“We need beds, bed linen, clothes, shoes...” Fr. George Grima. JOY TO ALL MEN AND PEACE TO MANKIND
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Dear Friends
Anselm’s P A heartfelt cry for the ability to love, as God loves us.
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he Pharisees prided themselves in the knowledge of the law and their ritual requirements. They made it a life-time practice to study the 613 precepts of the Old Testament along with the numerous rabbinic commentaries. They tested Jesus to see if he correctly understood the law as they did. Jesus startled them with his profound simplicity and mastery of the law of God and its purpose. What does God require of us? Simply that we love as he loves! God is love and everything he does flows from his love for us. God loved us first and our love for him is a response to his exceeding grace and kindness towards us. The love of God comes first and the love of neighbour is firmly grounded in the love of God. The more we know of God’s love and truth the more we love what he loves and reject what is hateful and contrary to his will. What makes our love for God and his commands grow in us? Faith in God and hope in his promises strengthens us in the love of God. They are essential for a good relationship with God, for being united with him. The more we know of God the more we love him and the more we love him the greater we believe and hope in his promises. The Lord, through the gift of the Holy Spirit, gives us a new freedom to love as he loves. Do you allow anything to keep you from the love of God and the joy of serving others with a generous heart?
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Prayer P
aul the Apostle says: hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us (Romans 5:5). Do you know the love which conquers all? “We love you, O our God; and we desire to love you more and more. Grant to us that we may love you as much as we desire, and as much as we ought. O dearest friend, who has so loved and saved us, the thought of whom is so sweet and always growing sweeter, come with Christ and dwell in our hearts; that you keep a watch over our lips, our steps, our deeds, and we shall not need to be anxious either for our souls or our bodies. Give us love, sweetest of all gifts, which knows no enemy. Give us in our hearts pure love, born of your love to us, that we may love others as you love us. O most loving Father of Jesus Christ, from whom flows all love, let our hearts, frozen in sin, cold to you and cold to others, be warmed by this divine fire. So help and bless us in your Son.”
Anselm: The ‘frivolous’ young man who became a doctor of the Church.
(Prayer of Anselm, 1033-1109)
Bless you, Fr. Stuart.
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nselm of Canterbury was born in Aosta, Italy in 1033, the son of a nobleman in Lombardy. After living a ‘frivolous’ life as a young man, he became a Benedictine monk, and later a philosopher, and a prelate of the Church who held the office of Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to 1109. Called the founder of scholasticism, he is famous as the originator of the ontological argument for the existence of God. Born into the House of Candia, he entered the Benedictine order at the Abbey of Bec at the age of 27, where he became abbot in 1079. He became Archbishop of Canterbury under William II of England, and was exiled from England from 1097 to 1100, and again from 1105 to 1107 under Henry I. Anselm was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1720 by a Papal Bull of Pope Clement XI.
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Upon this Rock magazine is published monthly by EuropeAxess Media Ltd, Gibraltar. Editor: Fr. Stuart Chipolina: editor@uponthisrock.eu
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Cover: A group of children with some parents, wait in apprehension to hear if Fr. George Grima has news for them, regarding food and schooling programmes: photo courtesy GibMissionAfrica
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Diocesan Youth Service
WYD Skydive: “My family thinks I’m mad, but if it helps the Youth get to Rio...”
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UK RUN club ‘SkyDive spain’
he drop zone is located at a small private airfield ‘Aerodromo La Juliana’ which is 20 minutes drive from Seville city centre. The operation is a family business, run by the Swallows, who have been operating Skydive Centres for over 20 years. Their DropZone in the UK runs the
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SkyDiveSpain.com
Drop Zone
British Nationals, one of the biggest Skydive competitions in the world. Hannah Swallow is the Drop Zone Director of SkyDiveSpain. The instructors there are USPA (United States Parachute Association) and BPA (British Parachute Association) qualified, and the Riggers, who pack the parachutes and maintain
Come and watch us jump! SkyDiveSpain.com
An Example of Tandem Free Fall
the equipment are also qualified by the same professional bodies. SkyDiveSpain market to the British and International parachuting public and are very used to working with sponsored jumpers. r Charlie and his freefall colleaques, Louis Lombard, Sean Ballester, and Steven Soussi have set a provisional date of the 15th of September, when they will each jump in tandem with a professional who has more than 1000 jumps experience. To jump solo would have required them to complete a six week training course, involving many trips up to Seville, which would be beyond the scope of this fund raising exercise. Jumping in tandem means the four heroes are actually strapped to the professional who will take all responsibility for the jump, like deciding the right moment to pull the rip cord, deploying the parachute, and ensuring a safe landing. I met up with Fr. Charlie and Louis Lombard and asked them a few questions: You told us you had to lose 30kg to be able to SkyDive Fr. Charlie. How is that going?
