Spirit” at a parish in the seaside suburb of Ipanema

During his medical residency from 1999 to 2001, Guido worked as a general practitioner at the Hospital Santa Casa de Misericórdia He also began volunteering with a Catholic group that provided pastoral ministr y to the sick at the hospital.

While on a retreat, Guido was moved by a line in the Bible: “Do not turn your face away from any of the poor, so that God’s face will not be turned away from you” (Tobit 4:7) He asked for God’s forgiveness and prayed: “Jesus, help me to care for the poor ” One week later, he met Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity and soon began working with them to offer medical care in some of Rio’s poorest areas He invited other doctors from his hospital to join him and also brought young people from his prayer group and hospital ministr y to volunteer

Saving souls to God

Big wave sur fer Rodrigo Resende was impressed by Guido’s love for the poor and inner peace He told the Brazilian

publication Veja Rio: “I have never seen someone treat the marginalised with such respect. The inner peace that he radiated was impressive ”

Missionaries of Charity Sister Caritas recalled how Guido talked about Christ to each of the people he ser ved, taking care of both their body and soul “He used to pray with and for each of them, always inviting them to receive the sacraments as a source of grace and communion with God,” Sr Caritas said “His only concern was to save souls to God guiding as many people as he could to a personal experience with Christ ”

While he was volunteering with the Missionaries of Charity, Guido read the book Brother Francis of Assisi by Ignacio Larrañaga, which inspired him. Pope John Paul II’s visit to Rio in 1997 and Guido’s pilgrimage to Europe for the beatification of Brazil’s protomartyrs in 2000 also played a crucial role in his lifechanging decision to leave his profession as a doctor and his girlfriend to respond to the call to enter the priesthood.

Guido began studying philosophy at São Bento monaster y in 2002 In between seminar y classes, he devoted himself to evangelisation while also continuing his medical volunteering and sur fing

While sur fing with friends off Rio’s Recreio dos Bandeirantes beach on May 1, 2009, Guido hit his head on his sur fboard and drowned. The beach where he suffered his fatal accident was officially renamed in his honour in 2019: Praia do Guido

Fr Jorjão, who has since written a book in Portuguese about Guido’s life, reflected: “I have never seen someone with so much faith and at the same time so normal Anyone who knew him was sure they were dealing with someone from God.” CNA

Rome’s St Mary Major

ur Lady ’ s O wn Basilic a

OF ROME’S FOUR MAJOR basilicas, St Peter’s is imposing, St John Lateran magnificent, St Paul Outside the Walls elegant, and St Mar y Major extravagant. Indeed, to describe the latter as opulent is to understate its grandeur The flamboyant ceiling is made of gold which was brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus and presented by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain to the notorious Pope Alexander VI

But don’t let all that wealth fool you: Santa Maria Maggiore is also a place of prayer especially for Pope Francis, who visits the basilica before and after ever y foreign trip to pray to the miraculous icon of Salus Populi Romani (Protectress of the Roman People)

O n A u g u s t 5 w e m a r k t h e f e a s t o f t h e D e d i c a t i o n o f S t M a r y M a j o r, t h e oldest of the four major basilicas In the year 352, legend has it, the Virgin Mar y appeared in a dream simultaneously to P o p e L i b e r i u s a n d a w e a l t h y p a t r i c i a n named Giovanni and his wife. The Virg i n M a r y i n s t r u c t e d t h e m t o b u i l d a church at a particular spot They would find it by snow covering the ground on t h e E s q u i l i n e H i l l o f R o m e i n t h e summer heat of August

Following the miraculous snowfall, t h e s t o r y g o e s , P o p e L i b e r i u s m a r k e d the outline of the future basilica on the snow-covered ground The construction of the church began shortly after, and it was completed around the year 360. This is why the basilica is sometimes referred to as Our Lady of the Snows

The legend is first recorded in the 10th centur y, and the Church gives it no historical credence Nonetheless, it is still marked by white rose petals dropping from the dome every August 5

W h a t , h o w e v e r, i s k n o w n i s t h a t

Pope Liberius did build a basilica at that spot in the 4th centur y, possibly repurp o s i n g t h e r e s i d e n c e o f a p r o m i n e n t R o m a n f a m i l y t o s o . B u t t h e p r e s e n t s t r u c t u r e w a s b u i l t u n d e r P o p e C e l e stine I, who consecrated the basilica on A u g u s t 5 , 4 3 4 , t o t h e Vi r g i n M a r y, t o celebrate the decision of the Council of E p h e s u s i n 4 3 1 t o a f f i r m t h e t i t l e o f Mar y as Mother of God. It was one of t h e w o r l d ’s f i r s t c h u rc h e s t o b e d e d icated to Mar y

Relic of Christ’s birth

S o i t i s f i t t i n g t h a t t h e b a s i l i c a houses a relic known as the Holy Crib, b e l i e v e d t o b e a f r a g m e n t o f t h e m a n g e r i n w h i c h t h e i n f a n t J e s u s w a s laid by his mother in Bethlehem. Mos a i c s o f O u r L a d y, c r e a t e d i n t h e 5 t h c e n t u r y, a r e a m o n g t h e e a r l i e s t d e p i ct i o n s o f M a r y, a n d i n f l u e n c e d f u t u r e representations of her

A s m e n t i o n e d , O u r L a d y i s a l s o p r e s e n t i n t h e f a m o u s i c o n o f S a l u s

P o p u l i R o m a n i , k e p t i n t h e B o r g h e s e c h a p e l L e g e n d s u r r o u n d s t h a t i c o n ’s p r o v e n a n c e . O n e h a s i t t h a t t h e i m a g e w a s p a i n t e d b y S t L u k e h i m s e l f , a n d b r o u g h t f r o m t h e H o l y L a n d t o R o m e b y S t H e l e n a . I t s h i s t o r y c a n b e t r a c e d b a c k t o t h e l a t e 6 t h c e n t u r y, w h e n a p l a g u e a f f l i c t e d R o m e P o p e G r e g o r y t h e G r e a t ( 5 9 0 - 6 0 4 ) c a r r i e d t h e i m a g e i n p r o c e s s i o n t o p r a y t o O u r L a d y f o r a n e n d t o t h e p l a g u e T h e p l a g u e e n d e d , a n d t h e i c o n h a s b e e n v e n e ra t e d a s m i r a c u l o u s e v e r s i n c e

A c h a n g i n g l o o k

Over the centuries, St Mar y Major basilica under went several renovations a n d a d d i t i o n s , r e s u l t i n g i n a h o t c hpotch of architectural styles, including B y z a n t i n e , R o m a n e s q u e a n d B a r o q u e . T h e i n t e r i o r o f t h e b a s i l i c a i s a d o r n e d with superb mosaics (some dating back t o t h e 5 t h c e n t u r y ) , m a r b l e c o l u m n s , a n d o r n a t e d e c o r a t i o n s A n d l o t s o f gold!

St Mar y Major has become a place o f p i l g r i m a g e f o r C h r i s t i a n s f r o m a r o u n d t h e w o r l d ( a p a r t f r o m a l l t h e tourists who come to behold its splendour) In 1552, St Philip Neri declared i t o n e o f R o m e ’s S e v e n P i l g r i m Churches (the four major basilicas, plus those of St Lawrence Outside the Walls, S t S e b a s t i a n O u t s i d e t h e Wa l l s , a n d Santa Croce in Gerusalemme).

The basilica holds the tombs of the great 17th-centur y artist Gian Lorenzo B e r n i n i a n d f i v e p o p e s ( i n c l u d i n g S t Pius V), as well as the relics of St Jerome and St Pancras.

On August 15, the pope traditionally celebrates the Mass for the feast of t h e A s s u m p t i o n a t S t M a r y M a j o r After all, it is Our Lady’s major basilica in Rome

On August 5 we mark the feast of the Dedication of the Major Basilica of St Mary Major. Here we look at that ancient church’s history and significance

S t M a r y M a j o r i n 1 7 4 4 , p a i n t e d b y G i o v a n n i P a o l o P a n n i n i

All up for debate

SAINT PAUL ASKED THE CORINTHIANS: “WHERE IS the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age?” (I Cor 1:20). In the context of the Church in South Africa, an answer to this question can be given in the form of a young Catholic woman who is charting a new path in the South African debating scene.

Twenty-seven year-old Noluthando Honono has achieved international honours not only as a debater but also as an adjudicator And when she is not debating, she is engaged in Catholic projects.

T h e o l d e s t o f f o u r c h i l d r e n , N o l u t h a n d o w a s b o r n t o a S o t h o f a t h e r a n d a X h o s a m o t h e r S h e s p e n t t h e e a r l y y e a r s o f h e r l i f e i n N y a n g a E a s t , a n d m o v e d t o B l u e D o w n s o n t h e C a p e F l a t s t o l i v e w i t h h e r g r a n d m o t h e r w h e n s h e w a s s i x y e a r s o l d . “ O n e o f m y f o n d e s t m e m o r i e s o f i d e n t i f y i n g a s a C a t h o l i c i s m y g r a n d m o t h e r ’s S a c r e d H e a r t S o d a l i t y u n i f o r m We l i v e d i n B l u e D o w n s b u t w e n t t o S t M a r y ’s c h u rc h i n N y a n g a E a s t , ” s h e r e c a l l e d H e r g r a n d m o t h e r i s t h e p e r s o n N o l u t h a n d o l o o k s u p t o t h e m o s t . “ S h e i s t h e m o d e l o f a n h o n e s t a n d t o u g h b u t l o v i n g h u m a n b e i n g M y u p b r i n g i n g , m y v a l u e s y s t e m , a n d e v e r y t h i n g I h a v e a c h i e v e d i s a s a r e s u l t o f m y g r a n dm o t h e r ’s r e s i l i e n c e a n d h e r w i l l i n g n e s s t o h e l p m e t o b e t h e b e s t p e r s o n I c a n b e . S h e h a s d o n e t h a t f o r a l l m y

c o u s i n s a n d s h e i s d o i n g i t f o r m y s i b l i n g s , n o w t h a t m y p a r e n t s h a v e p a s s e d , ” s h e t o l d T h e S o u t h e r n C ro s s

A t a n e a r l y a g e , N o l u t h a n d o h a d a l r e a d y

m e m o r i s e d c e r t a i n p a r t s o f t h e w o u l d r e c i t e t h e s e i n t a n d e m w p r i e s t , F r G e r a r d L o r r i m a n S J P a s F r J e r r y, t h e E n g l i s h - b o r n J e S t M a r y ’s c h u rc h f o r o v e r t w o a s C a t h o l i c c h a p l a i n t o p o l i t i c R o b b e n I s l a n d d u r i n g t h e a p a r

“ F r J e r r y l e a r n e d t h e i s i X h s o t h a t h e c o u l d c e l e b r a t e H o l i t . A s a c h i l d , I f o u n d t h i s o l d m a n p r a y i n g w i t h m e i n m y o g u a g e v e r y f a s c i n a t i n g b e c a u s e t h e w h i t e p e o p l e I k n e s p o k e o n l y E n g l i s h o r A f r i k a a n l u t h a n d o r e c a l l e d .

Being a shy child, Nolutha kept to herself and didn’t get involved in the parish’s life Th changed when she was 12 year “Like other children, during M I’d sit in the children’s section This is where I started getting to know and befriended

group of girls who were liturgical dancers, and were in preparation to become altar ser vers. I joined them to also become a liturgical dancer and an altar ser ver This was the beginning of what would become my many years of ser vice at St Mar y’s,” she recalled She later became a facilitator for Education for Life, and ser ved on the executive committee of the youth group

Noluthando attended the Redemptorist-run St Mar y’s Primar y School in Retreat, Obser vator y Junior School, and high school at Sans Souci Girls’ School in Newlands and the Cape Academy of Mathematics, Science and Technology Her aspiration was to become a medical doctor “However, finances meant that I had to make compromises. This is how I ended up studying towards a law degree at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha ”

Law is a field Noluthando has certain reser vations about, “because of the multiple ways it may require me to compromise myself and my beliefs However, if I had to choose a field of specialisation to practise as a lawyer, it would most certainly be family law,” she said.

Alongside advancing in the debating field, she is still pursuing her ambitions of becoming a medical doctor She has been admitted for studies towards a BSc degree in Biomedical Sciences through the University of South Africa (UNISA). She intends to study and save the funds for going to medical school immediately after her completion of the degree

national debating success

uthando stumbled into the world of g by accident at high school “I was nto the world of debating by a teacher s Souci. She felt that I had the potential a noteworthy debater, but my fear of c speaking was holding me back My her ‘forced’ me to join the debating m at the school Because I wasn’t a orty person, I figured that I should keep oing it I eventually began to enjoy it ”

Her debating prowess has won Noluthando tournaments in South Africa, including the Pretoria Parley Invitation, the Free State Open, and the Southern Africa Women’s Open, among others She has also taken part in and even judged many international finals and out-rounds at tournaments. These include the World Universities Debating Championships (WUDC), the world’s biggest debating tournament, with teams representing universities

‘My gran is the model of an honest, tough but loving person’

from around the world Last year, she took part in the WUDC in Belgrade, Serbia, where she was also appointed deputy chief-adjudicator. She has also taken part in the prestigious Doxbridge Worlds, which are debating events hosted by students and graduates from the English Universities of Durham, Oxford and Cambridge

But Noluthando’s greatest highlight thus far has been her appointment as the chief adjudicator for the PanAfrican Universities Debating Championship (PAUDC) in December in Togo The PAUDC is the biggest universities debate championship in Africa

Noluthando currently works as a debating coach for multiple schools in Johannesburg “I relish the impact that the training sessions and the resultant wins have on the kids My flagship school is St Stithian’s College My ultimate reward is when I watch a student whom I coach and mentor go on to do really great things,” she said

Social inequalities based on race, income and status are a prevalent feature of South African society The debate scene is no different, Noluthando noted. “The development of debating in South Africa needs the involvement of more stakeholders, so that we are able to reach the more remote areas of the countr y as well as schools that don’t have the ability to fairly compensate a coach I believe that debating should form part of the curriculum in a more meaningful way because all of the skillsets taught by debating are integral to success in education,” she said

The Jesuit connection

Being a person who attended church at a Jesuit-run parish for most of her life, it was only natural that Noluthando would collaborate with the Society of Jesus on various projects. Her first project with the Jesuit Fathers was in 2017, when Fr Rampe Hlobo SJ organised a trip for her to Kenya for a training-of-trainers course, with a focus on the Catholic Social Teachings This led her to further engagements with Jesuit projects, such as the Kenya-based Jesuit Justice & Ecology Network Africa.

Noluthando’s involvement with the network is ongoing She has contributed to the post-pandemic “Bring the Girl Child to School” campaign, the youth development project “Lead+Magis Africa”, and the “Economy of Francesco”, a Pope Francis-inspired international movement of young Catholic economists, entrepreneurs and changemakers engaged in a process of inclusive dialogue for global change and moving towards a new economy.

She has also been engaged in the Africa Synodal Initiative, and contributed to a handbook distributed at the Continental Synodal Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in March

The Capetonian now lives in Johannesburg, where she has not been able to settle at one parish “At the moment, I am floating to find a new home,” Noluthando said Her spiritual regimen includes doing an examen (a daily Jesuit devotional conscience exercise) at the end of the day, and the rosary once a week She finds the Living Faith Daily Catholic Devotions website helpful for readings and daily prayers

A need for discussion in the Church

The keen debater feels strongly about open discussion within the Church “As in the broader society, there are so many things we need to address as the Catholic Church Many of them require starting at a grassroots level by ensuring that priests are taken care of psychologically Catholic priests take in a lot when hearing confessions and while doing their work in parishes or as missionaries Secondly, I believe that we need to ensure that we allow ourselves to engage with what may be more uncomfortable conversations, such as the changing structure of the family, the

LGBTQIA+ community, the rights of women and the masculine nature of the Church, the stance on contraception, the youth, and our need to receive clear answers on these questions ” That includes difficult topics: “I am very interested in what the conversation on female priests will yield,” she said.

Noluthando believes that it is up to young women to realise their God-given talents and, most importantly, to make the first move in pursuing them “Young women have the ability to be who they envision themselves to be ”

She advises young women: “Use the resources available to you to grow and develop Use the Internet as a tool to seek out opportunities in whatever field you are passionate about Start your content creation, write your book, study towards that degree, apply for that scholarship do it all. Take care of yourself, seek therapy, and be kind to yourself ”

I n c o r r u p t b o d i e s

Lately pilgrims have flocked to a chapel in the US after reports that the body of a nun was found to be incorrupt. hannah brockhaus looks at the nature of incorrupt bodies.

