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The youth and the Mass

Dear Reader, T

H I S M O N T H , O N J U N E 16, S O U T H Africa m a r ks i t s n at i o n a l Yo u t h D ay, s o i n t h i s i s s u e we t u r n o u r fo c u s o n yo u t h We e n co u nte r t wo rem a r ka b l e yo u n g C at h o l i c s w h o s e l i ve s o f d e vo u t fa i t h m ay g i ve co u ra ge to o t h e r yo u n g C at h o l i c s a n d o l d e r o n e s , to o G l a d n e s s M a s h u b u ka , i nte rv i e we d b y D a l u xo l o M o l o a nto a o n p a ge 1 2 , i s a yo u t h l e a d e r i n t h e a rc h d i o c e s e o f P re to r i a H e r g re at j o y i n t h e fa i t h i s e v i d e nt

O n p a ge 1 4 , C o l l e e n C o n sta b l e te l l s u s a b o u t L e rato M p h u t i , w h o s e fa i t hf i l l e d l i fe wa s c u t s h o r t at t h e a g e o f 1 6 C o l l e e n s u g ge st s t h at o n e d ay, t h e J o h a n n e s b u rg te e n a ge r m i g ht j o i n t h e ca n o n i s e d ra n ks o f s a i nt h o o d M ay b e s o, b u t e ve n w i t h o u t t h e sta m p o f ca n o n i s at i o n , we ca n a s k L e rato fo r h e r i nte rc e s s i o n , p e r h a p s at t i m e s w h e n we h ave d i ff i c u l t y p ray i n g .

O u r S a i nt o f t h e M o nt h re l ate s to t h e yo u t h a s we l l : S t M a rc e l l i n C h a mp a g n at wa s t h e F re n c h fo u n d e r o f t h e M a r i st B ro t h e rs , a n d t h u s a c h a m p i o n fo r t h e yo u t h a n d t h e i r e d u cat i o n W h at st r i ke s m e a b o u t S t M a rc e l l i n ’s sto r y i s t h at h e s p e nt t h e to ta l o f o n e d a y at s c h o o l . H e o ve rca m e h i s a cad e m i c d i s a d va nta ge s , a n d t h u s ca n s e r ve a s a ro l e m o d e l fo r t h o s e w h o d e s p a i r at t h e i r l a c k o f o p p o r t u n i t i e s I n a way, yo u t h a l s o g i ve s u s a l i n k to o u r co ve r sto r y t h i s m o nt h : t h e M a s s A ye a r b efo re h i s d e at h at 1 5 i n 2 0 0 6 , B l C a r l o A c u t i s c u rate d a n ex h i b i t i o n o f “ E u c h a r i st i c M i ra c l e s o f t h e Wo r l d ” , b a s e d o n t h e t h e m e o f t h e we b s i te w h i c h h e h a d s e t u p at t h e a ge o f 1 1 I t i s go o d t h at t h i s ex h i b i t i o n i s n o w ava i l a b l e i n S o u t h e r n A f r i ca , t h a n ks to t h e effo r t s o f t wo d e d i cate d C at h o l i c wo m e n I wa s s u r p r i s e d to l e a r n j u st h o w m a ny E u c h a r i st i c m i ra c l e s t h e re h ave b e e n I f yo u r p a r i s h w i s h e s to r u n t h e ex h i b i t i o n , s e e p a ge 9 o n h o w to go a b o u t i t

a n d t h o s e w h o d o n ’ t , re a l l y d o n e e d to k n ow. We h a d a s h o r t l i st o f g re at p h o to s fo r t h e co ve r ; i n t h e e ve nt , we c h o s e a n i m a ge b y t h e ta l e nte d p h o to g ra p h e r S h e l d o n Re d d i a r o f F r M i c h a e l S e h e r i o f J o h a n n e s b u rg ’s cat h e d ra l , p re s e nt i n g t h e co n s e c rate d h o st a n d w i n e to t h e co n g re gat i o n . We h o p e t h at t h i s p i c t u re w i l l i n s p i re i n o u r re a d e rs t h e s a m e awe we fe e l w h e n we b e h o l d i t . M o re o ve r, we t h o u g ht t h at t h e i m a ge o f F r S e h e r i p ro v i d e s a p o i g n a nt e c h o o f o u r A p r i l co ve r, w h i c h s h o we d J e s u s ( a s p o r t raye d i n t h e D u r b a n Pa s s i o n P l ay ) h o l d i n g u p t h e c h a l i c e f ro m t h e L a st S u p p e r i n H o l y We e k to t h e E u c h a r i st at C o r p u s C h r i st i T h e we e k b efo re we c e l e b rate t h e fe a st o f C o r p u s C h r i st i o n J u n e 1 1 , we m a r k t h e s o l e m n i t y o f t h e H o l y Tr i n i t y ( w h i c h fo l l o ws Pe nte co st ) I n t h e i r ref l e c t i o n s , F r R a l p h d e H a h n a n d J a n S m i t s m e d i tate o n h o w we a re to l i ve o u t t h e l o ve o f t h e t r i u n e G o d . F r d e H a h n p u t s i t we l l : “ Po t s a n d p a n s o f d a i l y u s e b e co m e te m p l e ve s s e l s w h e n h a n d l e d fo r t h e l o ve o f G o d . ”

Th e p ro m o t i o n e ve nt s fo r T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s h ave b e e n o n go i n g , i n J o h a n n e s b u rg a n d P re to r i a e s p e c i a l l y T h e re a re s o m a ny C at h o l i c s w h o h a d a b s o l u te l y n o i d e a t h at t h e re i s a g re at m o nt h l y C at h o l i c m a ga z i n e t h at ca n fe e d t h e i r fa i t h ! S o m e wo n d e re d w hy n o b o d y h a d to l d t h e m a b o u t i t b efo re We have also heard that many priests don’t stock The Southern Cross in their parish because they fear being stuck with a financial risk of copies going unsold There is no risk at all! Please contact Eugene at md@scross co za to discuss how your parish can stock The Southern Cross entirely risk-free!

T h a n k yo u fo r re a d i n g T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s , a n d p l e a s e te l l yo u r f r i e n d s a b o u t yo u r m o nt h l y C at h o l i c m a ga z i n e

G o d b l e s s

F

o r m a ny re a d e rs , a b e g i n n e r ’s g u i d e to t h e M a s s m i g ht s e e m s u p e r f l u o u s , b u t fo r t h o s e w h o d o k n ow i t a l l , i t i s a l ways go o d to h ave a ref re s h e r ( a n d , p e r h a ps , eve n a c q u i re n ew i n s i g ht s ) ,

Günther Simmermacher

JUNE 2023

8 Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit in SA

Two women have brought an exhibition on the world’s Eucharistic miracles to Southern Africa

9 The Spiritual Side of Arts Festival

What to expect at Spiritfest during the Grahamstown Arts Festival in Makhanda

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From Johannesburg to Jerusalem

Interview with the Jo’burg-born Scripture scholar and Winter Theology presenter Fr David Neuhaus SJ

Called to Lead Catholic Youth

Youth leader Gladness Mashubuka on life and faith

Lessons in Faith From a Short Life

In her brief 16 years on earth, Lerato Mphuti was a model of being a youth living her faith

Football and Spirituality

When it comes to playing soccer with faith, Croatia’s players and people are winners

Bookshop looks back and ahead

Cape Town’s Catholic bookshop has a long history

COVER STORY: The Mass Explained

All you must know about the Holy Mass

Surrender to God Sets Us Free

A meditation for Trinity Sunday 27

The Passport to God’s Kingdom

Fr Ralph de Hahn on living out God’s love

EVERY MONTH

5 FROM OUR VAULTS

The Southern Cross 60 years ago 6 YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

You ask and we answer questions about a haunted property, life-machines, and cardinals 17 SAINT OF THE MONTH

The life of St Marcellin

St Marcellin, Saint of education

The Holy Mass explained

With pull-out poster!

FROM OUR VAULTS

60 Years Ago: June 26, 1963

New pope’s SA connection

Newly-elected Pope Paul VI is the first pontiff ever to have visited South Africa As Cardinal Giovanni Montini, he visited Pretoria and Johannesburg in August 1962 The 65-year-old pope has pledged to continue the Second Vatican Council, which launched in 1962 under Pope John XXIII, who died on June 3 at the age of 81

McCann, Hurley on Pope Paul

Cardinal Owen McCann has described the new pope as “both forceful and calm”. Paul VI is “aware of modern problems and ready to confront them, but weighs things up carefully” Archbishop Denis Hurley of Durban was delighted with the new pope, saying his “admirable diplomatic quality” will see him continue Pope John’s policies

Martyrs’ feast in Umzumbe

The feast of the Blessed Martyrs of Uganda was celebrated in Umzumbe with a play depicting their martyrdom and a Mass, celebrated by Fr Lesetle with Bishop Alphons Streit presiding Fr F Ngobese preached The celebrant was facing the people at the outdoor altar.

Editorial: Miracle of papacy

In his editorial, acting editor Mgr Cornelius Lynch describes the sur vival of the papacy as “the perennial miracle of histor y...in which is made manifest the fulfilment of the promise made 1 900 years ago” by Christ that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against” the Church he founded P r e v i o u s “ F r o m T h e

What else made news in June 1963:

• Parliament is told that the number of arrests of alleged members of Poqo, the military wing of the Pan African Congress, now numbers 3 246

• After his historic visit to West Berlin, US President John F Kennedy goes to Dunganstown in Ireland, which his great-grandfather had left in 1843 to emigrate to the United States

• Demonstrators in Iran protest against the arrest of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini by the regime of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

• Egypt, intervening in the North Yemen Civil War, makes the first use of poison gas in warfare since World War II, dropping chemical weapons on the village of Al-Kawma.

May feeding tubes be pulled if I’m brain-dead?

Q The Catholic Church strictly forbids euthanasia, that is, the intentional ending of a life at the request of a terminally ill patient. But what is the Church’s position on refusal of food and hydration, which a Catholic might request in their health care directives and living wills for situations where they may be brain dead or in a permanent vegetative state?

THE QUESTIONS OF PRESERVATION of unresponsive life are complicated even in the legal domain. In Catholic teaching, there is an obligation to use ordinary means to preserve the person’s life, but one is permitted to forgo extraordinary means

In most situations, artificial nutrition and hydration, usually through feeding tubes, would be considered ordinary means Extraordinary means might include interventions such as breathing machines

However, particular circumstances may override the presumption of ordinary means, and if the provision or continuation of medically assisted feeding would cause significant discomfort, it becomes morally optional

In such situations, one must weigh the benefits and burdens, and here the intention is paramount: If the intention of removing a feeding tube is to end the patient’s life, that would be immoral; but if the intention is simply to discontinue a burdensome treatment that is not being assimilated by the patient and is instead causing significant discomfort, it would certainly be moral to remove it.

The Catechism of the Catholic

Church counsels: “Discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be legitimate; it is the refusal of ‘over-zealous’ treatment Here one does not will to cause death; one’s inability to impede it is merely accepted. The decisions should be made by the patient if he or she is competent and able or, if not, by those legally entitled to act for the patient, whose reasonable will and legitimate interests must always be respected ”

The risk of shortening the days of a patient through reasonable measure, such as the provision of painkillers, “can be morally in conformity with human dignity if death is not willed as either an end or a means, but only foreseen and tolerated as inevitable”

(No 2278-9)

Burden vs benefit

The website catholicendoflife org, a very useful resource, notes that there are many factors that must be considered when making a

Your Q u e s t i o ns answered

“burden/benefit” analysis, “including the nature of the treatment, the cost, the prognosis, the side effects, the pain, as well as emotional consequences. Each judgment is unique, and is not a medical but a moral judgment Each patient, or their proxy decision-maker, should pray for guidance and graces, seek counsel from their family and trusted spiritual adviser, and gather all pertinent information from the medical professionals ”

Since there are so many circumstances governing the state of an unresponsive patient, it is not easy to formulate a blanket directive that would morally cover all situations The US National Catholic Bioethics Center suggests this helpful formulation for an advance directive:

“I wish to follow the moral teachings of the Catholic Church and to receive all the obligatory care that my faith teaches we have a duty to accept. However, I also know that death need not be resisted by any and every means and that I have the right to refuse medical treatment that is excessively burdensome or would only prolong my death and delay my being taken to God ”

Can anyone become a cardinal?

Q. I wonder if you could settle a dispute? A friend, also a Catholic, claims that any baptised Catholic can be named a cardinal I say that only a priest can be appointed a cardinal, and before he is made one, he must be ordained a bishop. Who is right?

YOU ARE CORRECT THOUGH your friend would have been sort of right had you entered into the dispute before 1917

That was the year Pope Benedict XV changed canon law to restrict the rank of cardinal only to men who are

already priests or bishops In 1962, Pope John XXIII added that a cardinal must be consecrated a bishop, unless he obtains a dispensation That dispensation usually applies to appointees who are over 80 and thus ineligible to vote in a conclave

Before 1917, men who had not

yet been ordained or tonsured could become cardinals The last lay cardinal died in 1899

However, in theory, your friend might one day be right It is the pope’s prerogative to change canon law, and he could decide to admit lay people to the College of Cardinals (presumably they would then have o be ordained to the diaconate)

Extending the office to women would require a whole reconstituion of the office of cardinal, and it eems very unlikely that any pope would have the appetite for that.

My flat is haunted: Call the exorcist?

Q. I believe our flat’s ceiling is spooked We hear inexplicable footsteps, cupboard doors sounding like they are being opened, and so on Nothing we have tried works. Can we get an exorcist to solve this trouble?

IF Y O U B E L I E V E T H A T Y O U R H O M E i s h a u n t e d , y o u f i r s t o u g h t t o c o nt a c t y o u r p a r i s h p r i e s t . H e s h o u l d g u i d e y o u t h r o u g h t h e p r o c e s s a n d d e t e r m i n e i f a n e x o r c i s m i s n e c e s s a r y , o r i f a n o t h e r a c t i o n m i g h t s u f f i c e a s a f i r s t r e s o r t , s u c h a s a h o u s e b l e s s i n g o r a p r a y e r s e r v i c e

Not all cases of hauntings or spiritual disturbances are considered to be cases of demonic possession, and an exorcism may not be necessary or appropriate for every situation Indeed, it is aways the last resort

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

E x o r c i s t s b e l i e v e t h a t p r a y e r i s a l w a y s t h e f i r s t s t e p i n a s i t u a t i o n o f s u s p e c t e d p a r a n o r m a l d i s t u r b a n c e s S o m e s u g g e s t t h a t p r a y e r c a n h e l p u s d i s t i n g u i s h b e t w e e n d i s t u r b a n c e s t h a t a r e t h e r e s u l t o f a t r o u b l e d s o u l i n p u r g a t o r y p o s s i b l y t r y i n g t o a t t r a c t o u r a t t e n t i o n f o r h e l p o r o f d e m o n i c a c t i v i t y I f e v e r y t h i n g g o e s s i l e n t w h e n w e b e g i n t o p r a y , t h e n i t ’ s l i k e l y a s o u l i n p u r g a t o r y ; b u t i f t h e d i s t u r b a n c e s i n c r e a s e i n t u r b ul e n c e , i t m i g h t b e a d e m o n ’ s r e s p o n s e t o b e i n g t o r m e n t e d b y t h e p r a y e r F i r s t , t r y a p r a y e r l i k e t h i s o n e , f r o m t h e “ N i g h t P r a y e r o f t h e L i t u r g y o f t h e H o u r s ” : L o rd , w e b e g y o u t o v i s i t t h i s h o u s e a n d b a n i s h f ro m i t a l l t h e d e a d l y p o w e r o f t h e e n e m y. M a y y o u r h o l y a n g e l s d w e l l h e re t o k e e p u s i n p e a c e , a n d m a y y o u r b l e s s i n g s b e u p o n u s a l w a y s . We a s k t h i s t h ro u g h C h r i s t o u r L o rd . A m e n . S h o u l d t h e d i s t u r b a n c e s c o n t i n u e , t h e i n t e r v e n t i o n o f t h e d e s i g n a t e d d i o c e s a n e x o r c i s t m a y b e c o m e n e c e ss a r y S h o u l d h e d e t e r m i n e t h a t a r i t e

o f e x o r c i s m c a n b e p e r f o r m e d , h e w o u l d t h e n a s k “ p u b l i c l y a n d a u t h o r it a t i v e l y i n t h e n a m e o f J e s u s C h r i s t t h a t a p e r s o n o r o b j e c t b e p r o t e c t e d a g a i n s t t h e p o w e r o f t h e E v i l O n e a n d w i t h d r a w n f r o m h i s d o m i n i o n ” ( C a t ec h i s m o f t h e C a t h o l i c C h u r c h , 1 6 7 3 ) P l e a s e k n o w t h a t a t t e m p t i n g t o p e r f o r m a n e x o r c i s m o n y o u r o w n o r w i t h a n u n a u t h o r i s e d p e r s o n , s u c h a s a “ g h o s t h u n t e r ” , c a n b e d a n g e r o u s a n d i s s t r o n g l y d i s c o u r a g e d

S o u t h e r n C r o s s T h e The Catholic Magazine for Southern Africa Est. 1920

TODAY! A I f y o u b e l i e v e y o u r h o m e i s h a u n t e d , f i r s t c a l l y o u r p a r i s h p r i e s t t o d e t e r m i n e t h e b e s t c o u r s e o f a c t i o n .

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Highway To Heaven: Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit now in SA

Bl Carlo Acutis set up a website that detailed the various Eucharistic miracles around the world Two Catholics are now bringing an exhibition based on Bl Carlo’s work to Southern Africa, as Daluxolo Moloantoa reports.

