The Southern Cross, December 11 to December 17, 2013
LOCAL
3
St Augustine looks ahead How taxis and stars are STAFF REPORTER
connected to our faith
S
TAFF, students and board members of St Augustine College, South Africa’s only Catholic university, have bid farewell to retiring president Dr Michael van Heerden and have welcomed his successor, Sr Madge Karecki, as the university heads into new territory in the coming year. The good wishes were expressed during a special lunch function at the university which earlier this year announced that it would be closing its doors to undergraduate students and selling its Victory Park campus due to financial pressure. Bobby Godsell, chairman of the board of directors, thanked Fr van Heerden for his nearly six years at the helm of the college. “These have been challenging years and Dr Michael’s guidance and commitment to staff and students has been a real feature of his term of office,” said Mr Godsell. The chairman also welcomed Sr Karecki as the new president. “She has left her native America and the archdiocese of Chicago to take up the challenge of steering the ship SS Augustine into the future,” said Mr Godsell, wishing her well in her new position. Prof Marilise Smurthwaite thanked President Emeritus Sr Edith Raidt and Professor Rex van
STAFF REPORTER
F Outgoing St Augustine president Fr Michael van Heerden is pictured with incoming president Sr Madge Karecki and their personal assistant Val Thornton (Middle) at a year-end function at the Catholic university. Vuuren for their input over many years. Prof Raidt had been the founding president of the college in 1999, and shortly after its initial launch Prof van Vuuren joined the staff as academic dean. Their many years of labour in the education field elsewhere were brought to bear on starting the new Catholic university. It had been a very challenging period and had borne good fruit, Prof Smurthwaite said. Prof Nick Rowe offered a brief thank you to each member of staff who was leaving at the end of the year, with comments on their personal contributions and
particular strengths. Due to financial constraints, the university has had to shift its focus and will not have undergraduate classes in 2014. Undergraduate students were assisted in their placement in other tertiary institutions for the new year and retrenched staff members were assisted in finding posts elsewhere. Meanwhile, the university’s board, along with the new president will propose a revised structure—including a model for financial sustainability—for the college before the end of the year so as to see a secure future for St Augustine.
Faiths join to fight gender abuse Continued from page 1 congregations, Ms Petersen noted. “They go to church with a yearning. They are struggling with the fact that they are abusive. They listen, carefully looking for answers.” Ms Petersen said sometimes messages are misinterpreted. The priest needs to remember he is preaching to the victim, survivor, children of victims—but also to the perpetrators of abuse. “Each is listening carefully and hoping for healing.” Saffi provides the training to assist Church leaders to deliver their messages appropriately. “We are asking our leaders to be mindful. We believe only they can teach on matters of faith.” Ms Petersen said in her experience, there are only a few perpetrators who act many times and have many victims. “We need to work towards breaking the cycle and providing care and
counselling for perpetrators.” The director said teaching positive images of both men and women could make a difference. “We need to revisit the stories we tell at Sunday school. What are the impressions we are teaching of Bible heroes and men? How do we talk about Mary? Was she only meek and mild or was there something about her strength and courage? Was she a role model for women today— someone women could look up to? We need to present a balanced picture for our women and children,” said Ms Petersen. Saffi will also be working with Church leaders to help deal with perpetrators—which requires a very different type of counselling. “The cycle cannot be broken if we don’t reach out to the abusers. Abuse is a crime against the Church, faith and the individuals and is an indictment against God.”
Do you feel called to the Franciscan way of life?
Saffi believes perpetrators should be held accountable but not all should be locked up. “Many women don’t want to see their husbands behind bars. They want intervention; they want help. Too many times we tell women that if they want to be safe they must leave—an option not viable for many. We need to be there to help these women and help heal the men in their lives,” Ms Petersen said. “This is not new theology. But there is a particular urgency for the Church to understand how their Sunday morning messages are being received,” said Ms Petersen. Archbishop Brislin said family is “fundamentally important in our Christian tradition, yet so much violence and abuse takes place within the family.” He said it is imperative that as people of faith, we take a stand against abuse.