CAT H O L I C P I L G R I M S H AV E b e e n d e s c e n d i n g o n a B e n ed i c t i n e m o n a s t e r y i n a r u r a l a r e a i n t h e U S s t a t e o f M i ss o u r i a f t e r a s e e m i n g l y i n c r e d i b l e d i sc o v e r y T h e b o d y o f S i s t e r Wi l h e l m i n a L a n c a s t e r O S B , t h e A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n f o u n d r e s s o f t h e B e n e d i c t i n e S i s t e r s o f M a r y, Q u e e n o f t h e A p o s t l e s , a p p e a r s t o b e i n a n u n e x p e c t e d s t a t e o f p r e s e rv a t i o n e v e n f o u r y e a r s a f t e r s h e d i e d i n 2 0 1 9 a t t h e a g e o f 9 5 W h e n t h e a b b e s s a n d n u n s o f S r Wi l h e l m i n a ’s c o m m u n i t y d ec i d e d t o m o v e h e r b o d y f r o m t h e c e m e t e r y t o a f i n a l r e s t i n g p l a c e i ns i d e t h e i r m o n a s t e r y c h a p e l o n M a y 1 8 , t h e y w e r e s u r p r i s e d t o f i n d h e r b o d y a p p a r e n t l y i n t a c t , e v e n t h o u g h s h e h a d n o t b e e n e m b a l m e d T h e S i st e r s w e r e a l s o a m a z e d t o s e e t h a t t h e i r f o u n d r e s s ’ h a b i t w a s a l s o i n e x c e l l e n t c o n d i t i o n , d e s p i t e t h e c o m p l e t e d i s i nt e g r a t i o n o f t h e c l o t h l i n i n g o f t h e w o o d e n c o f f i n . N o i n v e s t i g a t i o n h a s y e t b e e n c a rr i e d o u t t o r u l e o u t a n y n a t u r a l c a u s e s f o r t h e p r e s u m e d p h e n o m e n o n , a n d t h e C a t h o l i c C h u rc h h a s n o t r u l e d o n S r Wi l h e l m i n a ’s c a s e . A c a u s e f o r t h e f o u n d r e s s ’ c a n o n i s a t i o n h a s a l s o n o t b e e n a p p r o v e d b y t h e C h u r c h . B u t h o w d o e s t h e C h u r c h d e f i n e t h e i nc o r r u p t i b i l i t y o f s a i n t s , a n d w h a t d o e s t h e p h e n o m e n o n s i g n i f y ?

W h a t i s i n c o r r u p t i b i l i t y ?

Incorruptibility is the preser vation o f t h e b o d y f r o m n o r m a l d e c a y a f t e r d e a t h . A c c o r d i n g t o C a t h o l i c t r a d it i o n , i n c o r r u p t i b l e s a i n t s g i v e w i t n e s s t o t h e t r u t h o f t h e r e s u r r e c t i o n o f t h e b o d y a n d t h e l i f e t h a t i s t o c o m e . T h e C h u rc h d o e s n o t h a v e a c u t -

a n d - d r i e d d e f i n i t i o n o f w h a t c o n d it i o n a h o l y p e r s o n ’s b o d y m u s t b e

A bright light emanated from the saint’s grave

f o u n d i n t o b e d e c l a r e d i n c o r r u p t , a n d i t d o e s n o t n e c e s s a r i l y r e q u i r e t h a t t h e b o d y r e m a i n s p e r m a n e n t l y i n t h e s a m e c o n d i t i o n i n w h i c h i t w a s f o u n d I n c o r r u p t i b i l i t y, w h e n p r o v e n , i s c o ns i d e r e d a s i g n , b e c a u s e i t c a n n o t b e e xp l a i n e d b y i n t e n t i o n a l p r e s e r v a t i o n , s u c h a s e m b a l m i n g , o r b y u n i n t e nt i o n a l p r e s e r v a t i o n t h r o u g h n a t u r a l c a u s e s , s u c h a s m u m m i f i c a t i o n

T h e C a t h o l i c a u t h o r J o a n C a r r o l l C r u z , w h o d i e d i n 2 0 1 2 , w r o t e a b o u t

T o p : T h e b o d y o f S t B e r n a d e t t e i s s e e n i n a g l a s s c o f f i n i n N e v e r s , F r a n c e W h e n s h e w a s f i r s t e x h u m e d 3 0 y e a r s a f t e r h e r d e a t h , t h e b o d y o f t h e L o u r d e s v i s i o n a r y w a s f o u n d t o b e i n c o r r u p t H e r f a c e a n d h a n d s a r e c o v e r e d b y a w a x m a s k

t h e p h e n o m e n o n i n h e r 1 9 7 7 b o o k

T h e I n c o r r u p t i b l e s S h e i d e n t i f i e d 1 0 2 s a i n t s o r b l e s s e d s w h o h a v e b e e n r e c o g n i s e d b y t h e C h u rc h t o b e i n c o rr u p t S h e s a i d t h e r e w e r e m a n y m o r e , b u t t h e s e 1 0 2 w e r e “ t h e g r e a t m a j o ri t y, a n d c e r t a i n l y t h e m o s t f a m o u s ” . C r u z d i d e x t e n s i v e r e s e a rc h f o r h e r b o o k a n d , b e c a u s e s h e w a s w r i t i n g b e f o r e t h e I n t e r n e t , c o r r e s p o n d e d w i t h t h e s h r i n e s h o l d i n g t h e b o d i e s t o a u t h e n t i c a t e t h e i r i n c o r r u p t i b i l i t y a n d t o d i s c o v e r i f t h e y h a d b e e n e mbalmed She noted that at the time she w a s r e s e a rc h i n g a n d w r i t i n g , t h e r e w e r e a l s o e r r o r s , o r “ f a l s e r u m o u r s , ” a b o u t t h e i n c o r r u p t i b i l i t y o f s o m e s a i n t s T h e p o o r q u a l i t y o f s o m e p h ot o g r a p h s o f s a i n t s ’ r e m a i n s s o m et i m e s h a v e l e d p e o p l e t o b e l i e v e t h a t t h e “ s i m u l a t e d f i g u r e s ” s u c h a s w a x e f f i g i e s h o l d i n g t h e r e l i c s o f s a i n t s w e r e r e a l l y u n n a t u r a l l y p r es e r v e d c o r p s e s , s h e w r o t e

T h e l e g a l c a s e

A f u t u r e 1 8 t h - c e n t u r y p o p e g a v e h i s d e f i n i t i o n o f i n c o r r u p t i b i l i t y i n a t r e a t i s e o n t h e p r o c e s s o f b e a t i f i c a t i o n a n d c a n o n i s a t i o n o f s a i n t s P r o s p e r o L a m b e r t i n i , t h e f u t u r e P o p e B e n e d i c t X I V, w r o t e t h e l e n g t h y w o r k w h i l e ser ving in the Holy See’s Congregation f o r t h e P r o m o t i o n o f S a i n t s ’ C a u s e s f r o m 1 7 0 8 t o 1 7 2 8

Tw o c h a p t e r s o f t h e b o o k o u t l i n e d t h e y o u n g t h e o l o g i a n a n d l a w y e r ’s p os i t i o n o n t h e p h e n o m e n o n o f i n c o rr u p t i b i l i t y. L a m b e r t i n i r u l e d t h a t t h e b o d i e s o f s a i n t l y p e r s o n s t h a t a r e f o u n d i n t a c t b u t d i s i n t e g r a t e d a f t e r a

Photo: Günther Simmermacher

f e w y e a r s , c o u l d n o t b e c o n s i d e r e d m i r a c u l o u s p r e s e r v a t i o n “ T h e o n l y c o n s e r v a t i o n s h e w a s w i l l i n g t o c o n s i d e r e x t r a o r d i n a r y a r e t h o s e t h a t r e t a i n t h e i r l i f e l i k e f l e xi b i l i t y, c o l o u r a n d f r e s h n e s s , w i t ho u t d e l i b e r a t e i n t e r v e n t i o n , f o r m a n y y e a r s f o l l o w i n g t h e i r d e a t h s , ” C r u z n o t e d

H e r b o o k d o c u m e n t e d c a s e s w h e r e t h i s h a s h a p p e n e d , s u c h a s S t J o h n o f t h e C r o s s , w h o d i e d i n

1 5 9 1 a n d w h o s e b o d y, s h e w r o t e , “ i s s t i l l p e r f e c t l y s u p p l e ” M o r e r ec e n t s a i n t s h a v e a l s o e x h i b i t e d t h i s p h e n o m e n o n , s u c h a s S t C h a r b e l M a k h l o u f , a L e b a n e s e m o n k w h o d i e d i n 1 8 9 8

M i r a c l e s a l s o o c c u r r e d a r o u n d t h e t i m e o f S t C h a r b e l ’s e x h u m a t i o n f r o m h i s d i r t g r a v e , a f e w y e a r s a f t e r h i s d e a t h O n e w a s t h e p r e s e n c e o f a f r ag r a n t s c e n t , a c o m m o n p h e n o m e n o n w i t h i n c o r r u p t i b l e s . R e p o r t e d l y, a b r i g h t l i g h t e m a n a t e d f r o m S t C h a rb e l ’s g r a v e a f t e r h i s d e a t h , p r o m p t i n g d e v o t e e s o f t h e h o l y m o n k t o a s k f o r h i s r e m a i n s t o b e e x a m i n e d S t B e r n a d e t t e S o u b i r o u s , t h e v is i o n a r y o f L o u r d e s , d i e d i n 1 8 7 9 a n d w a s e x h u m e d i n 1 9 0 9 a n d a g a i n i n 1 9 1 9 a n d 1 9 2 5 W h e n h e r b o d y w a s f i r s t e x h u m e d 3 0 y e a r s a f t e r h e r d e a t h , i t w a s f o u n d t o b e i n c o r r u p t , e v e n a s h e r h a b i t w a s d a m p a n d t h e r o s a r y i n h e r h a n d h a d r u s t e d . T h e S i s t e r s w h o h a d p r e p a r e d h e r b o d y f o r b u r i a l 3 0 y e a r s e a r l i e r n o t e d t h a t s h e l o o k e d a s s h e d i d w h e n t h e y h a d l a s t s e e n h e r S u b s e q u e n t e x h u m a t i o n s s h o w e d s i g n s o f s o m e d e c a y, p o s s i b l y d u e t o h u m a n i n t e r v e n t i o n s s u c h a s t h e w a s h i n g o f t h e s a i n t ’s b o d y a f t e r i t s e x p o s u r e i n 1 9 0 9 To c o v e r t h e d i sc o l o u r i s a t i o n o f h e r f a c e a n d h a n d s , a l i g h t w a x m a s k o f h e r f a c e a n d h a n d s w e r e m a d e w h e n S t B e r n a d e t t e ’s b o d y w a s m o v e d i n t o a g l a s s c o f f i n i n t h e c h a p e l o f h e r o r d e r ’s c o n v e n t i n t h e c e n t r a l F r e n c h t o w n o f N e v e r s .

C o m m o n o b j e c t i o n s

A c o m m o n o b j e c t i o n t o i n c o r r u p ti b i l i t y i s t h e i d e a t h a t t h e b o d y e i t h e r m u s t h a v e b e e n d e l i b e r a t e l y p r e s e r v e d a p r a c t i c e s i n c e a n c i e n t t i m e s o r t h a t t h e c o n d i t i o n s o f t h e g r a v e o r

t o m b a l l o w e d f o r n a t u r a l p r e s e r v a t i o n . I n a t l e a s t o n e c a s e , m o d e r n s c i e n t i f i c e x a m i n a t i o n h a s f o u n d t h a t a s a i n t p r e v i o u s l y b e l i e v e d t o b e i n c o r r u p t w a s l i k e l y n o t A c c o r d i n g t o a 2 0 0 1 a r t i c l e b y H e a t h e r P r i n g l e , a C h u rc h - s a n c t i o n e d i n v e s t i g a t i o n b y I t a l i a n s c i e n t i s t s i n t h e 1 9 8 0 s f o u n d t h a t t h e 1 3 t h - c e n t u r y Tu s c a n s a i n t M a r g a r e t o f C o r t o n a h a d r e c e i v e d e x t e n s i v e e m b a l m i n g a n d o t h e r i n t e r v e n t i o n a f t e r d e a t h T h e s c i e n t i s t s a l s o u n c o v e r e d d o c u m e n t s t h a t s h o w e d e m b a l m i n g h a d b e e n r eq u e s t e d b y d e v o t e e s o f t h e s a i n t , a p at r o n o f r e f o r m e d p r o s t i t u t e s B u t a f t e r t h e p a s s a g e o f y e a r s , t h e f a c t h a d b e e n f o r g o t t e n , a n d h e r a pp e a r a n c e l e d p e o p l e t o b e l i e v e i t w a s m i r a c u l o u s T h e e v i d e n c e h a d b e e n c o v e r e d b y h e r c l o t h e s , a n d o u t o f a s e n s e o f m o d e s t y a f u l l e x a m i n a t i o n o f h e r b o d y h a d n o t b e e n c a r r i e d o u t f o r c e n t u r i e s . T h e s a m e s c i e n t i s t s , h o we v e r, c o u l d f i n d “ n o t a t r a c e o f h u m a n i n t e r v e n t i o n ” o n S t Z i t a , a n o t h e r 1 3 t h - c e n t u r y s a i n t a n d w e l l - k n o w n i nc o r r u p t i b l e f r o m L u c c a , I t a l y

A m o r e r e c e n t e x a m p l e o f m i st a k e n i n c o r r u p t i b i l i t y i s t h a t o f B l C a r l o A c u t i s P h o t o s o f t h e h o l y t e e n c a u s e d s o m e c o n f u s i o n o n l i n e a f t e r h i s b o d y w a s d i s p l a y e d f o r p u b l i c v e ne r a t i o n l e a d i n g u p t o h i s b e a t i f i c a t i o n i n 2 0 2 0

B i s h o p D o m e n i c o S o r r e n t i n o o f

A s s i s i , I t a l y, c l a r i f i e d t h a t a l t h o u g h C a r l o ’s b o d y a p p e a r e d i n t a c t i n p h o t og r a p h s , t h a t w a s d u e t o t h e u s e o f a s i li c o n e r e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f h i s f a c e T h e t e e n a g e r ’s b o d y h a d b e e n f o u n d i n a n o r m a l s t a t e o f d e c a y w h e n i t w a s e x -

h u m e d 1 4 y e a r s a f t e r h i s 2 0 0 6 d e a t h H i s r e m a i n s a r e n o w e nt o m b e d i n a g l a s s c o f f i n i n a c h u rc h i n A s s i s i , w i t h h i s r e l i c s e n c a s e d i n a l i f e - l i k e e f f i g y.

O t h e r i n t e r v e n t i o n s ?

C r u z a r g u e d i n h e r b o o k t h a t s o m e d e l i b e r a t e p r e s e r v a t i o n a f t e r d e a t h d o e s n o t e x c l u d e t h e p o s s ib i l i t y t h a t t h e c a d a v e r c o u l d s t i l l e x h i b i t a n u n e x p l a i n a b l e c o n d it i o n m a n y y e a r s a f t e r d e a t h S h e a c k n o w l e d g e d t h a t a b o u t 1 % o f t h e 1 0 2 i n c o r r u p t i b l e s s h e i d e n t if i e d h a d r e c e i v e d s o m e i n t e r v e n t i o n M a n y o t h e r s , h o w e v e r, c e r t a i n l y h a d n o t , a s t h e y b e l o n g e d t o r e l i g i o u s o rd e r s t h a t d i d n o t a l l o w i t . S h e a l s o r e j e c t e d t h e i d e a t h a t m a n y c a s e s c o u l d b e e x p l a i n e d b y n a tu r a l m u m m i f i c a t i o n , c i t i n g t h e l a c k o f r i g i d i t y o r h a r d n e s s o f t h e b o d i e s , t h e n o r m a l c o n d i t i o n o f m u m m i f i e d c o r p s e s A s e v i d e n c e , s h e d o c u m e n t e d t h e c o n d i t i o n s i n w h i c h m a n y o f t h e saintly people had been found, such as i n d i r t g r a v e s o r w o o d c o f f i n s w i t h s i gn i f i c a n t d e c a y a n d d e t e r i o r a t i o n S t C h a r b e l ’s b o d y, f o r e x a m p l e , w a s f o u n d f l o a t i n g i n m u d . S h e a r g u e d t h a t t h e s e w e r e n o t c o n d i t i o n s c o nd u c i v e t o m u m m i f i c a t i o n . A t o n e t i m e , t h e C h u rc h w o u l d a cc e p t a c a n d i d a t e f o r s a i n t h o o d ’s i n c o rr u p t i b i l i t y a s o n e o f t h e m i r a c l e s r e q u i r e d f o r c a n o n i s a t i o n T h i s p r a ct i c e f e l l o u t o f u s e b e c a u s e b e i n g i n c o rr u p t a f t e r d e a t h i s n o t o n e o f t h e r e q u i r e m e n t s t o b e d e c l a r e d a s a i n t i n t h e C a t h o l i c C h u rc h , n o r i s i t a d e f i ni t i v e s i g n o f h a v i n g l i v e d “ a h e r o i c l i f e o f v i r t u e ” .