IN 2005, A YEAR BEFORE HIS DEATH

at 15, Bl Carlo Acutis curated a Eucharistic Miracles of the World exhibition, based on the website on that theme which he had designed at the age of 11 The Italian teenager aimed to use new media to evangelise and proclaim the Gospel He had made the Eucharist a core theme of his life. “Jesus is my friend and the Eucharist is the highway to heaven,” he once said

Bl Carlo was noted for his cheerfulness, his computer skills, and his deep devotion to the Eucharist He died of leukaemia on October 12, 2006, and was beatified in 2020, two days before the 14th anniversary of his death

The “Eucharistic Miracles of the World” exhibition is currently on show in all five continents Now Bl Carlo’s work has come to Southern Africa, thanks to the determined efforts of two local Catholics, Mammuso Elizabeth Makoa and Mapaseka Lucy Letho

“We had seen the exhibition on a Eucharistic adoration and education website We thought it would be a good idea to have it tour our region, too. We first acquired the necessar y permission to exhibit it locally,” said Ms Makoa

“Due to shipping costs and time constraints, we were not able to physically bring the exhibition over to South Africa. We then decided to download the images and recreate it for the local parishes ”

The exhibition was staged for the first time in SA on July 31, 2021 as a WhatsApp virtual event, due to the

Covid-19 lockdown restrictions Since then, the exhibition has travelled to Eswatini, Lesotho, Bloemfontein and various churches in Gauteng Exhibitions are planned for Klerksdorp, Johannesburg and Midrand in June, and Witbank in July

The exhibition has acted as a platform for the education of many Catholics on its tour of Southern Africa “Many of the faithful were not aware that there are so many of the Churchsanctioned Eucharistic miracles in the world. Many people were aware only of the famous ones, like the those of St Francis of Assisi, St Clare, and St Anthony of Padua It is an eye-opener for many Catholics, especially on the significance of the Eucharist in the Church,”

Ms Makoa said

An introductory panel explains that Eucharistic miracles are “divine interventions that are aimed at confirming faith in the real presence of the body and blood of the Lord in the Eucharist”.

The miracles that form part of the exhibition are from a variety of countries and cover a vast period of time, from the miracle of Lanciano, Italy, in 750 AD to recent ones such as the one in Legnicka in Poland in 2013. Italy alone has 32 Eucharistic miracles listed in the exhibition

“We hope the exhibition will reach as many parishes and church groups as possible, and set afire a zeal for the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist,” Ms Makoa said, quoting St Teresa of Kolkata: “We must not separate our life from the Eucharist The moment we do so, something shatters.”

To find out more on the exhibition, contact Mammuso Makoa on e.makoa@yahoo.com or Mapaseka Letho at mapaseka.letho@gmail.com

What is a Eucharistic Miracle?

Most Eucharistic miracles involve consecrated hosts and wine inexplicably transforming into actual human flesh and blood, or the appearance of it, usually during or after the celebration of Mass These occurrences are considered miraculous because they are not scientifically explainable, and they are seen as a sign of the power of God and the truth of the faith Among the most famous of those are those of Lanciano in Italy, and Santarém in Portugal

Other miracles may involve powerful actions attributed to the presence of the Eucharist, such as the instance when St Clare of Assisi repelled Saracen invaders from her convent near Assisi by holding up a monstrance containing the consecrated host.

Eucharistic miracles of the bread and/or wine changing into actual flesh and blood, or a blood-like substance, are scientifically tested and verified to ensure the flesh and blood are indeed human before the Church acknowledges them as miraculous

While Eucharistic miracles are not officially recognised by the Catholic Church as proof of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, they are seen as a powerful testimony to the mystery and power of the sacrament

The earliest and most famous Eucharistic miracle occurred in 750 AD in the eastern Italian town of Lanciano According to the story, a priest who was struggling with doubts about the Real Presence in the Eucharist was celebrating Mass when the bread and wine transformed into flesh and blood before his eyes

The flesh and blood were preserved and remain on display in a reliquary at the church of San Francesco in Lanciano.

The Eucharistic miracle of Santarém occurred in the 13th century in the small Portuguese town of that name A woman who suspected her husband of infidelity stole a consecrated host from a church to deliver it to a scorceress for the creation of a love potion. As she pocketed the consecrated host, it began bleeding When she hid it in a drawer at night, a bright glow emitted from the trunk, seen by the women and her husband Realising the gravity of her actions, the woman confessed to the priest and returned the miraculous host to the church

A more modern example of a Eucharistic miracle is the Miracle of Buenos Aires, which occurred in the 1990s. A consecrated host that had fallen to the ground during Mass was picked up and placed in a container of water to dissolve, as is customary However, the host did not dissolve and instead transformed into a bloody substance, which was later determined to be human blood

Christian presence at ar ts festival

This year’s Grahamstown Arts Festival will again include a Christian dimension with the annual Spiritfest The idea of Spiritfest is to celebrate the beauty, joy, and peace that Christian faith can bring Following last year’s resurgence of the in-person experience, 2023’s events will include some familiar favourites and as well as newcomers to the Spiritfest scene

The Kwantu Choir, with its dynamic performances, will set the sound of Spiritfest during its first week Among other scheduled highlights are organ recitals by Isabelle van Rensburg, Theo Van Wyk, and Christiaan Carstens, as well as an “organ crawl” by Johnathon Hughes on Saturday, June 24 Catholic weekday and Sunday Masses will be celebrated at St Patrick’s church in Hill Street.

Along with the various Sunday morning services, there will be a Sung Eucharist at Makhanda’s Anglican cathedral on June 25 and July 2.

One of the key components of our faith is prayer From Monday, June 26 to Friday, June 30 both Christian Meditation and Guided Prayer will be offered in St Patrick’s church The meditation will be led by visitors from the World Community for Christian Meditation and the Centre for Christian Spirituality The Guided prayer will be led by prayer guides trained in Ignatian Spirituality

An evening Taizé service a meditative, repetitive form of praise and worship based on the community in France will be held In St Patrick’s church on Wednesday, June 28 at 17:30

The ever-popular Choral Evensong will feature the music of Purcell. The Cathedral Consort, one of the most anticipated events this year, is set to be joined by a string quarter and singers on July 1 at noon.

Spiritfest will also include lectures, a walk of meaningful prayer and witness, piano recitals, and choir performances.

“There is something unexplainable that is left with you when you enter the grand interior of the cathedral and hear music bellowing out of church doors Your soul is changed, and I am certain many who seized the opportunity to attend last year felt the same,” said Amy-Grace Bessick, a promoter of Spiritfest “If you wish to feel the Holy Spirit moving in all spaces, and be surrounded by a like-minded community, this is an experience you would not want to miss ”

Entrance to all events is free

For more about Spiritfest and its programme, see grahamstowncathedral org/spiritfest/

Winter Living Theology 2023

P r i e s t ’ s j o u r n e y f r o m

J o ’ b u r g t o J e r u s a l e m

This year ’s Winter Living Theology series of lectures will be presented from July to September by world-renowned Bible scholar Fr David Neuhaus, a Jesuit who was born into a Jewish family in Johannesburg and found his vocation in Jerusalem. Fr russell pollitt SJ interviewed him.

Af t e r a s u c c e s s f u l f i r s t Wi n t e r L i v i n g T h e o l o g y ( W LT ) b a c k i n - p e r s o n i n 2 0 2 2 , t h e J e s u i t I n s t i t u t e , p a r t n e ring with the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conf e r e n c e , i s p r e p a r i n g f o r a m o r e s u b s t a n t i a l s e r i e s i n 2 0 2 3 T h e I n s t i t u t e w i l l o f f e r t h r e e d i f f e r e n t f o r m a t s t o c r e a t e m o r e o p p o r t u n i t y f o r p e o p l e t o a t t e n d t h i s y e a r ’s s e r i e s

T h e S c r i p t u r e s w i l l b e t h e f o c u s o f t h i s y e a r ’s W LT s e r i e s J e s u i t b i b l i c a l s c h o l a r F r D a v i d N e u h a u s w i l l p r e s e n t t h e s e r i e s a n d l o o k a t w h e r e t h e S c r i p t u r e s c o m e f r o m a n d w h y w e n e e d t h e s e a n c i e n t t e x t s , w h e t h e r o n e G o s p e l a c c o u n t w o u l d h a v e b e e n e n o u g h , a n d h o w o n e m i g h t l e a r n t o r e a d b a c k w a r d s

f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g .

F r D a v i d , p l e a s e t e l l u s a l i t t l e a b o u t y o u r s e l f . W h e r e

d o y o u c o m e f r o m ?

I w a s b o r n i n J o h a n n e s b u r g a n d g r e w u p i n t h e J e w i s h

c o m m u n i t y, m y p a r e n t s h a v i n g b e e n r e f u g e e s f r o m N a z i

G e r m a n y A t t h e a g e o f 1 5 , i n 1 9 7 7 , I w e n t t o J e r u s a l e m f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e a n d f e l l i n l o v e w i t h t h e c i t y S o I m o v e d t o l i v e t h e r e I t w a s t h e n t h a t I e n c o u n t e r e d J e s u s a n d s o o n a f t e r m e t t h e J e s u i t s i n t h e c i t y, w h o e v e n t u a l l y p r e p a r e d m e f o r b a p t i s m A f t e r c o m p l e t i n g m y P h D a t t h e H e b r e w U n i v e r s i t y, I e n t e r e d t h e J e s u i t o r d e r a n d d i d m y y e a r s o f f o r m a t i o n i n B o s t o n , C a i r o , P a r i s a n d R o m e . I w a s o r d a i n e d i n J e r u s a l e m i n 2 0 0 0 a n d i m m e d i a t e l y b e g a n t e a c h i n g S c r i p t u r e i n v a r i o u s p l a c e s : a t t h e d i o c e s a n s e m i n a r y, a t t h e S a l e s i a n s e m i n a r y, i n p r o g r a m m e s t o f o r m t o u r g u i d e s , i n a J e w i s h r a b b i n i c a l s e m i n a r y U n t i l t h e e n d o f 2 0 2 2 , I t a u g h t S c r i p t u r e , w o r k e d i n H e b r e w - s p e a k i n g , A r a b i c - s p e a k i n g a n d m i g r a n t p a r i s h e s , p r e p a r e d c h i l d r e n f o r t h e s a c r a m e n t s , a n d e n g a g e d i n i nt e r f a i t h d i a l o g u e w i t h J e w s a n d M u s l i m s . Tr y i n g t o c o mm u n i c a t e t h e f a i t h t o c h i l d r e n h a s p r e o c c u p i e d m e f o r m a n y y e a r s .

B u t n o w y o u ’ r e b a c k i n S o u t h A f r i c a .

Ye s , I a r r i v e d i n S o u t h A f r i c a f o r a t i m e o f s e r v i c e a t t h e

b e g i n n i n g o f 2 0 2 3 . I a m a t p r e s e n t w o r k i n g a t t h e J e s u i t

I n s t i t u t e i n J o h a n n e s b u r g : w r i t i n g , t e a c h i n g , d o i n g s p i r i t u a l d i r e c t i o n a n d h e l p i n g o u t a t d i f f e r e n t p a r i s h e s i n t h e a r e a

W h a t a t t r a c t e d y o u t o t h e J e s u i t s ?

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

F r D a v i d N e u h a u s S J , w h o w i l l p r e s e n t t h i s y e a r ’ s W i n t e r L i v i n g T h e o l o g y o n t h e m e s o f S c r i p t u r e B o r n i n t o a J e w i s h f a m i l y i n J o h a n n e s b u r g , h e m o v e d t o J e r u s a l e m a s a y o u n g m a n a n d c o n v e r t e d t o C a t h o l i c i s m , a n d w a s o r d a i n e d a J e s u i t p r i e s t i n 2 0

t h e w o r l d , a t t e m p t i n g t o b e a c o n t e m p l a t i v e i n a c t i o n , s t r u g g l i n g t o w o r k f o r j u s t i c e a n d r e m a i n r o o t e d i n p r a y e r.

W h a t d o y o u e n j o y d o i n g t h e m o s t ?

I e n j o y m o s t e n c o u n t e r i n g o t h e r p e o p l e , t h o s e I k n o w a n d t h o s e I m e e t f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e . I e n j o y e n c o u n t e r i n g p e o p l e t h r o u g h w h a t t h e y p r o d u c e t o o : l i t e r a t u r e , m u s i c , p a i n t i n g s , s c u l p t u r e I a m f a s c i n a t e d b y p e o p l e W h e n t h e o p p o r t u n i t y a r i s e s , I l o v e d i s c u s s i n g t h e B i b l e w i t h t h e m T h e e n c o u n t e r b e t w e e n t h e w o r l d a n d t h e Wo r d i n t r i g u e s m e I a m i n c o n s t a n t s e a rc h o f h o w t h e Wo r d i m p r i n t s i t s e l f o n t h e w o r l d t h r o u g h w h a t p e o p l e s a y a n d w h a t t h e y p r o d u c e W h a t s p a r k e d y o u r i n t e r e s t i n S c r i p t u r e ?

I t a l l b e g a n w i t h o b e d i e n c e ! M y J e s u i t s u p e r i o r, a t t h e e n d o f m y t h e o l o g y s t u d i e s , s e n t m e t o s t u d y S c r i p t u r e i n R o m e I h a d s p e c i a l i s e d i n s o c i a l s c i e n c e s , a n d m y P h D b e f o r e e n t e r i n g t h e S o c i e t y o f J e s u s w a s i n p o l i t i c a l s c i e n c e .

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

D o y o u h a v e a n y i n t e r e s t s b e s i d e s t h e t e a c h i n g o f S c r i p t u r e ?

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

A r a b i c , F r e n c h a n d I t a l i a n I a m f a s c i n a t e d b y h o w m a n y w a y s o n e c a n s a y t h e s a m e t h i n g .

B e i n g h e r e i n S o u t h A f r i c a , I a m e n j o y i n g t r y i n g t o r e m e m b e r t h e A f r i k a a n s I l e a r n t a t s c h o o l a n d I ’ m s p e n di n g a f e w m i n u t e s e a c h d a y t r y i n g t o a c q u i r e s o m e Z u l u . W h a t w i l l y o u b e c o v e r i n g a t Wi n t e r L i v i n g T h e o l o g y, a n d w h a t d o y o u h o p e p e o p l e w i l l g e t o u t o f i t ? U n s u r p r i s i n g l y, W LT t h i s y e a r w i l l f o c u s o n S c r i p t u r e We , a t t h e J e s u i t I n s t i t u t e , h a v e d e v e l o p e d t h r e e d i f f e r e n t t h e m e s , d e p e n d i n g o n h o w m u c h t i m e a n d e n e r g y p e op l e h a v e A f i r s t s e s s i o n , t h r e e d a y s l o n g , w i l l e x a m i n e t h e t h e m e : “ O u r B i b l e : W h e r e d o e s i t c o m e f r o m a n d w h y d o w e n e e d i t ? ” C h r i s t i a n s r e f e r t o t h e B i b l e a s t h e Wo r d o f G o d . H o w e v e r, w h e n t h e y o p e n t h e B i b l e , t h e y a r e o f t e n b e w i l d e r e d b y t h i s m o t l e y c o l l e c t i o n o f t e x t s f r o m d i f f e re n t h i s t o r i c a l p e r i o d s t h a t a r e s o m e t i m e s v e r y d i f f i c u l t t o u n d e r s t a n d . T h i s s e s s i o n w i l l d e a l n o t o n l y w i t h t h e o r ig i n s o f t h e B i b l e b u t a l s o e x a m i n e w h a t p u r p o s e i t s e r v e s i n o u r l i v e s a s C h r i s t i a n s . I t w i l l a n a l y s e t h e d i f f e r e n t w a y s w e c a n r e a d i t .

A s e c o n d s e s s i o n , a d a y l o n g , w i l l e x a m i n e t h e t h e m e : “ T h e G o s p e l : Wo u l d n o t o n e b o o k h a v e b e e n e n o u g h ? ” I n t h e s e c o n d c e n t u r y, a C h r i s t i a n t h i n k e r p r o p o s e d m e r g i n g t h e f o u r G o s p e l a c c o u n t s i n t o o n e h a r m o n i s e d t e x t T h e C h u rc h r e j e c t e d t h i s p r o p o s a l Wo u l d i t n o t h a v e m a d e o u r l i v e s s i m p l e r ?

T h i s s e r i e s o f p r e s e n t a t i o n s w i l l i l l u s t r a t e t h e r i c h n e s s o f h a v i n g a m u l t i p l i c i t y o f r e n d i t i o n s o f t h e l i f e , d e a t h a n d r e s u r r e c t i o n o f J e s u s C h r i s t B y e n g a g i n g i n a r e a d i n g o f s e l e c t t e x t s f r o m t h e b o o k s o f M a r k , M a t t h e w, L u k e a n d J o h n , w e w i l l d i s c o v e r h o w f o u r c o m p l e m e n t a r y p o r t r a i t s o f J e s u s e m e r g e t h a t d e e p e n o u r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f w h o h e i s i n o u r l i v e s F i n a l l y, t h e t h i r d s e s s i o n i s f o r t h o s e w h o h a v e t i m e o r e n e r g y f o r j u s t o n e l e c t u r e T h e t h e m e w i l l b e : “ L e a r n t o r e a d b a c k w a r d s f r o m t h e b e g i n n i n g ” R i g h t a t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e N e w Te s t a m e n t , t h e f i r s t t e x t w e f i n d i s a l o n g g e n e a l o g y o f J e s u s o f N a z a r e t h ( M a t t h e w 1 : 1 - 1 7 )

A c a r e f u l r e a d i n g o f t h i s t e x t p r e p a r e s u s f o r h o w t o a p p r o a c h t h e N e w Te s t a m e n t i n a l l i t s p a r t s , f i r m l y e s t a b l i s h e d o n t h e f o u n d a t i o n o f t h e O l d Te s t a m e n t .

T h i s p r e s e n t a t i o n w i l l f o c u s o n t h e s e m i n a l e l e m e n t s i n

t h i s g e n e a l o g y t h a t t a k e t h e r e a d e r b a c k t o i m p o r t a n t m o m e n t s i n t h e h i s t o r y o f t h e p e o p l e o f I s r a e l i n t h e O l d Te s t a m e n t T h e s e e l e m e n t s s h e d i m p o r t a n t l i g h t o n t h e i d e n t i t y a n d m i s s i o n o f J e s u s o f N a z a r e t h W h o d o y o u t h i n k w i l l b e n e f i t f r o m W LT ?

