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S outher n C ross www.scross.co.za

January 24 to January 30, 2018

If you want to lead, always start with ‘why’

Young priest dies in tragic accident

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Keep hope, Brislin tells Gaza Catholics

By JuDiTH SuDiloVSky

E

VEN when a situation is hopeless, people must not lose hope, Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town told parishioners at the Gaza Strip’s only Catholic parish.

Concelebrating Mass at Holy Family parish in Gaza, the president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference encouraged Gazans to hold on to hope, despite the difficult conditions they have lived under for a decade.

Israel has blockaded Gaza since the election of the Hamas-controlled government in 2007.

Egypt also has imposed restrictions at its border crossing.

Archbishop Brislin was in Gaza as part of the annual Holy Land Coordination, in which bishops from North America, Europe and South Africa meet with Israeli and Palestinian groups to promote dialogue and peace. This year the focus is on education and young people, and the importance of education for building peace in the region.

In the occupied West Bank and Israel The bishops met with young Israelis and Palestinians. Canadian Bishop Lionel Gendron noted that young people on both sides want justice and peace.

“They are all looking for a way to achieve that. There is probably more hope for that in Israel than in Palestine. In Israel, they have everything, and the [Palestinians] have practically nothing,” he said.

Archbishop Brislin said speaking to young people from both sides had been a “real eyeopener”.

“Palestinians see a bleak future with a lack of opportunity and very high unemployment rate. I think Israeli young people quite often feel trapped. I don’t think they are happy with the situation, but are in a quandary about what they can do about it. Growing up in Israel must be quite stressful—it is a secure-

ratic state,” he said.

On his third visit to Gaza, the archbishop noticed more movement along the Gaza-Israeli border and more reconstruction since the 2014 war. But he said the people he spoke with expressed more frustration than in the past.

“The young people feel they must decide between staying in Gaza or leaving to find schools and jobs in other parts of the world.

This affects the Christian community. The young people who stay in Gaza are the real heroes. They are willing to sacrifice in order to create families and Christian life in Gaza.”

Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces, New Mexico, expressed concern at the shrinking number of Christians in Gaza, noting that only 130 Catholic parishioners remain. Not long ago, there were 1 700.

Despite the dwindling Christian community, the three Catholic schools do a tremendous job serving as a bridge between the tiny community and the 1,7 million Muslim majority of the Gaza Strip, he said. Most students attending these schools are Muslim.

“They create a bridge of understanding between Christians and Muslims, teaching a Catholic world view and the dignity of the human person, which is so important,” said Bishop Cantu.

The perseverance of the Christian community in Gaza, with its Christian tradition as the place where the Holy Family passed through on their way to Egypt, is an imperative, said Archbishop Brislin, whose archdiocese is dedicated to the Flight Into Egypt.

He called for new job opportunities, new skills and cultural projects for young people.

“Basically, people are imprisoned {by the Israeli blockade]. It can feel very claustrophobic...for young people with a lot of dreams and hopes and potentials. And these potentials are broken because of the lack of opportunities.”

Archbishop Stephen Brislin greets a boy after concelebrating Mass at Holy Family church in the Gaza Strip. (Photo: Marcin Mazur, Bishops' Conference of England and Wales)

What will happen on 2018 Daswa feast

T Bl Benedict Daswa, who was martyred on February 2, 1990. He was beatified—the final step before canonised sainthood—in September 2015.

HE theme for this year’s feast of Bl Benedict Daswa is “Called to be Jesus’ disciples like Bl Benedict Daswa”.

The celebrations of the feast day will take place on February 1 at Tshitanini Village near Ṱhohoyandou, the site where the 2015 beatification took place and where the future shrine and pilgrimage centre will be located.

Prior to the feast day, a novena is running from January 23-31. The novena booklet is available online in various languages from the official Benedict Daswa website (www.benedict daswa.org.za).

The Vatican’s Congregation for Worship and Sacraments has officially approved proper liturgical texts for the feast’s Mass and the

Liturgy of the Hours.

The celebrations will begin on January 31 from 16:00 to 18:00 with a period of silent adoration, prayer, and reflection in the church of Our Lady of Fatima at Shayandima, an outstation of Thohoyandou parish.

This period of immediate preparation is intended as a time of grace, reconciliation, and healing. In the church, people will be encouraged to spend time in silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and prayerful reflection for examination of their conscience. Priests will be available for confession.