M a n y o f t h e s a i n t s a n d b l e s s e d s w h o s e r e m a i n s h a v e f o l l o w e d t h e n o rm a l p r o c e s s o f r e t u r n i n g “ t o d u s t ” h a v e b e e n d i s p l a y e d f o r p u b l i c v e n e ra t i o n u s i n g c o v e r i n g s o r s i l i c o n e m a s k s , a s i n t h e c a s e o f C a r l o A c u t i s

T h e s t a t e o f S r Wi l h e l m i n a ’s b o d y, w h e t h e r v e r i f i e d t o b e i n c o r r u p t o r n o t , s e n d s a m e s s a g e t h a t “ H e a v e n i s r e a l T h e r e s u r r e c t i o n i s r e a l , ” s a i d t h e abbess of the foundress’ community in M i s s o u r i “ H a v e f a i t h , ” A b b e s s C e c i l i a s a i d “ L i f e d o e s n o t e n d w h e n w e t a k e o u r l a s t b r e a t h i t b e g i n s . ” C N A

The body of St Wilhelmina Lancaster OSB, found to be incorrupt four years after her death Photo: Kelsey Wicks/CNA

The History of World Youth Day

venue, despite having tickets

Most of the 1,4 million were baking in the summer heat of 37°C as they were waiting for the vigil Throughout the day, firefighters provided relief by hosing down the good-natured and exuberant pilgrims

2011:

As o n e w o u l d e x p e c t , a W Y D a t t h e d i s t a n t e n d o f t h e w o r l d a t t r a c t e d d i m i n i s h e d n u m b e r s o f p i l g r i m s , a n d s o i t w a s w h e n t h e e v e n t w a s h o s t e d i n S y d n e y, A u s t r a l i a S t i l l , f o r t h e c l o s i n g M a s s a t R a n d w i c k R a c ec o u r s e , a b o u t 3 5 0 0 0 0 t u r n e d u p T h e n u m b e r o f p i l g r i m s w a s s a i d t o h a v e e x c e e d e d t h e f i g u r e f o r i nt e r n a t i o n a l v i s i t o r s t o t h e O l y m p i c G a m e s i n S y d n e y i n 2 0 0 0 .

D u r i n g t h e c l o s i n g M a s s , P o p e B e n e d i c t X V I c o n f i r m e d 2 4 y o u t h s f r o m a l l o v e r t h e w o r l d . A m o n g t h e m w e r e P o r t E l i z a b e t h p i l g r i m s P e t e r - J o h n U r b a n a n d B e n e d i c t a K a r a - Va l a

T h r o u g h o u t h i s f o u r d a y s i n A u s t r a l i a , P o p e B e n e d i c t s e n t d a i l y S M S m e s s a g e s t o s u b s c r i b e r s o f a n A u s t r a l i a n c e l l u l a r p h o n e n e t w o r k S a m p l e t e x t : “ T h e H o l y S p i r i t g a v e t h e A p o s t l e s & g i v e s u t h e p o w e r b o l d l y 2 p r o c l a i m t h a t C h r i s t i s r i s e n ! B X V I ” T h e h i g h l y a r t i c u l a t e a n d g e n e r a l l y p u r i s t p o n t i f f p r o b a b l y d i d n o t p e r s o n a l l y p u t f i n g e r o n a t o u c h s c r e e n t o c r e a t e t h i s t x t s p kl a c e d p r o s e .

What Was Hot Then:

Music: “Take A Bow” by Rihanna

Movies: Wall-E

On TV: House

World Youth Day 2011 was hot

There were the high summer temperatures, and also heated public protests against the event, Pope Benedict and the Catholic Church But Vatican Radio reporter Emer McCarthy noted a change in mood in the Spanish press during WYD, “which passed from frontpage reporting on the protests that had erupted on the eve of the papal trip, to the pope’s call for ethics in political and social spheres to help overcome the [economic] crisis”

With their exuberant spirit, the WYD pilgrims made themselves heard over that noise anyway. South African pilgrims also made themselves heard in Madrid The late Lebo Majahe of Johannesburg reported that the group from her archdiocese was “singing, dancing, drum-playing and blowing vuvuzelas, doing it in a true South African way”.

Organisers had expected about a million people at the vigil and closing Mass at the Cuatro Vientos airbase, about 13km from the centre of Madrid a distance many pilgrims walked because public transport struggled to provide for the numbers The actual numbers exceeded expectations There were 1,4 million people, with another quarter of a million people being locked out from the

Shortly after the pope arrived, a storm broke out, halting proceedings temporarily Once the skies had cleared, the huge crowd fell silent in Eucharistic adoration, followed by a devout Stations of the Cross. Fr Simon Donnelly told The Southern Cross: “A million or two people in total silence is an unbelievable experience It was for many of us the best part of the whole evening The youth of the world, surrounding the bishop of Rome, in silence, as together we prayed to the Eucharistic Lord, with all the petitions we brought with us This is the Church!”

What Was Hot Then:

Music: “Loliwe” by Zahara

Movies: Bridesmaids

On TV: Glee

t o a W Y D i

c

n h i s h o m e c o u n t r y, b y t h e

h o i c e o f h i s p r e d e c e s s o r. N o w t h e

A r g e n t i n e P o p e F r a n c i s m a d e h i s f i r s t f o r e i g n t r i p t o h i s h o m e c o n t i n e n t o f

2008: Sydney

2013: rio de Janeiro

Madrid

I n A u g u s t t h e C h u r c h w i l l h o l d i t s 1 7 t h W o r l d Y o u t h D a y ( o r 1 5 t h , d e p e n d s h o w y o u a r e c o u n t i n g ) . I n t h e s e c o n d o f a t w o - p a r t s e r i e s ,

G ü n t h e r S i m m e r m a c h e r l o o k s a t t h e W Y D s o f 2 0 0 8 t o 2 0 1 9 .

S o u t h A m e r i c a , i n B r a z i l

F o r R i o , W Y D w a s t h e f i r s t o f t h r e e g l o b a l e v e n t s t o b e h e l d i n t h e s p a c e o f f o u r y e a r s , a h e a d o f t h e f o o t b a l l Wo r l d

C u p i n 2 0 1 4 a n d t h e 2 0 1 6 S u m m e r O l y m p i c s

On his first foreign journey, Pope Francis demonstrated his gift for communication: in his words and in his appreciation for the impact of wellchosen symbolisms It started before he even left: the pope carried his own worn briefcase as he boarded his flight to Brazil a far cr y from the days when popes where carried in full regalia on a sedia gestatoria

And in Rio, Pope Francis was driven not in a limo but in a modest Fiat.

E v e r y w h e r e h e w e n t , t h e p o p e r e p e a t e d h i s b a s i c m e s s a g e : f o r s o c i a l j u s t i c e , f o r t h e n e e d f o r a m o r e h u m b l e a n d e m p a t h e t i c C h u rc h l e a d e r s h i p , a n d f o r a m o r e a ct i v e a n d e n g a g e d l a i t y

U n l i k e M a d r i d i n 2 0 1 1 , R i o e x p e r ie n c e d f e w o r g a n i s a t i o n a l p r o b l e m s Ti m o t h y H a r r i s o f C a p e To w n , w h o a tt e n d e d b o t h W Y D s , n o t e d : “ E v e r y t h i n g r a n s m o o t h l y. T h e B r a z i l i a n s d i d a n i mp r e s s i v e j o b o f c o o r d i n a t i n g t h e w h o l e w e e k ”

A l t h o u g h o f f i c i a l r e g i s t r a t i o n s w e r e l o w e r t h a n e x p e c t e d , m o r e t h a n a m i ll i o n y o u n g p e o p l e c a m e t o C o p a c a b a n a b e a c h o n t h e F r i d a y t o m e d i t a t e o n t h e S t a t i o n s o f t h e C r o s s

A n d 3 , 2 m i l l i o n p e o p l e a t t e n d e d t h e f i n a l W Y D M a s s , a l s o o n C o p a c ab a n a b e a c h , m a k i n g i t t h e b i g g e s t s u c h e v e n t s i n c e 1 9 9 5 , w h e n a n e s t i m a t e d 5 m i l l i o n a t t e n d e d M a s s w i t h P o p e J o h n P a u l I I i n M a n i l a i n t h e P h i l i p p i n e s

C o p a c a b a n a h a d n o t b e e n t h e o r i gi n a l v e n u e , b u t a f t e r t h r e e d a y s o f r a i n , t h e o v e r n i g h t v i g i l a n d c l o s i n g M a s s h a d t o b e m o v e d f r o m C a m p u s F i d e i i n G u a r a t i b a t o , w h i c h h a d b e c o m e a g i a n t m u d p i t . T h e w e a t h e r w a s n ’t m u c h k i n d e r o n t h e b e a c h , w h e r e p i l g r i m s s u f f e r e d w i n d a n d r a i n B u t j u s t a s t h e y g l a d l y s u f f e r e d t h e h e a t i n M a d r i d t w o y e a r s b e f o r e , t h e p i l g r i m s i n R i o w e r e n o t f a z e d b y t h e i n c l e m e n t e l e m e n t s

K a t l e g o R a m o s h a b a o f P r e t o r i a , s p o k e f o r m a n y w h e n h e t o l d T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s : “ T h e r e ’s j u s t s o m e t h i n g s p e c i a l a n d e v e n d i v i n e w h e n s o m a n y y o u n g p e o p l e a r e g a t h e r e d i n o n e p l a c e f o r o n e r e a s o n C h r i s t . O n e c a n e v e n f e e l i t a r o u n d y o u w h e n y o u a r e s t a n di n g t h e r e ; i t ’s a n e m o t i o n a l o u t e r - b o d y m o m e n t , r e a l i s i n g h o w t r u l y g r e a t a n d a w e s o m e G o d i s . ”

What Was Hot Then:

Music: “Treasure” by Bruno Mars

Movies: Fanie Fourie’s Lobola

On TV: Veep

2016: Krakow 2019 Panama City

In 2016, Poland became the first countr y to host a WYD twice (if one regards the 1984 and ’85 festivals in Rome as unofficial WYDs) In 1991 it was held at the Marian shrine of Czestochowa, with Pope John Paul II presiding Now, a quarter of a centur y later, WYD was held in the city where the late pope had been the archbishop And John Paul II, who had been canonised by Pope Francis two years earlier, loomed large over the event

The Divine Mercy devotion, which he had promoted tirelessly, featured prominently And that was fitting: 2016 was the Year of Mercy, and the WYD theme drew from that: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7)

In a poignant note, the graphics for WYD 2016 were designed by a young man who didn’t live to see the event. Maciej Szymon Ciesla, 22, died of cancer just a couple of weeks before WYD started

An estimated 2 million young people attended WYD 2016, as did nearly 50 cardinals, 800 bishops (including eight from Southern Africa) and 20 000 priests from around the world, offering catechesis, confession and Masses

As part of his trip to Poland, Pope Francis visited the Nazi concentration camp of Auschwitz, where he met with sur vivors of the Holocaust and prayed in front of the wall of the crematorium He then entered Block 11 where St Maximilian Kolbe, the Polish Franciscan martyr, was star ved and eventually killed in August 1941

What Was Hot Then:

Music: “In Common” by Alicia Keys

Movies: X-Men

On TV: Game Of Thrones

For the first time, WYD was held in Central America. It was also the first WYD after the Synod on Youth, held just a few months earlier in the Vatican The theme for 2019 was: “I am the servant of the Lord May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

About 600 000 young people took part in the vigil in Campo São João Paulo II, in the city’s outskirts Another 120 000 joined them for the closing Mass.

The young people had to walk a substantial distance many three to four hours in punishing heat to get to the field. The organisers billed it as a “pilgrims’ walk”, and it was not just to mask the inexplicable absence of transport possibilities It was indeed a Camino in ever y way, and an experience of Christian solidarity as generous residents along the route gave pilgrims refreshments, let them use their toilets, and even hosed them down with water

During the vigil, Our Lady of Fatima was venerated in a special way; the following day, Pope Francis announced that WYD 2022 would be held in Portugal The pandemic would delay that WYD by a year

Bishop Victor Phalana of Klerksdorp told The Southern Cross that the real VIPs in Panama City were the youth who “maintained a spirit of pilgrimage: attending daily catechesis, adoration, confession and Holy Mass They walked long distances daily without complaining. They looked after each other and cared about those who were sick and exhausted This is a beautiful spirit ”

What Was Hot Then:

Music: “Without Me” by Halsey

Movies: Aquaman

On TV: The Queen

help youth in Syria Salesians

B Y A B E L C A M A S C A

TWELVE YEARS INTO THE CIVIL w a r i n S y r i a , t h e M i d d l e E a s t e r n c o u n t r y h a s b e e n d e s t r o y e d b y b o m b s , p o v e r t y, and earthquakes In the midst of that, t h e S a l e s i a n s t h e o r d e r f o u n d e d b y S t J o h n B o s c o i n 1 8 5 9 t o h e l p d i s a dv a n t a g e d y o u t h a r e t r y i n g t o g i v e h o p e t o y o u n g p e o p l e w h o h a v e l o s t ever ything

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e S a l e s i a n N e w s A g e n c y ( A N S ) , t h e a r m e d c o n f l i c t h a s f o c u s e d o n t h e n o r t h i n a n a r e a c o ntrolled by rebels. This was compounded i n 2 0 1 3 b y a t t a c k s b y I S I S , w h i c h t e rrorised cities and killed Christians

A c c o r d i n g t o A N S , t h e w a r h a s taken a toll of more than a half million k i l l e d , 2 , 1 m i l l i o n i n j u r e d , 1 3 m i l l i o n displaced, and an estimated 6,6 million refugees in other nations

“More than 11 [million] of the 17 m i l l i o n i n h a b i t a n t s t h a t t h e c o u n t r y has today urgently need humanitarian aid to sur vive, and among them there a r e 6 , 5 m i l l i o n m i n o r s , ” t h e S a l e s i a n s noted in a report.

As if this were not enough, northwest Syria suffered a powerful earthquake on February 6 which, along with its more than 11 000 aftershocks, has killed almost 6 000 Syrians, destroyed

more than 100 000 buildings, and left 1,5 million people homeless The order received many needy families in Aleppo and Kafroun after the earthquake

A l l o f t h e s e p r o b l e m s a r e a g g r avated by the lack of work and electricity, the rise in the price of petrol, and the devaluation of the currency.

Y o u t h s s e e n o f u t u r e

But more worrisome is the experience of future generations that are now growing up According to Fr Alejandro L e ó n , s u p e r i o r o f t h e S a l e s i a n s i n t h e M i d d l e E a s t , t h e y o u n g e r g e n e r a t i o n “ k n o w s o n l y w a r, a n d m a n y y o u n g p e o p l e w h o h a v e l i v e d m o s t o f t h e i r lives in the midst of violence are thinking of leaving the countr y”

F r L e ó n n o t e d t h a t a l t h o u g h t h e y a r e e d u c a t e d i n t h e c u l t u r e o f p e a c e , m a n y y o u t h s o p e n l y s t a t e t h a t “ t h e y

M I S S E D A N I S S U E ?

do not see a future for themselves and their families” in their homeland

D e s p i t e e v e r y t h i n g , A N S n o t e d t h a t i n t h e s e 1 2 y e a r s o f w a r a n d d estruction, the Salesians have not closed their doors but have financially assisted hundreds of families and welcomed the displaced.