We a r e h o p i n g t h a t t h e s e t h r e e d i f f e r e n t s e s s i o n s w i l l a l l b e u s e f u l f o r a n y C h r i s t i a n , t h e o l o g i c a l l y e d u c a t e d o r n o t , w h o s e e k s t o d e e p e n h i s o r h e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h e B i b l e a n d w h a t r o l e i t c a n p l a y i n o u r l i v e s t o d a y

We a r e a l l c e r t a i n l y a w a r e o f t h e t r e a s u r e t h a t t h e B i b l e c a n b e i n o u r l i v e s a s w i t h i n i t w e c a n e n c o u n t e r t h e l i v i n g Wo r d o f G o d . H o w e v e r, w e a r e a l s o a w a r e t h a t i t i s n o e a s y t a s k r e a d i n g l i t e r a t u r e t h a t w a s w r i t t e n m i l l e n n i a a g o i n l a n g u a g e s H e b r e w, A r a m a i c a n d G r e e k t h a t w e d o n o t u n d e r s t a n d , u s i n g a v o c a b u l a r y w h i c h i s o f t e n f o r e i g n t o u s I t i s m y h o p e t h a t t h e s e t h r e e s e s s i o n s w i l l b r i n g t h e C h r i s t i a n r e a d e r o f t h e B i b l e c l o s e r t o a n e x p e r i e n c e o f t h e Wo r d o f G o d i n o u r m o d e r n l i v e s , a n e x p e r i e n c e m e d i a t e d b y 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 s e a n c i e n t t e x t s

Winter Living Theology will take place in Cape Town at St Francis Xavier Seminary from July 13-15, St Joseph’s in Durban from July 25-27, St Luke’s in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) from August 22-24, and at Lumko in Johannesburg from September 5-7 For details (and specials) see the Jesuit Institute’s website www.jesuitinstitute.org.za or email retreats@jesuitinstitute.org.za.

Called to lead

At 16, Gladness Mashubuka asked the Lord to show her how to do his will; soon after that, he guided her into youth ministry. The former SACBC Youth Commission chairperson tells Daluxolo Moloantoa about her faith and youth ministry.

THE 19th-CENTURY ENGLISH THEOLOGIAN CHARLES

Spurgeon once said: “There are no crown-wearers in heaven who were not cross-bearers here on earth.”

Gladness Lobina Mashubuka has been a “crossbearer” on earth as a 12-year-old altar ser ver she was tasked with bearing the processional cross at Holy Mass in her parish This was the beginning of her calling to carr y the cross for young Catholics throughout her years as a young adult.

As a 16-year-old, Gladness wrote in her journal: “I want to learn how to believe in practising God’s will, and to witness the name of God ” Soon thereafter, she was elected vice-chair of her parish youth group This was the beginning of a slow but steady rise in Church youth affairs, which has included a term as chair of the Youth Office of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC). At present, she chairs the Youth Commission of the archdiocese of Pretoria

Born the third of four children on June 26, 1990, Gladness was raised in a devoutly Catholic family in Makometsane, a rural community in KwaNdebele, Mpumalanga province. “I grew up in a Catholic home with the most loving parents and the best siblings one could ever ask for Although we were not financially well-off, my parents made sure that we had everything we needed Our house was always full of love, jokes and lots of laughter,” she told The Southern Cross The family attended church at St Francis of Assisi in Makometsane, an outstation of St Anthony of Egypt parish in Siyabuswa.

Gladness attended local primary and high schools, and matriculated in 2007. After high school, she enrolled for studies in civil engineering & plumbing at the Tshwane North (TVET) College in Pretoria. To be close to the college, she moved to Mamelodi township, northeast of Pretoria

Warm welcome into the parish

There she became a parishioner of St Daniel Comboni church “I was warmly welcomed into the parish, and more especially in the parish youth group. This is where my love, passion and commitment for the youth ministry grew. It was a place where, as a young person from the rural areas, I was made to feel safe and that I belonged,” she said Her commitment to youth affairs grew beyond the parish, first at the archdiocesan level and then nationally.

In 2020, Gladness received a surprise call from Archbishop Dabula Mpako of Pretoria. He invited her, along with six other young people from the archdiocese, to a meeting “In the meeting, Archbishop Mpako explained that upon consultation with other stakeholders, he had identified the seven of us as potential leaders of the archdiocesan youth commission he was planning to establish. Shortly after that meeting, I was elected as the chairperson of Pretoria’s youth commission,” she said

Soon after her instalment as chair of the commission, the SACBC Youth Office made a request for ever y diocese in the conference to for ward names of young people who were willing to stand for election at interdiocesan level The archdiocese of Pretoria put Gladness’ name for ward, and she was elected as the chairperson of the SACBC Youth Ministr y for the term of 2021/22

Besides the regular duties that came with the position, she also promoted the SACBC Youth Office in other structures of the Church, and oversaw the growth and development of the youth ministr y “It was an immense reward for me to see the impact of our work on young people, not only in the youth ministr y but also in their personal lives,” she said Among the highlights of her term she counts working on the youth office’s gender-based violence awareness and anti-human trafficking campaigns, as well as the Youth-Go-Clean Project, which was inspired by Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, Gaudete Exultate, and his second encyclical, Laudato Si’.

Preparing for World Youth Day

Another highlight was the opportunity to travel In October last year, Gladness visited Portugal to attend the International Preparator y Meeting World Youth Day 2023

‘My new parish made me feel that I belonged’

The international Catholic youth gathering, which is usually held ever y three years, is set to take place in Lisbon from August 1-6 this year

“ I w a s t h e s o l e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f t h e S A C B C r e g i o n a t t h e m e e t i n g D u r i n g t h e m e e t i n g , w h i c h w a s h e l d i n F a t i m a , w e w e r e g i v e n d e t a i l e d i n f o r m a t i o n t o h e l p e n s u r e t h a t t h e y o u t h a r e s p i r i t u a l l y a n d l o g i s t i c a l l y p r e p a r e d f o r t h e p i l g r i m a g e . We a l s o g o t t o v i s i t t h e m a i n s i t e s f o r W Y D 2 0 2 3 T h e r e w e m e t u p w i t h t h e m e m b e r s a n d t h e v o l u n t e e r s o f t h e W Y D L o c a l O r g a n i s i n g C o m m i t t e e , ” s h e s a i d .

T h e C o v i d - 1 9 p a n d e m i c h a s h a d a n a d v e r s e e f f e c t o n t h e S A C B C y o u t h m i n i s t r y, e s p e c i a l l y a t a p a r i s h l e v e l T h i s a l s o r e s u l t e d i n m a n y f u n d r a i s i n g i n i t i a t i v e s f o r s e n d i n g y o u n g p e o p l e t o W Y D 2 0 2 3 b e i n g p u t o n h o l d , l i m i t i n g t h e n u m b e r s o f S o u t h e r n A f r i c a n p a r t i c i p a n t s “ We d o h a v e a s m a l l n u m b e r o f y o u n g p e o p l e f r o m t h e d i o c e s e s w h o w i l l a t t e n d Wo r l d Yo u t h D a y t h i s y e a r. T h e y w i l l a l l b e a t t e n d i n g u n d e r t h e u m b r e l l a o f t h e S A C B C Yo u t h M i n i s t r y, i n s t e a d o f s e p a r a t e l y a s d i o c e s e s , ” G l a d n e s s e x p l a i n e d . T h i s w i l l b e h e r f i r s t Wo r l d Yo u t h D a y, a n e x p e r i e n c e w h i c h s h e h o p e s w i l l f u r t h e r e n h a n c e h e r d e v e l o pm e n t a s a y o u t h l e a d e r “ I w o u l d l i k e t o u s e t h i s p i l g r i m a g e a s a n o p p o r t u n i t y t o d e e p e n m y c o n n e c t i o n w i t h G o d , t o c o nn e c t w i t h t h e w o r l d w i d e y o u t h c o m m u n i t y, t o b u i l d b r i d g e s b e t w e e n m y c u l t u r e a n d o u r n a t i o n a n d o t h e r s , a n d a l s o l e a r n a n d a p p r e c i a t e f o r e i g n c u l t u r e s a n d l a n g u a g e s , ” s h e s a i d “ O n a s p i r i t u a l l e v e l , I w o u l d l i k e t o m a k e u s e o f m y t i m e a t t h e p i l g r i m a g e t o f o c u s o n p r a y e r, t o o p e n m y s e l f u p t o t h e H o l y S p i r i t , a n d t o t r u s t G o d t o g u i d e a n d m o v e m e t o w h e r e h e w a n t s t o l e a d m e , ” s h e s a i d Prayer from Psalms starts the day

E v e r y m o r n i n g , G l a d n e s s s t a r t s h e r d a y b y s a y i n g a o n e - l i n e p r a y e r f r o m P s a l m 5 1 : “ O h G o d , o p e n m y l i p s , a n d m y m o u t h s h a l l p r o c l a i m y o u r p r a i s e ” S h e a l s o c o m b i n e s h e r p r a y e r s w i t h t h e G u a r d i a n A n g e l s ’ p r a y e r a n d t h e A n g e l u s “ T h e A n g e l u s p r a y e r h e l p s m e t o s t a y m i n d f u l o f t w o t h i n g s . F i r s t l y, t o c o n s t a n t l y s a y y e s t o G o d , j u s t a s o u r B l e s s e d M o t h e r M a r y d i d S e c o n d l y, i t r e m i n d s m e t h a t C h r i s t b e c a m e M a n a n d l i v e d a m o n g u s s o t h a t h e c o u l d d i e o n t h e c r o s s f o r u s t o b e s a v e d , ” s h e e x p l a i n e d , a d d i n g t h a t s h e i s a l s o d e v o t e d t o p r a y i n g t h e n o v e n a t o S t J u d e

W h e n s h e i s n o t i n v o l v e d i n h e r d a y - t o - d a y w o r k o r i n

y o u t h a f f a i r s , s h e i n d u l g e s i n s e v e r a l a c t i v i t i e s “ I l o v e b e i n g s u r r o u n d e d b y n a t u r e . I r e g u l a r l y v i s i t b o t a n i c a l g a r d e n s , n a t u r e r e s e r v e s a n d p a r k s I a l s o l o v e t o t r a v e l , b e c a u s e i t a l w a y s p r e s e n t s t h e o p p o r t u n i t y t o e x p l o r e n e w t h i n g s U l t i m a t e l y, g o i n g h o m e t o s p e n d t i m e w i t h m y m o m a n d f a m i l y b r i n g s m e t h e g r e a t e s t j o y, ” G l a d n e s s s a i d

Her words of advice to young Catholics: “Be a missionar y! Bring God to others Know and explore the richness of our Church Take the opportunity to attend Mass, and to go to confession. Pray at all times not only when you want something from God, but at all times Most importantly, open your heart to Christ because he is there He is alive and he is always with you ”

Holy Land & Egypt: Led by Fr Silas Rangwage • 7 to 19 July

Holy Land & Egypt: Led by Bishop Victor Phalana • 30 Aug to 10 Sept

Holy Land: South Prayer Group • 11 to 20 September

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

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

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

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

‘Be a missionary! Bring God to others! Explore the richness of our Church’

Lessons in faith from a shor t life

In Youth Month 2023, the spirituality of a teenager who died young provides an insight of what it entails to journey with Jesus and Mary in modern times, writes colleen constable.

IN S O U T H A F R I C A , T H E R AT E O F y o u t h u n e m p l o y m e n t i s h i g h e r t h a n t h e n a t i o n a l f i g u r e o f 3 4 , 5 % .

A n d a c c o r d i n g t o S t a t i s t i c s S A , y o u n g p e o p l e a g e d 1 0 - 1 9 y e a r s r e p r es e n t 1 7 , 4 % o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n a n d t h e y a r e t h e f u t u r e w o r k f o rc e

A d o l e s c e n t s f a c e t h e s o c i oe c o n o m i c c i rc u m s t a n c e s i n t h e i r c o mm u n i t i e s a n d f a m i l i e s T h e s e c h a l l e n g e s i n c l u d e p o v e r t y, f o o d i n s e c u r i t y, f a m i l y u n e m p l o y m e n t , s c h o o l a t t e n d a n c e , e d u c a t i o n , C o v i d - 1 9 c o n s e q u e n c e s , i n e q u a l i t y, l i f e s k i l l s , g e n d e r - b a s e d v i o l e n c e , t o n a m e a f e w T h e y a l s o f a c e c h a l l e n g e s s u c h a s m e n t a l h e a l t h d i s o r d e r s , a l c o h o l a n d t o b a c c o u s e , s u b s t a n c e a b u s e i s s u e s , e a r l y s e x u a l e n c o u n t e r s , a h i g h r i s k o f H I V- i n f e c t i o n s a n d o t h e r s e x u a l l y t r a n s m i t t e d d i s e a s e s , a n d t e e n a g e p r e g n a n c y.

T h e S A C h i l d G a u g e ( 1 6 t h i s s u e ) t e l l s u s t h a t m a n y c h i l d r e n i n S o u t h A f r i c a f a i l t o t h r i v e d u e t o v i o l e n c e , d i s c r i m i n a t i o n a n d p o v e r t y, a n d t h a t 9 0 % o f c h i l d r e n i n t h e c o u n t r y a r e u n a b l e t o a c c e s s m e n t a l h e a l t h c a r e R e s e a rc h f u r t h e r i n d i c a t e s t h a t s u i c i d e t r i g g e r e d b y d e p r e s s i o n i s t h e f o u r t h l e a d i n g c a u s e o f d e a t h a m o n g y o u n g p e o p l e a g e d 1 5 - 1 9 N e a r l y o n e i n t w o c h i l d r e n ( 4 2 % ) h a s e x p e r i e n c e d v i ol e n c e , w i t h 9 9 % o f c h i l d r e n l i v i n g i n S o w e t o h a v i n g e x p e r ie n c e d o r w i t n e s s e d v i o l e n c e i n t h e i r c o m m u n i t i e s , s c h o o l s o r h o m e s I f l i f e f o r a d o l e s c e n t s i s h a r d , w h a t i s l i f e l i k e f o r t h o s e w h o s e e k t o f o l l o w i n t h e f o o t s t e p s o f t h e J e s u s C h r i s t , t h e D i v i n e C h i l d a n d D i v i n e A d o l e s c e n t ?

W h a t i s l i f e l i k e f o r g i r l c h i l d r e n w h o t u r n t o J e s u s a n d M a r y a s t h e i r r o l e m o d e l s i n m o d e r n t i m e s ?

A s c h o o l p o r t r a i t o f L e r a t o M p h u t i , w h o d i e d a t 1 6 i n a c a r a c c i d e n t . H e r w h o l e l i f e w a s g u i d e d b y a c t i v e p r a y e r

c h u rc h o f S t D o m i n i c S a v i o a t t h e S a l e s i a n ’s B o s c o Yo u t h C e n t r e i n t h e a rc h d i o c e s e o f J o h a n n e s b u r g L e r a t o w a s a s p e c i a l g i f t t o h e r p a r e n t s , t h e i r f i r s t - b o r n c h i l d , a n d h e r m a t e r n a l g r a n d m o t h e r ’s f i r s t g r a n d - d a u g h t e r a f t e r e i g h t b o y s

w o r s h i p , p r a y e r f u l n e s s , f e l l o w s h i p a n d h o l i n e s s I t w a s a b r i e f g l i m p s e i n t o t h e s p i r i t u a l i t y o f a y o u n g g i r l , w h o h a d a n i n t i m a t e r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h G o d . I n J u n e 2 0 2 1 , d u r i n g a d i s c u s s i o n w i t h a t h e o l o g i a n , I e n q u i r e d a b o u t L e r a t o , r e c a l l i n g t h e s w e e t m e m o r i e s I h a d o f h e r a n d h e r s p i r i t u a l i t y. I w a s s a d d e n e d t o l e a r n t h a t L e r a t o h a d d i e d t w o y e a r s a f t e r m y e n c o u n t e r w i t h h e r, i n a c a r a c c i d e n t o n M a rc h 1 9 , 2 0 1 6 , a t t h e t e n d e r a g e o f 1 6 . T h e t h e o l og i a n w h o t o l d m e t h a t , i t t u r n e d i t o u t , w a s h e r m o t h e r, A n a s t a c i a M p h u t i

Youth spirituality

L e r a t o ’s r e m a r k a b l e s p i r i t u a l l i f e i n s p i r e d a n e l d e r l y p r i e s t , S a l e s i a n F a t h e r M i c h a e l C o n n o l l y, t o s u m m a r i s e t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f h e r s p i r i t u a l i t y T h e p r i e s t t o o k t h i s s t e p a f t e r h e h e a r d L e r a t o ’s v o i c e “ w h i s p e r ” t o h i m t o w r i t e a b o o k a b o u t h e r l i f e , s o t h a t i t m i g h t s e r v e a p u r p o s e f o r t h e y o u t h W h a t d o e s L e r a t o ’s l i f e o f f e r s t o y o u t h s p i r i t u a l i t y ? W h a t d o e s h e r l i f e o f f e r t o w o m e n ’s s p i r i t u a l i t y ? W h a t l e s s o n s c a n b e d r a w n f r o m h e r b r i e f l i f e e x p e r i e n c e s ?

Lerato was a ‘special light’ to her family, parish, school and community

I m e t L e r a t o M a m o h a o M p h u t i i n a r o u n d 2 0 1 4 a t t h e p a r i s h o f t h e

M o d e l o f C h r i s t i a n l i f e T h e s h o r t l i f e o f L e r a t o M a m o h a o M p h u t i g i v e s u s s o m e i n s i g h t s A n d i t p r o v i d e s a m o d e l f o r o u r y o u n g p e o p l e w h o s e e k t o l i v e a C h r i s t i a n l i f e L e r a t o w a s b o r n o n J a n u a r y 3 1 ,

2 0 0 0 t h e f e a s t o f S t J o h n B o s c o , f o u n d e r o f t h e S a l e s i a n s S h e r e c e i v e d h e r F i r s t H o l y C o m m u n i o n a t t h e

D i v i n e M e rc y i n Wa l k e r v i l l e , o n D i v i n e M e rc y S u n d a y A t t h a t m o m e n t , I t h o u g h t : “ H e r e i s a n o t h e r F a u s t i n a ” I s a w h o l i n e s s a n d d e v o t i o n i n t h a t y o u n g t e e n a g e r. I d i d n ’t k n o w y e t l a t e r t h a t d a y, d u r i n g t h e d e v o t i o n s , L e r a t o w o u l d p l a y S r F a u s t i n a i n a s h o r t d r a m a p r e s e n t a t i o n . H o w w e l l s h e p e r f o r m e d i n t h a t r o l e !