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I have already lost most of it, but I want to loose another 5kg. For me that would be harder than doing the jump, how did you do it? “The big ‘D’.” Ahh! I nodded, which diet did you use? “Not ‘Diet’, but ‘Discipline’! I asked Fr. Charlie to explain, “I have reduced the amount I eat, eating fewer big meals and much lighter meals. I am taking more exercise, walking more, and using a static bicycle, I tried using the exercise bike in front of the TV but that was no good, I found it too easy to move to the sofa to watch the telly, I was
“We’ve set a provisional date for 15th of September, the ‘Cloud 9’ restaurant does meals, it will be a great day out...” too easily distracted. Instead I do two Rosaries, it’s going much better with prayer. You are able to focus much better.” Some people may think it is foolhardy to jump like this. “We are going to an established SkyDive Centre with many years experience and all the safety standards in place. A few people have gone there from Gib to do this, and we all agreed it would be great to see Fr. Charlie jump!” Have you been in a light aircraft before? Fr. Charlie tells me he flew in a small commercial plane from the UK to Ireland once, “It was like flying a washing machine!” Louis tells me he has only been in commercial planes. Who’s idea was it to SkyDive? Fr. Charlie points accusingly at
BARCLAYS BANK were one of the first corporate sponsors, presenting Fr. Charlie and Louis Lombard with a cheque for £200.00.
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Diocesan Youth Service
“We will film Fr. Charlie’s descent and this will be screened in Gibraltar.” Louis, “His!” he laughs. Louis admits that the four of them were sitting around at the Christmas Youth Retreat thinking of ways to raise the funds to take a group of young people to World Youth Day in Rio. “I thought instead of just doing the usual things like a raffle or cake stall, what about thinking outside the box, to do something like this. Maybe its because I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie, its something I’ve always wanted to do. Its much more of a sacrifice for Sean as he is afraid of heights!” “Each of us will pay for our own jump,” explained Fr. Charlie, “that cost will not come out of the funds raised for WYD.” Why is it so important to go to World Youth Day? Louis answers, “This is my second World Youth Day. We are here in Gibraltar and we pray together and praise God at the prayer meetings and retreats, and when you come in first,
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maybe you are a bit intimidated to see people doing that. But when you go to one of these events, and see literally millions of other young people, young, and not so young too, praying and praising God you understand that you are part of a huge Church and that this is normal. I saw the character of Madrid city change, I have been there before and found it, like most big cities a bit scary, the people keep very much to themselves, they don’t talk to you or even look very friendly. But when we went to World Youth Day there, the city was completely transformed, people were praising and singing in the Metro, the ordinary people saw that and started to talk to us to open up, there were many opportunities to see Christ in people. Nationalities mixed, joining in conversations on the street corners, English, Spanish, Mexican, Brazilian, it did not matter,
what we all shared was a desire to pray and praise. It gives a completely different dimension to our spirituality, taking prayer out of churches and prayer meetings into the street, into public places.” Fr. Charlie continues, “I became a convert to WYD the year after Pope John Paul II died, it was he who started it. I sat with my remote clicking through the TV channels, and when I saw five TV channels all showing the same thing, and coverage of the WYD events in the Mass Media, I knew this has to be a good thing.” What does it mean to you to have the Pope present? Louis answers, “In spite of the numbers we felt very close to him especially during the time of Adoration, when everyone sat in silet prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. There was a storm, it had been so hot, and then there came a big storm with pouring rain and wind. Nobody moved.” Fr. Charlie illustrates the scene, “Two million people stayed in silence in the wind and rain. You could here a pin drop.” Louis continues, “And the Holy Father, who is one of the most powerful