T h e y h a v e a l s o p r o v i d e d b u s i n e s s t r a i n i n g t o g r o u p s o f y o u n g p e o p l e , s o m e o f w h o m h a v e e v e n r e c e i v e d f inancial support to start their own busin e s s e s T h e o r d e r h a s a l s o r e n t e d a p a r t m e n t s i n o r d e r t o g i v e c l a s s e s t o t h e c h i l d r e n a n d p r e v e n t t h e m f r o m travelling long distances to study

T h e y a r e p r o m o t i n g v o l u n t e e r i n g b y u n i v e r s i t y s t u d e n t s t o s e r v e c h i ldren who are seeking to get up to grade l e v e l I n a d d i t i o n , t h e y p l a n t o b u i l d a y o u t h c e n t r e n e a r D a m a s c u s A C I P r e n s a / C N A

N O P R O B L E M !

Back copies are available at R20 plus p&p. Simply place your order with admin@scross.co.za

Catch up with Saint of the Month posters: St Teresa of Avila; St Martin de Porres; St John Bosco; St Josephine Bakhita; St Charles Lwanga; St John Vianney; St Vincent de Paul; St John XXIII, St Oscar Romero, St Bernadette, St Anthony of Padua, St Maria Goretti, St Anne, St Maximilian Kolbe, St Teresa of Kolkatta, St Francis of Assisi, St Elizabeth, St Nicholas, St

T h e s a i n t w h o

s t o o d u p t o s o l d i e r s

S t C l a re o f A s s i s i l ove d t h e B l e s s e d S a c ra m e nt s o m u c h t h at i t b e ca m e h e r ‘s e c ret we a p o n ’ .

G ü nt h e r S i m m e r m a c h e r l o o ks at h e r l i fe .

WHY WOULD A POPE IN the 20th century declare a 13th-century saint the patron of television? When St Clare of Assisi was gravely ill in her convent on Christmas Eve 1252, she could not attend Mass in the chapel, yet reportedly saw and heard it as if projected on the wall in her cell Pope Pius XII saw that as a good reason to put the saint in charge of TV-related intercessions. And the projected Mass experience is not even the most astonishing story of St Clare and the Eucharist But more on that later

Born in Assisi on July 16, 1194, as Chiara Offreduccio, she was the eldest daughter of Count Favorino Sciffi of Sasso-Rosso and his wife Ortolana, a devout woman also of nobility. Clare was raised with all the luxuries wealth offers, though she also followed her mother’s sense of piety and modesty From a young age, the prayerful child felt called to serve God

In 1212, when she was 18, Clare met the charismatic Francis of Assisi, after having heard him preach at a Lenten Mass in Assisi’s church of San Giorgio. Francis (Saint of the Month in October 2022) was himself from a prosperous family but had rejected material wealth for a life of poverty and service to the poor and God Clare was inspired to follow his example, and Francis must have seen something special in her.

On Palm Sunday, a few weeks after

F r e s c o o f S t C l a r e a n d n u n s o f h e r o r d e r i n t h e c h u r c h o f S a n D a m i a n o a t A s s i s i

I t a l y

9 4 , i n A s s i s i ,

D i e d : A u g u s t 1 1 , 1 2 5 3 ( a g e d

5 9 ) i n A s s i s i ,

C a n o n i s e d : 1 2 5 5

F e a s t : A u g u s t 1 1

P a t r o n a g e s : T e l e v i s i o n , e y e

d i s e a s e , g o l d s m i t h s , l a u n d r y ,

b i c y c l e m e s s e n g e r s , g o o d w e a t h e r , n e e d l e w o r k -

e r s , p e o p l e w i t h e x t r a s e n s o r y p e r c e p t i o n

that fateful meeting, Clare quietly left her home to join Francis and his companions She had the approval of the local bishop, but not of her father. Clare was welcomed by Francis and his companions in the chapel of the Porziuncola, which still exists today. There her beautiful hair was cut off, and she exchanged her ornate gown for a plain robe and veil

Pressure to come home

Clare was sent to a Benedictine convent at Bastia. Soon her father turned up there in an attempt to convince his daughter to return home When promises and persuasion didn’t work, the count and his men tried force, but Clare resisted When she ripped of her veil to reveal a head of cropped hair, the men relented

The stor y repeated itself when Clare’s sister Catarina joined her as Sr Agnes, now in a Benedictine convent near Assisi. Like Clare, Agnes would not be moved. But the Benedictine Sisters and Francis were now nervous about angering a powerful count. The solution was to build a small house for a small group, including Clare and her sister, next to the church of San Damiano, the same church where Francis had his conversion experience in front of the crucifix years earlier

Soon they were joined by other women who sought to follow Francis’ path. They lived a prayerful life in seclusion, poverty, and austerity. With Fran-

cis’ blessing, Clare founded the Order of Poor Ladies of San Damiano, which shortly after her death would become known as the Poor Clares. In quick time, the contemplative order attracted women who sought a deeper spiritual connection and a life of service.

Clare’s commitment to poverty was profound She chose to live in extreme simplicity and relied on the generosity of others for the basic needs of her community She and her companions slept on the floor, ate no meat, and rarely spoke They worked and prayed On a practical level, Clare established a hospice for the sick, and a house for women in need, where she and her companions provided care and comfort to those suffering.

Challenge to society

Clare saw poverty not as a burden but as a means of drawing closer to Christ, and empathising with the plight of the poor. This challenged societal norms and inspired many people to question the value of material wealth and to embrace a life of spiritual richness instead

Until 1216, Clare was San Damiano’s prioress, subordinate to a priest who headed the community But then Francis persuaded his very reluctant friend, still only 22, to become the convent’s abbess, with full authority to run things Clare obeyed Francis’ wish, but the shy and self-effacing young woman was not

Left: St Francis and St Clare and the crucified Christ, depicted in the Eremo delle Carceri, outside Assisi Above: The tomb of St Clare in the basilica named after her in Assisi

‘

We become what w e lo ve, and who w e lo ve shapes what w e become.’

A TIMELINE

ST CLARE OF ASSISI

1 1 9 4

B o r n o n J u l y 1 6 i n A s s i s i a s t h e e l d e s t c h i l d o f C o u n t Fav o r i n o S c i f f i d i O f f re d u c c i o o f S a s s oRo s s o a n d h i s w i fe O r t o l a n a .

1 2 0 3

T h e O f f re d u c c i o s a re ex i l e d i n Pe r u g i a w i t h o t h e r fa m i l i e s o f n o b i l i t y a t w a r w i t h t h e C o m m u n e o f A s s i s i T h e y re t u r n i n 1 2 0 5

1 2 1 2

C l a re h e a rs F ra n c i s o f A s s i s i p re a c h a n d m e e t s w i t h h i m . O n Pa l m S u n d ay re c e i v e s t h e re l i g i o u s h a b i t f ro m F ra n c i s a t t h e Po r z i u n c o l a c h a p e l . J o i n s B e n e d i c t i n e c o nv e n t b e fo re s e tt l i n g i n a h o u s e b u i l t n ex t t o t h e c h u rc h o f S a n D a m i a n o j u s t o u t s i d e A s s i s i

1 2 1 5

F ra n c i s g i v e s a “ Fo r m o f L i fe ” t o

C l a re ’s O rd e r o f Po o r L a d i e s o f S a n D a m i a n o ( l a t e r re n a m e d Po o r

C l a re s ) ; C l a re i s m a d e a b b e s s o f S a n D a m i a n o

1 2 2 4

T h e f i rs t o f a l i fe t i m e o f i l l n e s s e s

1 2 2 5

T h e v e r y i l l S t F ra n c i s m o v e s t o S a n D a m i a n o, w h e re C l a re a n d h e r fe l l o w S i s t e rs c a re fo r h i m

1 2 3 4

C o nv e n t o f t h e O rd e r o f Po o r

L a d i e s i s fo u f i rs t o u t s i d e A s s i s i . .

1 2 4 0

C l a re re p e l s i nva s i o n o f h e r c o nv e n t b y e n e my s o l d i e rs w i t h t h e B l e s s e d S a c ra m e n t

1 2 4 1

C l a re re p e l s a m i l i ta r y a tta c k o n A s s i s i w i t h t h e B l e s s e d S a c ra m e n t

1 2 5 3

C l a re d i e s o n A u g u s t 1 1 , t w o d ay s a f t e r Po p e I n n o c e n t I V a p p ro v e s h e r R u l e , a n d i s b u r i e d i n t h e c h u rc h o f S a n G i o rg i o i n A s s i s i

1 2 5 5

Po p e A l exa n d e r I V c a n o n i s e s C l a re .

1 2 6 0

C l a re ’s b o d y i s t ra n s l a t e d i n t o t h e n e w l y- b u i l t S t C l a re b a s i l i c a i n c e n t ra l A s s i s i .

1 2 6 3

T h e O rd e r o f S a n D a m i a n o i s re n a m e d O rd e r o f S t C l a re , w i d e l y k n o w n a s t h e Po o r C l a re s

1 8 7 2

C l a re ’s b o d y i s m o v e d t o t h e c r y p t o f S t C l a re b a s i l i c a

1 9 5 8

Po p e P i u s X I I d e c l a re s C l a re p a t ro n s a i n t o f t e l e v i s i o n .

ly cut out for giving out orders She rather formed the lowliest tasks herself

However, when it came to protecting her er’s charism of extreme poverty, Clare was bashful Over many years, she argued h bishops, cardinals and popes includher old friend, Pope Gregory IX to p that charism intact Eventually she sucded and gained official approval.

Clare vs an army

Clare was also fearless in the face of enemy soldiers and here we get to the bit about the Eucharist promised in the opening paragraph In September 1240 and again in June 1241, armies of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II who battled with Pope Gregory IX for control of Italy attacked Assisi.

In the assault of 1240, the convent, located on the outskirts of Assisi, was the first obstacle the soldiers had to pass. They scaled the walls and were ready to attack with all the awful consequences that would entail for the Sisters But then Clare appeared at the first-floor window through which the men were about to enter, holding up the Blessed Sacrament The soldiers who were climbing up the ladder fell backwards, and their comrades quickly took flight The convent and its nuns were saved by the Blessed Sacrament

In 1241, Frederick’s armies returned to Assisi, this time bypassing San Damiano to take position outside the city walls. When Clare heard the grave news, she rose from her sickbed, carried the Blessed Sacrament to the city, and placed it on the city wall at a spot where the soldiers could see it. All the time, she prayed fervently for the town’s protection Miraculously, the enemy soldiers were overcome with fear and fled This act of courage and faith earned Clare a reputation as a woman of great spiritual power

Clare’s health was not robust, and it deteriorated in her latter years She died at the age of 59 on August 11, 1253 two days after Pope Innocent IV had approved the Rule she had written for the her order Her final words were: “Blessed be you, O God, for having created me.” She was buried in the church of San Giorgio, where she had first heard St Francis preach.

In 1255, only two years after her death, Pope Alexander IV canonised St Clare Since 1970, her feast day is on August 11 (before that it was on August 12)

r e b a s i l i c a , A s s i s i •

T h e c o n v e n t o f S a n

D a m i a n o • S t a t u e o f

S t C l a r e r e p e l l i n g a n a r m y a t S a n D a m i a n o •

A s t r e e t a r t i s t d r a w s a n i m a g e o f S t C l a r e o n

t h e p a v e m e n t o f

A s s i s i ’ s m a i n p i a z z a

All photos: Günther Simmermacher

By 1260 construction of the basilica of St Clare in central Assisi was completed, and on October 3 the 34th anniversary of St Francis’ death St Clare’s remains were transferred to be buried beneath the high altar In 1872, her relics were moved into the crypt of the basilica, where pilgrims can still venerate them, encased in an effigy of the saint.

T h i s m o n t h ’ s p o s t e r i m a g e o f S t C l a r e i s b y p h o t o g r a p h e r K r i s t y n B r o w n f r o m h e r S a i n t s P r o j e c t S e e h e r s u p e r b c o l l e c t i o n a t t h e s a i n t s p r o j e c t o r g W e i n t e r v i e w e d K r i s t y n i n o u r N o v e m b e r 2 0 2 0 i s s u e ( s e e s c r o s s c o z a / 2 0 2 0 / 1 2 / s a i n t s - i n - a - n e w - f o c u s )

EACH MEMBER OF A CONGREGATION OF NUNS IN a northern Italian village is named Rosa, in honour of a 17th-centur y South American saint of the same name.

“ A l l o f u s b e a r t h e n a m e o f R o s a b e c a u s e o f o u r p a t r o n s a i n t a n d m o t h e r, S t R o s e o f L i m a , ” M o t h e r R o s a M ó n i c a G a m o n a l , p r i o r e s s o f t h e D o m i n i c a n c o n v e n t o f S t R o s e o f L i m a i n F i n a l b o r g o , n o r t h e r n I t a l y, e x p l a i n e d t o E W T N N e w s “ T h e d a y w h e n w e r e c e i v e t h e h o l y h a b i t , t h e y a l s o c h a n g e o u r n a m e ; t h e y g i v e u s a l l t h e n a m e o f R o s a , b y t r a d i t i o n ”

St Rose of Lima was a Dominican tertiar y who lived in Peru from 1586 to 1617. She was canonised in 1671; her feast day is on August 23

The Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of St Rose of Lima was founded in 1677 by Mother Giovanna Caterina Boldona in Finalborgo, a coastal village about 75km west of Genua. Mother Giovanna was impressed with this saint of

HOPE, FAITH AND KNOWLEDGE YOU CAN TRUST

the “New World” and, following her spiritual path, she decided to give her life to God in a convent along with a group of young women.

“Our founding mother, on hearing about the life of St Rose, fell ver y much in love with her charism, with her life; she became enthused and felt the call to found a congregation so we could continue what she has left us, what she has handed on to us. To continue with her work of love for Christ, of this gift of self, and also of love for neighbour,” Mother Rosa Mónica recounted

The prioress said that the miracles that took place in Italy through the intercession of St Rose of Lima made the saint much-loved

“The miracles for her canonisation were in Italy and they were numerous; four were used in the canonisation process especially women with terminal cancer, already beyond hope At that moment of great pain, of much suffering, they had implored Rose for help, and they were completely healed,” the nun explained

Pope Clement X requested a miracle for himself before he decided to canonise her “Before naming her a saint, the pope said: ‘Rose, if you really are a saint, you have to give me a sign. I would like to see it rain roses.’ And the pope believed that he saw this rain of roses Convinced of her sanctity, he went on to canonise her,” Mother Rosa Mónica said

The congregation has a presence in several places in Italy and in Brazil, where they ser ve in impoverished neighbourhoods In Peru the Sisters ser ve those most in need and live in the monaster y inside the saint’s shrine in the basilica of Santo Domingo in central Lima

Mother Rosa Mónica said that St Rose of Lima is an example of holiness for many today and that “she teaches us to look at Christ, walk with Christ, and for each day to be an act of faith, an act of love of Christ” CNA/ACI

In Italy there is a Dominican congregation where all Sisters are called Rosa.