L a t e r I h e a r d L e r a t o ’s a n g e l i c v o i c e a s s h e l e d t h e c o n g r e g a t i o n i n d e v ot i o n a l p r a y e r s a n d s o n g d u r i n g t h e H o u r o f M e rc y. I t i s d u r i n g t h e s e m om e n t s t h a t I r e c o g n i s e d t h e d e p t h o f L e r a t o ’s s p i r i t u a l i t y : o n e o f a d o r a t i o n ,

T h r o u g h t h e l e n s o f F r M i c h a e l , w e l e a r n t h a t L e r a t o i s b e s t d e s c r i b e d a s a “ s p e c i a l l i g h t ” i n a f a m i l y w h i c h f o r g e n e r a t i o n s h a d e mb r a c e d t h e L i g h t o f C h r i s t L e r a t o b e c a m e a “ s p e c i a l l i g h t ” t o h e r f a m i l y, g r a n d p a r e n t s , e x t e n d e d f a m i l y, n e i g h b o u r s , s c h o o l c o mp a n i o n s , p a r i s h , y o u t h g r o u p , a n d o t h e r s , a s s h e j o u r n e y e d t h r o u g h h e r s h o r t l i f e L e r a t o i s r e m e m b e r e d a s a “ p r e c i o u s d a u g h t e r ” , “ a p o p u l a r, p l a y f u l c o m p a n i o n , a n e n q u i r i n g d i l i g e n t s t u d e n t , a j o y t o b e w i t h ” I n a t w i n k l e o f a n e y e , s h e w a s g o n e . H e r u n t i m e l y d e a t h i n 2 0 1 6 l e f t a h u g e g a p i n t h e l i v e s o f t h o s e w h o l o v e d a n d k n e w h e r w e l l A n a s t a c i a t e l l s a b o u t t h e t i m e w h e n L e r a t o ’s y o u n g e r b r o t h e r w a s b a p t i s e d T h e p r i e s t p l a c e d t h e w h i t e c l o t h a l s o o n L e r a t o ’s h e a d , e v e n t h o u g h s h e w a s n o t p a r t o f t h e b a pt i s m . A n a s t a c i a s a y s t h a t s h e “ t o o k i t a s a s i g n t h a t C h r i s t p u t t h a t l i g h t a l s o o n h e r a t t h a t m o m e n t ”

A n a s t a c i a r e m e m b e r s t h e “ d a y b e f o r e t h e l a s t d a y ” o f L e r a t o ’s l i f e O n t h a t d a y, L e r a t o w a s d r e s s e d i n a t h l e t i c g e a r, a n e n t h u s i a s t i c a n d d i l i g e n t G r a d e 1 0 s t u d e n t . L e r a t o w a n t e d t o b e c o m e a m e d i c a l d o c t o r, a n d s h e w a s e x p l o r i n g t h e s c h o o l ’s s u p p o r t s y s t e m f o r p r o s p e c t i v e c a n d i d a t e s w h o w a n t e d t o c o n t i n u e s t u d i e s a b r o a d . “ M o m m y, i f I g o o v e r s e a s , w i l l y o u g o w i t h m e ? ” s h e a s k e d h e r m o t h e r, a t r u s t e d f r i e n d w h o m s h e w a n t e d b y h e r s i d e i n a f o r e i g n c o u n t r y.

L e r a t o l o v e d h e r f a m i l y a n d p e o p l e S h e r e s p e c t e d h e r p a r e n t s , t e a c h e r s a n d o t h e r l e a r n e r s A n a s t a c i a f e e l s t h a t i t w a s t h r o u g h t h e m e r c y o f G o d a n d t h e i n t e r c e s s i o n o f t h e B l e s s e d Vi r g i n t h a t L e r a t o e x p e r i e n c e d s u c c e s s t h r o u g h o u t h e r c h i l d h o o d

T h e s w e e t m e m o r i e s o f L e r a t o s h i n e f o r e v e r i n t h e m i n d s a n d h e a r t s o f t h o s e w h o s e l i v e s s h e t o u c h e d b y h e r j o y f u l p r e s e n c e ; t h o s e w h o r e c o gn i s e d C h r i s t a t w o r k i n t h e l i f e o f a n a d o l e s c e n t s t e p p i n g i n t o h e r y o u t h f u l j o u r n e y T h e c a l l t o h o l i n e s s

L e r a t o ’s l i f e c o n s t i t u t e s a c a l l t o h o l i n e s s . We a r e a l l c a l l e d t o h o l i n e s s . L e r a t o i s r e m e m b e r e d f o r h e r p r a y e rf u l n e s s : s h e h a d a d e v o t i o n t o J e s u s , t h e D i v i n e M e rc y S h e h a d d e v o t i o n t o M o t h e r M a r y. I t i s s a i d t h a t s h e n e v e r m i s s e d h e r d a i l y d e v o t i o n a l p r a y e r s S h e w a s s e e n i n c h u rc h e v e r y d a y S h e k n e w t h e v a l u e o f p e r s o n a l p r a y e r.

S h e s p e n t a n h o u r d a i l y i n p e r s o n a l p r a y e r a n d r e a d i n g s p i r i t u a l b o o k s D u r i n g f a m i l y p r a y e r, a f r e q u e n t c o mp l a i n t w a s t h a t h e r p r a y e r s w e r e t o o l o n g . L e r a t o u n d e r s t o o d t h e n e e d f o r i n t e rc e s s o r y p r a y e r : s h e p r a y e d f o r h e r p a r e n t s , f a m i l y, n e i g h b o u r s , f r i e n d s , t e a c h e r s , t h e s i c k a n d t h e p o o r. A t a p r e - c o n f i r m a t i o n r e t r e a t , i t w a s n o t i c e d t h a t L e r a t o s p e n t a l o n g t i m e i n p r a y e r b e f o r e t h e B l e s s e d S a c r a m e n t . B y t h e t i m e o f h e r d e a t h , L e r a t o h a d b e c o m e a n e x c e p t i o n a l l y p r a y e r f u l y o u n g p e r s o n A t f i r s t , t h e d e p t h o f h e r p r a y e r l i f e w a s k n o w n o n l y t o h e r f a mi l y, t h o u g h e v e n t u a l l y o t h e r p e o p l e n ot i c e d a n d s p o k e a b o u t i t E v e r y t h i n g e l s e s h e d i d f l o w e d f r o m t h e s p i r i t u a l i t y o f h e r p r a y e r l i f e : h o w s h e t r e a t e d o t h e r s , h e r e t h i c s , h e r f u n - l o v i n g p l a y f u l n e s s , h e r d e d i c a t i o n , h e r c o m m i t m e n t t o w a r d s e x c e l l e n c e . I t i s s a i d t h a t L e r a t o h a d a d e s i r e t o r e c e i v e h e r F i r s t H o l y C o m m u n i o n a l r e a d y a t t h e a g e o f f o u r o r f i v e . W h e n t h e t i m e f i n a l l y c a m e , s h e w a s v e r y e x c i t e d a n d h a d m a n y q u e s t i o n s

a b o u t t h e b r e a d a n d w i n e b e c o m i n g t h e B o d y a n d B l o o d o f J e s u s C h r i s t P e r s o n o f f e l l o w s h i p L e r a t o i s r e m e m b e r e d b y h e r y o u t h g r o u p a s a g o o d l i s t e n e r ; c a r i n g a n d a l w a y s a s k i n g q u e s t i o n s . J e s u s h a d a l s o a s k e d m a n y q u e s t i o n s w h e n h e w a s a 1 2 - y e a r - o l d L e r a t o s h o w e d g r e a t c o n c e r n f o r h e r f e l l o w y o u t h g r o u p m e m b e r s w i t h w h o m s h e j o u r n e y e d s p i r i t u a l l y W h e n o n e o f t h e m w a s a b s e n t f o r s o m e t i m e , s h e e x p r e s s e d g r e a t j o y a t h e r y o u n g c o m p a n i o n s ’ r e t u r n , h a p p y t h a t t h e y d i d n o t l e a v e t h e C h u rc h H e r c o m p a n i o n s r e m e m b e r L e r a t o a s a “ p e r s o n o f p e a c e w h o w a n t e d e v e r y b o d y t a l k i n g t o e v e r y b o d y ” . H o w e v e r, h e r s w a s n o t a r e a d y - m a d e , p e r f e c t c h a r a c t e r S h e t o o e n c o u n t e r e d n e g a t i v i t y, l i k e m o s t y o u n g g i r l s d o A c c o r d i n g t o F r M i c h a e l , L e r a t o ’s c h a r a c t e r d e v e l o p e d t h r o u g h h e r l i v e d e x p e r i e n c e s a n d h e r s p i r i t u a l i t y

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

L e r a t o h a d a c l o s e r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h h e r m o t h e r , A n a s t a c i a M p h u t i ( r i g h t ) .

t e r e s t s : s t u d y, r e a d i n g , s i n g i n g , d a n c i n g , s p o r t s , s c h o o l a n d c h u r c h a c t i v i t i e s S h e h a d t h e a b i l i t y t o i n t e g r a t e h e r s p i r i t u a l i t y i n t o t h e d i f f e r e n t f a c e t s o f h e r l i f e S h e k n e w t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f i n t e g r a t i n g t h e i s s u e s o f f a i t h i n t o h e r d a i l y l i f e

L e r a t o a s k e d h e r p r i e s t t o p r a y f o r h e r d u r i n g e x a m s , a n d q u e s t i o n e d h i m a b o u t t h e p r a c t i c e o f h e r f a i t h i n r e l at i o n t o t h e M a s s , f a m i l y v a l u e s , a n d w h a t c o n s t i t u t e s s i n i n s u c h m a t t e r s .

F r M i c h a e l w r o t e t h a t L e r a t o

L e r a t o a s a s m a l l g i r l w i t h h e r p a r e n t s a t t h e b a p t i s m o f h e r l i t t l e b r o t h e r

“ m a d e t i m e t o g i v e G o d s p a c e i n h e r y o u n g l i f e , a n d i t c a n b e c o n c l u d e d t h a t s h e w a s v e r y c l o s e t o G o d S h e w a s s p i r i t u a l l y m a t u r e b e y o n d h e r y e a r s a n d s u c h p e o p l e a r e g i f t s f o r a l l w h o k n o w t h e m T h e y a r e r e a l l y m i s s e d w h e n t h e y a r e g o n e ” M e a n i n g o f a l i f e L e r a t o ’s l i f e i s a s h i n i n g e x a m p l e o f a y o u n g p e r s o n , a n a d o l e s c e n t , a t e e n a g e r w h o s t r i v e d t o b e c o m e w h a t G o d c r e a t e d h e r t o b e A t a t i m e w h e n m a n y a d o l e s c e n t s f a c e h u g e s o c i o - e c o n o m i c c h a l l e n g e s , s h e p r e s e n t e d a d i f f e r e n t m o d e l o f l i f e S h e m o d e l l e d h e r y o u n g l i f e o n C h r i s t i a n s p i r i t u a l i t y, a n d f r o m t h a t b a s i s s h e i n t e g r a t e d o t h e r a r e a s a n d f a c e t s o f h e r l i f e A t a t i m e w h e n S o u t h A f r i c a f a c e s t h e s e r i o u s c h a l l e n g e s o f t e e n a g e p r e g n a n c i e s a n d s c h o o l a b s e n t e e i s m , L e r a t o f o c u s e d e n t h u s i a s t i c a l l y o n h e r a c a d e m i c s , s p o r t s , c h o i r, c h u rc h a c t i v it i e s , p e r s o n a l p r a y e r l i f e a n d f a i t hb a s e d f e l l o w s h i p w i t h h e r y o u t h c o m p a n i o n s I n t h i s c h a l l e n g i n g m o d e r n w o r l d , L e r a t o o f f e r s y o u n g p e o p l e a n e w f r a m e w o r k t o w a r d s h o l i n e s s : t h e i n t eg r a t i o n o f a b a l a n c e d l i f e s t y l e r o o t e d i n C h r i s t i a n s p i r i t u a l i t y, i t s f o u n d a t i o n b a s e d i n p e r s o n a l p r a y e r a n d f e l l o w s h i p i n p u r s u i t o f h o l i n e s s , s i m p l i c i t y a n d j o y S h e a l s o s h o w e d h o w t o a t t a i n s p i ri t u a l m a t u r i t y i n a d o l e s c e n c e Wi l l L e r a t o M a m o h a o M p h u t i o n e d a y j o i n t h e r a n k s o f a d o l e s c e n t s a i n t s s u c h a s S t M a r i a G o r e t t i , S t D o m i n i c S a v i o o r B l C a r l o A c u t i s ? L e t u s a d o p t t h e e n t h u s i a s m m o d e l l e d b y L e r a t o a n d p r a y e r f u l l y h o p e t h a t h e r l i f e w i l l o n e d a y t o o b e r e c o g n i s e d a s a n e x a m p l e f o r y o u t h s p i r i t u a l i t y

A l l p r a i s e t o J e s u s C h r i s t , t h e E t e rn a l H i g h P r i e s t , f o r t h e l i f e o f y o u n g L e r a t o M a m o h a o M p h u t i

Everything Lerato did flowed from the spirituality of her prayer life

BOTH TH spiritua and soc

“are ep tles”, according football-mad C Sr Marija Zrno.

“To be a su football player, to train ever y d same with spiri not persistent a you will becom and your life w the Daughter o Paul

S p i r i t u a l i t y a n d S o c c e r

“Whoever sports, this means training even when you’re not ready for it and in spirituality, praying more when it seems like you might do less,” she told ACI Prensa, a Spanish-language Catholic news agency. “It’s moments like these that make the difference between realised and unrealised potentials, both in football and in religion,” she said

Sr Marija cares for children and young people, but she is also known in Croatia for her knowledge of football and has sometimes shared her sports analysis on television channels.

S t a n d i n g o u t f o r h u m a n i t y

She was delighted with Croatia’s per formance in the 2022 World Cup and not only because its team reached the semifinals and finished in third place

“ T h e C r o a t s s t o o d o u t f o r t h e i r h u m a n i t y a f t e r a c h i e v i n g h a r d v i c t o r i e s , ” s h e n o t e d . “ T h e y d i d n ’t h u m i l i a t e t h e i r o p p o n e n t s [ b u t ] c o n s o l e d a n d e n c o u r a g e d t h e o p p o s i n g p l a y e r s a n d t h u s s h o w e d t h a t f o o t b a l l i s f i r s t a n d f o r e m o s t a n o p p o r t u n i t y t o s h o w h u m a n i t y ” n e a r r e of s e

Before Croatia’s with Japan Round of 16 d a priest ora “Rosar y ni” prayer Vatreni is me of the otball team anslated as s” of prayer, ple from all d, with part of the on social

Among those praying the rosar y was the grandmother of Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Ivan Perišic, who scored the crucial goal against Japan that led to extra-time

“During that prayer initiative, I had the opportunity to send a video to the coach of our national team, Zlatko Dalic, to whom I addressed myself directly, providing tips and support on behalf of the entire Croatian nation,” Sr Marija said

Before that game against Japan, the rector of Croatia’s national shrine of Marija Bistrica arrived in Qatar. The entire Croatian squad went to Holy Mass, celebrated by Fr Domagoj Matoševic, after breakfast.

Te a m p i l g r i m a g e t o M e d j u g o r j e

The Catholic faith and Croatia’s team have a long histor y In 2014, then-coach Igor Štimac took his players to the Marian shrine of Medjugorje, in neighbouring Bosnia-Herzegovina, to prepare for a World Cup qualifying match Current coach, Zlatko Dalic, “continued in this direction, and is not afraid to publicly testify to his faith”, Sr Marija said Dalic once said: “Ever ything I have done in my life and professional career, I owe to my faith I am grateful to my Lord When I am going through a difficult time, I cling to my rosar y and ever ything is easier.”

Sr Marija also highlighted that “many Croatia players testify openly about belonging to the Catholic Church”, noting that captain Modric wears shinpads with images of his family and Jesus Christ

But the star of the World Cup was Lionel Messi of winners Argentina Messi, who has a large tattoo of the face of Jesus Christ wearing the crown of thorns on his right shoulder and another showing a rosar y, said he would celebrate Argentina’s World Cup win by going on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of the Rosar y near Buenos Aires Perhaps now, during the off-season, Messi will have a chance to do so

S

A s a i n t f o r e d u c a t i o n

I n S o u t h A f r i ca a n d t h ro u g h o u t t h e wo r l d , M a r i st s c h o o l s h ave e d u cate d co u nt l e s s c h i l d re n I t a l l b e ga n w i t h a s a i nt w h o n eve r atte n d e d s c h o o l .