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men on earth, he could leave, he could have had a helicopter come and pick him up, he did not move either, he stayed with us, he prayed with us. That meant so much to us, that he understood what it was for us to have travelled so far to be there with him, how important those shared moments together were.” Fr. Charlie takes up the narrative, “Apart from the many external manifestations of God’s power, there were many internal manifestations of Christ’s presence. There were many conversions, many people said “We met Him in World Youth Day!” How many will go to World Youth Day in Rio next year? Fr. Charlie replies, “We are going there in June to do a recce, and check out the options for accommodation, and at the end of the day the logistics will dictate the exact numbers. But ideally we would like to look at a group of between 30 and 45 young people, all over 18 years of age. Eight million people are expected, which seems a lot but the South American countries are huge, large populations with a very big percentage being Catholic.” Continued on page 14
Our Discalced Carmelite Sister
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Sister Jennifer Celebrates 25th Anniversary of her profession
n Tuesday the 1st of May Bishop Ralph Heskett travelled to Ronda where he celebrated a Mass marking the 25th Anniversary of the Profession of Sister Jennifer del Corazon de Jesús in the enclosed Discalced Carmelite Community there, during which she made a renewal of her vows. Sister Jennifer received many visitors during the day, including 40 young people, many of whom were visiting the Gibraltarian Sister for the first time. If the bars behind which she sat, and the concept of rarely leaving the enclosed convent, shocked them, they were able to Photos, clockwise: On taking her veil, before the Sacred Heart of Jesus, ask her about it and she gave a very a recent photo behind the bars, visitors from Gibraltar on her 25th good explanation of her calling. Anniversary,
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Gib Mission Africa - Gibraltar: Part 2, continued from Issue 131
Before surgery
after surgery A young Girl teaches no food Found Abandonded, Unused to the touch of another human
Fr. George Grima needs our help to build a centre for disabled children in Ethiopa.
Making children T
he interview with Fr. George continued after he surprised me by explaining his plans to include an operating theatre as part of the complex: “Often we receive children walking on all fours like animals, operations can correct so much and help alleviate this suffering. We must offer plastic surgery,” here I caught my breath, my ‘western’
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mind flew to images of nose reductions, breast implants etc, all the empty vanities prevalent in an affluent and greedy society, but as he continued my heart turned over in wretched sorrow as he explained, “Children with facial deformities are taunted as ‘Satan’ so we are making children beautiful”. The simplicity of this remark highlighted the abysmal suffering caused by ‘man’s inhumanity to man’. Someone who knew and experienced this first hand was one Francis Xavier Cardinal Van Thuan, in 1975 he was detained by the communist regime in Vietnam. He was in kept in prison for thirteen years, nine of those in solitary confinement. Whilst in prison he smuggled out messages to his people on scraps of paper which eventually became a book, The Road to Hope. The new home will be named after him because during his thirteen years in prison, in a situation of seemingly utter hopelessness he
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could listen and speak to God ‘in that great hope which does not wane, even in the midst of solitude’. There is hope for the disabled children of Ethiopia where the missionary movement encourages the belief that ‘disability is not inability’, where only 2% of Africa’s disabled ever find employment; where they have no rights at all. “The place where we will build this home is in a very remote area, the town of Bonga which lacks social, medical and community services, where the need for the home is urgent as disabled children are not given the same rights as ‘normal’ children in many regions in Ethiopia. Fr. Grima is responsible for eight dioceses of one million people of diverse needs and includes a sizeable Muslin population. You get around by car, mule and on foot in a country of scorching heat where wild animals are dangerous. Monkeys usually attack women but when hungry
Anne Mesilio
Arm and leg team: one boy has legs that work but paralysed hands The other has good arms but cannot use his legs.
beautiful will attack men and often people are killed or maimed. Crops are destroyed by night adding to the spectre of famine which is never far away. “We look into the hearts of these extremely poor people” who suffer from leprosy which has affected humanity for over four thousand years. Left untreated it becomes progressive causing permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes. Though treatment has existed since the 1930’s he explained, “the government does not accept that leprosy is rife in Ethiopia, we have to keep quiet and help as much as possible, speaking out would have grave consequences”. This needless suffering Mother Teresa recognised on a visit when she said; “Ethiopia is a continuous Calvary”. I wondered how, as a fellow human being Fr. Grima copes with this. His answer was simple. “I just open my heart and see it as an invitation from Christ to keep on loving Him”.