After confession, participants will be encouraged to spend some quiet time in thanksgiving in front of the Blessed Sacrament,

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thanking Bl Benedict for the example of his holy life and asking for his prayers and help in living more faithfully as Jesus’ disciples. The exposition will close with Benediction.

On the feast day at Tshitanini Village, there is opportunity for the veneration of Bl Benedict’s relics from 7:00 to 9:00. During those two hours, priests will be available for confession. At 8:15 laity will lead the Rosary (The Luminous Mysteries). From 9:00 to 11:00 Bishop Joao Rodrigues of Tzaneen will preside over the feast day Mass, followed by the veneration of the relics of Bl Benedict in procession.

Those who are unable to attend the celebrations are encouraged to celebrate the feast in their parishes.

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The Southern Cross, January 24 to January 30, 2018

Prepping young couples

By ERiN CARElSE

C

ATHOLIC Engaged Encounter (CEE), an international programme aimed at equipping couples for marriage, has started its 2018 weekend programmes.

Marriage preparation is compulsory for couples in the Church, and the Engaged Encounter weekend, a live-in experience, allows couples to spend time together to concentrate on each other and their future marriage relationship free from the tensions, pressures and interruptions of daily life and wedding preparations.

It is presented by two Catholic couples and a priest. Couples of other faiths are welcome.

Presenters cover topics such as money, children, sex, family, religion and friends, and also present the Church’s teachings.

Through a series of presentations based on the lived experiences of

the team, engaged couples are exposed to relevant issues and encouraged to reflect on and then discuss these privately from the perspective of their own unique relationship.

This couple-sharing is considered the central part of the weekend.

The Southern African region of the CEE is coordinated by Bridgette and Kabelo Senne with Fr Patrick Rakeketsi CSS, associate general-secretary at the South African Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

The bishops have endorsed CEE as the best way of implementing Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on marriage and family life, Amoris Laetitia.

The dates for February are: Durban February 23-25, Cape Town February 24-25, Johannesburg February 24-25. The CEE programme is run throughout the year. n For more information, visit www. engagedencounters.co.za

LOCAL

Talented young priest dies in motor collision with bus

By ERiN CARElSE

A

PRIEST known for his work with the youth of Bethlehem diocese died after a collision with a bus.

Fr Lerato Aaron Mokoena of Bethlehem, who had been a priest for just a year-and-half, died on January 15.

He was born and raised in Phuthaditjhaba, QwaQwa, and attended school there. He completed his theological studies at St John Vianney Major Seminary and was ordained to the diaconate on December 21, 2015, at Holy Ghost cathedral in Bethlehem by Bishop Jan de Groef.

He was ordained to the priesthood on July 15, 2016, and was appointed with Fr Mokhesi Mokhesi Four new Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood made their final profession at a Mass concelebrated by Fr Gordon Rees, national director of Missio SACBC, and Fr yves la Fontaine CMM, with the ixopo choir accompanying the service.

Sr Rose Maria Nene will work at Mariannhill, Sr Mary Samuel Mnyaluza in Eastern Cape, and Srs Michaela Fortunate kapfunde and Clementine Persuade in Zimbabwe. After the Mass the new Sisters and the congregation enjoyed a festive meal at Sacred Heart Convent.

(Submitted by Sr Margaret von ohr CPS)

Southern Cross historian dies suddenly

A

MEMORIAL service was held for the writer of history articles recently published in The Southern Cross, who died suddenly while in Mexico.

The service for Martin Keenan, who died at 67, was held on January 19 at St Augustine’s parish in Paarl.

Mr Keenan’s articles on the early Church in the Cape had appeared in The Southern Cross over the past few months.

He had left for Mexico in late October and was due to return to South Africa on January 16. Before leaving, he told Southern Cross editor GĂźnther Simmermacher that he would be “incommunicadoâ€? during that period.

While he died several weeks ago, news of his passing did not reach his friends in South Africa until mid-January.

Mr Simmermacher said that The

Church historian Martin keenan, who died suddenly in Mexico.