IT IS ONE OF THE DIVINE IRONIES o f l i f e t h a t a m a n w h o i n i t i a t e d a g r e a t n e t w o r k o f C a t h o l i c s c h o o l s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d d i d n o t a t t e n d s c h o o l h i m s e l f u n t i l h e w a s 1 1 a n d t h e n o n l y f o r o n e d a y ! B u t i n 1 8 1 6 , t h e n e w l y - o r d a i n e d F r e n c h p r i e s t F r M a rc e l l i n C h a m p a gn a t f e l t a c a l l b y G o d t o f o u n d a r e l ig i o u s c o m m u n i t y o f B r o t h e r s t h a t w o u l d b r i n g t h e m e s s a g e o f J e s u s ’ l o v e t o n e g l e c t e d y o u n g p e o p l e To d a y t h a t community, the Marist Brothers, ser ves o n f i v e c o n t i n e n t s , i n c l u d i n g S o u t h A f r i c a

Joseph Benoit Marcellin Champagn a t w a s b o r n o n M a y 2 0 , 1 7 8 9 , i n M a r l h e s , n e a r S t E t i e n n e i n F r a n c e ’s L o i r e r e g i o n Wi t h i n t w o m o n t h s o f h i s b i r t h , t h e F r e n c h R e v o l u t i o n e r u p t e d T h e r e v o l u t i o n ’s s o c i a l , r e l ig i o u s , p o l i t i c a l a n d e c o n o m i c i m p a c t , a n d t h e c h a o s o f t h e t i m e s , w o u l d d ir e c t M a rc e l l i n ’s l i f e a n d p r i o r i t i e s T h e c o n f u s i o n o f t h e t i m e s , a n d h i s o w n p r e f e r e n c e f o r s h e p h e r d i n g o v e r a c a d e m i c p u r s u i t s , p r e v e n t e d M a rc e l l i n f r o m a t t e n d i n g s c h o o l W h e n h e w a s f i n a l l y a b l e t o e n r o l i n a s c h o o l a t t h e a g e o f 1 1 , h e w a s t r a u m at i s e d b y w i t n e s s i n g a t e a c h e r b e a t i n g a f e l l o w s t u d e n t T h e f u t u r e s a i n t d ec i d e d n o t t o r e t u r n f o r a s e c o n d d a y o f s c h o o l i n g A f t e r h e a r i n g t h e c a l l t o t h e priestly vocation in 1804, Marcellin rec e i v e d s o m e i n s t r u c t i o n f r o m h i s b r o t h e r - i n - l a w, B e n o i t A r n a u d . S t i l l , t h e l a c k o f f o r m a l e d u c a t i o n w a s a h a n d i c a p w h e n M a rc e l l i n e n t e r e d t h e m i n o r s e m i n a r y a t t h e a g e o f 1 6 A lt h o u g h i n t e l l i g e n t , h e s t r u g g l e d a c ad e m i c a l l y, a n d f a i l e d h i s f i r s t y e a r

H e w a s r e a d m i t t e d , b u t b y t h e n t h e o n c e s h y b o y h a d t u r n e d i n t o a g r e g a r i o u s y o u n g m a n w h o b e c a m e p a r t o f a g r o u p k n o w n a s t h e “ H a p p y

St Marcellin at a glance

N a m e a t b i r t h : M a r c e l l i n J o s e

B e n o i t C h a m p a g n a t

B o r n : M a y 2 0 , 1 7 8 9 , i n

M a r l h e s , L o i r e r e g i o n , F r a n c e

D i e d : J u n e 6 , 1 8 4 0 , ( a g e d 5 1 )

i n S a i n t - C h a m o n d , F r a n c e

B e a t i f i e d : 1 9 5 5

C a n o n i s e d : 1 9 9 9

F e a s t : J u n e 6

P a t r o n a g e s : E d u c a t i o n , t e a c h e r s , s i m p l i c i t y

G a n g ” , w h i c h w a s a f a m i l i a r s i g h t i n t h e l o c a l t a v e r n s B u t w i t h g u i d a n c e f r o m h i s s u p e r iors, as well as determination and applic a t i o n , M a rc e l l i n q u a l i f i e d f o r a d m i s s i o n t o t h e m a j o r s e m i n a r y i n Ly o n f o r h i s f o r m a t i o n a s a p r i e s t A m o n g h i s f e l l o w s t u d e n t s t h e r e w a s J e a n - M a r i e Vi a n n e y ( t h e S a i n t o f t h e M o n t h i n A u g u s t 2 0 2 1 )

M a rc e l l i n w a s o r d a i n e d t o t h e p r i e s t h o o d i n Ly o n o n J u l y 2 2 , 1 8 1 6 , at the age of 27 His first parish posting was to La Valla, a remote village on the s l o p e s o f M o n t P i l a t , n e a r S t E t i e n n e . L i f e - c h a n g i n g e n c o u n t e r

T h r e e m o n t h a f t e r h i s o r d i n a t i o n , F r M a rc e l l i n h a d a n e n c o u n t e r w h i c h d i r e c t e d h i m t o w a r d s e d u c a t i o n a s h i s p a s t o r a l m i s s i o n H e w a s c a l l e d t o t h e d e a t h b e d o f a 1 6 - y e a r - o l d n a m e d J e a nB a p t i s t e M o n t a g n e . A s F r M a rc e l l i n h e a r d t h e b o y ’s c o n f e s s i o n , h e r e a l i s e d that Jean-Baptiste had been among the m a n y F r e n c h y o u t h s w h o h a d b e e n d i s a d v a n t a g e d b y l a c k o f a c c e s s t o e du c a t i o n d u r i n g a n d a f t e r t h e F r e n c h Revolution as Marcellin himself had

b e e n a n d h a d n o k n o w l e d g e o f t h e C a t h o l i c f a i t h . T h e y o u n g p r i e s t d e c i d e d t h a t s o m e t h i n g n e e d e d t o b e d o n e t o a dd r e s s t h e i l l i t e r a c y a n d a t t e n d a n t s p i ri t u a l p o v e r t y o f y o u n g p e o p l e , e s p e c i a l l y i n r u r a l F r a n c e S o o n J a n ua r y 2 , 1 8 1 7 , o n l y f i v e m o n t h s a f t e r h i s o r d i n a t i o n , F r M a rc e l l i n a n d a s m a l l g r o u p o f c o m p a n i o n s , w i t h w h o m h e h a d a l r e a d y f o r m e d a S o c i e t y o f M a r y a t t h e s e m i n a r y, f o u n d e d a r e l i g i o u s c o m m u n i t y g e a r e d t o w a r d s p r o v i d i n g e d u c a t i o n , t h e L i t t l e B r o t h e r s o f M a r y.

T h e n a m e M a r i s t B r o t h e r s c a m e m u c h l a t e r, i n 1 8 6 3 , w h e n t h e H o l y S e e a p p r o v e d t h e c o n g r e g a t i o n a s a n a u t o n o m o u s i n s t i t u t e o f p o n t i f i c a l r i g h t A t t h e s a m e t i m e , t h e H o l y S e e gave it the title Fratres Maristae a Schol i s M a r i s t B r o t h e r s o f t h e S c h o o l s ( h e n c e t h e p o s t n o m i n a l F M S )

T h e c o m m u n i t y ’s s p e c i f i c a i m w a s t o p r o v i d e a c c e s s t o e d u c a t i o n a n d c a te c h e s i s t o c h i l d r e n , e s p e c i a l l y i n r u r a l r e g i o n s , a n d t h r o u g h t h a t t o c o m m un i c a t e t h e l o v e o f J e s u s a n d M a r y

The incident of the unkind teacher b e a t i n g t h e b o y d u r i n g M a rc e l l i n ’s o n e

‘A ll to Jesus thr ough Mar y, all to Mar y f or Jesus.’

A Timeline of St Marcellin

1 7 8 9

B o r n o n M ay 2 0 i n t h e t o w n o f M a r l h e s i n F ra n c e ’s L o i re re g i o n

1 8 0 4

H e a rs t h e c a l l t o t h e p r i e s t h o o d

1 8 0 5

T h o u g h u n s c h o o l e d , e n t e rs t h e m i n o r s e m i n a r y a t Ve r r i è re s - e nFo re z Fa i l s t h e f i rs t ye a r b u t i s re a d m i tt e d

1 8 1 6

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F ra t r u m M a r i s ta r u m a S c h o l i s

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Po p e J o h n Pa u l I I

day at school convinced the priest to insist on one basic educational principle: “To edu c a t e c h i l d r e n , y o u m u s t l o v e t h e m , a n d l o v e t h e m a l l e q u a l l y n o o u t c a s t s , n o f a v o u r i t e s ” H e a l s o f a m o u s l y s a i d : “ I c a nnot see a child without wanting to tell him h o w m u c h G o d l o v e s t h e m . ” The members of his congregation were t o “ s e r v e G o d w i t h f e r v o u r, t o f u l f i l f a i t hf u l l y a l l t h e d u t i e s o f o u r s t a t e , t o w o r k e v e r y d a y t o d e t a c h o u r h e a r t f r o m c r e at u r e s i n o r d e r t o g i v e i t t o J e s u s a n d M a r y, t o o p e n i t t o a l l t h e m o v e m e n t s o f g r a c e ” .

T h e B r o t h e r s w o u l d b e e x a l t e d i n t h e i r e ff o r t s “ t o i m i t a t e a n d f o l l o w J e s u s C h r i s t ” , g u i d e d a n d s t r e n g t h e n e d b y t h e H o l y S p i r i t I n e v e r y t h i n g , t h e y w e r e “ t o m a k e J e s u s C h r i s t k n o w n a n d l o v e d ” .

I n 1 8 1 7 h e s e t u p a s m a l l t e a c h e r s ’ t r a i n i n g c e n t r e a t L a Va l l a I n 1 8 2 4 , K i n g C h a r l e s X t r a n s f e r r e d t h e o v e r s i g h t o f e l em e n t a r y e d u c a t i o n t o t h e C a t h o l i c C h u rc h , a n d t h e M a r i s t B r o t h e r s b u i l t a l a r g e r n o v i t i a t e , t h e N o t r e D a m e H e rm i t a g e , i n S a i n t - C h a m o n d , a b o u t 3 0 k m f r o m L a Va l l a T h e i r n e t w o r k o f s c h o o l s g r e w q u i c k l y, w i t h a n e w o n e o p e n i n g o n a v e r a g e e v e r y m o n t h S i n c e t h e s e w e r e m o s t l y i n f a r m i n g a r e a s , t h e i r t i m e t a b l e s w e r e s e t a r o u n d t h e d e m a n d s o f a g r i c u l t u r a l l i f e Tu i t i o n f e e s w e r e k e p t l o w o r, i f n e c e s s a r y, d i s p e n s e d w i t h F r M a rc e l l i n h a d a g r e a t d e v o t i o n t o G u a r d i a n A n g e l s , s o e v e r y c l a s s r o o m w a s t o d i s p l a y t h e m .

P r e s e n c e i n S o u t h A f r i c a

T h e M a r i s t B r o t h e r s m a d e t h e i r i n i t i a l f o r a y i n t o S o u t h A f r i c a i n 1 8 6 7 w h e n t h e f i r s t M a r i s t B r o t h e r s l a n d e d i n C a p e To w n t o e s t a b l i s h a C a t h o l i c s c h o o l i n S i m o n ’s To w n , a t t h e i n v i t a t i o n o f B i s h o p T h o m a s Grimley. They went on to spread their miss i o n t h r o u g h o u t t h e r e g i o n . I n S o u t h A f r i c a t o d a y, t h e r e a r e f i v e r em a i n i n g M a r i s t s c h o o l s T h r e e a r e i n J oh a n n e s b u r g M a r i s t B r o t h e r s L i n m e y e r (established 1966, after the school founded i n K o c h S t r e e t i n 1 8 8 9 m o v e d t h e r e ) , S acred Heart (1924), and St David’s (1941) In D u r b a n t h e r e i s S t H e n r y ’s ( 1 9 2 9 ) , a n d S t J o s e p h ’s i n C a p e To w n ( 1 9 1 8 ) T h e M a r i s t B r o t h e r s a r e a c t i v e i n 7 4 c o u n t r i e s a r o u n d t h e w o r l d . B y t h e t i m e t h e B r o t h e r s a r r i v e d i n S o u t h A f r i c a , F r M a rc e l l i n w a s l o n g d e a d I n 1 8 3 9 h e h a d b e c o m e s o s i c k w i t h c a n c e r t h a t h e a l l o w e d f o r h i s s u c c e s s o r t o b e e l e c t e d . A f t e r a l o n g i l l n e s s , C h a m p a g n a t d i e d a t t h e a g e o f 5 1 o n J u n e 6 , 1 8 4 0 , a t N o t r e D a m e H e r m i t a g e H e w a s b u r i e d t w o d a y s l a t e r

P o p e P i u s X I I b e a t i f i e d M a rc e l l i n C h a m p a g n a t i n 1 9 5 5 , a n d P o p e J o h n P a u l

I I c a n o n i s e d h i m o n A p r i l 1 8 , 1 9 9 9 . H i s f e a s t d a y i s J u n e 6

Next month: St Ignatius of Loyola

looks to the future

TH E C AT H O L I C B O O K S H O P I N C A P E T O W N I S l o o k i n g t o t h e f u t u r e u n d e r a n e w m a n a g e m e n t a n d b o a r d o f d i r e c t o r s . T h e f u t u r e o f b o o k s h o p , w h i c h w a s f o u n d e d a s a S o u t h e r n C r o s s e n t e r p r i s e o v e r 7 5 y e a r s a g o , i s n o w b e i n g c h a r t e d b y m a n a g e r Ti m S m i t h a n d a b o a r d c h a i r e d b y B a r b a r a H o u g h t o n

T h e C a t h o l i c B o o k s h o p i s l o c a t e d i n T h e G r i m l e y b u i l d i n g a t 1 4 Tu i n P l e i n , n e a r S t M a r y ’s c a t h e d r a l a n d t h e c h a n c e r y A p a r t f r o m a w i d e s e l e c t i o n o f b o o k s , i t a l s o s e l l s r e p o s i t o r y i t e m s , r o s a r i e s , s t a t u e s , c a n d l e s , i n c e n s e a n d c h a rc o a l , M a s s i t e m s a n d m o r e I t s t a r t e d i n 1 9 3 3 a s a m a i l - o r d e r a n d p u b l i s h i n g e n t e rp r i s e o f T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s . A m o n g t h e f i r s t b e s t - s e l l e r s w a s a n a n t h o l o g y o f p o e t r y b y M g r F r e d e r i c k K o l b e , a r e n o w n e d t h e o l o g i a n w h o a l s o w r o t e p r o d i g i o u s l y f o r T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s , f r o m t h e w e e k l y c h i l d r e n ’s p a g e t o t r a v e l o g u e s t o t h e o l o g i c a l t r e a t i s e s T h e b o o k s h o p w a s o p e n e d t o t h e p u b l i c i n J u n e 1 9 4 5 , w h e n a r o o m i n T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s ’ e d i t o r i a l o f f i c e i n t h e C a t h o l i c I n s t i t u t e i n H o p e S t r e e t , o p p o s i t e t h e c a t h e d r a l , w a s s e t a s i d e t o s e r v e a s a s h o p T h e f i r s t m a n a g e r w a s a M r H a t t o n ; h e w a s s u c c e e d e d i n 1 9 4 7 b y Wi l l i a m D ’ A rc y, w h o l e f t i n D e c e m b e r t h a t y e a r t o b e c o m e a p r i e s t I n O c t o b e r 1 9 5 1 A rc h b i s h o p O w e n M c C a n n a p p o i n t e d F r C o r n e l i u s Ly n c h a n d F r D e s m o n d H a t t o n t o a p p r o v e a n y b o o k s s t o c k e d f o r m o r a l s u i t a b i l i t y Tw o m o n t h s l a t e r t h e b o a r d e n t e r t a i n e d a p r o p o s a l t o d i s p o s e o f t h e b o o k s h o p . I n s t e a d i t w a s r e t a i n e d w i t h a s t a f f o f f o u r To t h a t e n d , M i s s V M R i f f S i l v e s t e r w a s a p p o i n t e d m a n a g e r i n J a n u a r y

1 9 5 2 . I n 1 9 6 6 t h e b o o k s h o p m o v e d i n t o t h e O l d M u t u a l B u i l d i n g i n D a r l i n g S t r e e t , b u t t h e l o c a t i o n w a s u n a t t r a c t i v e a n d s e r i o u s l o s s e s w e r e b e i n g i n c u r r e d , m a k i n g i t a l i a b i l i t y t o t h e c o m p a n y

T h e S c h o e n s t a t t c o n n e c t i o n

B y 1 9 6 9 T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s a g a i n l o o k e d a t d i s p o s i n g o f t h e b o o k s h o p a n d a p p r o a c h e d t h e S c h o e n s t a t t S i s t e r s t o t a k e i t o v e r. W h i l e t h e S i s t e r s l a c k e d t h e c a p a c i t y t o r u n t h e s h o p , t h e S c h o e n s t a t t F o r u m w a s i n t e r e s t e d W h i l e t h e y d i d n o t b u y t h e b o o k s h o p , t h e f o r u m t o o k o v e r i t s m a n a g e m e n t

U n d e r t h e l e a d e r s h i p o f D i a n e B e a m i s h a n d M e r l e P y p e r s , w h o t o o k o v e r m a n a g e m e n t i n 1 9 7 0 , t h e b o o k s h o p s t a r t e d t o m a k e a p r o f i t a g a i n T h e s a m e y e a r i t m o v e d i n t o t h e a rc h d i o c e s a n c h a n c e r y.

O n S e p t e m b e r 1 , 1 9 8 2 , t h e S c h o e n s t a t t s y n d i c a t e a ss u m e d f u l l c o n t r o l o f t h e b o o k s h o p B y 1 9 9 4 , t h e i t w a s d o i n g s o w e l l t h a t i t n e e d e d t o e x p a n d T h e s h o p m o v e d t o

Cook like an Italian with Grazia!

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Per fect for the food-lover!

F l a s h b a c k t o 1 9 9 4 , w h e n t h e C a t h o l i c B o o k s h o p m o v e d i n t o i t s c u r r e n t p r e m i s e s i n t h e G r i m l e y B u i l d i n g F r o m l e f t :

A r c h b i s h o p L a w r e n c e H e n r y , m a n a g e r M a r y S l e g g s , B i s h o p R e g i n a l d C a w c u t t , a n d c h a i r m a n o f t h e b o a r d B r i a n A l t .

t h e G r i m l e y, t h e o l d s c h o o l f o r t h e d e a f b u i l d i n g o w n e d b y t h e D o m i n i c a n S i s t e r s , w h e r e t h e r e w a s c o n v e n i e n t p a r k i n g . I n t h a t w a y, t h e C a t h o l i c B o o k s h o p a n d T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s b e c a m e n e i g h b o u r s a g a i n , w i t h t h e n e w s p a p e r h a v i n g m o v e d i n t o t h e b u i l d i n g t w o y e a r s e a r l i e r. A rc h b i s h o p L a w r e n c e H e n r y b l e s s e d t h e n e w p r e m i s e s , i n w h i c h t h e C a t h o l i c B o o k s h o p h a s r e m a i n e d e v e r s i n c e Wi t h t h e r i s e o f d i g i t a l s a l e s , t h e C a t h o l i c B o o k s h o p s e t u p a n o n l i n e s h o p a t w w w c a t h o l i c b o o k s h o p c o z a

A l t h o u g h h a r d - h i t b y t h e 2 0 2 0 C o v i d l o c k d o w n , t h e C a t h o l i c B o o k s h o p m a n a g e d t o s u r v i v e a n d i s n o w p l a n n i n g f o r t h e f u t u r e T h a t f u t u r e i n c l u d e s A n g e l a M i n e n , w h o h a s w o r k e d a t t h e b o o k s h o p f o r 4 8 y e a r s , h a v i n g j o i n e d i t s s t a f f i n 1 9 7 5

I n M a rc h , t h r e e l o n g - s e r v i n g m e m b e r s o f s t a f f w e r e h o n o u r e d o n t h e i r r e t i r e m e n t b y A rc h b i s h o p S t e p h e n B r i s l i n a t a f u n c t i o n O u t g o i n g m a n a g e r M a r y S l e g g s j o i n e d t h e C a t h o l i c B o o k s h o p i n 1 9 7 3 , a n d a p a r t f r o m a s h o r t t w o - y e a r p e r i o d a t S h e l l S o u t h A f r i c a , s h e r e m a i n e d t h e r e u n t i l t h e e n d o f J a n u a r y a t o t a l o f 4 7 y e a r s M e g a n O ’ B r i e n j o i n e d t h e b o o k s h o p i n 1 9 7 8 a n d w o r k e d t h e r e u n t i l 1 9 8 5 , r e t u r ni n g i n 1 9 9 3 . S h e a c c u m u l a t e d a t o t a l o f 3 7 y e a r s o f s e r v i c e . J a n Ta y l o r w o r k e d a t t h e b o o k s h o p f o r 2 5 y e a r s , f r o m

1 9 9 8

A l s o a t t e n d i n g t h e f u n c t i o n w e r e l o n g - t i m e b o a r d m e m b e r s B r i a n A l t , F r L o u i s P a d u a a n d F r a n c i s B o u l l e .