“The most vulnerable people are our main attention and are close to our hearts, and while our beliefs differ from those of Muslims or Orthodox”, he says poignantly, “in helping the neediness for God, we are one”. Fr. Grima’s plea for help was eloquent.”Five pounds sterling would save a child from becoming a leper, there is a great need for help for Elephantitis suffer-
The architect’s model for the complex ‘Cardinal Van Thuan’, that Fr. Grima plans to build for disabled children in the Prefecture of Jimma, Ethiopa. ers, this is caused by mosquito infection and it is a dreadful condition. We need beds, bed linen, clothes, shoes, it is endless and we receive with blessings any help we can get. We also have a great need for a large Cross with which to adorn our new chapel, in fact we need Crosses of all sizes as our churches are empty”.
To help please contact GibMissionAfrica - Gibraltar, c/o Maribel Arias - Treasurer, 56 Kingsway House, Alameda Estate, Gibraltar. M 57561000. Email: marias@gibtelecom.net
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Bioethics
A change of heart. Dr Anthony J. Caruso is a Chicago doctor who worked in the field of in vitro fertilisation for 15 years before he quit in 2010.
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ercator.net, an online web portal with a Catholic editor interviewed him by email about the reasons for his change of heart. MercatorNet: You ran a successful IVF practice in Chicago for ten years. Why did you leave? Anthony Caruso: I was a member of several infertility practices since joining the field in 1995. In 2008 I was increasingly concerned about the kind of procedures we were doing. Initially it was the demands of same-sex couples. Then it was the way in which everybody looked at the embryos that had undergone preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Finally, it was the realization that the embryos that we were producing were just as important as the embryos that were transferred. I could not change
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my practice to accommodate the way I was looking at the process. I wish I could say that I had an “Aha!” moment, but I left my last position largely due to financial realities. They needed to pare salaries and I was next to go. How did your colleagues react? The reaction came at an officers’ meeting of the Chicago Association of Reproductive Endocrinologists. I was the President-Elect and I resigned at the officers’ meeting because of my religious and ethical positions. To say that my colleagues were disappointed or angry would probably be too strong, but they probably really think that I am insane. I fear that I have lost many friendships that I had over the years. Is there one event that crystallised your decision to stop? The reading of a 2008 document from the Vatican, Dignitas Personae, was the first blow. That instruction is written beautifully, and uses all of the current statistics in its analysis. Bioethically speaking, what distressed you most about the process of IVF? One of the basic purposes of
marriage is blurred with IVF. Children as gifts from God have become desires and pawns in the life process. IVF breaks the very tenet of the principle of double effect. The nature of the act is not good. The good effect is a wanted child. However, that desire does not outweigh the negative nature of the act. One need look no further than the way in which embryos are treated to see this. Do most people understand the stress that IVF brings with it? Absolutely NOT. People who are going through IVF largely refuse to seek emotional or psychological support. And people who have not gone through the process do not understand what it entails. Perhaps the most interesting response that I have gotten to the presentations I am giving is from those who did not know exactly what happened during this process. Once they learn, the spectrum goes from rationalization to horror. “Every child is a wanted child” is a slogan for IVF clinics. But does that mean that children become commodities?
