140611

The

S outhern C ross

June 11 to June 17, 2014

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

Overcoming the odds to be a leader

Page 3

No 4877

www.scross.co.za

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Reflection on a great pilgrimage, in text and pics

Can we lead by Facebook?

Pages 8-9

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Don’t miss next week’s special 32-page Catholic Education issue Out on June 18

SACBC begins to restructure

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

A 2014 Comrades winner Bongmusa Mthembu wears his rosary as he runs in this year’s ultramarathon, which produced one of its most thrilling finishes ever. The KwaZulu-Natal Catholic says he always prays before and after he runs, and is never without his rosary. As he crossed the finish line of the Comrades this year, television viewers could see him clutching the rosary with his mouth. (Photo courtesy of Kierran Allen)

Catholic Comrades winner: I always pray, run with rosary

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

I

T was one of the most thrilling races the Comrades Marathon has ever seen. There was drama, failure, and triumph—and for Catholics there was excitement when the winner crossed the line with a rosary in his mouth.

Bongmusa Mthembu did not appear to be a threat in the first half of the race. But the third place finisher in 2010 and runner-up in 2012 should have been on everybody’s radar.

The 30-year-old KwaZulu-Natal Catholic would claim victory in his seventh Comrades attempt, winning the 89km race by a comfortable margin with a time of 5:38:24.

In an interview with The Southern Cross, Mr Mthembu said he was a “little tired, but doing okay”, admitting that he was still a bit overwhelmed by the experience.

“This has been the biggest achievement of my life and it means a lot to me. I run with a lot of heart and have put in a lot of hard work.”

With

The

His fellow parishioners at Our Lady of Kevelaer in Mariannhill were equally proud.

“Especially my mom! She was there. She doesn’t normally watch, but she was there.”

Mr Mthembu is the second Catholic in successive years to win the title, following Claude Moshiywa’s “up-run” win in 2013.

Mr Moshiywa is a parishioner of St Margaret’s parish in Diepkloof, Johannesburg, and also credited his faith for hs success.

It would appear being Catholic helps. “I always run with the rosary,” said Mr Mthembu. “I pray before I run, and after.

And when I’m running I don’t think about winning. I just pray and know that at the end of the day I will be where God wants me to be. He knows my heart.”

The 2014 champion said his family was incredibly excited about the win, but his current goal is to stay focused and to stay humble.

“I don’t want to forget where this victory came from. We must never forget where we’ve come from,” he said.

RESTRUCTURING of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) has resulted in the formation of a new Council for Evangelisation, under which fit six different departments.

These cover all the responsibilities of the conference, from formation, liturgy and ecumenism to social action and finance.

One of the new sectors will be the new Department for Catholic Social Action, which will include ten agencies: Justice & Peace, The Catholic Health Care Association (Cathca), Migrants and Refugees, Counter Trafficking, HIV/Aids, Rural Education Access Programme (REAP), Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office, Denis Hurley Peace Institute, Siyabhabha Trust and Rural Development and Support Programme (RDSP).

The collection of associate bodies, offices and desks within the conference will now fall under the larger social action department, regardless of the office’s previous status. The governance structures will remain almost the same.

“This re-alignment is not really about governance or control, it is more about dovetailing our work, enhancing cooperation and bringing us together on a more regular basis, with the overall aim of contributing to the new evangelisation,” said Rosanne Shields, development director at RDSP and the first coordinating secretary of the new department.

Mrs Shields said the different bodies had previously met up on occasion to share ideas.

“But a great advantage of the new department is that we meet with our liaison bishops too and our gathering is a more formalised part of the new structure. This gives us a chance to really discuss our work and see where we can do more, based on the priority needs of those we serve,” she told The Southern Cross.

Bishop Abel Gabuza of Kimberley will be the department’s chair.

“Each department will have a coordinating secretary, drawn from the existing members.

For this department we will revolve the role amongst the agencies, for a year at a time,”

Mrs Shields explained.

“The coordinating secretary, together with the bishop chairing the department, will represent the department twice per year on the Council for Evangelisation. This is another great addition as we will have more contact with other parts of the conference.”

The SACBC feels the restructuring will help each department feel part of the same body.

The Department for Catholic Social Action will meet twice per year before the Council of Evangelisation meets.

The department’s first meeting was an opportunity for the 11 bodies to share recent news.

Mrs Shields said the first meeting was very successful. “People left feeling encouraged, with a renewed sense of being colleagues and with the strong support of the bishops.”

Fr Peter-John Pearson of the CPLO spoke on the post-election political landscape and the new cabinet; Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg spoke on his diocese’s strike situation.

“Being able to reflect on this and pray together for a resolution brought us closer together as colleagues. We see this discernment of what is happening in the SACBC territory as very important in informing our work,” Mrs Shields noted.

She said various ideas that emerge from the department’s meetings will be fed into the new council and a better flow of information will develop—something the bodies felt very positive about.

“It is striking how much work takes place in the name of the Church, with relatively few resources. Almost all of the social action agencies are facing cut-backs and financial challenges, yet the commitment to serving people is stronger than ever,” Mrs Shields said.

She referred to the range of work being done by the bodies: “The engagement of CPLO in parliament, the small clinics supported by Cathca, the many projects funded by the Aids Office, and RDSP’s extensive capacity-building of rural community based organisations.”

Southern Cross to Fatima • Lourdes • Avila with Bishop João Rodrigues & Günther Simmermacher Join The Southern Cross and the Diocese of Tzaneen on a Pilgrimage of Prayer for the Sainthood Cause of Benedict Daswa to places of Our Lady in France, Spain & Portugal!

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2

The Southern Cross, June 11 to June 17, 2014

LOCAL

Swazi priests told of SACBC’s work STAFF REPORTER

T

HE diocesan clergy of Manzini expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s Khanya House team which addressed them at their annual general meeting.

The meeting, at Kutebabenempilo Catholic Centre in Manzini, saw a team of three from Khanya House share their experiences on evangelisation, communications and the priorities of the SACBC with Swazi priests.

Manzini’s diocesan secretary, Fr Peter Ndwandwe, said they were starting to feel a part of and not an appendix of the SACBC.

Associate secretary general Fr Grant Emmanuel, Fr Sakhi Mofokeng for evangelisation, and communications officer Fr S’milo Mngadi brought the Swazi priests up to speed on pertinent issues within the conference—specifically the New Evangelisation consultation process which is now embarking on its third phase under the theme “Belonging to Christ—Committed for Mission.”

Fr Mngadi said this initiative is now open to any diocese in the conference and “is based on the accepted principle that the SACBC and Khanya House are at the service of dioceses, particularly as a resource and facilitation centre”.

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Catholic Schools Board (CSB) Pretoria/Johannesburg

CO-ORDINATOR: PRETORIA OFFICE (PART-TIME POSITION)

The Board invites applications from suitably qualified and experienced individuals for the position of Coordinator in the Pretoria satellite office of the Catholic Schools Office (CSO).

The CSO is the administrative arm of the Catholic Schools Board in the Archdioceses of Pretoria and Johannesburg. The CSO provides services, support and co-ordination to the Catholic Schools in the region.

The successful candidate will have the following key qualities:  A sound understanding and commitment to the ethos and mission of Catholic Schools  Ability to work closely with Principals, RE Coordinators and Boards of Governors  Strong leadership, management, and communication skills  Strong interpersonal and team skills  At least five years experience in a senior management position, with a track record of effective application of management skills  Conflict Resolution Skills

Requirements:  Good oral and written English communication skills.  Computer skills.  Must have a car (plus appropriate licence) and be prepared to travel  Relevant educational qualifications (Teaching Diploma and Degree)

All applicants must address the key qualities listed above in their application and include a recent Curriculum Vitae (please limit your CV to two pages), certified copies of academic and professional qualifications, names and contact telephone numbers of three referees.

Applications can be emailed to: info@cso.za.org or posted to: The Director, Catholic Schools Office P O Box 2635, Saxonwold, 2135.

Starting date: 2 January 2015 Closing date for applications: 26 June 2014

The selection process is limited to applicants who have had experience in a senior management position of a school. Only candidates short-listed will be contacted. The CSB reserves the right to make no appointment.

Franciscan Frs Hyacinth Ennis (from left), and Bill Lovett, with Br Ndumiso Khumalo OFM, and Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria after the profession of Br Khumalo at St Pius church, Pretoria.

Pope to Zim bishops: use Gospel for peace

BY CAROL GLATZ

E

VERYONE in Zimbabwe— rich, poor, black, white— needs God’s gift of conversion and healing, Pope Francis told the nation’s bishops.

“Fearlessly proclaim this Gospel of hope, bringing the Lord’s message into the brokenness of our time, tirelessly preaching forgiveness and the mercy of God,” the pope said in a message to the bishops of Zimbabwe, who made their ad limina visit to the Vatican this month.

Pope Francis recognised the “overwhelming suffering” the country has endured “as millions have left the country in frustration and desperation, as many lives have been lost, so many tears shed”.

As the bishops noted, the crises in Zimbabwe are “both spiritual and moral, stretching from colonial times through the present moment”, the pope said.

The “‘structures of sin’ embedded in the social order are ultimately rooted in personal sin, requiring of all a profound personal conversion and a renewed moral sense enlightened by the Gospel”, he said.

In December, Zimbabwe’s bishops said there were “no visible prospects for improvement in the spheres of life in Zimbabwe”.

The country urgently needs to create “viable platforms to address effectively” the restoration of the public services sector, including “health, education, water, sanitation, transport and energy”, the country’s nine bish-

Pope Francis greets the bishops of Zimbabwe during their ad limina visit to the Vatican. ops said in a pastoral letter.

Progress had been made when the political parties work ed together, they said. But last year’s elections, which resulted in the re-election of 89-year-old President Robert Mugabe, “have left Zimbabweans more polarised than they were” after the disputed 2008 elections, the bishops said.

Meeting each of the bishops, Pope Francis noted that Christians in Zimbabwe “find themselves on all sides of the conflict”.

The pope urged the bishops to “guide everyone with great tenderness towards unity and healing”, noting that “the followers of Christ belong to all political parties, some in positions of authority, many not”.

“But together as the one pilgrim people of God, they need conversion and healing, to become ever more fully ‘one body,

ne spirit in Christ’,” he said.

Reconciliation is a long process that needs to touch all segments of society, helping everyone be “re-established in love”, which heals when it is rooted in God’s word, he said.

The pope said he understood many people “have reached their human limit and do not know where to turn”, but he asked the bishops to help people realise that God does hear their cries.

They also must preach clearly and firmly the Gospel of resurrection—that life and goodness always break through, even on the most barren land.

Pope Francis also reminded the bishops that “the future of the Church in Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole greatly depends on the formation of the faithful”, which in turn depends on holy priests and “zealous, wellformed catechists”.—CNS

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In so doing, you would help us to further the cause of developing and uplifting the poor people of the Western Cape in very challenging times.