Pope Clement X said: ‘I would like to see it rain roses.’ And he believed he saw this rain of roses

What we can learn from the

T r ansfi gu r ati on

On August 6 we mark the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Fr Simon Mavhiya reflects on what the Tr

AS W E C E L E B R AT E T H E F E A S T O F t h e Tr a n s f i g u r a t i o n o n A u g u s t

6 , w e r e c a l l t h e a c c o u n t i n M a t t h e w 1 7 o f J e s u s g o i n g u p a m o u n t a i n w i t h t h r e e o f h i s d i s c i p l e s S i m o n P e t e r, J a m e s a n d J o h n T h e r e , o n M o u n t Ta b o r i n G a l i l e e , n o t f a r f r o m N a z a r e t h , J e s u s w a s t r a n s f i g u r e d

A s J e s u s w a s t r a n s f i g u r e d , t w o g r e a t p e r s o n a g e s o f t h e O l d Te s t am e n t a p p e a r e d t o t h e d i s c i p l e s , c o n v e r s i n g w i t h J e s u s M o s e s a n d E l i j a h . M o s e s r e p r e s e n t e d t h e L a w a n d E l i j a h t h e p r o p h e t s T h i s e p i s o d e c o n f i r m e d t h a t J e s u s h a d c o m e t o f u l f i l t h e L a w a n d t h e p r o p h e t s ( M a t t h e w 5 : 1 7 )

T h e Tr a n s f i g u r a t i o n t o o k p l a c e s o o n a f t e r P e t e r h a d c o n f e s s e d t h a t J e s u s i s t h e M e s s i a h a n d t h e S o n o f t h e L i v i n g G o d . T h a t w a s f o l l o w e d b y J e s u s ’ p r ed i c t i o n t h a t h e w a s t o s u f f e r, b e k i l l e d , a n d b e r a i s e d o n t h e t h i r d d a y T h e r ea l i t y o f t h e s u f f e r i n g M e s s i a h w a s n o t a c c e p t e d b y P e t e r a n d o t h e r s J e s u s w e n t o n t o t e l l h i s d i s c i p l e s t h a t s o m e o f t h e m w o u l d “ n o t t a s t e d e a t h b e f o r e t h e y c o u l d s e e t h e S o n o f m a n c o m i n g i n h i s k i n g d o m ” ( M a t t h e w 1 8 : 2 8 )

T h e C a t e c h i s m o f C h u rc h e x p l a i n s t h a t t h e T i s a f o r e t a s t e o f C h r i s t ’s g l

(556) The transfiguration t o r y a n d r e v e l a t o r y e v e n t t h e f a i t h o f t h e d i s c i p l e s t h e m t o f a c e t h e t r a g e d y I t g a v e t h e m a h o p e t h a t

Our mission make Christ t

of people wh

than the discouragement o a n d t h e t e r r o r o f C h r i s t p r e f i g u r e d t h e g l o r y o f t h e

S h a r i n g i n t h e

B y b e i n g t r a n s f i g u r e d

e n c e o f h i s d i s c i p l e s , J e s u s

t o k n o w t h a t t h e y t o o w e glor y the glor y which w a f t e r h e e x p e r i e n c e d s u f f e

t y r d o m S t P a u l a s s u r e s

“will change our lowly bod

t o o v e rc o m e a l l t h a t d i s c o u r a g e s u s f r o m f o l l o w i n g h i m f a i t h f u l l y

To d a y, w e s e e a n d e x p e r i e n c e t h e d i s f i g u r e d f a c e o f J e s u s i n m a n y p a r t s o f t h e w o r l d , w h e r e t h e r e i s s u f f e r i n g , p o v e r t y, w a r, t e r r o r i s m a n d m a n y o t h e r s c o u r g e s O u r m i s s i o n , t h e n , i s t o l i s t e n t o t h e v o i c e o f t h e b e l o v e d S o n o f G o d a n d m a k e h i m t h e h o p e o f a l l t h e p e o p l e w h o a r e s u f f e r i n g .

T h e f a c e o f J e s u s i s a l s o d i s f i g u r e d i n l i v e s o f c h i l d - h e a d e d f a m i l i e s , a n d i n t h e l i v e s o f m a n y y o u n g p e o p l e w h o a r e e xp o s e d t o d r u g s T h e i r s p i r i t u a l , p h y s i c a l a n d s o c i a l l i f e i s a l l s c a r r e d T h e i r v i s i o n o f t h e g l o r i o u s f a c e o f t h e r i s e n C h r i s t i s i m p a i r e d . O u r m i s s i o n , a s t h e C h u rc h , i s t o a w a k e n t h e m , t o a c c o m p a n y t h e m , a n d t o a s s i s t t h e m s o t h a t m a y s e e o n c e a g a i n t h e g l o r i o u s f a c e J e s u s T r a n s f i g u r e t h e w o r l d ! T h e r e a r e m a n y p e o p l e w h o a r e w o u n d e d i n o n e w a y o r t h e o t h e r D e s p i t e t h e s e w o u n d s , C h r i s t i s g l o r i o u s a n d t r i u m p h a n t E v e r y C h r i s t i a n d i s c i p l e i s c a l l e d u p o n t o t r a n s f i g u r e t h e w o r l d b y l i v i n g a l i f e o f t h e G o s p e l a n d t h e b e a t i t u d e s . H u m a n i t y c a n b e t r a n s f i gu r e d a n d l o o k g l o r i o u s w h e n v i o l e n c e i s d e n o u n c e d a n d j u s t i c e a n d p e a c e a r e p r o m o t e d .

To g e t h e r w i t h P e t e r, w e w a n t t o s a y, “ L o r d , i t i s w o n d e r f u l f o r u s t o b e

T h e F r a n c i s c a n c h u r c h o f t h e T r a n s f i g u r a t i o n o n M o u n t T a b o r i n G a l i l e e , w h i c h i s t r a d i t i o n a l l y h e l d t o b e t h e s i t e w h e r e J e s u s w a s t r a n s f i g u r e d . T h e b e l l t o w e r s o n e a c h s i d e r e p r e s e n t t h e t e n t s S t P e t e r p r o p o s e d t o b u i l d f o r M o s e s a n d E l i j a h , w i t h e a c h t o w e r h o u s i n g a c h a p e l d e d i c a t e d t o t h e p r o p h e t s . T h e m a i n p i c t u r e o n t h e f a c i n g p a g e i s a d e t a i l o f R a p h a e l ’ s p a i n t i n g d e p i c t i n g t h e T r a n s f i g u r a t i o n , c r e a t e d b e t w e e n 1 5 1 6 - 2 0 .

h e r e ” ( M a t t h e w 1 7 : 4 ) F i l l e d w i t h j o y, P e t e r w a n t e d t o p r o l o n g t h e h e a v e n l y e x p e r i e n c e b y s u g g e s t i n g t o b u i l d t h r e e t e n t s : o n e f o r J e s u s , o n e f o r M o s e s , a n d o n e f o r E l i j a h .

O u r p r a y e r i s t h a t i t s h a l l b e w e l l w i t h e v e r y c o m m u n i t y a n d t o l e t t h e f a c e o f C h r i s t s h i n e u p o n e v e r y p e r s o n L e t C h r i s t d w e l l i n t h e t e n t s o f o u r

h o m e s , c o m m u n i t i e s , p o l i t i c a l g r o u pi n g s a n d f a m i l y o f n a t i o n s M a y o u r m o t h e r M a r y t h e m o t h e r o f t h e t r a n s f i g u r e d C h r i s t i n t e r c e d e f o r u s a l w a y s . Fr Simon Mavhiya is the vicar-general of Gweru diocese in Zimbabwe. This article is an edited version of one originally published on imbisa.org.

T h e C h a n g e m a k e r

reviewed by Peter Sadie

HOW DID ONE DIMINUTIVE

I t a l i a n S t i g m a t i n e p r i e s t l e a v e s u c h a n a m a z i n g l e g a c y i n t h e l i v e s o f s o m a n y p e o p l e ?

M a s u s u m e t s a , a b o o k o f t r i b u t e s p u b l i s h e d t w o d e c a d e s a f t e r t h e p r i e s t ’s v i o l e n t d e a t h , i s a t e s t i m o n y t o t h e f a i t h a n d c o u r a g e o f S t i g m at i n e F a t h e r M i c h e l e D ’ A n n u c c i , a m o d e r n d i s c i p l e o n f i r e w i t h t h e l o v e o f G o d f o r h i s b r o t h e r s a n d s i s t e r s F r M i c h a e l , a s h e w a s w i d e l y k n o w n i n t h e P r e t o r i a c o m m u n it i e s h e s e r v e d , w a s g i v e n t h e h o n o r a r y n a m e M a s u s u m e t s a , w h i c h m e a n s “ T h e C h a n g e m a k e r ” H e w a s m u r d e r e d o n D e c e m b e r 8 , 2 0 0 1 , i n a h i j a c k i n g a f t e r v i s i t i n g a f a m i l y i n S o s h a n g u v e , n o r t h o f P r e t o r i a . T h i s b o o k o f l o v i n g t r i b u t e s b y m a n y i n F r M i c h a e l ’s c o m m u n i t y o f b e l i e v e r s s h i n e s a l i g h t o n h o w h i s p a s s i o n a t e s e r v i c e c h a n g e d t h e i r l i v e s i n s o m a n y d i f f e r e n t w a y s I t w a s l o v i n g l y c o - e d i t e d b y j o u r n a l i s t

D a l u x o l o M o l o a n t o a a n d t h e p r i e s t ’s n i e c e D o n a t e l l a D ’ A n n u c c i , w i t h a f o r e w o r d b y S o u t h e r n C ro s s e d i t o r

G ü n t h e r S i m m e r m a c h e r.

I t i n c l u d e s t r i b u t e s b y, a m o n g o t h e r s , S t i g m a t i n e F a t h e r s D a n i e l e

G i a c o m e l l i , G i a n n i P i c c o l b o n i , a n d

C h a r l e s M i t t e m p e g h e r, C h i r o l e a d e r

C a r o l i n e M o t l h a b i , a n d C e c i l i a

M o l o a n t o a , f o r m e r d i r e c t o r o f t h e

S A C B C h e a l t h d e p a r t m e n t , a s w e l l a s a h o m a g e b y N e l s o n M a n d e l a

F r M i c h a e l f o c u s e d o n b u i l d i n g o u r y o u t h i n t h e s p i r i t o f J e s u s t h r o u g h t h e C h i r o m o v e m e n t H e t o u c h e d t h e l i v e s o f c o u n t l e s s y o u n g p e o p l e w h o n o w p l a y l e a d e r s h i p r o l e s i n t h e i r p a r i s h e s a n d c o m m u n i t i e s T h e p r i e s t r e c o g n i s e d t h a t e d u c a t i o n i s a f u n d a m e n t a l h u m a n r i g h t b u t r e f u s e d t o a c c e p t a p a r t h e i d ’s i n f e r i o r s t a n d a r d s S o , t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e S i s t e r s o f M e rc y, h e b u i l t Ts o g o H i g h i n t o t h e l e a d i n g h i g h s c h o o l i n t h e r e g i o n

H e w a s a c h a p l a i n t o t h e m e d i c a l s t u d e n t s a t S e f a k o M a k g a t h o H e a l t h S c i e n c e U n i v e r s i t y ( S M U ) i n P r e t o r i a ; t h e y t o d a y s e r v e t h e s i c k i n p u b l i c a n d p r i v a t e h e a l t h s e r v i c e s a r o u n d S o u t h A f r i c a .

I r e m e m b e r a s a 1 9 - y e a r - y o u n g s t u d e n t l o o k i n g i n t o F r M i c h a e l ’s g e n t l e b r o w n e y e s a s h e e x p l a i n e d t h a t w e c o u l d c h a n g e o u r w o r l d O f t e n h e w o u l d s a y, “ B u h l e , b u h l e ” , w h i c h h e t r a n s l a t e d , i n h i s t h i c k I t a l i a n a c c e n t , a s “ z l o o w l y, z l o o w l y ” t h o u g h , f o r t u n a t e l y, F r M i c h a e l n e v e r w e n t s l o w l y h i m s e l f F r M i c h a e l f o c u s e d o n m a r r i a g e p r e p a r a t i o n i n G a r a n k u w a a n d b u i l t a s o l i d f o u n d a t i o n f o r a s t a b l e f a m i l yl i f e t h r o u g h M a r r i a g e E n c o u n t e r H e a l s o s a w m e n t a l l y d i s a b l e d c h i l d r e n s t a g n a t i n g , h i d d e n f r o m t h e p u b l i c i n t h e i r h o m e s , a n d r e c o g n i s e d t h e n e e d t o b u i l d a s p e c i a l s c h o o l f o r t h e m a t B e t h e s d a H o u s e W h e n e v e r t h e t r a d e u n i o n s a n d c i v i c a c t i v i s t s n e e d e d a p l a c e t o m e e t f o r o r g a n i s i n g o p p o s i t i o n t o a p a r t h e i d , t h e y k n e w t h e y w e r e w e l c o m e i n C h r i s t t h e N e w M a n C e n t r e i n G a r a n k u w a . F r M i c h a e l h a d a s p e c i a l p a s s i o n

Fr Michael’s spirit lives on in the hearts of many who knew this brave missionary

F r M i c h e l e D ’ A n n u c c i w i t h c h i l d r e n . T h e

I t a l i a n S t i g m a t i n e m i s s i o n a r y , w h o w a s m u r d e r e d i n 2 0 0 1 , i s t h e s u b j e c t o f a b o o k o f t r i b u t e s t i t l e d M a s u s u m e t s a , a l s o t h e h o n o r a r y n a m e t h e p r i e s t h a d

b e e n g i v e n . I t m e a n s “ T h e C h a n g em a k e r ” . T h e b o o k i s r e v i e w e d h e r e b y

P e t e r S a d i e , w h o k n e w F r D ’ A n n u c c i

f o r t h e S m a l l C h r i s t i a n C o m m u n it i e s ( S S C s ) w h i c h , w h e n i g n i t e d w i t h t h e G o s p e l , h a d a t r a n s f o r m i n g i m p a c t o n t h e i r p a r i s h l i f e We d i s c o v e r e d t h a t w h e n w e e v a l u a t e d t h e i m p a c t o f t h e 1 9 8 9 P a s t o r a l P l a n a f t e r t h e f i r s t t h r e e y e a r s B y t h e n t h e r e w e r e o v e r 5 0 0 0 S C C s i n t h e S o u t h e r n A f r i c a p a s t o r a l r e g i o n H e w a s a s e r v a n t l e a d e r w h o c h a l l e n g e d t h e l a i t y t o t a k e s e r i o u s l y o u r v o c a t i o n t o t h e u n i v e r s a l p r i e s t h o o d , t o b l e s s t h e l i v e s o f t h o s e w e l i v e a n d w o r k a l o n g s i d e . H e r e c r u i t e d t h e y o u t h t o b u i l d h o m e s f o r t h e d e s t i t u t e d u r i n g t h e i r s c h o o l h o l i d a y s , e q u i p p i n g t h e m w i t h s k i l l s a n d , p e r h a p s m o r e i m p o r t a n t l y, a s e n s e o f c o m p a s s i o n w i t h w h i c h t o d i r e c t t h e s e s k i l l s . Ye t h e w a s a m i n d f u l p r o j e c t m a n a g e r, w a t c h i n g o v e r h o w t h e r e s o u rc e s o f t i m e a n d m a t e r i a l s w e r e u t i l i s e d t o a c h i e v e q u a l i t y f o r t h e p o o r, t h r o u g h h i s b u i l d i n g c o m p a n y, K a B o n a k o C o n s t r u c t i o n . H e w a s s t r i c t a n d w o u l d s e n d h o m e a n y y o u t h w h o d i d n ’t t a k e t h e i r s e r v i c e s e r i o u s l y F r M i c h a e l m a d e h i s h o m e i n S o u t h A f r i c a f o r 3 4 y e a r s , b u i l d i n g t h e l o c a l C h u rc h w i t h h a s t e b e f o r e h i s u n t i m e l y m u r d e r B u t , a s t h i s c o m m e n d a b l e b o o k s h o w s s o c l e a r l y, t w o d e c a d e s a f t e r h i s d e a t h , F r M i c h a e l ’s s p i r i t l i v e s o n i n t h e h e a r t s o f s o m a n y w h o k n e w a n d g r e w t o l o v e t h i s b r a v e m i s s i o n a r y W h o i s l i f t i n g t h e b a t o n t h a t t h i s f a i t h f u l m a r t y r c a r r i e d , r i g h t u p t o h i s l a s t b r e a t h ?

Masususmetsa can be ordered from Daluxolo Moloantoa at dmoloantoa2@gmail.com or WhatsApp 067 057-0991

MASUSUMETSA: Fr Michele D’Annucci CSS –- Tributes to a Martyr of Charity. 2022.

Tough questions for ourselves

of the Workers in the Vineyard Its lesson holds both good and difficult news for us, Gunther Simmermacher reflects.