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T H E M AS S e x p l a i n e d

Origins of the Mass

Origins of the Mass

The origins of the Mass come from the Bible and the early Church Documents that explain how the early Church worshipped and prayed include the Didache, which dates back to 80 AD; the First Apology of St Justin the Martyr, written around 155; and the Apostolic Tradition, written by St Hippolytus around 215

The roots of the Catholic Mass, therefore, go back to the first three centuries of the Church Much of the language of the Mass is taken directly from Scripture

Introductory Rites

Introductory Rites

A Mass celebrated on Monday, a Sunday Mass and a Christmas Mass all look a little different That’s because greater solemnities are celebrated with increasing flourish and ritual, which could include more singing or the use of incense

Sunday Mass the liturgy we will concentrate on in this article begins with a entrance procession, led either by an altar server carrying a cross or a thurible, which holds burning incense The congregation stands out of reverence for the priest, who represents Christ. The procession leads to the sanctuary, which is reminiscent of the holy place in the Jewish temple

The priest then approaches the

altar and kisses it to show reverence to the relics of the saints that are enclosed in the altar In the early Church in Rome, Mass was celebrated underground, and the tombs of Christians served as altars.

The priest begins with the sign of the cross and the words, “In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”, invoking the Trinity and signifying God’s presence among his people He follows with, “The Lord be with you”, and the congregation answers,

“And with your spirit”

“The Lord be with you” is an ancient exhortation found throughout the Bible, such as when an angel appeared to the prophet Gideon or to the Virgin Mary The message was to encourage them and strengthen them for the task that God was going to ask them to do It shows us that we can’t do this on our own The Lord is with us and he is the source of our strength He still wants to greet and inspire us to do good things through him.

The next part is the penitential act In the early Church, it involved an examination of conscience followed by a public confession of sins Fortunately, today we don’t have that part everybody pronouncing their sins in public but we do have an acknowledgment of our own unworthiness as well as a public acknowledgment of our sins

The Kyrie Eleison, the only part of the liturgy still in Greek, means “Lord, have mercy”

The Gloria is a hymn of praise, echoing the song of the angels to the shepherds on Christmas night The Collect concludes the opening prayers, and the words change depending on the day.

At that time, the priest stands in the “orans” position Latin for praying extending his hands outward Whenever the priest prays on behalf of the people, he will extend his hands.

This year the Church celebrates Corpus Christi on June 11. To mark the feast, Fr noah Morey explains the liturgy of the Eucharist, or the Mass.

This goes back to the psalm which talks about the raising of hands as an evening oblation, our prayers going up to God But since the priest is standing in the person of Christ, he also takes on the cruciform look

Liturgy of the Word

Liturgy of the Word

Before the Second Vatican Council, the lectionary cycle (the daily and Sunday readings) were the same every year. But after Vatican II, in order to bring more of the Scriptures into the Mass, a three-year lectionary cycle was instituted for Sunday Masses Usually during Year A, the primary Gospel readings are from Matthew, in Year B they are from Mark and in Year C they are from Luke; John is interspersed throughout, especially during the Easter season Weekday Masses are on a two-year lectionary cycle.

The first reading is from the Old Testament, except during the Easter season when it comes from the Acts of the Apostles The first reading corresponds with the Gospel, often showing how an Old Testament prophecy is fulfilled by Christ

Next, a passage from the Psalms is sung Many of the psalms were written by King David for temple worship.

The second reading comes from books in the New Testament that are not one of the four Gospels. At the Alleluia, the congregation stands and praises God before the Gospel is read by the priest or deacon.

The homily is intended to help the faithful understand the readings and make the Word of God relevant for today Then the priest will move from the ambo, or podium, back to his chair where he will lead the Creed, a statement of the beliefs of the Church

The Nicene Creed comes from the Council of Nicaea in 325 and the Council of Constantinople in 381; the shorter Apostles’ Creed most likely originated in 5th-century Gaul (today’s France), having developed from an older Roman Creed, which might go back to the 2nd century but was attested to by Pope Julius I in around 340

The Liturgy of the Word concludes with the prayers of the faithful, in which the congregation presents its petitions for the good of the community and the world

Liturgy of the Eucharist

After the priest has set up the altar, he receives the offertory gifts, usually a receptacle called a ciborium containing the Communion wafers and a cruet of wine. Monetary donations often are

collected at the same time

In the early Church, when Christians attended the liturgy, they would bring whatever was their trade or their crop. This reminds us that just as bread comes from many grains and wine comes from grapes, so also our sacrifices collectively are brought up and presented to the Lord It was in about the 11th century that monetary collections were taken up, and that was the symbolic way of the people bringing their gifts to be presented to God

On the altar, a splash of water is added to the wine, referred to as the co-mingling of the water and wine In the early Church it was done to dilute the strong wine, but it also symbolises Christ’s humanity and divinity. The priest prays silently: “By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.”

The priest then washes his hands with water from a basin called the lavabo, which means “I will wash” in Latin, harking back to when God instructed Aaron, the brother of Moses, to wash his hands and feet before making an offering to God.

The priest then invites the people to pray that their sacrifice may be acceptable to God before beginning the Eucharistic prayer The words of the Sanctus, which begins “Holy, holy, holy”, echo what the prophet Isaiah heard the angels sing and what the people called out to Jesus as he entered

Jerusalem on a donkey The congregation then kneels as a sign of reverence

The priest continues with a prayer of adoration and then extends his hands over the bread and wine and calls down the Holy Spirit in the part of the eucharistic prayer called the epiclesis. During the consecration, the priest says the words Christ spoke at the Last Supper. The bread and wine becomes the body and blood of Christ through the mystery of transubstantiation

After the eucharistic prayer concludes, the whole congregation stands and prays the Lord’s Prayer, which was added to the liturgy by Pope St Gregory the Great in around 600. The sign of peace, which often is exchanged among congregants, is a reminder of Jesus’ command to reconcile with one’s brother before making an offering to God

Then the clergy and extraordinary ministers of holy Communion distribute the Eucharist. When a person says “Amen” to the words “Body of Christ”, they are affirming not only their belief in the Real Presence in the Eucharist but also in the totality of the Church’s teachings

After Communion, the priest returns to the altar for the ablutions, or cleaning. Meanwhile, the consecrated hosts are returned to the tabernacle

The congregants should remain kneeling until the door of the tabernacle is closed.

Concluding Rites

Concluding Rites

Mass concludes with a prayer, a blessing and the dismissal the missionary mandate to go and announce the Gospel of the Lord A recessional hymn is sung while the priest and his assistants leave the Church Once they have left the church, the congregation may disperse, genuflecting as they leave their pews.–CNA

T h e c o n g r e g a t i o n a t M a s s i n J o h a n n e s b u r g ’ s c a t h e d r a l o f C h r i s t t h e K i n g

Photo: Sheldon Reddiar

Liturgy of the Eucharist

How surrender to Go d sets us fre e

ONE SENTENCE IN THE

Bible has had a great significance in my life: “And God said: ‘Now we are going to make man in our image, in our likeness’” (Genesis (1:26)). It is so extraordinary, almost incomprehensible God wanted to create every human being in his own image and likeness!

Who is this God then? So that I may understand who I am. In Exodus, Moses had an exceptional encounter with God, in a burning bush He asked God: “What shall I say to my people and to Pharaoh, to whom you are going to send me? And God said to Moses; ‘Tell them, I AM who is’” (3:14). We could understand from this answer that God is “Being” Still a mystery We may wonder: What or who is this “Being”?

We read in the Gospel of Matthew: “ … and one of them, a lawyer, asked to test him: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind That is the greatest and first commandment The second is like it: You shall love you neighbour as yourself On these commandments hangs all the La and the Prophets’” (22:35-40)

In Luke, we see that the Pharisees and scribes are not yet satisfied and ask: “Who then is our neighbour?” Jesus tells that stirring stor y, so well known, of the Good Samaritan (10:25-37)

These passages allow us to understand in a profound way that the being, the Being of God, is Love; therefore, if we

are in his image, then our nature is love! The First Letter of John states unmistakably: “Beloved brothers and sisters, let us love one another, for love proceeds from God Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8)

One particularly enlightening moment from the Gospels is when Jesus is baptised by John the Baptist. Jesus did not need John’s baptism, since he was without sin Yet Jesus went down into the water to be baptised by John After the baptism, Jesus

alone, but he reveals himself as a Triune God His nature, his image in us, is therefore that of a Trinitarian God. If we allow God into us, our love to him and to our neighbours is not just any love. It is a Trinitarian Love, shining from our eyes, full of fire, and melting the hearts of men

God’s love gives freedom

immediately rises from the water. Then the heavens opened, and the Spirit of God descended in the form of a dove upon Jesus A voice from heaven spoke: “This is my Son, my beloved, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17)

We clearly see that God is not

True love is expressed in freedom. Therefore, God created us in such a way that we are totally free free even to choose not to love and, in a way, deface the image of God within us. Nonetheless, his infinite love does not abandon us He is always near us, through his grace, waiting to show us the way to be wholly his However, pure love can only be in us if we are completely detached from everything. This is a real challenge Overcoming it demands from us a total surrender, which is not easy to achieve It surely requires great generosity What is certain is that if we cling to anything, we are not wholly free Jesus is “the Way” God loves us infinitely and shows us ways to let his image within us shine more and more, if we are open to it.

sus says: “So each of you must nce everything that he has, othse he cannot be my disciple” uke 14:33) He also says: “And veryone who has given up his house, brothers or sisters, father or mother, wife and children or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and have eternal life”

(Matthew 19:29)

In order to have his love in us, God requires that we are not attached to anything not even to our own soul and per-

sonality, which may be another of our possessions On the other hand, God also promises the hundredfold to those who leave everything behind to possess his pure love

Our love will not be just any love, but it becomes more and more like the pure love of God It is Jesus’ presence in us. We live with him and through him in unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit, with Mary, the Mother of God, and all the angels and saints

Jesus’ intervention for us

Before his death on the cross, Jesus expresses the deepest desire he has for each of us, “that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you: that they also may be in Us, that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21) Jesus wanted to bridge our separation from God which is typically caused by non-love, by sin and destroy it on the cross

On the cross, he cried out: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). If we let him, Jesus will annul ever y separation caused by non-love, by sin, so that we can be completely one with him again and start all over again

Jesus also gave us his new commandment: “Love one another; as I have loved you, so you also must love one another” (John 13:34). This “as” is a great myster y He also wants us to undo ever y separation and to be ready to lay down our lives for each other, to forgive each other from the heart, so that this divine unity may be made possible among us

M

W h y s h

o u

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

G o d

D o e s J e s u s n o t c o m e e s p e c i a l l y f o r t h o s e i n n e e d ? T h e p a s s a g e o f 1 J o h n 3 : 1 7 i s b e a u t i f u l : “ B u t i f a n y o n e h a s t h e w o r l d ’s g o o d s a n d s e e s h i s b r o t h e r i n n e e d , y e t c l o s e s h i s h e a r t a g a i n s t h i m , h o w d o e s G o d ’s l o v e a b i d e i n h i m ? ”

The promises of God

Finally, the Virgin Mar y should not be missing Who more than she has realised the image of God and his likeness in her life. She was without sin, immaculate And, through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, she was allowed to bear the Son of God within her and thus became Mother of God and also mother of each of us For sure, the Virgin Mar y, together with the Holy Spirit, can be a great help to us, so that the image of God, Jesus son of the Father, would be born in us

D o e s J e s u s n o t i n v i t e u s t o b e p e r f e c t a s t h e F a t h e r ? H o w c a n t h i s b e u n l e s s w e a r e m a d e t o t a l l y h i s i m a g e a n d l i k e n e s s ?

Jan Smits lives in the Focolare Community in Taung, North-West Province.

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

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St Joseph, St Catherine of Siena and more

r L u b a b a l o M g u d a b a p t i s e s a c o n v e r t d u r i n g t h i s y e a r ’ s E a s t e r V i g i l M a s s a t S a c r e d H e a r t c h u r c h i n K a b e g a P a r k , P o r t E l i z a b e t h Photo: Lisa Faith Augustine

The day I held up ‘the universe’

IH A D J U S T B E E N R E A D I N G T H R O U G H t h e M a r c h i s s u e o f T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s w h e n I h a d t o g o t o t h e k i t c h e n T h r o u g h t h e w i n d o w, l o o k i n g o u t o n t o t h e m a r i n a , I s a w t w o y e l l o w - b i l l e d d u c k b a t t l i n g w i n d a n d w a v e l e t s t o c r o s s t h e c h o p p y w a t e r I t h o u g h t t h e y w o u l d b e f o r c e d t o t u r n b a c k T h e y d i d n o t b u t c o n t i n u e d t h e i r s t r u g g l e . A s I w a t c h e d t h e m , t h e y b e c a m e l i v i n g s y m b o l s o f y o u r c o m b i n e d e f f o r t s t o k e e p T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s a f l o a t , m o n t h a f t e r m o n t h a n d y e a r a f t e r y e a r a t r u l y h e r o i c j o u r n e y i n c o n t e m p o r a r y j o u r n a l i s m a n d p u b l i s h i n g t o k e e p t h e C a t h o l i c w i n d o w o n t h e w o r l d w i d e o p e n I h a v e l o n g s t a n d i n g a d m i r a t i o n f o r y o u , t h e e d i t o r, a n d y o u r s u p p o r t t e a m I h a v e g r e a t a d m i r a t i o n a n d a f f e c t i o n f o r t h e c e n t u r y - o l d p u b l i c at i o n y o u c o n t i n u e t o p u b l i s h t h e l a y o u t , c h o i c e o f p h o t o g r a p h s , a n d d i v e r s i t y o f r e a d i n g

O f i m m e d i a t e i n t e r e s t t o m e i n t h e M a r c h i s s u e w a s t h e f o c u s o n P o p e F r a n c i s a n d P o p e B e n e d i c t X V I , t h e o n g o i n g e x p l o i t a t i o n o f c h i l d

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l a b o u r e r s a n d t h e a r t i c l e r e v i e wi n g s e v e n d e c a d e s o f t h e D u r b a n P a s s i o n P l a y I w a s a 1 5 - y e a r - o l d m a t r i c p u p i l a t G l e n w o o d H i g h w h e n I s e r v e d a s a s t a g e h a n d a t t h e f i r s t p r o d u c t i o n o f t h e P a s s i o n P l a y i n t h e D u r b a n C i t y H a l l i n 1 9 5 2 a j o b I r e p e a t e d i n t h e 1 9 5 7 p r o d u c t i o n O n e n i g h t , b e c a u s e I w a s s m a l l , I w a s a s k e d t o f i t i n t o a s p a c e , l i k e a c o c k p i t , t o h e l p h o l d u p t h e w o n k y c r o s s o n w h i c h D a v i d H o r n e r, p l a y i n g C h r i s t , w a s b e i n g c r u c i f i e d I n h i s f i n a l a g o n y h e u t t e r s t h o s e p a s s i o n a t e w o r d s : “ M y G o d , m y G o d , w h y h a v e y o u f o r s a k e n m e ? ” A c o m m o t i o n i n t h e a u d i e n c e f o l l o w e d w i t h a v e r y e m o t i o n a l m a n s h o u t i n g : “ S t o p p l a y i n g t h e b l o o d y f o o l w i t h a t h i n g l i k e t h a t G e t o n w i t h i t . ” H e w a s s p o n t a n e o u s l y u p e n d e d b y a n o u t r a g e d O b l a t e p r i e s t I f e l t I w a s h e l p i n g D a v i d t o h o l d u p t h e u n i v e r s e .

S y d n e y D u v a l , C a p e To w n

Two co r re ct i o n s

AS U S U A L , W E R E A D T H E A P R I L i s s u e o f T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s w i t h g r e a t i n t e r e s t T h a n k y o u f o r y o u r g o o d w o r k . H o w e v e r, i n y o u r a r t i c l e “ 9 3 y e a r s o f w i s d o m ” o n T h o m a s T l h a p a n e , t h e r e a r e a c o u p l e o f m i s t a k e s i n r e g a r d t o G l e n C o w i e m i s s i o n F i r s t l y, t h e p r i e s t s a n d B r o t h e r s w e r e n o t G e r m a n O b l a t e s b u t C o m b o n i M i s s i o n a r i e s o f t h e H e a r t o f J e s u s S e c o n d l y, t h e n u n s a t t h e m i s s i o n o r i g i n a l l y w e r e i n d e e d L o r e t o S i s t e r s , b u t t h e n i t w a s t h o s e o f t h e n e w l yf o u n d e d c o n g r e g a t i o n o f t h e D a u g ht e r s o f t h e I m m a c u l a t e H e a r t o f M a r y.

Br Erich Stoeferle MCCJ, Pretoria

The language of the heart

AFEW YEARS AGO MY FATHER surprised me with a stor y I had not heard Apparently I was baptised in Latin, so strictly speaking my name is not Stephen Anthony but Stephanus Antonius It has a nice gladiatorial ring to it.

I wonder what all the fuss is about having Mass in Latin; it seems to verge on obsession in some quarters, particularly when it is idolised to the point of its proponents separating themselves from the Church.

Language is important And I think scripture hints at what is appropriate On Pentecost we see the Apostles preaching (I imagine in Aramaic) and “ever ybody understood them in their own language” (Acts 2:6) That’s how the Holy Spirit did it; the Holy Spirit did not make them all suddenly understand Aramaic but translated it for them into their own language the language of the heart.

A few years ago, in a fairly remote province in the Philippines, I talked with a chap from the Isneg tribe who told me about a missionar y who had spent years translating the New Testament into the Isneg language. The people there speak English and Filipino, of course, and many were already Christians, but when this chap read scripture in his own language, he wept it moved him so deeply to hear it in the language of his heart.

What is needed is to get back to basics, not so much with tradition but fully “orthodox” to the instructions left behind by Jesus: To preach the Gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons

Stephen Clarke, Manila, Philippines

Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross especially in Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the views of the publication or those of the Catholic hierarchy

T h e pa ss po r t to G od ’s ki n g d o m

A s F r r a l p h d e h a h n c e l e b rate s h i s 9 5 t h b i r t h d ay o n J u n e 4 , h e ref l e c t s o n o u r n e e d fo r G o d , h o w we m u st l i ve o u t h i s l o ve , a n d h o w t h e E u c h a r i st ca r r i e s a p o we r b eyo n d a l l t h e d e st r u c t i ve we a p o n s o f wa r o n t h i s e a r t h .