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HELP US CONTINUE TO ENHANCE SELF-RELIANT COMMUNITIES!

The Southern Cross, June 11 to June 17, 2014

LOCAL

3

False advertising hits Birthright

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

and strives tirelessly to bring its loving, caring and non-judgmental ethos to all, and in particular to the pregnant and afraid mother to be.”

Ms Inghilterra said Birthright was dealing with the false advert together with legal representatives and IT specialists.

Birthright South Africa believes that all life is God-given and therefore precious and is not to be tampered with, she said. “Birthright South Africa will never condone abortion, whatever the circumstances leading to pregnancy. We understand the trauma of an unwanted pregnancy and are available to listen and help find an alterna-

B

IRTHRIGHT SOUTH AFRICA was recently subjected to false advertising on the internet when a US internet-based business directory listed its Durban office as an abortion clinic.

“We did not request this listing and we did not give the host of that website, Africanadvice.com, our permission to use or publish our contact details,” said Birthright national director Marie-Eve Inghilterra.

“We apologise to any person who may have read this offensive advert and wish to reassure you that Birthright South Africa continues

tive to abortion.”

The NGO said it was especially busy when it advertises. “On average we get about 30 calls on our landline but many more on our cellphone. Of these, a third get to listen to us. We also find that when one of our Zulu-speaking volunteers answers the phone, there is a definite increase in the number of women coming for further help.”

Ms Inghilterra said the office currently has three Zulu-speaking volunteers with two more in training.

Altogether there are nine volunteers manning the phones at the office.

Birthright works closely with other organisations, such as the

Salesians’ Life Choices: show the spirit of ‘76

BY STUART GRAHAM

S

OUTH Africa’s youth should harness the fearless spirit that drove school pupils to rebel against the apartheid government in 1976, a Salesian development group has said.

Jennifer Picket, who is running a project at the Salesians’ Life Choices organisation telling stories about young people overcoming odds, said the challenges for the youth of 2014 are as daunting as they were for those involved in the 1976 uprising.

“Today the youth are fighting different battles,” Ms Picket said, “but they are equally challenging and many of them are doing an incredible job succeeding against the odds.”

One of the inspiring stories of Life Choices is that of Nosphiwo Queen Gum, who passed her matric while mothering her baby, Simamkele, who had been born with cerebral palsy.

Ms Gum, from Gugulethu, a township in Cape Town, was 17 when she had Simamkele.

The young mother dropped out of school to take on the job of caring for her daughter full-time, but went back to school after a year.

“Many people helped me to do that, she said. “The saying, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’, is so true. You need support.”

Ms Gum would spend her evenings at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital and attend school in the mornings.

“When I returned to my daughter’s side I would study in the bathrooms where there was light.”

Nosphiwo Queen Gum has overcome the odds.

Long hospital visits and illness were a continual part of her life, but after nine years, Simamkele passed away with her mother at her side.

“I always knew that one day the time would come. A few days before, I could sense her slipping away. I prayed, and after having many talks with myself, I released her. I knew an angel had left this world.”

Ms Gum says she had a difficult journey, but she hopes to pass on her lessons to her peers. “I now work as a lay counsellor, passing on my experience and strength to other youth in Cape Town.”

Life Choices is a non-profit organisation dedicated to youth development in some of Cape Town’s most impoverished communities. The organisation was established by the Salesians in 2004 with support from the United States governmen and the Western Cape Department of Education and Health. n See www.lifechoices.co.za

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Mater Homes which provide accommodation to women in crisis pregnancy situations. The organisation depends solely on donations.

“The costs are prohibitive,” said Ms Inghilterra, but the results, she added, were positive. “Prudence [not her real name] was rejected by her relatives when she fell pregnant and thrown out. As far as she was concerned, her only solution was an abortion. She phoned us. We talked to her, outlining her options.

“She wanted her baby but was desperate, so we sent her to a Mater Home. After her baby was born she was helped to get her ID book as well as the baby’s. She is now get-

ting the grant and has been accepted back by her relatives.”

The young mother returned to Birthright to say goodbye. “We gave her an old suitcase and we added some clothes for the little girl and some toiletries. Prudence is hoping to bake cakes and sell them to support herself and her little girl. We are in the process of looking for a sponsor to get her an oven,” Ms Inghilterra said.

The hardest and most common part of the job is speaking to the families of pregnant girls, she said.

“We often have to plead for them.” n Birthright national board number 079 663 2634.

Cape Town to celebrate deacons STAFF REPORTER

A

RCHBISHOP Stephen Brislin of Cape Town has proclaimed the liturgical year of 2014 as the Year of the Deacon for the archdiocese.

The year-long celebration recognises the 50th anniversary of the vote on Lumen Gentium, the Vatican II document which included the call for the restoration of the permanent diaconate to its full and proper place in the Church.

The archdiocese’s Catholics have been asked to pray for those serving the Church through the diaconate.

According to the archdiocese’s communications officer Stephen Docherty, the service of deacons in the Church is documented from apostolic times. Deacons St

Parish of Corpus Christi, Wynberg

Lawrence of Rome and St Stephen of Jerusalem were two saints invoked as patrons for the restored diaconate by Pope Paul VI in his apostolic letter Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem in 1967 which implemented the recommendations of Vatican II. “Up to the 5th century the diaconate flourished in the Western Church, but after this period it experienced, for various reasons, a slow decline which ended in it surviving only as a temporary stage for candidates preparing for priestly ordination,” Mr Docherty said.

The 16th century Council of Trent decided that the permanent diaconate, as it existed in ancient times, should be restored: this prescription, however, was not carried into effect, and it was only at Vatican II that the permanent di-

aconate was restored.

Today, the archdiocese of Cape Town has 55 active deacons.

While Africa is leading the growth of vocations to the priesthood, dramatic growth in the diaconate has been noticed in America and Europe. Worldwide, there were around 29 000 deacons in 2001, which has grown by 40% to around 41 000 a decade later.

European deacons, just 9 000 in 2001, were almost 14 000 in 2011, an increase of over 43%. In America the number grew from 19 100 in 2001 to more than 26 000 in 2011. These two continents account for 97,4% of the global total, with the remaining 2,6% between Africa, Asia and Oceania.

The name “deacon” is derived from the Greek word diakonia meaning “service”.

PATRONAL FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI CATHOLIC CHURCH

WYNBERG

Thursday 19th June (7.00pm) Theme: “Eucharist: Communion with Christ” Holy Mass with Fr. Matsepane Morare SJ Friday 20th June (7.00pm) Theme: “Eucharist: Communion with one another” Holy Mass with Fr. Martin Pender Saturday 21st June (5.30pm) Theme: “Eucharist: Communion with the world” Holy Mass with Fr. Peter –John Pearson

Sunday 22nd June (08.00am & 10.00am) Holy Mass (2.00pm) Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.

(3.00pm) Holy Hour & Re-commissioning of the Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion from the Archdiocese of Cape Town with Archbishop Stephen Brislin.

For more Information: Office Tel: 021 761 3337 Fax: 021 761 3388 Email: CorpusChristiWynberg@gmail.com

4

The Southern Cross, June 11 to June 17, 2014

INTERNATIONAL

Pope meets with Catholic charismatics

BY CINdY WOOdEN

M

EETING more than 50 000 Catholic charismatics in Rome’s Olympic Stadium, Pope Francis admitted he was not always comfortable with their manner of praying, but he knelt onstage as they prayed for him and over him by singing and speaking in tongues.

“In the early years of the Charismatic Renewal in Buenos Aires, I did not have much love for charismatics,” the pope said. “I said of them: They seem like a samba school.”

Little by little, though, he came to see how much good the movement was doing for Catholics and for the Church, he told a gathering organised by the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services and the Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities and Fellowships.

Pope Francis invited the crowd, which included charismatics from 55 countries, to come to St Peter’s Square for Pentecost in 2017 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the movement. The Catholic charismatic movement traces its origins to a retreat held in 1967 with students

and staff from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.

“I expected all of you, charismatics from around the world, to celebrate your great jubilee with the pope at Pentecost 2017 in St Peter’s Square,” the pope said.

The celebration in Rome’s Olympic Stadium began with the song, “Vive Jesús el Señor,” (“Jesus, the Lord, Lives”) a Spanish-language song which Pope Francis—who claims he is tone deaf—joined in singing with his hands open like many in the crowd. The pope said he likes the song, which charismatics in Argentina also sing.

“When I celebrated the holy Mass with the charismatic renewal in the Buenos Aires cathedral, after the consecration and after a few seconds of adoration in tongues, we sang this song with such joy and strength,” he said.

At another point, when the crowd prayed that the Holy Spirit would fill Pope Francis, he knelt on the bare floor of the stage, while they sang with their hands raised towards him. After the song, many in the crowd kept their hands raised as they prayed in tongues, speaking in

Pope Francis looks on as dancers perform during an encounter with more than 50 000 Catholic charismatics at the Olympic Stadium in Rome. The pope knelt onstage as the crowd prayed over him by singing and speaking in tongues. during the event the pope acknowledged he had once been uncomfortable with the charismatic movement. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) unfamiliar languages.

Responding to a married couple, who spoke about the renewal’s positive impact on their family life,

Pope Francis said the family is the “domestic church”, the place where Jesus’ presence grows in the love of spouses and in the lives of their chil-

dren. “This is why the enemy attacks the family so hard; the devil doesn’t like it, and tries to destroy it.”

In a speech, Pope Francis told the charismatics that their movement was begun by the Holy Spirit as “a current of grace in the Church and for the Church”.

He pleaded with charismatic groups not to try to organise everything or create a bureaucracy that attempts to tame the Holy Spirit.

The temptation “to become ‘controllers’ of the grace of God” is a danger, the pope said. Group leaders, sometimes without even meaning to, become “administrators of grace”, deciding who should exercise which gifts of the Holy Spirit.

“Don’t do this anymore,” Pope Francis said. “Be dispensers of God’s grace, not controllers. Don’t be the Holy Spirit’s customs agents.”

Pope Francis also said Catholic charismatics have a special role to play in healing divisions among Christians by exercising “spiritual ecumenism” or praying with members of other Christian churches and communities who share a belief in Jesus as Lord and Saviour.—CNS

Use NFP apps with caution, Kidnapped priest, nun freed in Cameroon experts warn F A

BY NANCY FRAZIER O’BRIEN

S new fertility monitoring apps such as Clue and Glow make news, specialists in natural family planning (NFP) caution that any technological application is only as good as the expertise behind it and the comfort level of its users.

“The caveat with any app is: Who designed it? Is it a real NFP educator?” said Theresa Notare, assistant director of natural family planning in the Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. “Is there concrete, clear information folded into the app?”