THE CENTRAL OBJECTIVE OF our faith is the hope of salvation at the hour of our death; and our chief reason for living with Christ, more than any of our earthly needs, is to prepare us well for the eternal life in the presence of our loving Father

This faith in our salvation is our great comfort, but it also has an implication which runs counter to our innate human impulses: anybody can be redeemed at any time, even the worst of people. Redemption is available even to the most objectionable sinners, in the final moments of their dissolute lives What sounds like bad news is the Good News

The parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16, which will be read at Mass on August 23) demonstrates the unfairness, as we may perceive it, of this The labourers who had toiled faithfully throughout the day were paid no more than the latecomers, who had invested much less sweat into their reward

The lessons of the parable are many One of them is Jesus’ admonition that it is not our business to calculate fair rewards on behalf of God Our job is to toil faithfully in his vineyard, regardless of what others do or how they are rewarded for it Another lesson is that God rewards all sinners who come to him: “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

A t ro u b l i n g t h o u g h t

It is a disturbing thought that even an epitome of evil like, say, Joseph Stalin might have gained the mercy of salvation if he sincerely repented and sought it in the moments before his death The idea of it is disconcerting, yet it gives us hope, for our own salvation and that of those whom we love.

Pope Francis’ teachings echo the parable’s lesson which instructs us to look at our own lives before we judge those of others. Talking of “the final leave-taking, which ever yone will face, when the Lord calls us to the other side our own deaths”, the pope in 2015 urged us to reflect on where we

might be at that moment, which could come at any time. According to Pope Francis, we should ask ourselves: “Am I prepared to entrust myself to God?”

S i n c e d e a t h c a n s t r i k e a t a n y t i m e , w e m u s t h a v e m a d e t h i n g s r i g h t w i t h G o d a t a l l t i m e s , r e p e n t i n g f o r o u r s i n s o f c o m m i s s i o n a n d o m i s s i o n . S u c h a t h o r o u g h i n t r o s p e c t i o n m u s t g o m u c h d e e p e r e v e n t h a n t h a t w h i c h w e u n d e r t a k e i n p r e p a r a t i o n f o r t h e s a c r a m e n t o f r e c o n c i l i a t i o n T h e q u e st i o n s w i t h w h i c h w e m u s t c o n f r o n t o u r s e l v e s g o b e y o n d a c t s t h a t a r e f o rb i d d e n b y t h e C a t e c h i s m , t h o u g h t h e s e o b v i o u s l y r e q u i r e r e f l e c t i o n t o o E x a m i n e t h e c o n s c i e n c e

In our examination of conscience, which ought to be an ongoing project, some of the questions of conscience we ask ourselves might include:

Have I encouraged or tolerated acts of violence against minorities because of prejudice? Have I created conflict or hurt by my words or actions?

marginalised? Has the inconsiderate driving of others caused me greater distress than seeing the rags on the beggar at the traffic lights?

Have I joined the rest of the world in being indifferent to (or even party to) the suffering and death of refugees and migrants who are in search of a better life?

Have I encouraged social discord by sharing divisive, wounding or spiteful material on social media? Have I gossiped about others or spread lies about them because of malice, envy or pride?

H a v e I h e l d o t h e r s t o h i g h e r s t a n d a r d s t h a n t h o s e t o w h i c h I h o l d m y s e l f ? H a v e I b e e n u n j u s t o r u n c h a r i t a b l e i n m y c r i t i c i s m o f o t h e r s ?

Have I closed my eyes to the poor? Have I been party to the suffering of the poor by exploiting their labour, or by fixing the prices of basic commodities? Have I justified policies which impoverish the poor further because the alternative would mean increased taxes?

Has the inconvenience of loadshedding caused me greater anger than the suffering of the poor or the

Have I invoked God’s wrath when it was not my place to do so? Have I told somebody that they will go to hell, not as a warning but as a threat or a wish? Have I distorted or corrupted God’s Word to suit my own opinions? Have I caused division in the Church, among Catholics and among other Christians?

None of us will have a clear account on all of these questions, and the many more one might add. How would we answer God if he asked us today?

This month’s daily Mass readings will include the parable

Even Joseph Stalin might have gained the mercy of salvation

L iving Life

AN AT M O S P H E R E O F D E AT H a n d despair is spreading around the world due to natural disasters, Russia’s war in the Ukraine, terrorism in many countries, increasing global poverty and the ongoing loss of our biodiversity These feelings are intensified by a sense of powerlessness and the growing coldness in the relationships between ourselves and all living creatures

The loss of care for each other is a result of selfishness and greed for power and wealth, characteristics that are further fostered by the economic system of neoliberal capitalism which Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis have strongly criticised.

The religious culture of Vietnam, called Tam Giáo, might show us a way to return as individuals to our humanity It might also help our Church be present to our world as a centre of warmth and life, and to be a home for the many who search for meaning and hope In Tam Giáo, motherhood is seen as the source of life and as symbol for love and care

This is in contrast to the patriarchal structure of our society which overly

emphasises cold logic over the “logic of the heart” which is proper to feminine thinking and acting In the culture of the Vietnamese, a mother gives birth to life and remains concerned for that life

This idea goes beyond gender: the earth, land, sea, men and women are all considered as mother because they are

part of creating and caring for life of family and nation. God, as Creator of Heaven and Earth, is called Dao, the Mother of all living beings.

Guided by heart and reason

Life originates by unification, and life is happy if it is lived in harmony with other living beings This harmony is achieved when reason and feeling, ideals and reality, are used to achieve goals, and the anticipated impacts of the use of these means are reflected on collectively. To live in harmony with other people and with nature is to be guided by reason and heart.

H a r m o n y i s a f e e l i n g , a n d t o l i v e a l i f e i n h a r m o n y r e q u i r e s t h a t p e o p l e l i s t e n t o t h e v o i c e o f t h e h e a r t T h e l o g i c o f t h e h e a r t a c t s i n t w o w a y s : a s h a v i n g a g o o d c o n s c i e n c e a n d “ c o m m o n s e n s e ” . M o s t t r a d i t i o n s a n d c u s t o m s o r i g i n a t e i n t h i s “ c o m m o n s e n s e ” , w h i c h c o m e s f r o m t h e h e a r t U n i t y i s a c h i e v e d b y t h e a c k n o w l e d g e m e n t o f d i f f e r e n t w a y s o f l i v i n g l i f e a n d t h e h a r m o n i o u s c o o p e r a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e s e , g i v i n g b i r t h t o n e w f o r m s o f “ l i v i n g l i f e ” . T h e Vi e t n a m e s e d o n o t s e p a r a t e G o d f r o m l i f e G o d , o r D a o , i s t h e c r e a t o r o f l i f e , s a v i o u r o f l i f e , s o u rc e o f c o n s o l a t i o n , t h e o n e w h o i s i m p r o v i n g l i f e . G o d i s a d o r e d a s a g o o d , j u s t a n d i m m o r t a l p e r s o n w h o i s p r e s e n t i n o u r h e a r t a n d r e a s o n P e o p l e w h o d o g o o d t o o t h e r s a n d w h o s e i n t e l l e c t i s p r i n c i p l e d a r e v e n e r a t e d a s w o m e n a n d m e n o f G o d .

A s o u r C h u rc h s e e k s t o o p e n i t s e l f u p m o r e t o o t h e r c u l t u r e a n d r e l i g i o n s , w e t r u s t t h a t G o d ’s S p i r i t w i l l l e a d h e r t o l e a r n f r o m t h e e x p e r i e n c e o f t h a t S p i r i t ’s p r e s e n c e a n d a c t i v i t y i n o t h e r r e l i g i o n s To g e t h e r w i t h t h e m , t h e

C h u rc h c a n l e a d h u m a n i t y t o a n e v e rd e e p e n i n g k n o w l e d g e a n d e x p e r i e n c e o f w h o G o d i s , a n d t o w a r d s p e a c e We l i v e i n a t i m e w h e n t h e m a j o r i t y o f p e o p l e a r e d e p r i v e d o f t h e r i g h t a n d p o s s i b i l i t y o f l i v i n g t h e i r l i v e s i n d i g n i t y

We p r a y t h a t t h r o u g h t h e i r d e e p s u f f e r i n g , a n d t h a t o f a l l c r e a t i o n , i n u n i s o n w i t h C h r i s t ’s s u f f e r i n g , t h e w o r l d w i l l f i n d l i f e a n d f a i t h a n d t r u s t i n a G o d w h o w a n t s l o v e f o r t h e w o r l d

Sr Angelika Laub is a Dominican based in Johannesburg archdiocese

S r A n g e l i k a L a u b O P r e f l e c t s o n h o w o t h e r r e l i g i o n s a n d c u l t u r e s c a n h e l p u s a n d o u r C h u r c h t o e x p e r i e n c e a n d k n o w G o d b e t t e r .

Fr Ralph de Hahn: Point of Reflection

T r o u b l e p r a y i n g ? T h a n k G o d !

IT IS SO SAD TO HEAR THAT MANY good people find prayer and praying so difficult at times. They may a s k : “ W h e n d o I p r a y ? W h a t d o I s a y ? C a n I b e l i e v e t h a t t h e u n k n o w n God knows and hears me?”

In many cases they are bored with mechanically repeating the old prayers taught them by granny or the Sunday school teacher. But they fail to understand that as we grow in physical and m e n t a l m a t u r i t y, s o w e n e e d t o g r o w also in spiritual maturity and that inc l u d e s s p i r i t u a l g r o w t h a n d m a t u r i t y a l s o i n o u r p r a y e r l i f e . We g r o w t o adulthood, we pray like adults

H o w e v e r, i n m o s t c a s e s , w e u nk n o w i n g l y s e t u p a r t i f i c i a l b a r r i e r s t o t h e n a t u r a l t r a n s i t i o n , f o r g e t t i n g t h a t we are both body and soul Yet prayer i s s o e a s y B a s i c a l l y, i f y o u c a n breathe you can pray. If you can love you can pray

Prayer is participation in the life o f G o d G o d i s p u r e l o v e , a n d o u r loving one another is already prayer Ye t w e s t a r t i n f a i t h : w e b e l i e v e i n a supreme being whom we call God, we place our hope in his mercy and providence, but the reason for prayer is love Prayer is loving; loving is prayer.

Let there be silence

W h a t d o I s a y, w h a t w o r d s d o I need to know? Real prayer is far deeper t h a n w o r d s P r a y e r i s a p e r s o n - t o - p e rson relationship even without words. Wonderful prayers are found in the corr i d o r s o f s i l e n c e , d e e p i n t h e i n n e r chambers of the heart. Remember that s i l e n c e i s t h e l a n g u a g e o f G o d , s o t o speak. Words, no matter how beautiful a n d p o e t i c , h a v e l i t t l e v a l u e w i t h o u t love

M a n y C h r i s t i a n s l o v e t o p r a y t h e prayers written by others, like saints or great preachers; they sound good, they stir the emotions That is good, but one must beware of not losing that personto-person bond with God Sure, one can d e e p l y a p p r e c i a t e t h e s e n t i m e n t s a n d yearnings expressed by another person, b u t t h e y m u s t f i r s t b e c o m e a l s o o u r v e r y o w n s e n t i m e n t s , a n d t h e n f l o w from our inner chambers

T h i s p e r s o n a l e n c o u n t e r i s c l o s e r than even our own self-consciousness; i t i s w i t h o u t q u e s t i o n i n t h e s p i r i t o f a d o r a t i o n a n d w o r s h i p , f o r w e a r e d ep e n d e n t c r e a t u r e s , a n d i t i s i n t h a t

s p i r i t o f h u m i l i t y t h a t w e a p p r o a c h G o d I t i s o u r o n l y l i f e l i n e w i t h t h e Father, ever recognising that we come from nothing and we depart this earth with nothing. Ever ything we have, possess and enjoy is a gift

Have a chat with God

Now, with that acknowledgement deep within us, praying becomes so much easier So go ahead: Be free to have a normal chat with your heavenly Father or with his son Jesus Just be yourself it’s not the words that matter but the sincerity of the heart Remember, it is person-to-person and the Lord will reply in his own way, in his own time.

He is God; he hears every word, every sigh, every heartbeat, and certainly every tear Your encounter is with the

events: the healing of the hopelessly afflicted, his commanding power over the storms in our lives, the total forgiveness of all sin, the multiplication of so little to so much. And above all, we believe that Jesus gave his life for us poor sinners, and with the empty tomb he conquered death and promises us eternal life with him

Always God’s will first

very Source of Life itself! At prayer you kneel on the very threshold of eternity

The easiest of all prayer must be gratitude that is, thanking the Father every day for his unending goodness, his patience and forgiving power, and for the gift of a Redeemer in Christ We have so much to thank him for

But then there is also that basic trust in his word and promises. Faith and trust are vital issues in our prayer life Look at the Gospel stories and note how the Lord so often responds: “Your faith has saved you ” As we hand our lives and needs over to the Lord in sincere prayer, we witness some astonishing

The apostles asked our Lord how they should pray Jesus emphasised certain points, such as, ”Thy kingdom come; thy will be done” Everything we do and all our gifts and talents we use are for his glory, and we must align our wills to his divine will, for in the end, his will shall prevail. Not my will, Father but yours will be done! We must never attempt to change God’s will God wants only our salvation. He reminds us to always forgive others as he forgives us; to forgive because we love one another He promises us our daily bread Jesus himself offers us some directives in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-6) In your supplications, first his Kingdom, then your neighbour’s needs, and only then self

Jesus pleads that we do not imitate the Pharisees who believe that in using many words, God will finally hear their plea Do not be like them Not the number of words counts, but rather how much we love.

What about those days of darkness when nothing comes your way? Then go his way Let go, let God take over, trust him Unite your pain and hurts with the suffering Christ You may like to recall the cry of St Paul: “I am very happy to make my weakness my special boast so that the power of Christ Jesus may remain in me…for it is when I am weak that I feel strong” (2 Cor 12:9)

The Master guides us further: “Do not be afraid!” By all means, care indeed, be ever caring but do not worry Look at the flowers in the field, and the birds in the sky; they do not worry, for their heavenly Father cares for them “O you men of little faith”, are you not more precious than they?

Trust God’s love, his caring and his providence Maybe our prayer life is suffering because we fail to see God’s caring love and faithfulness

Fr Ralph de Hahn is a priest of the archdiocese of Cape Town

Prayer is a relationship even without words

IT RY T O H AV E A S L I T T L E A S p o s s i b l e to do with government departments My low expectation rarely proven wrong is that the experience will be frustrating, timeconsuming, repetitive and ultimately pointless, leaving no closer to my goal at the end of it than when I started.

There certainly are some dedicated and hardworking people in these departments, but their presence is rarely felt by ordinary citizens

The rise of businesses who will “queue for you” means that you can pay someone else to absorb some of the pain when you do have to deal with government but only if you have money

The vast majority of South Africans have no choice but to stand in the queues, wait for hours, likely be met by an unhelpful and uninformed official, and then be told to come back the next day. Meantime, the departments themselves each year receive higher budgets and yet deliver less service to fewer people.

Among all the dysfunctional departments, Home Affairs (DHA) seems to stand out as one of the worst The DHA actually now seems to admit that they cannot fix their own problems since they are relying on others to deliver some of their core services They already subcontracted some of their visa processing to a private company; increasingly they are using banks as deliver y points for identity documents and passports

Again, that’s great if you can afford to pay the premium, but of no help to the majority who cannot Meantime, there is no evidence at Home Affairs (any more than at education or health) that middle class people opting out enables the department to improve ser vice deliver y for those who remain.

An ID failure

DHA is the key to an ID; and in South Africa an ID is key to unlocking almost every form of empowerment ser vice: jobs, grants, higher education and training, non-emergency healthcare, and of most symbolic importance voting. I know that at least half of homeless people in Durban do not have IDs even though they are South African In a few cases they have never had them; mostly their ID has been lost or stolen or (appallingly) destroyed by the po-

lice when “clearing up”’ the streets

It costs R140 to replace an ID Since homeless people are unlikely to have this, we at the Denis Hurley Centre raised enough money to pay for about 600 IDs. We were hoping to be able to spend it quickly and then raise some more. But after three years, with a manager and law interns almost entirely focused on this, we have been able to spend only 40% of the money not because there is a shortage of those in need but because Home Affairs is so slow at processing applications

We have explained to Home Affairs that on any given day we have a target group of potentially 100 ID applicants, assembled in one location, pre-screened by us and ready for processing All DHA has to do is send one of their mobile units But they say they are too busy elsewhere

booking an appointment online Let’s leave aside the irony that homeless people and the elderly and disabled who need the assistance of DHA to obtain grants are the least likely to be able to access online services.