I‘M MOVING THROUGH A LABYRINTH of tunnels, hoping that at the other end there will be bursts of light.

Often I am plunged mercilessly into a blind abyss of emptiness without end, but knowing full well that one can advance even when stumbling

If there is a God, then he alone can help me A personal God who must be greater than all creation, greater than the Temple or the Church, greater than the Bible or the Ten Commandments He must be the Absolute; all created things will be measured against him. Ever ything else is relative

Creation both reveals and hides the Creator Then a holy fear of God is the beginning of Heaven God is not merely in our world, we are in his. Whichever path we choose in this one life, we must take God with us Anything done without him has no eternal value.

We live daily with one foot in eternity What do we fear? Fear is self-centred, but faith is God-centred. Faith is a gift as I face the unknown, not depending on my ability, but rather on my response (my surrender) to God’s ability. I offer my willingness, and God supplies the power

We need to free ourselves of the old, worn-out religious terminology, for we have so often disfigured the face of God and his Christ. God loves me not because I am good or bad, but because God is God! God is an ocean of love and he invites me to flow into him.

Life is not always fair, but it is good

Jesus may well call me to play a part in the unfinished symphony of his Passion. He reminds me that his love letter to me is written not in ink but in his blood Even in our nothingness we feel we have nothing to offer him, but he asks that we offer that His goodness and mercy are infinitely greater than our sinfulness.

G r e a t n e s s i s a n i l l u s i o n

All the world’s greatness is only an illusion Filled with the Holy Spirit we speak many languages humility, poverty, kindness, gentleness, patience yet silence is the language of God, the language of eternity Silence is rich and positive; the ultimate modesty of the mind before the myster y of Being, the great I AM! Such is faith, a precious gift which breathes life into dark corners, into unexplored avenues Faith brings Creator and creature in touch with each other

People love to live on top of the mountain, but what really matters is the road getting there Our only real sickness is homesickness, for the human soul yearns for its Creator.

A sinner is at the heart of Christianity Make peace with the past so as not to screw up the present. Hating others is a waste of time Do not be weighed down with special words for prayer no, rather be lifted by the spirit of praying, for God is spirit

We need to grow in compassion, caring for others I need to dethrone this self from the centre of the world

and place another there As the false self dies, the ego becomes the ser vant I will need to honour the inviolable sanctity of ever y single human being in the spirit of absolute justice, equity and respect, and also cultivate an empathy with the suffering of all humanity even with the enemy Ever ything becomes a movement of divine love and the Creator of all becomes All in all

S a n d i n t h e m a c h i n e

We must never lose the gift of our childhood, the gift of wonder We fail to feel wonder and delight at the world around us, and the miracles that occur each day We are more blind and deaf than those deprived of these senses. It is futile to attempt manipulating life. To oppose nature is evil; take care of the motive, and the right acts will follow Worr y is sand in the machiner y; it solves nothing Keep all things simple We fail to feel the simplicity of the Almighty God Jesus himself was the most humanly human ever.

The Holy Eucharist the uncomplicated gift of Himself from simple bread and wine carries a power beyond all the destructive weapons of war on this earth But that is something we will never comprehend because it is far too simple a myster y. How we underestimate the staggering power of the Holy Spirit!

And we underestimate the grace we gather by doing little things with a lot of love Pots and pans of daily use become temple vessels when handled for the love of God Love is the essence of life, and living without loving is all emptiness. It is the necessar y passport to God’s kingdom, it is the “wedding garment” demanded in the Gospel parable Fr Ralph de Hahn is a priest of the archdiocese of Cape Town He was featured in a profile in our May issue

Meet the youth where they are

FROM TIME TO TIME, I COME across articles in my Facebook feed that touch on some novel aspect of church life One that caught me by surprise was a recent story about a Catholic centre in Vienna that is offering free tattoos

I confess that my initial reaction was the same as probably many readers: “Yuk!” I really do not like tattoos and find myself recoiling from the idea of a Catholic group encouraging them But I realise that this is irrational. The Southern Cross, in answering a question from a reader in the July 2022 issue, confirmed that there is no Catholic prohibition on tattoos (see scross co za/2022/08/doesthe-church-allow-tattoos/)

As with many issues in Catholic morality, what matters is context, intention, moderation, and an awareness of the effect on other people

The group running the campaign in Austria starts from the premise that people are getting tattoos anyway; so, rather than ignoring this desire or worse yet, making people feel unwelcome in church they want to turn it into something positive and indeed spiritual. The organiser is quoted as saying: “We want to help shape a Catholic perspective on tattooing that is not based on prohibition and rejection but on friendliness and equality ” Wouldn’t it be wonderful, in general, if our Church was known for friendliness and equality rather than for prohibition and rejection?

The group is actually called Quo Vadis, the Latin term meaning “Where are you going?” Some readers might recall the 1951 Hollywood epic of that name in which a Christian is asked this question as he tries to flee the persecution in Rome “Where are you going?” is a question that we all, as Christians, should ask ourselves frequently, since it is the question that God asks us: Where are our lives heading?

The Quo Vadis centre is asking just that question of the young people who come there looking for tattoos where

are you going? What is the longing that you are seeking to fulfil with a tattoo? How can Christ help fill that desire?

Some might see this as the Church tr ying to appeal to the youth by being trendy Quite apart from there being nothing wrong with appealing to the youth, the fact is that there is a long tradition of “body art” in Christianity The Austrian tattoo artist points out that medieval pilgrims were often tattooed to prove that they reached Jerusalem To this day, Coptic Christians place a cross on their right wrist to mark them out

Treasure the old and new

But the test of what is good in Christianity cannot be simply if something is old or new. It is as absurd to reject ever ything that is new as it is to reject ever ything that is old In the Gospel, Jesus applauds the disciple who brings out of his storeroom “treasures that are old and new” (Matthew 13:51) I take inspiration from the name of the most popular Anglican hymn book:

“Ancient and Modern” We need both of these in our lives as Christians.

We see this tension in the Church’s attitude towards technology Initially, she has been suspicious and even opposed to innovations. In the 1830s, Pope Gregor y XVI was so concerned about the corrupting potential of innovations that he banned railways and street lighting in the Papal States

But on other occasions, the Church has been at the forefront of using new media: as early as 1931, Pope Pius XI worked with the inventor of the wireless, Guglielmo Marconi, to establish Vatican Radio. Those who initially criticised bishops or even the pope for using Twitter or Facebook should know their Church history better.

In fact, having been forced to engage with technology in order to get round the restrictions of lockdown, many parishes and dioceses have now discovered how important social media can be for their ongoing mission and ministry. What started as an unwelcome challenge has become an opportunity to grow and develop

New opportunities

B u t w h y d o w e h a v e t o w a i t u n t i l w e a r e f o rc e d t o a c t ? T h e r e a r e n e w media staring us in the face which we either ignore or condemn when we c o u l d b e e n g a g i n g T h i n k o f h o w m a n y h o u r s y o u n g p e o p l e a r e s p e n d i n g o n c o m p u t e r g a m e s where is the creative thinking about h o w w e c a n l e v e r a g e t h a t m e d i u m t o spread the Gospel? If that sounds outlandish let me quote from the Vatican II document Inter Mirifica:

“The Church recognises that these media, if properly utilised, can be of great service to humankind, since they greatly contribute to people’s entertainment and instruction as well as to the spread and support of the Kingdom of God.” The media of social communication have changed in the last 60 years but not the challenge to utilise them to the greater glory of God

Music is one area that has been a battleground between conservatives and progressives, with similar contradictions. Supporters of Christian rock argue that it has been very effective in bringing the gospel message to young people. But there are still those who oppose rock music in church for being modern and trendy, in contrast to the traditional organ They forget that the organ was at one time also new, and conservatives at the time presumably also opposed its

novelty and longed for the days of Gregorian chant. (Ironically, guitars might be the closest we have to the oldest example of religious music think of King David and his lyre!)

In June, which in South Africa is dedicated to the youth, we should as a Church be reflecting on how we engage with the youth. Ver y early on in his papacy, Pope Francis spotted the fact that one way of getting close to young people was to encourage them to take selfies with him, despite his own reser vations about them While die-hards were appalled, the strategy worked and has enabled him to be much more approachable The pope then uses the connection he has created to talk to young people and to show them the treasures (‘”old and new”) that the Gospel offers them.

The question “Where are you going?”‘ is indeed one that we should be asking young people. But we cannot ask it effectively if we do not start with a prior question: “Where are you coming from?”

A few years ago, I had the great privilege of putting a group of school learners in a room full of clergy (dozens of priests, a bishop, a cardinal and a papal nuncio) After watching a play about drug use, the clergy were then invited not to talk but to listen: to hear from the young people themselves what their experience and attitudes were towards drugs. Only after listening, were the clergy invited to talk

I f w e d o n o t t a k e t h e t r o u b l e t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e l i v e s o f y o u n g people their joys and hopes but also their griefs and anxieties we cannot hope to talk to them about the Gospel. And we might have to go further and use a language with which they are comfortable be it tattoos or Instagram or Tik-Tok even if we are not. In Matthew 9 : 1 7 , J e s u s r e m i n d s u s n o t t o t r y a n d p u t n e w w i n e i n o l d w i n eskins.

If I have any advice to people working with the youth this month, it is this: before challenging others, allow them to challenge you And allow yourself to see God as potentially at work in all things: even those that make us recoil.

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

How my c a nc e r wa s a g i f t

MORE THAN A HALF CENTURY ago, the Catholic author Flannery O’Connor wrote a short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” One of the main characters in the story is an elderly woman who is a difficult, stubborn, and not a particularly happy person Travelling to Florida with her family, she is constantly whining and complaining

Then, thanks to some carelessness on her part, they get in a traffic accident and while their car is stalled, an escaped convict (the Misfit) chances on them and executes the whole family Just before she is shot, the unhappy elderly woman, fearing for her life, reaches out and touches the Misfit and has a gentle moment with him After killing her, he says, she would have been a good woman, if there had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.

I suspect we would all be better persons if there were someone there to shoot us every minute of our lives At least I know that I would, because I once had someone there to shoot me and it made me a better person at least during the time when the threat was there Here’s my story

Twelve years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer The initial prognosis was good surgery and chemotherapy and the cancer should be stopped For a while it was

However, three years later it again made an unwelcome reappearance. This time the prognosis was not good My oncologist, whom I trust, said that the situation was grave Chemotherapy would be tried again; but he cautioned me, that barring the exceptional, this treatment would not be effective for long and would be more for palliative purposes than for any real hope of remission or cure. He felt it his duty to deliver that message clearly I was facing the shooter You have about 30 months to live!

A c r e e d f o r s u r v i v a l

As you can guess, this wasn’t easy to accept and process I struggled mightily to make peace with it Eventually, through prayer, I wrote a creed for myself as to how I would try to live out those two years Here’s the creed:

I am going to strive to be as healthy as I can for as long as I can

I am going to strive to be as productive for as long as I can.

I am going to make every day and every activity as precious and enjoyable as possible

I am going to strive to be as gracious, warm, and charitable as possible

I am going to strive to accept others’ love in a deeper way than I have up to now

I am going to strive to live a more fully “reconciled life” No room for past hurts anymore.

I am going to strive to keep my sense of humour intact

I am going to strive to be as courageous and brave as I can

I am going to strive, always, to never look on what I am losing, but rather to look at how wonderful and full my life has been and is

And, I am going to, daily, lay all of this at God’s feet through prayer.

For some months I prayed that creed intensely every day, trying to live out its every tenet However, the chemotherapy treatments were, surprisingly, very effective. After five months of treatment, all the indications of cancer were gone, I was healthy again, and my oncologist was optimistic that, perhaps, his diagnosis had been too dire and that with some maintenance chemo, I might enjoy many more years of life. And, indeed I did for the next seven years

However, during those seven years of remission, feeling healthy and optimistic, with no one there to shoot me every day, I now prayed my creed less frequently and with less intensity And even though its challenges were now more ingrained in me, my old habits of taking life for granted, of praying St Augustine’s prayer (“Make me a better Christian, Lord but not yet!”), of losing perspective, of impatience, of self-pity, of nursing grievances, and of not appreciating fully the richness of life, began to seep back into my life

T h e ‘ s h o o t e r ’ r e t u r n s

The “shooter” reappeared two years ago with another reoccurrence of the cancer Initially the prognosis was dire (30 months and chemotherapy for the rest of my life) and the creed again took a central place in my life However, a new treatment unexpectedly offered a much longer future and, with no one there to shoot me every day, the creed again began to lose its power and my old habits of impatience, ingratitude, and self-pity began again to mark my days

I am deeply grateful for all the post-cancer years that God and modern medicine have given me Cancer has been a gift that has taught me a lot. Having my life parcelled out in six-months chunks has me appreciating life, others, health, nature, the simple joys of life, and my work like never before I’m a better person when there is someone there to shoot me every day!

PRAY WITH THE POPE

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

Intention: We pray that the international community may commit in a concrete way to ensuring the abolition of torture and guarantee support to victims and their families.

TO R T U R E C O M E S O U T O F T H E p e r v e r t e d u s e o f o u r i n f i n i t e l y fertile human imagination and c r e a t i v i t y T h e s h e e r v a r i e t y a n d d i a b o l i c a l i n g e n u i t y o f t o r t u r e o v e r t h e a g e s t e m p t s o n e t o d e s p a i r o f h o m o s a p i e n s .

H o w c a n p e o p l e s i t d o w n a n d d evise these horrors? Clearly some torturers are mentally ill, but there are others w h o a r e n o t T h e y s e e m t o b e j u s t c o l d l y c u r i o u s a b o u t h o w t h e i r v i c t i m s w i l l r e a c t t o t o r t u r e . T h e y a r e m o n -

t o o M u c h S t u F F !

t o o l i t t l E S pA c E !

Donate your unwanted goods clothing, furniture, books, toys, household textiles, bric-a-brac to our Cape Town charity shops to help vulnerable rural children!

We offer a FrEE collection service!

c a l l u s o n 0 2 1 6 8 5 2 8 1 0

w w w. r u ra l c h i l d . o rg . za

s t r o u s e x p e r i m e n t e r s .

We l i k e t o t h i n k t h a t t o r t u r e i s o u t o f d a t e . We c a l l i t “ m e d i e v a l ” , b u t i t c o n t i n u e s t o d a y I t i s s o m e t i m e s claimed that ever y modern state has its t o r t u r e c h a m b e r h i d d e n a w a y s o m ew h e r e

S o m e t i m e s t o r t u r e i s b a s i c , b r u t a l a n d m i n d l e s s , a s w h e n a n a r r e s t e d p e rs o n i s b e a t e n u p o r r a p e d . B u t i n o t h e r cases the torturers are far more “sophist i c a t e d ” .

Ta k e , f o r i n s t a n c e , s o - c a l l e d “ w h i t e t o r t u r e ” T h i s i s d e s i g n e d t o i n f l i c t maximum psychological trauma, but it l e a v e s n o p h y s i c a l m a r k s , s o t h a t i t i s d e n i a b l e I t s n a m e c o m e s f r o m t h e p r a c t i c e o f i m p r i s o n i n g a p e r s o n i n a soundproof room in which ever ything, i n c l u d i n g t h e c l o t h i n g w o r n b y t h e p r i s o n e r, i s w h i t e T h i s r e s u l t s i n m e mo r y l o s s , h a l l u c i n a t i o n s , p s y c h o l o g i c a l b r e a k d o w n s a n d a l o s s o f a s e n s e o f o n e ’s p e r s o n a l i d e n t i t y

T o r t u r e o f t h e p s y c h e

Ta k i n g a i m a t t h e p s y c h e i s t h e t r u l y O r w e l l i a n d i m e n s i o n o f m o d e r n t o r t u r e To b r e a k t h e s p i r i t o f a n o p p on e n t o f a r e g i m e ; t o c o n v i n c e t h e m t h a t r e s i s t a n c e i s f u t i l e ; e v e n t o i n d u c e t h e “ S t o c k h o l m s y n d r o m e ” , i n w h i c h t h e v i c t i m f o r m s a k i n d o f w e i r d p o s it i v e e m o t i o n a l b o n d w i t h t h e t o r m e nt o r. A l l o f t h e s e t e s t i f y t o t h e f a c t t h a t h i g h l y i n t e l l i g e n t p e o p l e c o n t i n u e t o p u t t h e i r m i n d s t o t h i s f u n d a m e n t a l l y b a r b a r i c p r a c t i c e I t ’s o n l y a c r u m b o f c o m f o r t , b u t t h e f a c t t h a t s o m e m o d e r n t o r t u r e r s f e e l t h e n e e d t o l e a v e n o p h y s i c a l e v id e n c e i s a s i g n t h a t w e h a v e p e r h a p s m a d e s o m e p r o g r e s s s i n c e t h e d a y s o f p u b l i c c r u c i f i x i o n s , b e a t i n g s a n d m u t il a t i o n s B a c k t h e n , t h e i d e a w a s d e t e rr e n c e t h r o u g h t e r r i f y i n g p u b l i c

d i s p l a y s o f c r u e l t y. To d a y, t o r t u r e i s i ll e g a l i n m o s t s o c i e t i e s , s o i f i t h a p p e n s , i t i s d o n e o n t h e q u i e t

A n o t h e r c o n t e m p o r a r y c r u m b o f c o m f o r t i s t h e f a c t t h a t t h e t o r t u r e r s t e n d t o u s e e u p h e m i s m s f o r t o r t u r e s “ Wa t e r b o a r d i n g ” i s t h e w o r d f o r s u bj e c t i n g t h e v i c t i m t o a t e r r i f y i n g p r o c e s s o f s e m i - d r o w n i n g “ E n h a n c e d interrogation” is a more general euphemism for modern forms of torture such a s s l e e p d e p r i v a t i o n

T h e r e t u r n o f s l a v e r y

We a r e p e r h a p s i n a s i m i l a r s i t u at i o n t o d a y w i t h s l a v e r y, w h i c h h a s b e e n o u t l a w e d e v e r y w h e r e b u t c o n t i nu e s t o b e p r a c t i s e d i n c a m o u f l a g e d f o r m s a s h u m a n t r a f f i c k i n g , c h i l d l a b o u r a n d t h e p a y m e n t o f “ s l a v e w a g e s ” H e n c e a b o l i t i o n i s t s c a n n e v e r r e s t o n a c c o u n t o f o u r h u m a n t e nd e n c y t o b a c k s l i d e a n d r e n e g e o n o u r c o l l e c t i v e m o r a l i m p r o v e m e n t s

We thought we had abolished slave r y, b u t i t ’s b a c k i n t h e w o r l d ’s s w e a ts h o p s T h e E u r o p e a n s t h o u g h t t h e y h a d a b o l i s h e d w a r i n E u r o p e , b u t i t ’s b a c k i n U k r a i n e We m a y h a v e p a s s e d laws against it, but enforcement is hard when torture happens behind the walls o f p r i s o n s a n d p o l i c e s t a t i o n s t h r o u g ho u t t h e w o r l d

D u r i n g t h e p o s t - a p a r t h e i d Tr u t h a n d R e c o n c i l i a t i o n C o m m i s s i o n , s o m e o f t h e m o s t d r a m a t i c s e s s i o n s w e r e t h o s e i n w h i c h t o r t u r e r s p u b l i c l y c o nf e s s e d t o t h e i r c r i m e s I t w a s a n o t a b l e e x a m p l e o f h o w e x p o s i n g e v i l i s e s s e nt i a l t o t h e p r o c e s s o f d e f e a t i n g i t . T h e w o r l d , t h r o u g h s u c h b o d i e s a s the International Criminal Court, must continue to work to expose torture and p u n i s h i t s p r a c t i t i o n e r s S t a t e s w h e r e t o r t u r e i s t o l e r a t e d s h o u l d b e n a m e d , shamed and, if necessar y, economically isolated The families of torture-victims w h o h a v e t h e m s e l v e s b e e n t o r t u r e d w i t h w o r r y a n d a n x i e t y f o r t h e i r r e l at i v e s m u s t b e a c k n o w l e d g e d , g e t t r e a t m e n t a n d b e c o m p e n s a t e d

L e t u s p r a y a n d w o r k f o r t h e s e t h i n g s

P o p e ’ s p l e a f o r J u n e : S t o p t o r t u r e !