Ms Notare acknowledged that she does not have personal experience with new smartphone apps such as Glow, marketed by PayPal co-founder Max Levchin and aimed primarily at those trying to achieve pregnancy, and Clue, which helps women monitor various physical symptoms to avoid pregnancy or become pregnant.

John Kippley, president of Natural Family Planning International said apps can be “a waste of money” unless they educate couples about the science behind the measurements.

“But if they can get people oriented towards natural family planning, then they can be worthwhile,” he added.

Natural family planning involves the monitoring of certain physical signs and symptoms such as basal body temperature and cervical mucus to help a woman track the fertile and infertile phases of her menstrual cycle. It requires couples to abstain from sex during the woman’s fertile days and is the only method of avoiding pregnancy supported by the Catholic Church.

But Ida Tin, the developer of Clue, said her ultimate goal is “to replace the birth control pill, or at least give an alternative” to the use of hormonal birth control, which the Church opposes.

Clue adds self-measurements of such categories as sex drive, mood, pain levels and skin problems to its algorithm that determines fertile days.

Several fertility apps with ties to Catholic universities or to the Couple to Couple League, a NFP organisation with Catholic roots, are on the market now or will be soon.

These include MUFertility, iCycleBeads, CycleProGo. Prices for fertility apps range up to about $10 (R140), although some

BY CINdY WOOdEN

offer additional services or notifications for an additional fee.

Ms Notare stressed that as a couple first begins to use natural family planning, it is especially important that an NFP educator be available to answer their questions so such access should be built in to every app.—CNS

HOLY CROSS PRIMARY SCHOOL REQUIRES A

Brooklyn/Cape Town

FULL-TIME FOUNDATION PHASE EDUCATOR to commence at the beginning of Term 3 – 2014

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS – – – – –

A recognised 4-year teaching qualification CAPS training 3 years relevant teaching experience Must be willing and able to work in and through the school’s ethos Willing to be actively involved in extra-mural activities The school reserves the right not to fill the position and not to interview all applicants

Please fax your concise CV to (021) 511 9690 or E-mail to admin@holycrossbrooklyn.co.za

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CONSTRUCTION

ROM Cameroon to northern Italy and from Montreal to the Vatican, statements expressing “great joy” accompanied the news that a Canadian sister of NotreDame and two Italian missionary priests were released unharmed almost two months after being kidnapped in northern Cameroon.

Sr Gilberte Bussiere, 74, who had been working in Cameroon since 1979, and Frs Giampaolo Marta and Gianantonio Allegri, who had been in the country for seven and one years respectively, were kidnapped on April 5 in Tchere, about 30km from the border with Nigeria.

Members of the Boko Haram terrorist group, active in Nigeria, were suspected of taking the three from their parish in Tchere.

Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, happened to be visiting Cameroon when the three missionaries were released, and met them in Yaounde, the capital.

“We thank God for this moment of joy,” the cardinal told Fides, the congregation’s news agency. The three “were excited and happy and, I must say, in good physical and psychological condition. Certainly the fact that they were always to-

gether helped them to support each other.”

He called their release “a welcome surprise and, above all, a grace”.

Asked about the kidnappers’ identity, Cardinal Filoni told Fide: “The investigation is in the hands of the civil authorities”.

Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi SJ told Vatican Radio that Pope Francis had been following the case from the beginning. “We thank the Lord that it ended positively, but at the same time we continue to pray and work for an end to every form of violence, hatred and conflict throughout Africa and around the world.”

In May the bishops of Cameroon issued a statement calling for the release of the priests and nun.

In their statement the bishops said they “strongly condemn these inadmissible attacks from extremist groups on Church officials and all acts of violence which pose a threat to the dignity of the human person”.

The kidnapping was the second involving Church personnel from the Maroua-Mokolo diocese to be attributed to Boko Haram, which freed a French priest, Fr Georges Vandenbeusch, in January.—CNS

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The Southern Cross, June 11 to June 17, 2014

5

Nuncio: Surge of faith in Ireland

BY SUSAN GATELY

Y

Germany’s President Joachim Gauck is seen on a screen as he speaks during the opening ceremony of the 99th German “Katholikentag”, the assembly of German lay Catholics, in front of the cathedral of Regensburg, Bavaria. This year’s festival’s theme was “Pilgrimage”. (Photo: Lukas Barth, Reuters/CNS)

Irish church backs inquest into babies burial scandal

BY MICHAEL KELLY

T

HE Irish government has established a working group to address details emerging about Catholic-run, state-funded mother-and-baby homes and the burial of deceased children.

Minister for Children Charlie Flanagan said that the initiative would result in a report to the government on how best to address “a shocking reminder of a darker past in Ireland”.

The revelations that nearly 800 babies died in the home for unwed mothers in Tuam run by the Bons Secours nuns in the west of Ireland from 1925-61 and were possibly buried in unmarked graves in a disused septic tank has put renewed focus on such homes. Opposition politicians have called on the government to establish an independent inquiry to establish the truth of the allegations.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin said that “if a public or state inquiry is not established into outstanding issues of concern surrounding the mother-and-baby homes, then it is important that a social history project be undertaken to get an accurate picture of these homes in our country's history”.

Archbishop Martin also said that “where there are reasonable grounds”, he supports “excavating what may be unmarked graves [and] the setting up of monuments at any unmarked grave sites with, where possible, the names of those who died”.

Following research by local historian Catherine Corless into the operation of the mother-and-baby home that was run by the religious order, it emerged that up to 796 children may have died at the home during its 36 years of operation. Ms Corless has been unable to locate a grave, and locals believe the children are buried in the disused septic tank.

Archbishop Michael Neary of Tuam was scheduled to meet the Bon Secours sisters to discuss the issue.

“I understand a suitable plaque is planned to contain the names and dates of death of all the 796 children,” an archdiocesan spokesman said.

“There is nothing in our archives about this,” the spokesman added. “The home closed in 1961 and all the records were handed over to the county council and the health board, I understand.”—CNS

Pope to visit Asia in January P OPE Francis will visit Sri Lanka and the Philippines in January.

There are about 1,2 million Catholics in Sri Lanka out of a population of over 20 million. Sri Lankans are predominantly Buddhist, though there are sizeable Hindu and Muslim minorities.

The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country, with about 70,4 million Catholics in a population of 89 million people.

Pope Francis will visit South Korea in August, coinciding with the sixth Asian Youth Day, hosted by the diocese of Daejon.

Indian cardinal dies at 90

BY CAROL GLATZ

OUNG people are helping lead a rebirth of the Catholic Church in Ireland, according to the nuncio to the country.

Archbishop Charles Brown described the rebirth as the spring after 20 years of winter, saying he sees “green shoots”.

“You see a renewed enthusiasm among young Catholics in Ireland now,” said Archbishop Brown, an American who was appointed as papal ambassador in November 2011, at the cusp of the Church’s troubles stemming from a longstanding period of unreported clergy sexual abuse.

The new generation of Catholics, some of whom are studying for the priesthood at St Patrick’s College, the national seminary in Maynooth, or the Pontifical Irish College in Rome, will “lead the Church forward into the next decade”, he said. Young Catholics represent what is best in the tradition of Vatican II, “the idea of communicating the ancient unchanging faith in a new, vibrant and attractive way”, he said in an interview.

In 2011, when strained relations between the Irish government and

Archbishop Charles Brown (right), with dublin’s Archbishop diarmuid Martin at left, says that young Catholics are leading a rebirth of the Catholic Church in Ireland. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) the Vatican over revelations of clergy sexual abuse in the Church lead to the closure of Ireland’s Vatican embassy, it was perhaps not surprising that Pope Benedict XVI thought of his former colleague in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to fill the role of nuncio.

“I was surprised when he asked me because I hadn’t trained as a diplomat,” Archbishop Brown said.

Catapulted into a difficult situation, he said the biggest challenge was trusting in God. “You look at the great history of

Bishop hails Egypt’s election of general

E

GYPT’S Latin-rite Catholic bishop has welcomed the election of Abdel Fattah El Sisi as the country’s new president, saying his leadership will benefit both Christians and Muslims.

“His election gives all Egyptians, Muslims and Christians, cause for hope,” Bishop Adel Zaky, vicar apostolic of Alexandria, told Aid to the Church in Need.

“His victory gives us Christians security and a perspective for the future. Better times are coming,” he said.

Mr Sisi, the former head of the Egyptian army, won more than 93% of the vote, with voter turnout at around 46%.

The election came after several years of political tension. Mr Sisi was head of Egypt’s army in July 2013 when it deposed the Muslim

Brotherhood-backed president Mohammed Morsi.

Many Christians in Egypt voiced concern about their fate under the Muslim Brotherhood and the previous constitution.

Bishop Zaky said that the new president does not distinguish between Christians and Muslims.

“He is a religious person, but he sees religion as a private matter. His prime concern is his country. He demonstrated this when he saved Egypt from an impending civil war last year.”

Egypt has been politically unstable since the Arab Spring protests of 2011 deposed then-president Hosni Mubarak.

Bishop Zaky called on the new president to implement Egypt’s revised constitution, which was adopted in a January 2014 referen-

NEW FOR 2014 4 to 18 dEC

dum boycotted by supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The bishop called the constitution “a carefully formulated document” that, if properly applied, will serve the needs of “all sections of Egyptian society”, including women, workers, Christians, and Muslims.

“Egypt now needs a firm hand,” the bishop said. “For three years the country has been descending into chaos. Someone must apply the laws again and must not discriminate between sections of the population.”

The bishop also rejected criticism of the ousting of Morsi.

“If General Sisi had not been at the head of the military there would have been a civil war. We would have faced the kind of situation that prevails in Iraq.”—CNA

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A

N Indian cardinal who had been the editor of a Catholic weekly newspaper before moving to the Vatican to serve as head of the Vatican Congregation for Eastern Churches died in Rome at the age of 90.

The death of Cardinal Simon Lourdusamy on June 2 leaves the College of Cardinals with 214 members, 118 of whom are younger than 80 and therefore eligible to vote in a conclave.

Born in 1924 in Kalleri, India, the late cardinal was ordained a priest of Pondicherry in 1951. He was made auxiliary bishop of Bangalore in 1962 and archbishop four years later.

While in India, he served as editor of Sarva Vyabi, the archdiocese’s Tamil Catholic weekly; director of the Catholic Doctors’ Guild, the Newman Association and the Catholic University Students’ Union.

the church in Ireland, the saints, its 15 centuries of faith, and you realise how inadequate you are to play a role in the continuation of that,” Archbishop Brown said.

“Those are moments that pass.

The biggest challenge is not to focus on ourselves and difficulties but keep our eyes focused on Christ, God made man. Then all things are possible.”

He said he sees positive signs on the vocations front, but that it is realistic to expect that the overall number of priests will continue to decline for a while.

“Parishes will have to share resources and combine and cluster, and that will be an opportunity for lay people to take on a larger role in the Church,” he said.