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What you see in this statement is the problem. One of the reasons for the delay in my response to your questions was a challenge that I was involved in, with an IVF clinic being proposed within one block of a Catholic Church. The first meeting with the city council went well. We were able to make both ethical and practical arguments against the clinic. Once the city council tabled the bill for another meeting, though, you should have seen the number of couples and single people who showed up and showed off their IVF kids! This is not the issue when it comes to IVF. Every child is a gift from God. However, the process that brought them into existence has led to an attitude towards the embryo that is no different than any other commodity. If you add pre-implantation diagnosis into the equation, then you really have a situation that is no different than an auto dealership or a department store. “I will take two of these and then freeze these and toss these.” The very
Dr Anthony J. Caruso Courtesy of Mercator.net people who are showing off their beautiful children will not answer questions about how many frozen embryos are still present or how many they asked to be destroyed. Also, I doubt that anyone has ever thought how they might describe these things to their children -- the fate of their siblings -- because they are not seen as such. They are seen as simply a means to an end. Is selective reduction a common feature of IVF? Selective reduction [editor’s note: aborting some foetuses in a multiple pregnancy to allow others to grow] is a feature of every IVF consent. Fortunately, it was the rarest discussion I ever had with a couple. However, it is an issue that is slowly growing in popularity. The New York Times recently reported that couples are reducing twins and triplets to singletons. Since the Octomom fiasco, the number of high order pregnancies has dropped as they try to stay more faithfully with the guidelines published by the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. What happens if a couple
learns that a child will not be “perfect”? There is a spectrum here as well. While many will continue to love their child no matter what, there is a true desire to quickly determine the health of the child, so that, if somehow defective, the option of termination is still viable. What we know now about the possibilities of pre-implantation diagnosis may further change that, with the focus being on the “perfect” genetic child. Will having an IVF child bring happiness to a couple who have been longing for children? Hard to answer. Children can salve much unhappiness. Remember, though, couples that go through IVF are approaching the procedure with a mindset of “I want this baby, I need this baby.” One can only surmise what possibilities exist down the road. But, at least on discharge, they seem happy. What effect does the process of IVF have on women? The data is slowly coming in. Certainly, it is well-known that there are dangers in over-stimulating a woman’s ovaries. Ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection Procedure.
can be severe, especially in the environment of a pregnancy. Though the other immediate risks are very small, there is a risk of bleeding, injury to the intestines and infection. There is also a risk of blood clots and their sequelae. The longterm effects are now slowly coming into focus. Remember, the first IVF pregnancy was in 1978, but the first IVF pregnancy from a stimulated ovary was in 1981. That was only 30 years ago and the women going through that procedure are largely just enter-
ing the age of chronic disease. One study from the Netherlands suggests that 15 years after an IVF pregnancy, there is an increased risk of ovarian cancer. While there are no controlled trials, many reproductive endocrinologists anecdotally describe women who present with breast tumours after IVF stimulation. The websites of IVF clinics feature joyful stories about couples who are finally cuddling their bundle of joy. But are there features of IVF practice which are kept from the public?
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Advertorial
Continued from page 13...
Another senstive issue
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ew and improved Sensodyne range provides 24/7 sensitivity protection Sensitive teeth are common, affecting one in three people1, yet many may not know that the twinges they experience are a sign of sensitivity. However, rather than trying to soothe the pain, more than half of sufferers (52%) do not seek advice2 and even develop coping strategies to avoid the pain of tooth sensitivity. The scientists at Sensodyne have a solution... their new and improved range is clinically proven to provide 24/7, effective relief from the pain of tooth sensitivity, all day everyday.3-9 Tooth sensitivity is caused when the dentine is exposed. This dentine that makes up most of the tooth is porous, with thousands of tiny channels running through it to a nerve in the centre. A layer of hard enamel on the tooth protects the underlying dentine, but if this dentine is exposed, a tooth can become sensitive. Improved formulation, 24/7 protection...
A change of heart.