A B E Z ’ P R A Y E R

Prayer Corner

Immaculate Virgin, by the holy will of your Son my Lord Jesus Christ, you are my Mother in Heaven.

Your Immaculate Heart is full of love, mercy and compassion for sinners like me.

I trust in your intercession before the throne of God for my needs.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for us.

O S a c r e d H e a r t o f J e s u s , l i v i n g a n d l i f e - g i v i n g f o u n t a i n o f e t e r n a l l i f e , i n f i n i t e t r e a s u r y o f t h e D i v i n i t y , a n d g l o w i n g f u r n a c e o f l o v e ,

Y o u a r e m y r e f u g e a n d m y s a n c t u a r y O a d o r a b l e a n d g l o r i o u s S a v i o u r , c o n s u m e m y h e a r t w i t h t h a t b u r n i n g f i r e t h a t e v e r i n f l a m e s Y o u r H e a r t

P o u r d o w n o n m y s o u l t h o s e g r a c e s t h a t f l o w f r o m Y o u r l o v e .

L e t m y h e a r t b e u n i t e d w i t h Y o u r s , t h a t o u r w i l l s m a y b e o n e , a n d m i n e m a y i n a l l t h i n g s b e c o n f o r m e d t o Y o u r s .

M a y Y o u r w i l l b e t h e r u l e o f b o t h m y d e s i r e s a n d m y a c t i o n s . A m e n

Let us pray for the willingness to make present in our world the love of Christ shown to us in the Eucharist.

Lord Jesus Christ, we worship you living among us in the Sacrament of your Body and Blood May we offer to our Father in heaven

a solemn pledge of undivided love

May we offer to our brothers and sisters a life poured out in loving service of that kingdom where you live with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever Amen

Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlar ge my territory, that your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause you pain!

1

Chronicles 4:10

Anagram Challenge

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

AcroSS

DROPPED LETTERS: Place the missing letters to get Youthful Saints

4. They write points about the crib (7)

8 Modern sage provides proverbs (6)

9 Pours the wine (7)

10 See 1 down

11. They have masters (6)

12 A company of servers with odd style (8)

18 Mutilate the last time (8)

20 It begins with 1 down (6)

21 Had Bud around, the spiritual leader (6)

22 Where you may find a Sri Lankan bishop (7)

23 Irish football team? (6)

24 Ahab married her (1 Kg 16) (7)

DoWn

1. & 10. across: Liturgical sign of the Resurrection (7,6)

2 Colours for Noah’s Ark (7)

3 How Christ is present in the Eucharist? (6)

5 You’ll find bishops on the board of these men (5,3)

6 He’s one of the majors among the prophets (6)

7 Biblical woman will vest herself inside (6)

13 It may incense the Mass-goers (8)

14 Is Sinbad one of them to a T? (7)

15 Priest gives it and you do it (7)

16 She was present at the Crucifixion (6)

17 Where you may feel settled (2,4)

19 Accustomed to the unpleasant (6) For all solutions turn to page

Clue5across

Clue17across

Clue19down

Clue16down

AcroSS

4 Who Jesus told us to love (7)

5 Bishop of Mariannhill (4,5)

10 Country of Fatima (8)

17 Town of St Thérèse (7)

18. Patron of Catholic writers (7,2,5)

20 20th-cent mystic monk (6,6)

21 Abbrv for Sacred Heart priests (3)

22 KZN place of St Joseph’s scholasticate (6)

24 John the Baptiser ’s river (6)

25 Ancient Egyptian Christian centre (10)

DoWn

1 Limpopo diocese (7)

2 St Peter ’s profession (9)

The Catholic Trivia Quiz

1. What is the most common saints’ name?

a) Francis b) John c) Nicholas

2 Where was St Anthony of Padua bor n?

a) Florence b) Lisbon c) Marseilles

3 In which diocese is the parish of Vr yheid?

a) Eshowe b) Dundee c) Witbank

4. Which religious order has supplied the highest number of popes?

a) Benedictines b) Dominicans

c) Franciscans

5. Who is the patron saint of ar thritis?

a) Alphonsus Liguori b) Francis of Paola

c) Ignatius of Loyola

6. Who was the first South Africanbor n bishop?

a) Bernard O’Riley

b) David O’Lear y

c) Hugh MacSherr y

7. Which famous 1920s blues singer conver ted to Catholicism late in life?

a) Bessie Smith

b) Josephine Baker

b) Ma Rainey

8. Which European state was founded as a mountain-top monaster y?

a) Luxembourg b) Montenegro

c) San Marino

9. Which Catholic actor played Noah in the film 2007 Evan Almighty?

3 Marian title (5,2,6)

6 Catholic actor (7,6)

7 Popular hymn (6,2,4)

8 Marian apparition in Belgium (7)

9 One of Ireland’s three patrons (6)

11 Pretoria & Bloem cathedrals (6,5)

12 Book of the liturgy of the Mass (6)

13 Number of Popes Martin (4)

14 Cardinals’ headwear (9)

15 Paris church (5,5)

16 St Paul’s birthplace (6)

19. Frequent Southern Cross writer (5,2,4)

23 Zacchaeus tree (8)

25 Eve’s husband (4)

a) Alex Baldwin

b) Arnold Schwarzenegger

c) Steve Carell

10. Where was St Peter bor n?

a) Bethsaida b) Capernaum b) Chorazin

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 . T H I S

S T J O H N B O S C O ’ S PA S TA e FA G I O L I

TO M A R K Y O U T H D AY O N

June 16, it is good to call to mind St John Bosco, the champion of youth and founder of the Salesian Order (and the Saint of the Month in our January 2021 issue)

Born as Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco in Becchi, northwestern Italy, on August 16, 1815, he grew up just after the Napoleonic Wars and a drought which had ravaged his home region

At the age of two, John lost his father, leaving him and his two older brothers to be raised by their very poor but saintly mother, Margherita

As a boy, John was enthralled by the magic tricks and acrobatics of the travelling circus He realised that by learning their tricks, he could use them to attract others and hold their attention One Sunday evening , John staged a show for the kids in his neighbourhood At the end of the show, he recited a homily he’d heard earlier in the day He ended by inviting his neighbours to pray with him His shows were repeated and John discerned the call to become a priest

At 12 he left home and worked in a vineyard for some years before he met Fr Joseph Cafasso (now a canonised saint) who helped John enter the seminary in 1835 He was ordained a priest in 1841

His first assignment was to the city of Turin, in whose slums John, now known as Don Bosco, went to work with the children of the poor He used his talents as a performer, doing tricks to capture attention, and

then shared with the children his message for the day When he was not preaching , Don Bosco worked tirelessly seeking employment for boys who needed it and searching for lodgings for others His mother helped him, and by the 1860s, they were responsible for lodging 800 boys

In 1859, Don Bosco established the Society of St Francis de Sales, commonly known as the Salesians, to help boys with their faith

In g r e d i e n t s

• 2 5 0 m l co l d wate r • 1 0 m l o l i ve o i l

• 1 c r u s h e d c l o ve o f ga r l i c • ½ t i n ca n n e l l i n i b e a n s • 1 c u p o f p a sta ( a ny s h a p e , fo r exa m p l e l u m a c h e o r f u s i l l i )

• 4 f re s h b a s i l l e ave s • s a l t a n d p e p p e r Fo r b a s i c to m ato s a u c e :

• 1 t i n c h o p p e d to m ato e s • 5 m l s a l t

• 3 m l b l a c k p e p p e r • 1 5 m l o l i ve o i l

• 3 f re s h b a s i l l e ave s

formation and vocational training The Salesians came to Cape Town in 1910 and are now well-established across Southern Africa

Don Bosco died on January 31, 1888, and was canonised at Easter 1934 St John Bosco is the patron saint of apprentices, schoolchildren, juvenile delinquents, editors, and magicians His feast day is on January 31

To celebrate St John Bosco and Youth Day, the humble Italian staple dish of Pasta e Fagioli is perfect It ’s also a dish of a thousand variations Some cooks make the dish very thick, others use so much tomato it could be a soup Sometimes you’ll see different types of beans being used preparation: 55 min

Servings: 2 (measures can be doubled) P r e pa r a t i o n :

1. Add all the ingredients for the basic tomato sauce in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then simmer till the sauce is thick

2 Measure out 125ml of the tomato sauce (Freeze leftover sauce and use it as needed for pasta toppings or even on pizza bases.)

3 Add the water, olive oil, crushed garlic and tomato sauce to a pot, and bring to a boil

4 Add the pasta and stir, then leave to cook for 5 minutes

5. Add the beans, and salt and pepper to taste Cook till the pasta is al dente

6. Enjoy with a prayer to St John Bosco!

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 g

1 Praise The Lord 2 Amazing Grace, 3 Nearer, My God, To Thee, 4 How Great Though Art, 5 To God Be The Glory

Dropped Letters: Maria Goretti, Perpetua, Joan of Arc, Kizito, Dominic Savio, Thérèse of Lisieux, Jacinta Marto, Catherine of Alexandria

SouthernCrossword: ACROSS: 4 Scribes, 8 Adages, 9 Decants, 10 Candle, 11 Slaves, 12 Acolytes, 18 Ultimate, 20 Easter, 21 Buddha, 22 Colombo, 23 Celtic, 24 Jezebel DOWN: 1 Paschal, 2 Rainbow, 3 Really, 5 Chess set, 6 Isaiah, 7 Esther, 13 Thurible, 14 Bandits, 15 Penance, 16 Salome, 17 At home, 19 Inured

Quick Crossword: ACROSS: 4 Enemies, 5 Neil Frank, 10 Portugal, 17 Lisieux, 18 Francis de Sales, 20 Thomas Merton, 21 SJC, 22 Cedara, 24 Jordan, 25 Alexandria DOWN: 1 Tzaneen, 2 Fisherman, 3 Queen of Heaven, 6 Bradley Cooper, 7 Praise My Soul, 8 Banneux, 9 Brigid, 11 Sacred Heart, 12 Missal, 13 Five, 14 Zucchetto, 15 Sacre Coeur, 16 Tarsus, 19 Ralph de Hahn, 23 Sycamore, 25 Adam Catholic Trivia Quiz: 1 b) John (more than 70); 2 b) Lisbon, 3 a) Eshowe, 4 a) Benedictines (22 popes), 5 a) St Alphonsus Liguori, 6 b) Bishop David O’Leary (in 1925 for the vicariate of Transvaal), 7 b) Josephine Baker, 8 c) San Marino, 9 c) Steve Carell (all three profess to be active Catholics), 10 a) Bethsaida

Next month in The Souther n Cross

A P ilg

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

l e h e m , s a i l 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

• 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 the HOLY TRINITY

‘Celebrating the Most Holy Trinity is not so much a theological exercise, but a revolution in our way of life... Today we can ask ourselves if our life reflects the God we believe in: Do I, who profess faith in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, truly believe that I need others in order to live, that I need to give myself to others, that I need to serve others?’

– Pope Francis (b 1936)

‘The three Persons are distinct from one another; a sublime knowledge is infused into the soul, imbuing it with a certainty of the truth that the Three are of one substance, power, and knowledge and are one God.’

– St Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)

‘For to have the fruition of God the Trinity, after whose image we are made, is indeed the fullness of our joy, than which there is no greater ’

– St Augustine of Hippo (354-430)

‘If only we would comprehend the fact that while the Eucharistic Species remain within us, Jesus is there and working in us inseparably with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and therefore the whole Holy Trinity is there ’ – St Magdalena de Pazzi (1566-1607)

‘If the mystery of the Trinity is the template of all reality, what we have in the Trinitarian God is the perfect balance between union and differentiation, autonomy and mutuality, identity and community.’

– Fr Richard Rohr OFM

(b 1943)

‘When God laughs at the soul and the soul laughs back at God, the persons of the Trinity are begotten When the Father laughs at the Son and the Son laughs back at the Father, that laughter gives pleasure, that pleasure gives joy, that joy gives love and that love is the Holy Spirit.’ – Meister Eckhart (c 1260–c 1328)

‘I vow and consecrate to God all that is in me: My memory and my actions to God the Father; my understanding and my words to God the Son; my will and my thoughts to God the Holy Spirit ’

St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

History in Colour

A snapshot from the past, colourised exclusively for The Southern Cross

Yo u n g F r A n g e l o R o n c a l l i ( s e a t e d ) , t h e f u t u r e P o p e J o h n X X I I I , a s a l i e u t e n a n t i n t h e I t a l i a n a r m y d u ri n g W o r l d W a r I , w i t h h i s y o u n g e r b r o t he r s F r a n c e s c o S a v e r i o a n d G i u s e p p e I t a l y e n t e r e d t h e w a r i n 1 9 1 5 o n t h e s i d e o f t h e A l l i e s a g a i n s t G e r m a n y a n d A u s t r i a F r R o n c a l l w h o h a d b e e n o r d a i n e d 1 9 0 4 w a s d r a f t e d i n t o t h e R o y a l I t a l i a n A r m y a s a s e r g e a n t , f i r s t s e r v i n g i n t h e m e d i c a l c o r p s a s a s t r e t c h e r - b e a r e r a n d a s a c h a p l a i n H e w a s l a t e r p r o m o t e d t o t h e r a n k o f l i e u t e n a n t a n d a p p o i n t e d c h a p l a i n o f t h e m i l i t a r y h o s p i t a l i n B e r g a m o , t h e s e a t o f h i s d i o c e s e .

T h e t h r e e R o n c a l l i b r o t h e r s , s o n s o f s h a r e c r o p p e r s i n t h e s m a l l n o r t h e r n I t a l i a n v i l l a g e o f S o t t o i l M o n t e , s u r v i v e d t h e w a r F r a n c e s c o S a v e r i o d i e d i n 1 9 7 6 ; G i u s e p p e i n 1 9 8 1

A f t e r t h e w a r , F r R o n c a l l i r o s e u p t h e r a n k s i n t h e C h u r c h I n 1 9 2 5 , P o p e P i u s X I a p p o i n t e d h i m a p o s t o l i c v i s i t o r t o B u l g a r i a , a n d i n k e e p i n g w i t h h i s d i p l o m a t i c p o s i t i o n w a s o r d a i n e d a n a r c h b i s h o p I n 1 9 3 5 h e w a s a p p o i n t e d a p o s t o l i c v i s i t o r t o T u r k e y D u r i n g W o r l d W a r I I , A r c h b i s h o p R o n c a l l i u s e d h i s d i p l o m a t i c c h a n n e l s t o s a v e m a n y J e w s f r o m t h e N a z i h o l o c a u s t I n 1 9 4 4 , P o p e P i u s X I I a p p o i n t e d h i m n u n c i o t o r e c e n t l y l i b e r a t e d F r a n c e . T h e s a m e p o p e n a m e d R o n c a l l i p a t r i a r c h o f V e n i c e i n 1 9 5 2 , a n d m a d e h i m a c a r d i n a l i n J a n u a r y 1 9 5 3

I n O c t o b e r 1 9 5 8 R o n c a l l i t r a v e l l e d t o R o m e t o j o i n h i s f e l l o w c a r d i n a l s i n c h o o s i n g a n e w p o p e T h e c o n c l a v e e l e c t e d t h e 7 6 - y e a r - o l d R o n c a l l i T a k i n g t h e n a m e J o h n X X I I I , t h e n e w p o p e s e t o u t t o r e n e w t h e C h u r c h a n d c a l l e d w h a t w e k n o w a s t h e S e c o n d V a t i c a n C o u n c i l H e ’ d p r e s i d e o v e r i t s f i r s t s e s s i o n i n 1 9 6 2 . T h e f o l l o w i n g y e a r h e r e l e a s e d h i s l a n d m a r k e n c y c l i c a l o n p e a c e , P a c e m i n T e r r i s T w o m o n t h s l a t e r , o n J u n e 3 , 1 9 6 3 6 0 y e a r s a g o t h i s m o n t h P o p e J o h n X X I I I d i e d a t t h e a g e o f 8 1 H e w a s s u c c e e d e d b y P o p e P a u l V I

The last laugh

EG a l i l e e , a n d J e s u s s a w t h a t t h e c ro w d o f p e o p l e ga t h e re d t o s e e h i m wa s h u ng r y

H e p ro c u re d f i ve l o ave s o f b re a d a n d t w o f i s h f ro m t h e d i s c i p l e s , a n d b y m i rac l e m u l t i p l i e d t h o s e t o h ave e n o u g h t o

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