Women, “the heart of the Church,” should be more visible, assuming roles in administration “even in the Holy See. I’d be very surprised if we don’t see that happen under Pope Francis.”

But he said priestly vocations remain crucial for Church renewal.

“Without the priesthood, the Eucharist does not exist, and without the Eucharist there is no Church,” he said.—CNS

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Cardinal Simon Lourdusamy with Bl Mother Teresa of Kolkata.

An expert in canon law and liturgy, he went to Rome in 1971 to work at the Vatican, becoming secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples in 1975.

He was made a cardinal in 1985, the same year he was appointed to the Congregation for Eastern Churches—the office responsible for the world’s Eastern-rite Catholics.

He retired in 1991 at age 67 for health reasons.—CNS

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6

The Southern Cross, June 11 to June 17, 2014

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Fair play for Charismatic Movement

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

The pope and the wall

W

HEN in January we previewed Pope Francis’ May visit to the Holy Land, we expressed our hope that the Holy Father would go there as an active agent of peace to build bridges between Israelis and Palestinians.

The pope did just that by inviting the presidents of Israel and Palestine, Shimon Peres and Mahmoud Abbas, to the Vatican to pray for peace on Pentecost Sunday. Implicit in this was the suggestion that previous attempts at finding peace did not begin with prayer.

In our editorial we also suggested that in Bethlehem the pope might stop at Israel’s eightmetres-high separation wall which encircles the city and virtually imprisons its population.

In the event, this was not part of the official programme.

So it was all the more dramatic when Pope Francis ordered his motorcade to stop, exited his car and made a spontaneous prayer at a section of the wall, beneath a huge watchtower, which displayed the provocative graffiti: “Pope we need someone to speak about Justice. Bethlehem look like Warsaw Ghetto.”

The image of the Holy Father, in his white robes, impulsively praying at the separation wall in the way he would later pray at the Western Wall became instantly iconic. With a simple and heartfelt gesture—one which placed at the centre not political contention but God—the pope brought into the world’s consciousness a symbol of injustice and suffering.

For Palestinians it was an unexpected show of solidarity, especially for the diminishing Christian community to whom Pope Francis has pledged his support.

The prayer at the wall was made also in friendship with Jews. There can be no peace with the wall and the policies that underpin it.

Pope Francis is no less conscious of the obligations which the Christian church has towards Jews than Pope St John Paul II, whose apology during his 2000 pilgrimage for the Catholic Church’s complicity in centuries of anti-semitism did much to heal old wounds.

As archbishop of Buenos Aires, then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio maintained close ties with the

The Editor reserves the right to shorten or edit published letters. Letters below 300 words receive preference. Pseudonyms are acceptable only under special circumstances and at the Editor’s discretion.

Name and address of the writer must be supplied. No anonymous letter will be considered.

city’s Jewish community. In Jerusalem last month he laid a wreath on the grave of the founder of Zionism and visited the Yad Vashem holocaust memorial. The pope’s affectionate relationship with Judaism is beyond doubt.

So it was all the more surprising that some Jews would characterise Pope Francis’ prayer in Bethlehem as a betrayal. Canada’s most-read Jewish newspaper, the Jewish Tribune, went as far as calling it “a slap in the face”.

“The pope could not have chosen to insult the Jewish people with any greater gesture.

What an insult to the victims of Nazism. What a mockery of history,” the newspaper wrote.

It is true that to invoke the crimes of the Holocaust in describing the injustices which Israel visits upon Palestinians, as the graffiti reference to the Warsaw ghetto did, is to intrude into a sensitive domain. Whatever the merits of such an allegory, it will be seen by many as incendiary.

Nevertheless, the pope was right to pray there. The separation barrier—high walls in some places; wire fences in others—is not a security measure. If it was, Israel would have built it on its own land in accordance with the internationally recognised boundaries, the so-called Green Line.

The barrier exists to protect the illegal settlements which Israel has been building on illegally occupied land and to redraw the borders in ways that puts control of the most fertile land and access to water in Israeli hands.

The wall and the settlements have made the prospects of a two-state solution, currently favoured by the Vatican, impossible. There is no inherent anti-Judaism in criticising the policies of Zionist expansionism.

The barrier is used to degrade, disempower and dispossess Palestinians, including Christians and even Catholic missionaries, as the Salesians in the Cremisan Valley have found.

The Church in the Holy Land is therefore unequivocal in its robust condemnation of the wall.

How could the pope not express solidarity with the Palestinian people and the local Church?

Pope Francis’ concern is for justice. Our task now is to join him in pursuing the elusive peace in the Holy Land, using prayer as the starting point.

I

N the past, there has been a lot of misunderstanding, confusion and even outright rejection of the Catholic Charismatic Movement.

We believe the movement is being tolerated rather than celebrated. Even our current Pope Francis admitted that he thought the charismatic movement was turning sacred liturgy into a samba dance.

He said: “I repented later when I saw the good that they are doing for the Church and now I favour them.” Viva Pope Francis!

Contrary to what most parishioners and even priests believe, the Charismatic Renewal Movement embraces all the teachings of the Church and is not an enemy or a maverick group in the Church.

Renewal weekend Not infallible

O

VER the weekend of June 1-2 there was a wonderful witness of faith in Rome at the 37th annual Convocation of Renewal in the Holy Spirit.

The theme of the gathering was: “Convert, believe, receive the Holy Spirit”. Would it not be wonderful if all priests were to convert to celebrating Holy Mass daily (with or without a congregation), and that the people would once again believe in the power of the Holy Mass which is always the strength of martyrs.

That all of us may receive the grace to grow in the Spirit of God’s love and understanding which we received at baptism.

This is a dream of an “old” man.

Bishop Edward Adams, emiritus of Oudtshoorn

Start canonisation for Denis Hurley

I

N his letter to the editor (May 14) Mervyn Pollitt hits the nail on the head in calling for the canonisation process of the late Archbishop Denis Hurley to begin.

The call goes out to Mother Church and her servants, the bishops of Southern Africa, to elevate this great leader of the Church to be declared holy.

During his life on earth he strove for justice and peace and he was even prepared to be imprisoned for the cause of justice.

Fighting against the then giant called apartheid with its unjust laws was not everyone’s cup of tea. Denis Eugene Hurley heeded his master’s call of “Follow me” and followed without compromising his faith in God. I believe there will be many witnesses who will testify to Archbishop Hurley’s sanctity.

Walter Peterson, Durban

FEAST OF OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP

JuNE 24th “Mother of Mercy” with solemn celebration of Evening Prayer: Fr Anthony Padua, C.Ss.R. JuNE 25th “Mother of the Poor”:Fr Henry Nwokoro, C.Ss.R. JuNE 26th “Mother of Evangelisation” with feast day celebration of the Eucharist: Fr Bafana Hlatshwayo, C.Ss.R. Petitions and thanksgivings can be put in the box at the back of the church or sent online at www.holyredeemer.co.za

ALL WELCOME

N

OT for the first time has Franko Sokolic made a categorical statement that is incorrect. He states (May 28) of “the Church’s infallible teaching on the deadly sin of contraception”.

For his information and that of some of your readers, Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae, published in 1968, was never proclaimed as infallible. Bishop Butler of Westminster, an expert at Vatican II, warned of the danger of “creeping infallibility”.

Only one papal declaration in the 20th century was proposed and accepted by the Church as infallible, namely Pius XII’s proclamation in 1950 that our Blessed Lady was bodily assumed into heaven.

Some years ago it was reported that John Paul II, who had an idea fixed on contraception (see his Theology of the Body), consulted the then prefect of the Congregation for Doctrine, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI), if he should take Paul VI’s teaching to the level of proclaiming Humane Vitae infallible. The prefect advised against this.

M Bruce, Johannesburg

Beware the Pill

G

ABRIELLA Broccardo (April 9) states that “abortion and contraception are clearly not the same thing” and that the “controversy on abortion has existed for many years”.

She should thus be informed that no medical doctor will deny the following truths.

1. Human life commences at conception (fertilisation), at which time a human being, physically complete in every respect, comes into existence. Thus every abortion destroys this human being, and is morally, although in South Africa not legally, murder.

2. Almost every form of artificial birth control used for contraception is also actually or potentially an abortifacient. The most insidious such form is the “Pill”, used by many Catholics for contraception only, due to ignorance that it often also aborts, undetected, at unpredicted times. See www.epm.org/static/uploads/downloads/bcpill.pdf.

Ms Broccardo’s apparent ignorance of these basic truths is, unfortunately, common to many Catholics, and our churches should thus start to publish them much more widely.

Damian McLeish, Johannesburg

Youthful looks

T

HERE must have been many a Southern Cross reader who would love to know the secret of your youthful looks, Caroline Felix, as shown on the front page of the paper on May 14.

You’ve turned 100 but no ways would we have put you as celebrating a day over your mid-seventies!

We hope that life is treating you well and that you may continue to have good health.

You obviously keep good company, as Fr Ralph de Hahn, pictured with you, has also maintained his youthful looks.

How we loved him coming to chat to us at Springfield when we were sweet sixteen...that is just short of 50 years ago!

Diana Lensen, Somerset West, Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. The letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate.

Letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the Church accurately.

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

MONK?

YES!

JUNE 26TH 2014

TRIDuuM OF PRAyER AT HOLy REDEEMER, Bergvliet Road, Bergvliet.

EACH EVENING AT 19:30

We have been going steadily through the desert for 40 years, despite many obstacles, to eventually enter the Promised Land.

Our prayer is that we will be accepted first by all leaders of the dioceses so that they can spread a positive message of encouragement to the rest of the community. In recognition we thank our spiritual father, Archbishop Stephen Brislin, for his endorsement of the charismatic renewal movement.

Under the leadership of our director Fr Emmanuel Siljeur, we are a committed, disciplined and dedicated community labouring for Christ and his Church.

Our sole reason for existing and exercising our ministry is to bring

people into a living, dynamic, Holy Spirit-filled life and to encounter a personal relationship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

All of us are aware that many of our people have left the Church for the more “charismatic kind of churches”. It is our mission through the Holy Spirit to welcome all people, including the lapsed, the lost, the hurt and the abandoned, back to the Church where they belong.

Christ Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit and mandated us to go, not sit or slumber, but to go and make disciples.

We believe, with cooperation and working together, that the best for the charismatic renewal and the Church as a whole is yet to come.

For when God is for us, who can be against us?

Stephen Selbourne, Cape Town

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PERSPECTIVES

My bit in starting SA Catholic university

O

n January 18, 1993, I found myself at the University of Fort Hare as deputy vice-chancellor. I was in the unusual position of holding three jobs at the same time.

I had taken leave of absence for three years from the University of Zimbabwe; and, by agreement with Fort Hare, the University of Natal was expecting me to take up the post of professor of English from 1994.