Southern Cross still has a couple of Mr Keenan’s articles in hand, which will be published in due course in the lead-up to the bicentennial cel-

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ebrations of the Church in South Africa in June. “Martin still had more ideas for articles,� Mr Simmermacher said. “Sadly, a lot of the knowledge he collected will now go unpublished.�

Mr Keenan was a retired lawyer. “He was a prayerful man of deep faith; at our last meeting, when we heard the bells of the cathedral strike for noon, he suggested that we pray the Angelus,� Mr Simmermacher recalled. “Martin was an argumentative man who nevertheless bore no grudges against his adversaries— once in an e-mail he criticised my editorship in quite strong terms, and then added, ‘Nothing personal, of course’. So even in opposing trenches, we remained on good terms,� Mr Simmermacher recalled. “He was a man who could be at once stubborn and reasonable, and one capable of good humour.�

Feb 1 Mass to stand up against abortion law

By ERiN CARElSE

T

HE Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO) will host a Mass to mark the 21st anniversary of the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act, which legalised abortion, and to pray for a change of heart of all who disregard the rights of unborn children.

The Mass, open to all, will be celebrated in Cape Town’s St Mary’s cathedral, opposite parliament, on February 1 at 13:10.

CPLO director Fr Peter-John Pearson said it is clear that as long as we perpetuate the violence and disrespect for human life that is part of abortion logic, we will never be able to build a culture of respect for human life in any other sphere.

Lois Law, researcher at the CPLO,

in a report in February 2017, explained that the Act allows for the termination of the pregnancy of any female person at her request and with her consent. Consent from any other person, including the father of the child, is not required.

In terms of the Children’s Act 38 of 2005, girls of 12 years and older who wish to have an abortion are urged to seek the guidance of their parents or caregivers, but this is not required for abortion.

Teenage pregnancy, rape, incest and sexual abuse, which may result in crisis pregnancies, all characterise South Africa today, Ms Law said.

But while these are major challenges, recourse to abortion does nothing to address the causes of these problems in the long term.

Every year a priests’ lunch for the Pietermaritzburg and Vulindlela deanery is held at St Mary’s parish in Maritzburg. The Catholic Women’s league prepares a three-course meal, with parishioner Heather lawson. The meat and vegetables are donated by various outlets and this is organised by Julius Reed. The lunch offers 25-30 priests the chance to relax and catch up with each other. (Submitted by leigh Wooldridge)

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at St Martin de Porres parish in Phuthaditjhaba where they worked very well together.

Bishop de Groef spoke fondly of Fr Mokoena. “He was very gifted when it came to music and also worked very well with youth in the diocese of Bethlehem,� the bishop told The Southern Cross. “There is already such a small body of priests—we have so few in number—and then to have such a young priest who was gifted by God with a special charisma and energy pass away is a great loss.�

A memorial Mass took place on January 19 at St Martin de Porres in Phuthaditjhaba, and the Requiem Mass on January 22 at John Paul II Centre in Bethlehem.

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The Southern Cross, January 24 to January 30, 2018

3

Old boy takes reins at school SA-US conference

D

E La Salle Holy Cross College Junior School in Victory Park, Johannesburg, has a new principal—and he is an old boy of the school.

Neil Berndsen has taken up the position as headmaster this month.

Mr Berndsen completed his psychology and teaching degrees at the universities of Johannesburg and Unisa. He has had experience teaching in Britain across a broad spectrum of schools. He taught academic subjects including English, mathematics, social sciences, life orientation and physical education.

While at Unity College in Johannesburg (2004-06), he was responsible for the pastoral care of the boys and implemented individual academic progression plans for each learner.

Mr Berndsen and his family moved to the Natal Midlands in 2009 in order for him to teach at Cowan House Preparatory School,

Neil Berndsen, the new De la Salle Holy Cross College Junior School headmaster, with his wife Catherine, son David, and daughters Taylor (right) and lisa (left).

which is a feeder school for Michaelhouse and Hilton College.

In 2015 he assumed the position of deputy headmaster and was responsible for the academic programme, discipline, pastoral care and implementing the school’s strategic plans. Until the end of 2017, he was acting headmaster of Cowan House.

“As a past pupil and past staff member of De La Salle Holy Cross

College, what a privilege it is for my family and me to return to a school and a community that has been such a special part of our lives for so long,” Mr Berndsen said.

“Although I have thoroughly enjoyed the schools and the people I have been associated with in the KZN Midlands for the last ten years, it is an honour to be returning as headmaster of the junior school.”