THE JOuRNEyS OF A LiFETiME! HOLY LAND CAMINO: HIKING PILGRIMAGES
4 - 12 Aug Led by Fr Chris Townsend 5 - 14 Sept Led by Fr Russell Pollitt Kokstad Diocesan Pilgrimage to Holy Land • Jordan • Cairo
18 -27 Oct Led by Fr Thabang Letsohla
Dominican Pilgrimage to Holy Land • Rome
31 Aug to 11 Sept Led by Fr Emil Blaser OP
Holy Land • Jordan • Cairo
18 -27 Oct Led by Fr Tom Tshabalala OFM
Mthatha Cathedral Pilgrimage to Holy Land • Jordan • Cairo
Contact: Brother Evenie Turner O.F.M. 082 599 7718, 012 345 3732, PO Box 914-1192, Wingate Park, 0153,
Email: evenieturner63@gmail.com
11 -20 Aug Led by Fr Mbulelo Qumntu
Fatima • Lourdes • Paris • Avila 18 - 28 Sept Led by Fr Modisa Sekao
Contact Gail at 076 352 3809 or 021 551 3923 info@fowlertours.co.za • fowlertours.co.za
OLLOWING an evening on the banks of the Vaal Dam, one priest has told novices that their Catholic faith is connected to some unlikely topics: taxis and the stars. Fr Mokesh Morar of Johannesburg was joined by Dominican novice master Fr Mark James and three novices one evening to ponder upon the stars. “Among the beautiful constellations that could be seen was Scorpio and the ‘Tea Pot’ of Sagittarius,” said Fr Morar. “When looking at the Tea Pot you are looking in the direction of the centre of our galaxy, though the centre itself is not visible. This part of the Milky Way is called the Arm of Sagittarius and the sun is situated between this arm and the arm of Orion, usually seen in the summer months,” the priest explained. The priest told the novices that the facts of the galaxy—the sheer numbers of stars and vast distances between them—were “mind boggling” just as the Catholic faith can sometimes be astounding. “Our solar system takes 225 million years to orbit the centre of the galaxy and the light from the galaxy of Andromeda, the farthest object visible by the naked eyes, close to the Square of Pegasus, takes 2,5 million years to reach us,” said Fr Morar. As the priest shared the cosmological facts, the group debated the link between the universe and the Catholic faith. Fr Morar said faith can be compared to the beauty of the moon and stars and God as Creator. “The novices shared their stories when they would visit their grandparents in villages in Zambia and Zimbabwe and how beautiful the Milky Way appeared away from the light pollution of cities and big towns.” Fr Morar said it was clear that something as simple as stargazing could lead one to explore one’s faith, and learning more about the galaxy in detail can encourage one to learn more about the Church. “Our faith is linked not only when we ponder the vastness of the universe and that which is beyond our human
grasp and imagination, but to everyday experiences. Yes, even taxis—the way they drive and test our faith—and the wonderful songs of the birds can remind us of our faith, the priest said. “At times we hardly hear them or we take them for granted but all these things can be linked to our faith,” the priest told the novices. “We are challenged to see the taxi drivers as our fellow human beings, and to realise the importance of public transport and how much they contribute in saving the planet. “If every person this planet owned and drove a vehicle, we would be destroying the Earth much, much quicker,” Fr Morar said. “So despite their dangerous driving, at times, the taxis are fulfilling an important role in saving our planet and many of us need to make use of the public transport system.” Fr Morar said we also needed to try to make sure the taxi drivers drove more safely—a big challenge for our faith. We also need to advocate for an expansion of the public transport system, one that is safer, affordable and reliable. We need to see this as part of our faith, our belief that God has called us to be co-creators of in this world. “God is calling us to grapple with the matters of the stars and the issue of public safety as part of our faith. These topics don’t seem connected, but taxis and the stars are not separate from our faith,” Fr Morar said. “How often do we as believers neglect to look at our faith in a more holistic manner and not appreciate the way life is interconnected and how we as human beings are interdependent on each other?” he asked. “We are tempted to see the other first as a threat or enemy and only consider our safety above others. Jesus challenged us to ‘consider the lilies of the field’ in order to appreciate the beauty of nature, but also to trust in God. “Jesus also said we must ‘read the signs of the times’ and read them critically to link our faith with everyday actions, be it corruption, care for others or mother Earth.”
HOLY CROSS CHILDREN’S HOME
The Holy Cross Child and Youth Care Centre in Parow Valley, Cape Town, has a vacancy for an experienced
RESIDENTIAL CARE SOCIAL WORKER
to join our team in providing therapeutic services to children and youth. Starting date: 01 February 2014
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS l A qualified Social Worker with a valid registration with the SA Council for Social Services Professions l Proven relevant experience in therapeutic and developmental interventions, training and counselling l Good written and verbal English, Afrikaans and communication skills l Some verbal knowledge and understanding of Xhosa would be an advantage l Driver’s licence and own transport is essential l Posses exceptional personal ethics and moral values l Willingness and ability to work within a Catholic environment and uphold the Catholic ethos The successful applicant should be able to work flexi hours if needed. To apply for this position, please send a comprehensive C.V. with a covering letter to: Sr Cheryl-Anne Ziervogel Holy Cross Child and Youth Care Centre: Vacancy-Social Worker by fax 021 934 1146 or email: holycross@mweb.co.za Closing Date: 05 January 2014
Should you not receive any feedback within 2 weeks after the closing date please consider your application as unsuccessful. We reserve the right not to make an appointment.