By the time I arrived at Fort Hare, I had this strong feeling that there was a need to have a Catholic university in Southern Africa. So in May 1993 I circulated limited copies of a document entitled “Proposal for the Establishment of a Catholic University in Southern Africa”.

I sent the document to a number of Catholic individuals in South Africa, Lesotho, Malawi and Zimbabwe. A number of South African Catholics whom I contacted responded positively to the concept.

With me as convenor, they held two meetings in East London, and constituted what was then called The Planning Group on the Establishment of a Catholic University in Southern Africa (CUSA).

The group included the likes of Professors Derek Henderson and Brian Gaybba from Rhodes University, Professor Sr Edith Raidt from Wits University, Fr (now Archbishop) Buti Tlhagale and a number of others.

Convinced about the importance of the project, the planning group felt that the concept needed to be discussed by a larger group. The result of this was the CUSA symposium held in Johannesburg on January 29, 1994.

The symposium was a turning point for the CUSA project. One of the issues discussed was whether to pursue the idea of a regional university or whether South Africa should go it alone.

The decision was made in a dramatic way. The chairman of the particular ses-

Emmanuel Ngara

sion asked those who wanted South Africa to go it alone to leave the room, whereupon everybody briskly walked out, leaving only three participants in the room: two representatives from Zimbabwe and myself. That was the end of CUSA as a regional university.

The next step was for me as convenor of the planning group to address the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC). The bishops were meeting at what was St Peter’s Seminary in Pretoria, and I was driven there by Fr Tlhagale.

The late Archbishop Denis Hurley was then chancellor of the University of Natal, and it seemed to me that the other bishops respected his opinion on the matter; and so the project got the SACBC’s blessing.

Christian Leadership

F

unding was obviously a critical issue with regard to whether the project was going to take off or not. It was in this regard that one day Professor Raidt, a Schoenstatt nun, asked to meet me. She informed me that her bishop had told her

St Augustine College, South Africa’s only Catholic university.

Can we lead by Facebook?

R ECENT reports on youth science and technology forums have noted the growth and the speed in which technology is developing.

It’s something we are all well aware of and it is generally hailed as a positive sign of progress, but do we take into consideration the impact of technological progress on human relations?

Intergenerational solidarity—standing together across the generations—is one of the family themes for the year and so we can consider technology across three, or even four generations.

For the oldies trying to preserve a presence on Facebook or do some tweeting is hard work, and I don’t believe many of us really enjoy it, though some do. Parents may or may not be comfortable in that domain where the young adults and youth of today are thriving and perfectly at home.

Part of living in almost different worlds is reflected in our attitude towards one another. Have the youth lost respect for their elders, and do they look down on them as they are no longer a fount of wisdom? Is the youth’s way of instant gratification and immediately getting an answer to a question or problem creating a different mentality in them?

Do their elders feel intimidated or even stupid because they have lost their status, and with that, it seems, their power? The commonly recognised disrespect towards parents and even abuse of the elderly could be related to that.

All of us, across the generations, are faced with a need for good and effective leadership to work towards good social integration. I had a little card on my desk for

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A teenager uses a laptop: do technological advances damage intergenerational relations? (Photo: CNS) some time that said: “If you are leading and no one is following, you’re just taking a walk.”

T

he Jesuit Institute’s Winter Living Theology had as its theme this year “The leaders we deserve”. Last month we in South Africa were caught up in many hours of exposure to voting, vote counting, results, victory speeches and comment on who and what gained in popularity.

Leadership is clearly a current topic. But is it about popularity or another, less easily definable quality?

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that he would secure financial support for the project, provided that she was the leader.

I felt Church politics was at play here.

As things developed I found myself eventually resigning from the reconstituted planning committee. At one point I was appointed a member of the International Advisory Committee, but my membership was subsequently withdrawn. To my best knowledge, my name does not feature anywhere in the annals of what came to be called St Augustine College of South Africa.

Of the lessons I have learned from this experience I wish to highlight the following: First and foremost, God calls some of us to be only planters. We should be satisfied that in situations like this, other people will get the glory, while ours is simply to do the will of God by planting the seed, doing the donkey work, and getting the project going.

Second, difficult as it may be at times, we must learn to forgive. It is in this spirit that, as deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Natal, I successfully nominated Prof Raidt for an honorary doctorate of the university.

Third, it seems to me that Church leaders should listen to what Pope Francis calls “mercying”, referring to Matthew 9:13 where Jesus emphasises the importance of showing mercy.

As we drive good projects like St Augustine College, we should be sensitive to how much we can hurt others by insensitively pushing aside those who have made important contributions to the development of such projects.

Toni Rowland

Family Friendly

From a Catholic perspective it is in a sense a matter of evangelisation. “Furthering the spiritual and personal growth of another” must be a form of leadership.

And the basic level where all this first happens is the family.

At an evening workshop on the subject, the audience was invited to name effective leaders. A few interesting observations included “my father” or “my grandmother”.

Servant leadership, the self-giving leadership of Jesus, is ideally experienced and modelled in families.

Africa is a continent of the youth, but is it all good for the youth? Are they being empowered with beliefs and attitudes for the common good?

There is little doubt that a new political party like the Economic Freedom Fighters is responding to the aspiration of the young. They want work, money, a successful future, the latest electronic gadgets and even virtual living. Do their aspirations include a future with a stable marriage, children and a home with parents to bring them up in?

Instilling the values of ubuntu and the way of Christian living can be seen as one of the challenges facing families, but one can lead a horse to water but cannot make it drink. Are we listening, guiding, able to lead one another in the most life-giving direction?

Older generations can lead by example by their own way of life, their lived values and their deep, honest communication—if necessary by means of Facebook or Twitter.

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The Southern Cross, June 11 to June 17, 2014

7

Michael Shackleton

Open door

How are we to read the Bible?

In a homily a priest advised us to read the Bible from the perspective of the Church. I can see this is possible with the New Testament, but how can I relate being a member of the Catholic Church to the practices of the laws and people of the Old Testament? Please help me understand.

SG Blom

W

HEN you, as a member of the Church, read the sacred Scriptures, you are not on your own.

As soon as you begin to read, you must see yourself as an involved member of a community, a people, whose recorded history is in the text right there on the pages before you, a community stretching back into the times of the Jewish people of the Old Testament. As a Christian, you are in fact reading about your own community.

You wonder how you can feel any connection to this ancient community of Jews, God’s chosen people.

Chapter 8 of John’s gospel reveals a fascinating battle of wits between Jesus and the Pharisees who idealised themselves as the real descendants of Abraham. Jesus does not dispute this but tells them: “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day.” St Paul, having become a Christian, says he is a descendant of Abraham (Rom 11:1).

You can immediately gather from these words that there is an important developmental link between Abraham and his descendants and Christ and his Church.

The storyline of the Old Testament books is an account of God’s direct dealings with humanity, the history of monotheism.

Abraham is called by God who promises to make his descendants a great people. Then God makes a covenant with them through Moses.

They will be God’s people and observe his commandments. In time they become a kingdom.

Their kings are not loyal to God, who sends his prophets to warn them to adhere to his laws because a bright future awaits them.

This future contains the assurance of a messiah king, a perfect king descended from David, whose reign will be everlasting. There is a gradual understanding that Christ will come to redeem the people and make a new covenant with them. There is now a continuous forward movement preparing the way for Christ. All the Old Testament’s histories, prophecies, writings and poetry are not perfectly clear until they are synthesised and clarified in Christ and his Church.

So, when reading these, bear in mind that the situations, laws, prophets and setbacks all have a reference to the coming of Christ and his Church.

Look among the texts to discern the plain and the obscure roads that lead to Christ.

n Send your queries to Open Door, Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000; or e-mail: opendoor@scross.co.za; or fax (021) 465 3850. Anonymity can be preserved by arrangement, but questions must be signed, and may be edited for clarity. Only published questions will be answered.

MICASA TOURS

Pilgrimage of Healing to Fatima, Santiago Compostela and Lourdes led by Fr Emil Blaser 10-23 October 2014

Pilgrimage to Ephesus-Turkey and Medjugorje led by Father Andrew Knott of the Shrine of Ngome 25 September-10 October 2014

Camino de Santiago, Classic French Itinerary -Sarrina to Santiago Led by Fr. david Rowles September 2015

Kokstad Pilgrimage to Medjugorje

led by Father Lizo Nontshe 16-30 September 2014

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8

The Southern Cross, June 11 to June 17, 2014

PILGRIMAGE

Chronicle of a pilgrimage

I At Station XV (The Resurrection) of the Via Crucis at San Giovanni Rotondo, the Italian town of St Padre Pio, the pilgrims recite a prayer for Pope Francis’ visit to the Holy Land a few days later.

N May a group of 48 Southern Cross pilgrims from across the country, led by Archbishop Stephen Brislin, president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, travelled to the Holy Land, where they followed in the footsteps of Christ, his Blessed Mother and the Apostles.

They then journeyed to Italy, where they visited San Giovanni Rotondo, place of St Padre Pio’s ministry, Cassino, birthplace of western monasticism, Lanciano, site of the Church’s first recognised Eucharistic miracle, and Rome, where they saw Pope Francis in the flesh and had Mass at the tomb of St Peter.

The photos on this page provide just some of the memorable scenes from this remarkable, prayerful and holy pilgrimage (see also page 9). Unless otherwise noted, all photos are by Günther Simmermacher.

Archbishop Stephen Brislin among the crowds at the general papal audience in St Peter’s Square. As a prelate, he would have had access to the VIP area, but the archbishop opted to stay with the group instead.

Pilgrims take photos of Jerusalem’s Old City from the window of dominus Flevit church on the Mount of Olives (Lk 19:37-44).

Guide Rimon Makhlouf, a Roman Catholic, with the pilgrims in the courtyard of basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

Outdoor Mass at the church of St Peter’s Primacy in Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee, where the risen Christ entrusted the Church to Peter (Jn 21:1-19).

The Southern Cross pilgrims with Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem, who met the group after an address by Bishop William Shomali, auxiliary of Jerusalem, in the pro-cathedral of the Latin Patriarchate. Archbishop Brislin and Southern Cross editor Günther Simmermacher stand next to the patriarch. (Photo: Khristo Asfour)

Archbishop Brislin during the Eucharistic consecration in Lanciano, Italy, site of the first recognised Eucharistic miracle. The flesh and blood of the 8th century miracle are kept in the sanctuary behind the veil.

Among 14 couples who renewed their wedding vows in Cana, site of Jesus’ first miracle, were Roy and dolores Mellim. (Photo: Gail Francke).

Shopping for souvenirs in a shop, owned by Christians, in Bethlehem.

Spotted browsing are May Bradley and Archbishop Brislin, who at the end of the pilgrimage blessed all holy items bought during the journey.