Of course, that is the focus that keeps the public happy. Babies are happy things! But most people only know that part of it. They don’t know anything about the drugs and the process that leads to the babies. And we don’t discuss it openly because if we did, I think more of us would be against it. This interview has been shortened. To read the full text, please
see: http://www.mercatornet.com /articles/view/charge_of_heart
Sensodyne’s improved formulations work deep within the tooth, to soothe and stop the nerves from sending pain signals associated with tooth sensitivity. As it works within the tooth it is unaffected by typical daily challenges e.g. food, drink and brushing. 3, 4, 10-14 The improved Sensodyne range has a new minty flavour and provides all the benefits of a normal, everyday toothpaste whilst leaving your mouth feeling clean and fresh. Clinically proven relief is demonstrated in as little as two weeks with twice daily brushing.3,4,10,11 Sensitive teeth can start as early as your teens and – if left untreated – can infringe your enjoyment of certain food and drinks. People adopt all sorts of behaviours to avoid the pain, but the simplest answer is to use a toothpaste that’s formulated for sensitive teeth on a daily basis and preferably one which provides long-lasting protection from the pain of sensitivity. With regular brushing the improved Sensodyne range helps to remove plaque, control and prevent tartar build-up and maintain and promote healthy gums whilst providing ongoing, effective relief from the pain of tooth sensitivity, 24/7.3-9
References:1. Addy M. Int Dent J 2002; 52: 367-375. 2. GSK data on file. 2008. 3. Jeandot J et al.Clinc (French) 2007; 28: 379−384. 4. Nagata T et al. J Clin Periodontol 1994; 21(3): 217–221. 5. Mason S et al. J Clin Dent 2010; 21(Spec Iss 2): 42-48. 6. Hughes N et al. J Clin Dent 2010; 21(Spec Iss 2): 49-55 7. Du MQ et al. Am J Dent 2008; 21(4): 210−214. 8. Pradeep AR et al. J Periodontol 2010; 81(8): 1167−1113. 9. Salian S et al. J Clin Dent 2010; in press 10. Silverman, G. Compend Contin Educ Dent 1985; 6(2):131−3, 136. 11. Troullos ES et al. GSK data on file. 1992 12. Axelrod, S. and Minkoff, 1981. GSK data on file 13. Silverman, G. 1986. GSK data on file 14. Leight RS et al. J Clin Dent 2008; 19: 147−153.a
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Diocesan Youth Service FR. CHARLIE’S SKY DIVE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 How is the fund raising going? “We have reached the first 10%, of the £35,000 we hope to raise. Can people come to the DropZone? Yes, its going to be a great day out, we will sell tickets to the event and hope that one or two buses full of people will want to come and watch.” The SkyDive Centre has facilities for catering, a big bar and dining area called ‘Cloud 9’. How can people make donations? Cheques can be made out to
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‘DYS’ (Diocesan Youth Service) and we have given out 80 ‘£2’ sponsorship forms to various companies, already we have had completed forms back.” Louis continues, “There are also opportunities for companies to advertise on the day. Louis continues “Companies can put their logos on our T-shirts, we will have a big banner on display with Sponsor’s names, and the video.” Video? Yes we will film Fr. Charlie’s descent, and this will be screened in Gibraltar, there are opportunities for corporate sponsorship there too. If you would like to give a donation, or would like to hear more about the Corporate Sponsorship opportunities, call Fr. Charlie on M: 5822000 or Louis Lombard on M: 54000282
Retreats & Pilgrimages
CYC Retreat
Forthcoming Pilgrimages PILGRIMAGES ACCOMPANIED BY FR. STUART St. Paul’s parish are planning the following pilgrimages:
ROME, FLORENCE & ASSISI 21st – 28th January 2013 2 nights Florence, Assisi, 5 nights Rome. €1150 Euros pp Medugorje September 2013 Fatima Retreat
On the 11th, 12th and 13th of May members of the former CYC and Youth for Jesus prayer groups met at the Catholic Community Centre for a nonresidential retreat.
21st – 25th February 2013 If you are interested please contact Fr Stuart, Richard Martinez or leave a message on parish answerphone.
A PILGRIMAGE ACCOMPANIED BY Fr. Françios Sante-Marie
Mexico: Our Lady of Guadalupe October 1 - 9, 2012 Travel to Mexico City, Mexico to see sites significant to the Our Lady of Guadalupe apparitions to Juan Diego. Day 1. Travel to Mexico City Day 2 & 3. Mexico City visit to the site of the 5th Apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe at Tupetiac in the Church of Healing. Day 4. Puebla: Expedition to Puebla to visit the Cathedral, Mass at La Capilla del Rosario, the Gold Chapel. Day 5 - 7 Mexico City. Day 8. Departure Day 9. Arrival Malaga, Spain. Some Highlights: Basilica of Guadalupe, Museum, visit to site where Blessed Miguel Pro, martyr, lies. Optional performance of Folklore Ballet. If interested please contact Fr François Sainte-Marie M: 54018654. fsaintemarie2001@ yahoo.fr or aimee@holytravels. org.
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