If the system worked, this could be a great improvement. But in our experience, it does not: we just get offered appointments which are hundreds of kilometres away or many months from now And half the time, when you go to the office they cannot refer to the appointments “because the system is offline”

Home Affairs experience

We thought we had a golden opportunity during lockdown, as the mobile units were sitting idle and the DHA offices were not fully operational Surely, since they were paying their staff, DHA could send some to help us We even compiled the full details of 700 people who were desperate for IDs Nothing Instead, we have been dutifully waiting in the endless queues, occasionally getting through the door, but still be met with the usual delays and obfuscation Now Home Affairs proudly tells us that people can avoid the queues by

T h e j o y l e s s e x p e r i e n c e o f q u e u e i n g a t H o m e A f f a i r s , h e r e i n C a p e T o w n , i s a s y m p t o m o f b u r e a u c r a t i c i n c o m p e t e n c e

I recently had to contact DHA for something concerning my own needs. K n o w i n g h o w o v e r s t r e t c h e d t h e D u rb a n o f f i c e s a r e , a n d t h i n k i n g t h i s would give me a reason for a nice drive o u t , I d e c i d e d t o c a s t m y n e t w i d e r t o 2 0 D H A o f f i c e s w i t h i n a 4 - h o u r d r i v e o f w h e r e I l i v e T h e w e b s i t e v e r y g r a c i o u s l y g a v e m e e m a i l a ddresses and landlines and even mob i l e n u m b e r s f o r e a c h o f f i c e S o I t h o u g h t I w o u l d t r y a n d c o n t a c t them in advance

Only one of the published landline n u m b e r s w a s a n s w e r e d o n e o u t o f 20, despite multiple attempts The person said they would call me back; they never did. Three of the 20 cell numbers were in fact answered which means 17 were not, either ringing indefinitely or just dead. These three all told me to call back at a certain time When I did, there was no reply

To my great surprise, I actually did get an answer from six of the 20 email a d d r e s s e s I n f o u r c a s e s , t h e y s i m p l y told me to visit the office or call the landline number (which, of c o u r s e , d i d n o t w o r k ) Tw o o f t h e 2 0 e m a i l s g a v e a u s e f u l a nswer to my question So from 60 p o i n t s o f c o n t a c t t h a t D H A t h e m s e l v e s a d v e r t i s e d , a m e r e 3% delivered something useful E v e n f o r t h e D e p a r t m e n t o f Basic Education, that would not be a pass mark!

M y e x p e r i e n c e i s j u s t o n e e x a m p l e a n d I a m s u r e w e a l l h a v e o u r o w n h o r r o r s t o r i e s ( a n d s o m e o f u s m i g h t e v e n h a v e p o s i t i v e e x p e r i e n c e s t o r ep o r t ) C a n w e d o a n y t h i n g a b o u t t h i s f a i l u r e i n s e r v i c e d el i v e r y o t h e r t h a n t o c o m p l a i n ? Ye s w e c a n !

The Church has the equivalents of government departments

T o g o o u t a n d b e o f s e r v i c e

DHA, and all government departments, are full of people who go to our churches and walk out of M a s s o n S u n d a y s p r o f e s s i n g t h a t t h e y w i l l “ g o a n d s e r v e t h e L o r d with our lives” You might be one of them I hope that as a Church we have taught people that serving t h e L o r d i s n o t a b o u t h o w m a n y candles we light, commendable as o u r p r a y e r s a r e , b u t r a t h e r a b o u t what we do (or do not do) to the least of our sisters and brothers

Service in the Church

B u t t h e C h u rc h a l s o h a s t h e equivalent of government departm e n t s We f i n d t h e m i n s o m e d i o c e s a n c h a n c e r i e s , S A C B C d ep a r t m e n t s , r e l i g i o u s N G O s a n d parish offices Are the clergy, staff m e m b e r s a n d v o l u n t e e r s a l w a y s g o o d m o d e l s o f p u b l i c s e r v i c e ? Many of them are; some are not

I am astonished that there are s t i l l c h a n c e r i e s t h a t c l o s e t h e i r s w i t c h b o a r d s f o r l u n c h a n d teatime; or which do not give out mobile numbers; or take weeks to a n s w e r e m a i l s ; o r h a v e w e b s i t e s which lack basic, up-to-date inform a t i o n G o v e r n m e n t o f f i c i a l s k n o w t h a t t h e i r m o n o p o l y o n p o w e r m e a n s t h e y c a n j u s t m a k e people wait since the people cannot go elsewhere Do we fall into the same trap sometime?

Almost ever yone who is reading this and is employed is probably in some way given the opportunity to ser ve others The question for those of us in that position should be: Do I really ser ve others with the same passion and energy I would have if I was serving the Lord himself? I might be able to cover up my failings to my boss or my customers, but God knows if I am really being of service.

As I ask this question of you, I ask it of myself I know that there are ways in which I and my organisation sometimes fail to give excellent ser vice I intend to reflect on this and find ways to improve If we all do that, wouldn’t the world be better for everyone?

M A R IA N E L L A

Guest House, Simon’s Town

Experience the peace and beauty of God and nature with us Fully equipped, with amazing sea views Secure parking, ideal for rest and relaxation Special rates for families, pensioners and clergy Malcolm or Wilma Salida + 27 82 784 5676 or mjsalida@gmail com

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Time to change that song?

IN HIS CONFESSIONS, ST AUGUSTINE describes how his conversion to Christianity involved two separate moments of grace: the first that convinced him intellectually that Christianity was correct, and the second that empowered him to live out what he believed There were nearly nine years between these two conversions and it was during those nine years that he said his famous prayer: “Lord make me a good and chaste Christian but not yet ”

Interestingly, a contemporary of his, also a saint, Ephraim the Syrian (306-373 AD) wrote a similar prayer: “O my beloved, how daily I default and daily do repent I build up for an hour and an hour overthrows what I have built. At evening I say, tomorrow I will repent, but when morning comes, joyous I waste the day Again, at evening I say, I shall keep vigil all night and I shall entreat the Lord to have mercy on my sins. But when the night is come, I am full of sleep

What St Augustine and St Ephraim describe with such clarity (and not without a touch of humour) is one of the real difficulties we face in our struggle to grow in faith and human maturity, namely the tendency to go through life saying: “Yes, I need to do better I need to bear down and work at overcoming my bad habits, but now is not the time!”

It’s consoling to know that a number of saints struggled for years with mediocrity, laziness and bad habits, and that they, like us, could for years give in to those things with the shrug: “Tomorrow, I will make a new start!” For a few years, one of Augustine’s expressions was, “tomorrow and tomorrow!”

We w a n t t o b e b e t t e r

“Yes, but not yet!” How often does this describe us? I want to be a good Christian and a good person. I want to live more by faith, be less lazy, less selfish, more gracious to others, more contemplative, less given over to anger, bitterness, paranoia, and judgment of others. I want to stop giving in to gossip and slander I want to be more realistically involved in justice I want a better prayer life I want to take time for things, spend more time with my family, smell the flowers, drive slower, be more patient, and be less hurried I have a number of bad habits that I need to change, there are still areas of bitterness in me, I am defaulting on so many things, I really need to change, but now is not the time

But first I need to work through a particular relationship, grow older,

change jobs, get married, get rested, get healthy, finish school, have a needed vacation, let some wounds heal, get the kids out of the house, retire, move to a new parish, and get away from this situation then I will get serious about changing all this Lord, make me a more mature person and Christian, but not yet!

In the end, that’s not a good prayer Augustine tells us that, for years, as he said this prayer he was able to rationalise his own mediocrity However, a cataclysm began building inside him God is infinitely patient with us, but our own patience with ourselves eventually wears out and, at some point, we can no longer continue as before

?

In Book 8 of the Confessions, St Augustine shares how one day, sitting in a garden, he was overwhelmed with his own immaturity and mediocrity and “a great storm broke within me, bringing with it a great deluge of tears [ ] I flung myself down beneath a fig tree and gave way to the tears which now streamed from my eyes in my misery I kept crying, ‘How long shall I go on saying, tomorrow, tomorrow Why not now?’” When he got up from the ground, his life had changed; he never again finished a prayer with that little nuance, “but not yet”

We all have certain habits in our lives which we know are bad, but which for a variety of reasons (laziness, addiction, lack of moral strength, fatigue, anger, paranoia, jealousy, or the pressure of family or friends) we are reluctant to break We sense our mediocrity, but take consolation in our humanity, knowing that everyone (save full-blown saints) often has this spoken or unspoken caveat in their prayers, “Yes, Lord, but not yet!”

Indeed, there is in fact a valid consolation in this prayer in that it recognises something important inside the infinite understanding and mercy of God

God, I suspect, copes better with our faults than we cope with them and others cope with us. However, like Augustine, even as we say “tomorrow and tomorrow”, a storm steadily continues to build within us and, sooner or later, our own mediocrity will sicken us enough to cause us say, “Why not now?”

When the Psalmist says, “Sing to the Lord a new song,” we might ask ourselves: What is the old song? It’s the one that ends with us praying: “Yes, Lord, but not yet!”

PRAY WITH THE POPE

Pope’s prayer for youth

Intention: We pray the World Youth Day in Lisbon will help young people to live and witness the Gospel in their own lives.

IT IS A GOOD PRAYER INTENTION, I would say, that the World Youth Day “will help young people to live a n d w i t n e s s t h e G o s p e l i n t h e i r own lives”. The question hanging over a l l b i g y o u t h e v e n t s i s w h a t a r e t h e long-term effects?

As a youth myself at a time well before World Youth Day I was able to p a r t i c i p a t e i n s o m e p i l g r i m a g e s t o L o u r d e s w h e r e I j o i n e d o t h e r y o u n g people in working with the sick.

T h e s p e c t a c u l a r a s p e c t s o f t h e p i lgrimage certainly had an impact the p r o c e s s i o n s , t h e m e g a - M a s s e s , the thousands of pilgrims However, it was the contact with the s i c k a n d t h e e x a m p l e o f t h e i r faith that made the deepest imp r e s s i o n . I t h i n k i t ’s v i t a l l y i m p o r t a n t that something more than just participating in a vast, international meeting is built into the WYD programme.

A n d t h a t ’s p r e c i s e l y t h e p r o b l e m w i t h a n e v e n t w h i c h l a s t s a f e w d a y s How do you engage hundreds of thousands of youngsters from all the corners

of the world in some life-changing act i v i t y ? I n o t e d t h e s a m e p r o b l e m a t Ta i z é . T h e m o n k s d i d t h e i r b e s t t o gather the young pilgrims into discussion groups to reflect on the problems o f t h e C h u rc h a n d t h e w o r l d , b u t b r e a k i n g i n t o s m a l l g r o u p s i s h a r d l y s o m e t h i n g o n e c o u l d d e s c r i b e a s a “hands-on” activity!

W h a t I t h i n k w e r e a l l y m u s t p r a y f o r i s t h a t t h e o r g a n i s e r s a v o i d t h e l og i s t i c a l p r o b l e m s w h i c h w e r e r e p o r t e d a f t e r t h e W Y D i n S p a i n b y a S o u t h A f r i c a n g r o u p T h i s g r o u p w a s l o d g e d

t h e g a t h e r i n g a d e e p e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e G o s p e l , o n a n o t h e r, l e s s - c o ns c i o u s l e v e l , t h e W Y D i s a l s o s h o w i n g o f f t o t h e w o r l d a n d t o o u r s e l v e s a s C h u rc h t h a t w e c a n s t i l l p u l l i n t h e y o u n g c r o w d s . We m u s t a v o i d t h e temptation of the big spectacle

so far from the centre of the action that t h e y s p e n t a l a r g e a m o u n t o f t i m e o n public transport, getting up at the crack of dawn and arriving back late at night.

The result was that they ended up s u f f e r i n g f r o m s l e e p d e p r i v a t i o n a n d long periods without food. In a day and a g e w h e n w e a r e , r i g h t l y, s u p e r s e n s it i v e t o t h e t r e a t m e n t o f c h i l d r e n a n d y o u n g p e o p l e , s u c h a r r a n g e m e n t s a r e unacceptable in themselves and potentially scandalous

B e w a r e t h e t e m p t a t i o n

A n o t h e r t h i n g t o p r a y f o r i s t o r es i s t a t e m p t a t i o n . A l o n g w i t h t h e e xplicit aim of giving the young people at

T h i s i s a p o t e n t i a l t e m p t a t i o n f o r t h e C h u rc h i n E u r o p e w h e r e t h e r e a r e n ’t t o o m a n y y o u n g p e o p l e i n c h u rc h t h e s e d a y s W h e n W Y D was held in Manila and in Rio, the problem was not how to make up t h e n u m b e r s , b u t r a t h e r h o w t o limit them to safe proportions. In t h e d e v e l o p i n g w o r l d t h e r e a r e y o u n g people in church because of the young demographic. Not so in Europe.

And because the developing world does have young people in Church, one of the problems for our parishes sendi n g d e l e g a t e s t o P o r t u g a l i s w h i c h young people do we send? In a German parish there may only be two or three y o u n g s t e r s a n d t h e a v a i l a b i l i t y o f r esources to send them is not a problem. Wi t h u s , p a i n f u l c h o i c e s h a v e t o b e made because not ever yone can go!

I ’ m s u r e t h e o r g a n i s e r s h a v e p o nd e r e d t h e s e c h a l l e n g e s , a n d w e p r a y that the Holy Spirit has inspired them to find creative solutions

WYD is showing off that we can still pull in the young crowds

Every month Fr chris chatteris SJ reflects on Pope Francis’ prayer intention

T h e s u n s e t s o n t h e v i g i l a t W o r l d Y o u t h D a y 2 0 1 6 i n K r a k o w , P o l a n d W Y D 2 0

3 w i l l b e h e l d i n L i s b o n f r o m A u g u s t

.

Our Lady of Victory Prayer over Cancer

Blessed Mother, V irgin

Most Power ful and comforter of the afflicted, we ask you to provide solace and aid to those sick with cancer and to their families and loved ones.

We implore you to intercede with Your Son so that those who care for them may be wise in their healing inter ventions, compassionate in their care, and ever mindful of the comfort of faith.

Our Lady of V ictor y, our re fuge in time of danger, thank you for hearing our prayers.

Amen

Prayer Corner

Do

Prayer of Refugees & Migrants

Have mercy on me, God Most High. In my fear and loneliness, be my refuge. Far from my homeland, I feel lost. My hear t is stirred by thoughts of the family I left behind. O God, hear their cries and come to their help! Calm the storms of anxiety and doubt raging within me.