Pilgrim Stephen Selbourne in the Jordan river after the renewal of baptismal vows at the Qasr el-Yahud near Jericho in the West Bank. The site, on the opposite bank of the baptismal site in Jordan which Pope Francis visited, is recognised by the Catholic Church as the authentic place of Jesus’ baptism by his cousin John.

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In the Blessed Sacrament chapel of Jerusalem’s church of the Holy Sepulchre, Archbishop Brislin administers Holy Communion to pilgrim Gail Francke as Brenda Theocharis waits. In the background we see Patrick Langley distribute the Blood of Christ. The chapel is located just a few metres from the tomb of Jesus, the very place of the Resurrection.

PILGRIMAGE

The Southern Cross, June 11 to June 17, 2014

9

A special journey of faith to the Holy Land and Italy In May, 48 Southern Cross pilgrims travelled to the Holy Land and Italy on a pilgrimage led by Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town. GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER shares his impressions.

S

TANDING in the small, lovely church at Shepherds Field, just outside Bethlehem, our group of 48 Southern Cross pilgrims said a prayer for Pope Francis’ visit to the Holy Land the following week.

Throughout our pilgrimage, the situation of the Palestinian Christians, a shrinking community, was very much on our minds. Archbishop Stephen Brislin, the pilgrimage’s spiritual director, repeatedly referred to the importance of solidarity with our fellow Christians who keep burning the flame of our faith in the land of Christ.

Naturally, we included in our prayers the Christians of Palestine, the Living Stones whose presence keeps alive the Ancient Stones. But we also sought to give them concrete signs of our solidarity.

Some of that loyalty was exercised economically. We used a Palestinian Christian tour operator (as all pilgrimage groups should), we stayed in a Bethlehem hotel owned by Christians, we shopped at a Bethlehem store owned by Christians, we lunched in restaurants owned by Christians...

And some of that solidarity found expression in our presence: a Mass (packed on a Friday evening) in the Palestinian parish of St James in Bait Hanina, north Jerusalem, celebrated in Arabic; an encounter with the Catholic Bethlehem University; an unplanned stop at a Palestinian peace centre when our group asked that we stop at Israel’s eight-metre-high wall which encircles Bethlehem…

Just over a week after we looked with shock at this monument to injustice, Pope Francis also made an unscheduled stop at the wall.

The pope ordered his car to stop at a part of the wall which featured graffiti appealing to him to speak out for justice. He then prayed at the wall in the same way as he would later pray at the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site, and at a memorial in Jerusalem for the victims of terrorism.

There is no way of articulating just how much that gesture, and any sign of solidarity, means to Palestinian Christians. Our solidarity is the concrete response to their petition: “Do not forget us.”

We heard that request many times on our pilgrimage. We heard it at Bethlehem University, and we heard it during a special audience with Patriarch Faoud Twal of Jerusalem and his very popular auxiliary, Bishop William Shomali.

And we have heard it, repeatedly, from Pope Francis.

It is our task, as Catholics, to remember the Christians of Palestine in our prayers and to speak out on their behalf to a world that often is deaf to the suffering of Palestinians, and indifferent to that of our brothers and sisters in faith in the region.

in the Holy Land the best guide I have experienced yet. Rimon Makhlouf is not only superbly knowledgeable and possessed of good humour, but as a fellow Latinrite Catholic he could relate to our specific experience of faith.

At the basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Rimon knelt down and led the group in the recital of the Hail Mary as we looked upon the grotto in which the archangel Gabriel is believed to have appeared to the young Mary.

He took us to all the important places of a Holy Land pilgrimage, including archaeological sites, and was able to show why these are important in our understanding of Scripture, bringing to life the Fifth Gospel.

We were fortunate that most times the sites we visited were not particularly crowded, but one place that is always packed is the church of the Holy Sepulchre, and rightly so. There can be no reasonable doubt that this is the real Calvary.

The archaeological and historical record is unimpeachable.

Here one touches the rock on which Our Lord’s cross stood and, all too briefly, enters Christ’s tomb, the very place of the Resurrection.

And here, to remind us of the frailty of the human condition, one jostles with queue jumpers and encounters possibly the rudest cleric in the world, an Orthodox priest of thuggish demeanour who in his commission of guarding the tomb is not beyond humiliating even a nun should she incur his displeasure by some triviality or other.

The preceding paragraphs might convey a mistaken impression that a Holy Land pilgrimage is a stressful journey of commercialism. This it can doubtless be, if one comes lacking in spirit, love and prayer. But armed with these defining tools of the Christian pilgrim, the places of the Holy Land present a unique path into deepening one’s relationship with Our Lord and his Blessed Mother. Even amid crowds and noise, one can find peace there.

T

he charges of faith-sapping commercialism might stick better in Rome than in the Holy Land.

Our group had opportunity to experience this. For example, a guided tour of St Peter’s basilica, rewarding as it is to learn about this magnificent centre of our Catholic faith, can turn into an exercise in cattle tourism.

The morning after our group’s guided tour, we returned for an early morning Mass at the tomb of St Peter in the crypt of the basilica.

The huge church was empty, save for a few groups also coming for Mass. The only noises to be heard were of Eucharistic celebrations at various stages of the liturgy. The air of St Peter’s—oppressive with tourism the previous day—was now thick with faith.

One might also think of San Giovanni Rotondo, the place of Padre Pio’s ministry, as an aggressively commercialised site.

And it is true that it is a place where the local bus company profits from an untenable prohibition on tour buses, where the souvenirs are not cheap but sometimes nasty (some images of St Pio for sale there might frighten little children), where the modern church looks more like a TV preacher’s megatemple than the sanctuaries which the Capuchin knew, and where the extravagantly ornate chapel of the saint’s tomb is as grand in its gilded glory as it is incongruent with the Franciscan call to humility.

But to scratch at the commercial veneer is to reveal a place that is sanctified by prayer and profound faith. And this finds its highest expression in the beautiful Via Crucis in the peaceful wooded area above the town.

Our Stations of the Cross at San Giovanni Rotondo, just a few days after we followed the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, ended at Station XV— the Resurrection—where we again recited the prayer for Pope Francis’ journey to the Holy Land, the actual site of the Resurrection.

N

o pilgrimage can be fruitful if it fails to have at its daily centre the Mass. We were fortunate that our tour operators booked Masses at very special places, and that these were enhanced by the wonderful musical direction of a liturgical music committee that had spontaneously assembled on the first day of the pilgrimage.

We had Mass in the church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, where the story of the Incarnation began; the Wedding church in Cana, where 14 couples renewed their wedding vows (interviewed later by Vatican Radio in Rome, Archbishop Brislin recalled this as a highlight); and at the outdoor amphitheatre of St Peter’s Primacy on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

We had Mass in St Catherine’s church in Bethlehem, from where the Christmas Mass is broadcast throughout the world; at the church of All Nations at Gethsemane, with the Rock of the Agony before us; with the local Catholics in Jerusalem; and in the church of the Holy Sepulchre, just a few metres from the location of the Resurrection, where we prayed for all those who produce, manage, support, distribute, sell and read The Southern Cross.

In Italy we had Masses in the crypt of the basilica of Monte Cassino, where St Benedict launched his order, and with that all

western monasticism; the old church of Santa Maria della Grazie, where Padre Pio first ministered; and the Franciscan church of the Eucharistic miracle in Lanciano, where the Church’s first approved Eucharistic miracle took place.

In Rome we had Mass in the magnificent church of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome, where South African priests Frs Simon Donnelly and Robert Bissell concelebrated; and finally at the tomb of St Peter, where Fr Donnelly arrived early to

Pilgrimage Highlights HOLY LAND: Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Jordan River and much more...

ROME: Papal Audience, Mass in St Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Catacombs, Major Basilicas, Ancient and Baroque Rome...

FLORENCE: Dumo cathedral, Church of the Holy Cross with the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo, Renaissance Florence...

TURIN: Reserved viewing of the Shroud of Turin in the Cathedral of St John the Baptist, plus sites of Don Bosco: Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians...

W

e were blessed to have as our spiritual director Archbishop Brislin, who led the pilgrimage with prayerful humility.

The archbishop clearly loved to be among the people; so much so that at the general papal audience in the Vatican he stayed with the group instead of joining the other dignitaries in the VIP section, as was his right.

We were also fortunate to have

Above: Mass at the church of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome, with Archbishop Stephen Brislin and two South African priests currently based in Rome, Frs Simon donnelly and Robert Bissell.

Below: Patricia direko, Maria Seeta, Sr Mirriam Hans and Jacinta Thupae sing in St Ann Church, Jerusalem, a Crusader church famous for its acoustics. (Photos: Günther Simmermacher)

A pilgrim holds a prayer, composed by Jordanian Father Rifat Bader, for Pope Francis’ pilgrimage to the Holy Land, which the group recited in the church at Shepherds Field near Bethlehem.

protect our booking, lest another group usurp this very special altar.

It was an extraordinary pilgrimage in many ways, especially since we visited the Holy Land just before Pope Francis did, and then saw the Holy Father in the Vatican a few days before his departure. n Günther Simmermacher is the author of The Holy Land Trek: A Pilgrims’ Guide, published by Southern Cross Books. Order at R150 (plus p&p) from books@scross.co.za. See also www.holylandtrek.com

10

The Southern Cross, June 11 to June 17, 2014

FOCUS

Democracy and our youth To mark Youth Day on June 16, PORTIA MTEMBU focuses on what democracy has brought young people, looking particularly at education and human rights

D

EMOCRACY: it’s something to celebrate at any age. But as youth—and as we celebrate June 16, Youth Day–we need to not only take the time to commemorate the triumph of apartheid veterans, but also to invoke awareness of human rights and ensure that South Africans never again endure the abuses imposed on their forefathers.

Catholic education began the fight against a racially discriminatory educational system in the seventies, Evona Rabelo of the Cape Town Catholic Schools Office, told The Southern Cross. Catholic schools were the “first faith-based schools to open their doors to children of colour,” the office said.

“The Church and religious owners of these schools openly defied the apartheid regime and made a huge contribution to the dream of quality education for all.”

Even in today’s democratic society, Catholic education continues to shape educational policy to fit teachings on human rights issues.

“The religious education curricula in both our secondary and primary schools emphasise personal and structural morality processes,” said Ms Rabelo.

The organisation’s inclusivity stretches to involving its educators as well, who through religious education programmes are trained in the social teachings of the Church.

T

he schools office feels that less emphasis has been placed on social justice issues in post-apartheid South Africa but said “the Catholic Institute of Education together with the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office is involved in several cutting edge educational advocacy issues today”.

“The schools are making concerted efforts to prepare their learners to shape a new, more equitable reality for all,” she said.

The schools practise many social justice programmes, including charity and advocacy drives, volunteer

projects, faith-sharing groups and immersion programmes, the schools office said.

“The aim of these programmes is to move the young person from charity to critical reflection and engagement which brings about the change in heart,” the office said.