Go before me and guide my steps among a people I do not know. May their kindness and compassion assure me that You are there to welcome me. Amen

G o d o f L i f e , Yo u l o v e t h e

u n i v e r s e i n t o b e i n g ,

L e t u s g i ve p r a i s e

Yo u e m b r a c e t h e w o r l d

w i t h o u t d i s t i n c t i o n ,

L e t u s g i ve t h a n k s

Yo u c a l l h u m a n i t y t o m a k e

f l e s h Yo u r t e n d e r n e s s ,

L e t u s l i ve a c c o r d i n g l y

Yo u e n d o w a l l c r e a t i o n w i t h

Yo u r d i v i n e

b e a u t y a n d w i s d o m ,

L e t u s a c k n o w l e d g e

Yo u f o r g i v e a l l t r e s p a s s e s

L e t u s l e a r n Yo u r w a y s

Yo u g r a c e u s u n c o n d i t i o n a l ly ,

L e t u s r e c e i v e h u m b l y

Yo u a r e o u r h o p e ,

L e t u s r e m e m b e r

A m e n -

Laudato Si’ Prayerbook

By Cardinal Luis Tagle

S t A u g u s t i n e P r a y e r

Bre athe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy

A ct in me , O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy

D raw my hea rt, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy

Streng the n me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy

Gu ard me , then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy

Anagram Challenge

Unscramble the clues below to work out which POPULAR HYMNS hide in these words

DrOPPeD LeTTerS: Place the missing letters to get feasts of Our Lady

AcroSS

1 Face about to where you have refreshments (4)

3 Relics to be found in a monastery (8)

9 A relative with an indication of leprosy (7)

10 Pale like glue (5)

11 The pope’s position (6,2,4)

13 Tempt ten to return with frozen stuff (6)

15 and 14 down Our Lady was, when she “pondered in her heart ” (4,2,7)

17 Periods of atheism (7,5)

20 Incontrovertible teaching (5)

21 I get ox, cat out from eastern foreign things (7)

22 Earnest request about tea entry (8)

23 Dust can settle about where horses are (4)

DoWn

1 Collapses like the walls of Jericho (8)

2 Adjust your camera (5)

4 English capitalist ’s place (6)

5 Fault of one striving for holiness (12)

6 To give the main points again (2,3,2)

7 Sounds like light beams are his (4)

8 Restore friendly relations (12)

12 Holder of old manuscript writer ’s needs (8)

14 See 15 across

16 An appearance (6)

18 I am in most damp places (5)

19 Not working for false god, we hear (4)

For all solutions turn to page 34

Find the names of these women in the New Testament in the puzzle above

AcroSS

3. Having belief in God (5)

4. Sacrificial animal (4)

6. Encyclical “Pacem in … ” (6)

8 African country of Card Ouédraogo (7,4)

10 St Hildegard’s town (6)

13 Archbishop of Pretoria (6,5)

14 Consecrated women (4)

15 Son of King Herod (7)

16 12th word of the Lord’s Prayer (7)

17 Religious image (4)

18 4th-cent martyr of Cologne (6)

19 Latin for Creed (5)

20 Lebanese Christians (9)

21 House of worship (6)

22 Popular hymn (3,4,1,2)

23. Diocese of Bishop Victor Mbuyisa (7)

24. Church assembly (5) DoWn

1 English saint Thomas (4)

2 Plate for Communion host (5)

3 OT King /Queendom (5)

5 Site of Transfiguration (5,5)

7 Proclaiming faith in song (7)

The Catholic Trivia Quiz

1. Who of these was not an archbishop of Pretoria?

a) Hugh Boyle b) George Daniel

c) John Garner

2. Which pope declared the dogma of Our Lady’s Assumption?

a) Pius IX b) Pius X c) Pius XII

3 How many vessels of water did Jesus tur n into wine at the Wedding at Cana?

a) Two b) Six c) Twelve

4. In which moder n-day countr y did the mar tyr Bl Isidore Bakanja live?

a) DR Congo b) Guinea c) Uganda

5 Who was the first woman to be declared a Doctor of the Church?

a) Catherine of Siena

b) Hildegard of Bingen

c) Teresa of Avila

6 In which Palestinian city do we find Jacob’s Well?

a) Bethlehem b) Hebron c) Nablus

7. Who is the patron saint of taxis?

a) Christopher b) Dunstan c) Fiacre

8. In which diocese is the parish of Phalabor wa?

a) Polokwane b) Tzaneen c) Witbank

9 Who played Pope Francis in the 2019 film The Two Popes?

a) Anthony Hopkins

b) Jeremy Irons

c) Jonathan Pr yce

9. Apostle of Jesus (5,3,6)

10. Carmelite’s Gauteng town (6)

11. Apostolic delegate (6)

12 Patriarchate of John Paul I, John XXIII (6)

14 Aramaic for Daddy (4)

15 Mary, Untier of (5)

16 Assistant priest (6)

17 Moses’ older brother, prophet (5)

19 Name of three popes (6)

20 Walking pilgrimage (6)

22 Noah’s vessel (3)

10. In the French edition of the 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church, which of the Ten Commandments was inadver tently omitted?

a) You shall not lie

b) You shall not kill

c) You shall not steal

C o o k i n g w i t h Sa i n t s

E v e r y m o n t h i n h e r C a p e T o w n k i t c h e n , G R A Z I A B A R L E T T A p r e p a r e s a r e c i p e i n s p i r e d b y t h e s a i n t s , a n d s h a r e s i t w i t h o u r r e a d e r s i n t e x t a n d p h o t o s t a k e n e x c l u s i v e l y f o r T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s b y t h e c h e f h e r s e l f .

S T AU G U S T I N E ’ S H E R B C H I C K E N

TH I S M O N T H W E R E M E M B E R a saint from Africa, and one of the most important people in the histor y of the Church St Augustine of Hippo was born on November 13, 354, in the town of Thagaste, on the northern coast of what is now Algeria North Africa was part of the Roman Empire, though it was considered a backwater

Augustine’s mother, St Monica, was a devout Christian His father, Patricius, was a decurio, a minor official of the empire The position was far from glamorous, however, because a decurio was required to act as a patron for his community and to make up any shortfalls in taxes collected from the region This may account for Augustine’s assertions that his family was poor

Augustine showed early promise in school, and as a result his parents scrimped and saved to get their son an excellent Roman education, in the hope of ensuring him a prosperous career. Augustine later described himself as a dissolute young man, unrestrained by his father who was more concerned with his son’s academic success than his personal behaviour

At the age of 16, Augustine was sent to the university at Carthage, the largest city in the region, where he set up a household with a concubine, the mother of his son After he finished his studies, Augustine became a successful public speaker and teacher He moved to Rome in 383, hoping to advance his career, and eventually

became professor of rhetoric in Milan There Augustine began to study Scriptures more deeply, inspired by the preaching of St Ambrose, the city ’s holy bishop

One day in a garden, Augustine had a powerful spiritual experience which is often referred to as his “conversion moment ” In his book Confessions, Augustine described it

In g r e d i e n t s

• 6 p i e c e s o f c h i c ke n l e g s o r t h i g h s ( i d e a l l y f r e e - ra n g e ) • 2 0 0 g ro s a / b e l l a /c h e r r y t o m a t o e s • g r e e n o r b l a c k p i t t e d o l i v e s ( a s m a ny a s d e s i r e d )

• 5 f r e s h b a s i l l e av e s • 1 0 m l d r i e d o r e ga n o • 1 c l o v e c r u s h e d ga r l i c • 1 5 m l o l i v e o i l • s a l t a n d p e p p e r t o t a s t e

as a strug gle between his old way of life and the new life he was seeking in Christ. He heard a child’s voice chanting “Tolle, lege” (which means “take up and read”), and he took this as a sign from God to open the Bible and read the first passage he saw It was from St Paul’s letter to the Romans, which spoke to Augustine’s heart

After his conversion, Augustine was baptised by St Ambrose (the baptismal font still exists in the cr ypt of Milan’s Duomo) and returned to North Africa, where he became a bishop and one of the most significant and influential theologians in histor y His prolific writings on theology, philosophy, and the Christian life tinue to be studied to this day

To celebrate this great saint ’s feast on August 28, this chicken dish is simple to prepare, yet very tasty You can double the ingredients, and leftovers taste even better.

preparation: 50 min • Ser vings: 3

P r e pa r a t i o n :

1. Chop the tomatoes.

2. Add oil to a large pot, let heat up Then add the tomatoes, basil, garlic and oregano Cook till reduced

3 Add in the chicken pieces and reduce the heat. Stir at regular inter vals till the chicken is cooked through

6. Add salt and pepper, and finally the pitted olives

7 Ser ve and enjoy with a prayer to St Augustine!

b a r l e tta 1 @ g m a i l . c o m Fo l l o w h e r b l o g at w w w. m o m e nt s w i t h g ra z i a . c o m a n d co n n e c t w i t h G ra z i a o n Fa c e b o o k / I n sta g ra m : m o m e nt s w i t h g ra z i a

Solutions

Anagra

1 My God Loves Me, 2 All That I Am, 3 Blessed Assurance, 4 As I Kneel Before You, 5 Praise My Soul, 6 Onward Christian Soldiers

Dropped Letters: Annunciation, Our Lady of Fatima, Presentation of Mary, Nativity of Mary, Assumption, Immaculate Conception

SouthernCrossword: ACROSS: 1 Café, 3 Cloister, 9 Unclean, 10 Pasty, 11 Bishop of Rome, 13 Entice, 15 Deep in, 17 Godless times, 20 Dogma, 21 Exotica, 22 Entreaty, 23 Stud DOWN:

1 Crumbles, 2 Focus, 4 London, 5 Imperfection,

6 To sum up, 7 Rays, 8 Reconciliate, 12 Inkstand, 14 Thought, 16 Aspect, 18 Moist, 19 Idle

Quick Crossword: ACROSS: 3 Faith, 4 Lamb, 6 Terris, 8 Burkina Faso, 10 Bingen, 13 Dabula Mpako, 14 Nuns, 15 Antipas, 16 Kingdom, 17 Icon, 18 Ursula, 19 Credo, 20 Maronites, 21 Church, 22 All That I Am, 23 Kokstad, 24 Synod DOWN: 1 More, 2 Paten, 3 Sheba, 5 Mount Tabor, 7 Singing, 9 Simon the Zealot, 10 Benoni, 11 Nuncio, 12 Venice, 14 Abba, 15 Knots, 16 Curate, 17 Aaron, 19 Julius, 20 Camino, 21 Ark Catholic Trivia Quiz: 1 a) Hugh Boyle (he was bishop of Johannesburg), 2 c) Pius XII (in 1950), 3 b) Six, 4 a) DR Congo (1997-1909), 5 c) Teresa of Avila (a few days before Catherine of Siena), 6 c) Nablus (near the ancient Shechem), 7 c) Fiacre, 8 b) Tzaneen, 9 c) Jonathan Pryce, 10

Next month in The Souther n Cross

A P ilg r image to ROME & T H E HOLY LAND

Spiritual Director Mgr Simon Donnelly of Johannesburg, formerly based in the Vatican

Guided in the Holy Land by Gabriel Makhlouf Expert guide and Catholic Knight of the Holy Sepulchre

Accompanied by Günther Simmermacher Southern Cross editor and author of The Holy Land Trek

20 May to 1 June 2024

W h a t w e w i l l e x p e r i e n c e :

o n t h e S e a o f G a l i l e e , r e n e w w e d d i n g v o w s a t C a n a a n d b a p t i s m a l v o w s a t t h e R i v e r J o rd a n , f l o a t i n t h e D e a d S e a a n d m u c h m o r e . . .

T h e P i l g r i m a g e i n c l u d e s :

• All flights ex-Johannesburg

• Accommodation in selected 4-star hotels

• Daily breakfast and dinner

• Daily lunch in selected restaurants in the Holy Land

• Daily Mass in sacred shrines and churches

• Travel in air-conditioned luxury buses

• Expertly guided tours throughout

• All entrance fees as per itinerary

• Preparation material

• Visa assistance (where required)

Final Words

Great Quotes on COURAGE

‘Let nothing frighten you. Who has God, lacks nothing. God alone is enough ’ – St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

‘I lear ned that courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear ’ – N e l s o n M a n d e l a ( 1 9 1 8 - 2 0 1 3 )

‘It is a common misconception to consider courage a vir tue exclusive to the hero. In fact, the daily life of ever y person –you, me, all of us – requires courage One cannot live without courage – courage to face the difficulties of every day ’

‘You gain strength, courage, and confidence by ever y experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.’

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

‘The principal act of courage is to endure and withstand dangers doggedly rather than to attack them.’

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

‘Have courage for the great sor rows of life and patience for the small ones And when you have finished your daily task, go to sleep in peace God is awake ’

V i c t o r H u g o ( 1 8 0 2 - 1 8 8 5 )

‘Hope has two daughters: their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.’

– St Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD)

‘Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong ’

History in Colour

I n t h e C a t h o l i c C h u r c h o f S o u t h e r n A f r i c a , a n d i n d e e d w o r l d w i d e , H o l y F a m i l y S i s t e r B r i g i d F l a n a g a n w a s a t r a i l b l a z e r f o r w o m e n a s t h e a s s o c i a t e s e c r e t a r y - g e n e r a l o f t h e S o u t h e r n A f r i c a n C a t h o l i c B i s h o p s ' C o n f e r e n c e

( S A C B C ) I n t h e 1 9 8 0 s , s h e s e r v e d a s a c t i n g s e c r e t a r y - g e n e r a l w h e n t h e p r i e s t i n t h a t p o s i t i o n , F r S m a n g a l i s o M k h a t s h w a , w a s t w i c e d e t a i n e d b y t h e a p a r t h e i d r e g i m e S r B r i g i d w o r k e d f o r t h e S A C B C f r o m 1 9 7 5 t o 1 9 9 4 , i n i t i a l l y i n t h e d e p a r t m e n t f o r C h r i s t i a n E d u c a t i o n a n d W o r s h i p B o r n i n 1 9 1 8 i n I r e l a n d , s h e c a m e t o D u r b a n i n O c t o b e r 1 9 3 8 , s h o r t l y a f t e r m a k i n g h e r f i r s t v o w s . A w o m a n o f t r e m e n d o u s c o u r a g e , l i k e s o m a n y o t h e r r e l i g i o u s S i s t e r s , S r B r i g i d w a s a C a t h o l i c l e a d e r i n t h e s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t a p a r t h e i d S h e e n c o u r a g e d r e l i g i o u s w o m e n t o j o i n p r o t e s t s w h i l e w e a r i n g t h e i r v e i l s A s a l e a d e r i n t h e S A C B C , s h e w a s i n v o l v e d i n t h e f o u n d i n g o f t h e a l t e r n a t i v e n e w s p a p e r , N e w N a t i o n S h e w a s o n e o f s i x p e o p l e , i n c l u d i n g t w o b i s h o p s , w h o w e r e i n K h a n y a H o u s e w h e n i t w a s b o m b e d b y a p a r t h e i d s t a t e o p e r a t i v e s u n d e r t h e l e a d e r s h i p o f E u g e n e d e K o c k S r B r i g i d h a d a p a r t i c u l a r l y c l o s e r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h A r c h b i s h o p D e n i s H u r l e y o f D u r b a n , w h o w a s S A C B C p r e s i d e n t f o r a s i g n i f i c a n t t i m e o f h e r t e r m s a s a s s o c i a t e s e c r e t a r y - g e n e r a l T h e i r f r i e n d s h i p w e n t b a c k t o t h e 1 9 5 0 s , w h e n s h e w a s t h e p r i n c i p a l o f H o l y F a m i l y C o n v e n t H i g h S c h o o l i n D u r b a n

O n N o v e m b e r 1 2 , 2 0 0 5 , S r B r i g i d d i e d i n P i e t e r m a r i t z b u r g a t t h e a g e o f 8 7

F o u r w o m e n h a v e b e e n a s s o c i a t e s e c r e t a r i e s - g e n e r a l s i n c e h e r t i m e a t t h e S A C B C , w i t h o n e o f t h e m , S r H e r m e n e g i l d M a k o r o C P S , l e a d i n g t h e b i s h o p s ’ c o n f e r e n c e f o r t w o t e r m s a s s e c r e t a r y - g e n e r a l T h e c u r r e n t a s s o c i a t e s e c r e t a r y - g e n e r a l i s S r D o m i n i c a M k h i z e F S F .

The last laugh

At h e a rc h b i s h o p wa s m e e t i n g t h e re p re s e n ta t i ve s o f t h e d i o c e s a n yo u t h m i n i st r i e s “ S o,” h e a s ke d o n e o f t h e m , “ w h a t ’s yo u r n a m e a n d w h e re a re yo u f ro m ? ”

“ M y n a m e i s M i ke a n d I ’m f ro m

C a p e To w n , Yo u r G ra c e , ” t h e yo u t h l e a d e r re p l i e d

T h e y c h a tte d a l i tt l e m o re a b o u t yo u t h l e a d e rs h i p Ke e n t o a c q u i re s o m e o f t h e a rc h b i s h o p ’s w i s d o m , M i ke a s ke d :

W A L K T H E C A M I N O

yo u c o n s i d e r t o b e t h e m o st i m p o r ta n t a tt r i b u te i n p ro v i d i n g g o o d l e a d e rs h i p ? ”

“ T h a t ’s e a sy : i t ’s l i ste n i n g A l way s l i ste n c a re f u l l y t o w h a t p e o p l e a re s ay i n g O n e a l way s h a s t o b e a g o o d l i ste n e r,” t h e a rc h b i s h o p l e c t u re d

“ T h a n k yo u fo r s h a r i n g yo u r w i s d o m w i t h m e , Yo u r G ra c e , ” M i ke s a i d

“ Yo u a re m o st w e l c o m e , ” re p l i e d t h e a rc h b i s h o p “ N o w te l l m e , Ke v i n , w h e re a re yo u f ro m ? ”

For all your Sand and Stone equirements in piet retief, Southern Mpumalanga

tel: 017 826 0054/5

cell: 082 904 7840

Walk the camino to Santiago de compostela. Accommodation in hotels with breakfast & dinner. Your luggage will be transported every day. Different routes available!