A number of schools’ learners have also been involved in faithbased marches and placard protests.

“It gives them a sense of empowerment and makes them realise that as young as they are, their voices can be heard; they can and do make a difference in transforming society into a more loving and equitable space for all,” the Catholic Schools Office said.

The relevance of human rights is also seen in tertiary institutions where organisations such as the Association of Catholic Tertiary Students (ACTS) have been influential in standing up for and protecting the rights of all students regardless of their religious denomination.

The association not only has a gender and human rights officer at the national level who legally presents and ensures the protection of students’ rights, but it also participates in several human rights campaigns, Yolisa Moloi, ACTS NMMU treasurer, told The Southern Cross.

“In 2013 all ACTS branches held an anti-rape march which looked into the protection of women, children and the elderly. This year ACTS encouraged students to go and register to vote in order to exercise their rights,” she said.

Since the days of the Soweto uprising, the youth have played an imperative role and continue to speak up and act on inequality.

Asked to elaborate on what they understood by human rights, young people in the Church said the fundamental fact was that humanness is innate in every person and therefore, all human beings are entitled to human rights.

Jessica Dewhurst, a youth ambassador of Edmund Rice International, and Malcom Gertse, a teacher at the Salesian Learn to Live skills school, said they understood human rights to include the 30 basic human rights as declared in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations.

“Often these declarations are a way of saying ‘never again’,” Gregory Solik, a lay youth leader and board member of the Catholic

Eastern Cape young girls at a religious celebration (Photo: Koadi Mathibedi/CNS). Portia Mtembu looks at education, human rights and youth in South Africa.

Leadership Academy said.

Asked whether he exercises his human rights, Mr Gertse said had it not been for apartheid veterans such as Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko, he would be unable to gain access to the social services he now enjoys. “I am humbled by the people who went before me. The legacy they left behind will always inspire me to be the best person and to continue the fight for equal human rights for all,” he said.

Relating her human rights to the protection and promotion of the rights of other people, Ms Dewhurst said: “It is a sad reality that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights isn’t legally binding. However, when we as humans place value on those rights, protect them and fulfil them, then I believe that will be the truest form of achieving those rights.”

T

he young adults shared their experiences from some of the human rights campaigns they have been involved in.

Having volunteered in various

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social justice organisations since 2008, Mr Gertse said: “I have tried to empower, inspire and bring hope to the lives of many people who have been deprived of their basic human needs. Through my experiences I have learnt to be humble and that every human has a story to tell. Most importantly, I have learnt that your present circumstances don’t determine where you want to go in life.”

Ms Dewhurst, who was trained in human rights at the UN, spoke of the importance of becoming duty bearers for those without a voice in society.

“It only takes one person to inspire and equip another into becoming a duty bearer,” she said. “It is human nature to want to care for and love your fellow man and it is important that we offer others the opportunities to do just that.”

Steven Edwards, a LifeTeen coordinator and a former teacher, stressed the importance of always speaking up on human rights in order to alert others to their dignity.

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awareness and linking of Human Rights Day to the fact that we’re created in God’s image with dignity which is explained through the social teachings of our Church,” he said.

In his analysis of post-apartheid South Africa, Mr Solik pointed out the long road ahead of the country.

“The end of apartheid was a significant victory, but like all victories, it is only the beginning of hard work, where restoration, repair, and forgiveness must take place.

“We live in a highly corrupt world where corporations and governments exploit individuals in a way that is inhumane. We can always do more and we should always lament the fact that we have not done enough,” Mr Solik said.

Fr Emil Blaser OP, executive director of Radio Veritas, said there is too much talk around human rights but not enough action. “Racism is still deeply entrenched or covered over,” he said.

Fr Blaser said the station understood human rights to mean “giving to others what is their due”, which came with being responsible. “There needs to be personal conscientisation,” he said. “Officials need to be accountable and ensure that the rights of people are being respected.”

Fr Blaser acknowledged that many areas in the country had improved but felt that the reoccurring strikes were a cause for concern.

“There needs to be a drive for service delivery too,” he said. “The state of our hospitals and government departments is shocking and the service given leaves much to be desired.”

The priest also drew from a personal experience. He recalled seeing his ill mother, who lay in need of attention at a private hospital, without any nurse showing concern.

“Doctors and nurses need to start seeing what they are doing as a vocation and not a job, and officials need to be sensitive to the needs of people and respond to that,” he said. “That is what I believe Jesus did.”

The struggle for equality is one which was fought for long and hard, and although South Africans have become conscious of their human rights, many are still voiceless. It is the duty of every citizen to ensure that all of us can shout at the top of our voices and be heard. n Don’t miss our special Education edition next week.

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The Southern Cross, June 11 to June 17, 2014

CLASSIFIEDS

Centenary of a slain missionary ‘FR HENRY RATERING CMM

I

N January this year, the bishops of Southern Africa held their plenary meeting in Swaziland, to mark the centenary of the presence of the Catholic Church in that country.

1914 is also the year of the tragic death of a missionary who might have contributed greatly to the development of the Catholic mission in Swaziland.

Fr Franz Mayr was born into a farmer’s family in Tyrol, Austria in 1865.

After his ordination he did pastoral work then offered his services to Mariannhill to work among the Zulu people.

His first assignment was St Michael’s mission, but the heavy demands of mission work did not suit him—he was physically frail.

Fr Mayr had mastered both English and Zulu, and was sent to Pietermaritzburg, outside of which he established a Christian village called Maryvale, with schools for children and adults.

In 1900 Fr Mayr, together with the first Zulu priest, Fr Edward Mganga, travelled to Europe to fundraise for the missions.

Fr Mayr had a creative mind, applying himself to the study of anthropology and publishing devotional books in Zulu. He also made recordings of Zulu music, including church hymns, war songs and wedding songs.

In 1909 Fr Mayr was called to work in a new mission, Triashill, in the north of the then-Rhodesia.

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Community Calendar

To place your event, call Claire Allen at 021 465 5007 or e-mail c.allen@scross.co.za (publication subject to space)

CAPE TOWN: Padre Pio: Holy Hour 15:30 every 3rd Sunday of the month at Holy Redeemer parish in Bergvliet.

NELSPRUIT: Adoration of the blessed sacrament at St Peter’s parish. Every Tuesday from 8am to 4:45pm followed by Rosary, divine Mercy prayers, then a Mass/Communion service

at 5:30pm.

JOHANNESBURG: Culture of LIfe Apostolate golf day fundraiser, at Parkview Golf Club, on June 20. Halfway House voucher and dinner included in cost to register.

Please contact Marilyn Cheketri by e-mail at mari lyncheketri@gmail.com or on: 084-461-2592 for information.

St Joseph’s Theological Institute, Cedara

During the short time he was there, he learnt the Shona language and published a Bible and catechism in Shona.

Again he had to move when asked to go back to Europe, to the Netherlands, to teach novices English and Zulu to prepare them for their work on the missions. But the cold and damp did not suit him and he returned to South Africa, offering his services to a new mission in Swaziland that the Servite Order was establishing.

Fr Mayr, together with a fellow Austrian priest, Fr Gratl, arrived in Mbabane in early 1913. A year later, he founded the Bremersdorp St Joseph’s mission.

It was at St Joseph’s in October 1914 that Fr Mayr’s rich life came to a tragic end. He had gone shopping with his donkey cart, and on the way home was robbed and murdered. He was aged 49.

The murderer was caught by local people and handed over to the authorities. While awaiting execution, he was prepared for baptism by Fr Gratl, and baptised the day before his execution, in April 1915.

Our bishops’ anniversaries This week we congratulate: June 11: Bishop Francisco de Gouveia of Oudtshoorn, on his 63rd birthday.

June 13: Bishop Barry Wood of Durban, on his 72nd birthday.

Liturgical Calendar Year A Weekday Cycle Year 2 Sunday, June 15, Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9, Daniel 3:52-55, 2 Corinthians 13:11-13, John 3:16-18 Monday, June 16 1 Kings 21:1-16, Psalm 5:2-3, 4-7, Matthew 5:3842 Tuesday, June 17 1 Kings 21:17-29, Psalm 51:3-6, 11, 16, Matthew 5:43-48 Wednesday, June 18 2 Kings 2:1, 6-14, Psalm 31:20-21, 24, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 Thursday, June 19 Sirach 48:1-14, Psalm 97:1-7, Matthew 6:7-15 Friday, June 20 2 Kings 11:1-4, 9-18, 20, Psalm 132:11-14, 17-18, Matthew 6:19-23 Saturday, June 21, St Aloysius Gonzaga 2 Chronicles 24:17-25, Psalm 89:4-5, 29-34, Matthew 6:24-34 Sunday, June 22, Corpus Christi Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16, Psalm 147:12-15, 1920, 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, John 6:51-58

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BIRTH

BAILEY—To Liam and Lesley-Anne (née Burton), a son, Ben William, brother to Jude. Born May 30, 2014, weight 3,2kg, at Panorama Medi-Clinic. To delighted grandparents Brian and Rhoda, Allan and Zelda. deo Gratias.

DEATH

KNILL—Sr Paula Maria.

Holy Cross Sister. Sr Paula Maria, aged 90, passed away at Holy Cross Convent, Fatima House Retirement Home, Aliwal North, on May 25, 2014. Lovingly remembered by her family circle in Germany, the Holy Cross Sisters and the many people she served in Cala and Mthatha. May she rest in peace!

REINING—Sr Roswitha.

Holy Cross Sister. Sr Roswitha, aged 89, passed away at Holy Cross Convent, Fatima House Retirement Home, Aliwal North, on May 16, 2014. Lovingly remembered by her family circle in Germany and the Holy Cross Sisters. May she rest in peace!

SENDER—Sr Raphaela.

Holy Cross Sister. Sr Raphaela, aged 75, passed away on Ascension Thursday, May 29, 2014, in hospital in Bloemfontein after a brief illness.

Sr Raphaela was a member of Holy Cross Community, Fatima House Retirement Home, Aliwal North. Lovingly remembered by her family circle in Germany, the Holy Cross Sisters and the many people she served in Mthatha and Cala. May she rest in peace!

IN MEMORIAM

CASEY—Kevin. dad, it’s been four years; there’s been many tears; we miss all that was you; and Mommy too. With all our love, Sean, Maureen, donovan, Maryann and Jenny.

PERSONAL

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THANKS

ALMIGHTY God, we thank you for prayers answered. Fill us with the Holy Spirit and the peace of your beloved son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Mary, Mother of Mercy, pray for us. CB, UB, JB & MB. GRATEFUL thanks to our Blessed Mother Mary, Ss Jude, Theresa and Martha for prayers answered.

PHd.

PRAYERS

ALMIGHTY eternal God, source of all compassion, the promise of your mercy and saving help fills our hearts with hope. Hear the cries of the people of Syria; bring healing to those suffering from the violence, and comfort to those mourning the dead. Empower and encourage Syria’s neighbours in their care and welcome for refugees. Convert the hearts of those who have taken up arms, and strengthen the resolve of those committed to peace.

O God of hope and Father of mercy, your Holy Spirit inspires us to look beyond

ON TAPE

A group of readers is preparing audio tapes of excerpts from The Southern Cross for interested people who are blind, sight-impaired, unable to hold a newspaper or illiterate.

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Anyone wanting to receive tapes as part of this service, available for an annual subscription fee of only R50, may contact Mr Len Pothier, 8 The Spinney Retirement Village, Main Rd, Hout Bay, 7806 or phone 021-790 1317.

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ourselves and our own needs. Inspire leaders to choose peace over violence and to seek reconciliation with enemies. Inspire the Church around the world with compassion for the people of Syria, and fill us with hope for a future of peace built on justice for all.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace and Light of the World, who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen. Prayer courtesy of the USCCB. THANKS be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, For all the benefits thou hast won for me, For all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me. O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother, May I know thee more clearly, Love thee more dearly, And follow thee more nearly, For ever and ever.

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FISH HOEK: Self-catering accommodation sleeps 4.

Secure parking. Tel: 021 785 1247.

KNYSNA: Self-catering accommodation for 2 in Old Belvidere with wonderful Lagoon views. 044 387 1052.

KNYSNA: s/c accommodation for 2/3 on dairy farm in gorgeous valley.

Winter special R600. 084 458 8397.

MARIANELLA Guest House, Simon’s Town: “Come experience the peace and beauty of God with us.” Fully equipped with amazing sea views.

Secure parking, ideal for rest and relaxation. Special rates for pensioners and clergy. Malcolm Salida 082 784 5675, mjsalida@gmail.com SEDGEFIELD: Beautiful self-catering garden holiday flat, sleeps four, two bedrooms, open-plan lounge, kitchen, fully equipped. 5min walk to lagoon. Out of season specials. Contact Les or Bernadette 044 343 3242, 082 900 6282.

STELLENBOSCH: Christian Brothers Centre. 14 suites (double/twin beds), some with fridge & microwave, others beside kitchenette & lounge, ecospirituality library.

Countryside vineyard/forest/mountain views/walks; beach 20 minute drive. Affordable. 021 880 0242. www.cbcentre.co.za Email: cbcstel@gmail.com The Southern Cross is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa. Printed by Paarl Coldset (Pty) Ltd, 10 Freedom Way, Milnerton.

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Website: www.scross.co.za Corpus Christi: June 22 Readings: Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16, Psalm 147: 12-15, 19-20, 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, John 6:51-58

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Remember God’s generosity Nicholas King SJ

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EXT Sunday we celebrate the solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ; and the heart of the matter here is nothing else than the astonishing and incomprehensible generosity of God. Our response to this generosity is, quite simply, to “remember”.

In the first reading, we are to imagine the children of Israel on the verge of crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land, after all those years of wandering in the desert after the liberation from Egypt.

And it starts: “You are to remember”; and what are they to remember? “All the way that the Lord your God made you walk, these forty years in the desert.”

The reason was “because of your iniquities, and to test you and know what is in your hearts: to keep his commandments or not”.

Then there is a further reminder of how God “afflicted you and made you hungry and caused you to eat manna, which you and your ancestors had not known, that you might realise that human beings do not live by bread alone, but by everything that comes from the mouth of the Lord”.

So they (and we) are invited to recall the difficult times, but not because “pain is good for you”.

Sunday Reflections

Rather the pain was the price of liberation from slavery, and also the result of their (and our) infidelity. And the fact was that they survived, thanks to God’s generous leadership.

That is what we are to remember this week.

The psalm for the feast-day encourages us to remember, not the painful bits but what God has done for “Zion” and “Jerusalem”, in terms of their security: “He has strengthened the bars of your gates, and blessed your children in your midst, put shalom in your borders.”

Then, in contrast to the desert experience, “he satisfied you”, and not with “manna”, but with the best wheat.

And, above all, we are to remember God’s generosity to this tiny nation, so that “he announced his word to Jacob, and his decrees and commands to Israel”, and then the important point: “God has not acted like this to

other generations…praise the Lord!”

The second reading also employs memory, to solve a problem that the Corinthian church had encountered, namely whether it is permissible for them to eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols.

Basically Paul’s response is that he will do nothing that might hurt fellow-Christians; and he invites them to remember that the “cup of blessing” involves “solidarity with the blood of Christ”, and the “bread we break [is] solidarity with the body of Christ”.

In other words, it all comes back to the generosity of God, the gift of himself even to death; and that is the basis of the unity of Christians, which the Corinthians were so casual about.

We shall do well to heed these words today; we may no longer have that problem, about meat sacrificed to other gods: what is the issue that might tear us apart in the present moment?

Finally, in the gospel reading, we are once more invited to apply our memory to the generosity of God. Here we are towards the end of the long meditation in John’s Gospel on the feeding of the 5 000, and we are invited to go deeper

Patience without limits T

HIRTY years ago, before the airline hijackings of September 11, 2001, before the shoe-bomber and others like him, it was simpler to travel by air.

You didn’t need to take off your shoes to pass through security, you could carry liquids with you, laptops and other electronic devices, if you had any, did not have to be brought out of your carry-on bags, the door to the cockpit wasn’t barricaded with steel, and there was much less paranoia in general about security. You even got to see the pilot occasionally.

I remember such an occasion 30 years ago when I did see the pilot, and heard him engage in conversation with a particular passenger.

It was an early morning flight from Dublin to London in a small, commutertype plane with no business-class section.

I was seated in the aisle-seat in the first row and directly across the aisle from me, in the first row of seats, sat a middle-aged woman who, very soon, made it clear that she had a phobia about flying.

Shortly after we were seated she called the airline attendant over and told her that her family had talked her into taking this flight but that she was terribly frightened and was having second thoughts about staying on the plane.

The attendant gently tried to reassure her that everything was safe; indeed statistically she was safer in the air than on the

Conrad

Contact Ian Veary on 021 447 6334 www.noah.org.za

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

ground. But logic doesn’t so easily quiet a phobia. The woman was reassured for the moment, aided no doubt by the fact that she was sitting 3m from the door which was still wide open and that our plane was, for the moment, obviously not going anywhere.

But she began to be more progressively more panicky after the doors were closed and the plane began to back away from the gate. The airline attendant reappeared to calm her and, for a few moments again, her reassurance worked. The woman grew calm and our plane took its place in the queue of planes waiting to take off.

S

uddenly, the woman broke out in a fullscale anxiety attack, shouting to the airline attendant that she needed to get off the plane. The attendant, having already twice failed to effectively calm her, opened the door to the cockpit to talk to the pilot and, within a minute, the pilot emerged and began to speak to the panicked woman.

He might have been a professional

counsellor, given the patience and empathy with which he treated her. He took her hand and gently gave her reassurances: “It’s okay to feel like this! Lots of people have these fears. You’re perfectly safe here.

I have flown this route countless times in this very airplane; I guarantee it’s safe. Your family will be waiting for you in London, think of how happy they’ll be! And once you’ll have done this, you’ll be free from this fear for the rest of your life. I will personally escort you off the plane in London.”

His words seemed to work a magic, the woman calmed down and nodded to him that she was ready. Yes, she was going to do this. The pilot returned to his seat in the cockpit, and I sat in awe of his patience.

But a phobia is what it is. After several minutes, just as it was our turn to move out for takeoff, the woman went into another anxiety attack, worse than the first.

The airline attendant got up and quickly opened the cockpit door, sharing the situation with the pilot.

The door closed without a word and our plane turned round and slowly taxied back to our gate. Upon arrival, the pilot announced that we had returned to the gate because a passenger was experiencing “an emergency” but that we wouldn’t be too long at the gate.

A jetway bridge came out from the gate and the door of the plane opened. The airline attendant opened the door to the cockpit and I could hear the pilot’s voice clearly. Irritated, angry, sharp in tone, he said to the attendant: “Get her off! Just get her off this plane!”

Gone were his patience, gentleness, warmth, and empathy. He had already tried these, to no avail. The woman had had her chance. It was time to move on: Get her off! Just get her off this plane!

We all sympathised with his loss of patience. We’d run out of patience too. We needed to get on with our trip.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried. He’d just run out of patience, got worn down, had had enough. That’s understandable and forgiveable. He’d had done well, pretty well in fact ... but, in the end, not well enough.

Ultimately he had given in to weariness—and scripture tells us that we must never grow weary of doing what’s right.

Of course, we mostly don’t have the strength to do that. Mostly we do the right thing until our patience runs out, and then it’s: Just get her off this plane!

into the mystery.

The mystery here is the identity of Jesus as God’s ultimate self-gift.

So it is not just a matter of being given bread in the wilderness, but of recognising who Jesus is, “the living bread come down from heaven”, whose effect, on anyone who eats it is that “they will live forever. And the bread that I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world”.

Not that this is easy to understand, and so we listen to the “Judaeans” muttering because they cannot understand what is meant by Jesus “giving us his flesh to eat”.

Jesus does not, however, flinch from it, but emphasises the importance of responding to God’s generosity: “If you don’t eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in you.”

Then it gets strikingly crude: “The one who munches my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life…”

It is all about the generosity of God that we are to remember, over and over again: “This is the bread that came down from heaven, not as your ancestors ate and died”.

We are invited on this feast-day to remember and marvel and to grow in confidence.

Southern Crossword #606

ACROSS 1. Trunk extension (6) 4. Set cap for a view (6) 9. Only God can do it in time (4,3,6) 10. Pensioner who goes to bed (7) 11. Laughter sounds when bells sound (5) 12. Some stratagem made for Italian saint (5) 14. As she moves she shows signs of penance (5) 18. Referring to St Luke (5) 19. Mistake to drop it in the belfry (7) 21. They are invited to address us (5,8) 22. Tolerate to stand (6) 23. Teaching period (6)

DOWN 1. Where communion wafers come from (6) 2. Belief of Christ’s chosen ones (8.5) 3. Trace and provide food (5) 5. Does what Michelangelo did (7) 6. The estimate of a scholarly person (8,5) 7. Tithes adjusted for a believer (6) 8. A valuable heavenly sales item (Mt 13) (5) 13. Computer screen for the senior school-goer (7) 15. Contagious disease before the Exodus (6) 16. Disc opens within range (5) 17. Has come up from what is near (6) 20. Open-mouth at love feast (5)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

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HE tax inspector phones the parish priest in regard to a parishioner’s tax deductions.

“Is there a man named Richard Martin in your parish?” he asks. The priest confirms that there is.

“And do you know this man personally?” the taxman asks. The priests confirms that he does.

“Did he recently make a R50 000 donation to the church?”

The priest confirms: “Yes, he will.”