Reflections for Lent now available

T

HE Jesuit Institute has again produced a book of daily reflections to help Catholics journey through Lent well.

Titled The Long Journey to the Resurrection, the reflections were written

by Fr Nicholas King SJ, a long-standing columnist of The Southern Cross, and Dr Annemarie Paulin-Campbell of the Jesuit Institute.

The reflections are available as a book, audiobook, or daily WhatsApp message, and are based on the readings of the day. There are also aids to personal reflection and prayer.

The text covers from Ash Wednesday (February 14) to the 2nd Sunday of Easter, the feast of Divine Mercy (April 8).

The book and audiobook cost

R100 each (plus p&p). The daily WhatsApp subscription costs R80.

For children, there is a book entitled Jesus My Friend, A Book of Lenten Reflections for Children by Paulina French. The book and audiobook (read by children) cost R80 each (plus p&p). n To place orders, please contact admin@jesuitinstitute.org.za

to look at religion and racial justice A UNITED States university will join up with South African bodies for an ecumenical conference on religion and racial justice in South Africa and the US. The Jesuit Institute South Africa, Fordham University’s Department of Theology in New York, and the University of Pretoria’s Centre for Contextual Ministry will hold a comparative, ecumenical conference on religion and racial justice in the two countries from August 12-15.

Fr Russell Pollitt SJ, director of the Jesuit Institute, said that the histories of both nations are marked—and indeed marred—by persistent injustice, inequality, brutality, and hatred on the basis of race.

“While in recent decades both the United States and South Africa have seen moments that have appeared to presage reconciliation—including the emergence of democracy in South Africa and the election of the first African-American president in the US—in the last few years the pace of progress appears to have stalled, if not reversed course,” he said.

The conference will bring together US and South African theologians across denominations, representing various racial and cultural contexts, with a range of theologies and methodologies.

In addition to formal sessions, the conference will involve dialogue and engagement with various sectors of South African society, as well as visits to sites important to the history of South Africa, especially the struggle for democracy.

The keynote address will be delivered by Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba of Cape Town.

“We want to explore from a range of theological perspectives the contribution of religion, particularly the dominant Christian traditions of both countries, both to the persistence of racial injustice and to the possibilities for repentance and healing,” said Prof Patrick J Hornbeck, chair of theology at Fordham.

“A constituent part of racial justice, and interconnected with it, is racial healing. Exploring racial justice demands too that we take cognisance of the intersectional nature of race, class, gender and other exclusionary injustices and wounds.”

The Jesuit Institute is inviting submissions of abstracts of no more than 200 words, including the title of proposed contributions and institutional affiliation. n E-mail abstracts to racialjustice@ jesuitinstitute.org.za by January 31.

Participants will be notified of the acceptance of their papers by February 15.

Deadline closing for Marian shrine design contest

By ERiN CARElSE

T

IME is running out for Catholics in the Johannesburg archdiocese to take part in the Mother of Mercy Marian Shrine slogan, logo and statue design contest.

The project committee has extended the deadline to January 31 and is inviting Catholics to submit an original drawing or logo design in accordance with the theme “Mary Mother of Mercy”.

The competition is open to all who live in Johannesburg.

Specifications for the logo require that the design be simple, attractive and easily identifiable.

The design must depict something of relevance or authentic to the Johannesburg archdiocese and should be restricted to about four principal colours. The design may also be done in an abstract form so long as it is understandable and not too complicated.

The statue design needs to be easily identified with Johannesburg and the colour should reflect the colour(s) of Our Lady.

A short sentence which could symbolise devotion to Mary Mother of Mercy must be included and the slogan, not exceeding ten words, must be written at the bottom of the sheet used for the logo.

Designs must be hand-drawn and submitted on A4-sized papers.

Three different prizes will be

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Fr S’milo Mngadi addresses the audience at the Gauteng launch of his book Collared & Content at Anelisa Café. Next week, Fr Mngadi, who serves as parish priest at St Albert’s in Vosloorus and presents a popular show on Radio Veritas, will begin his new column in The Southern Cross. (Photo: Simangaliso Magudulela)

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awarded for the logo, the slogan, and the statue selected.

Contestants must provide their names, surnames, dates of birth, contact numbers or e-mail addresses.

Address entries to the Office of Evangelisation, Catholic Archdiocese of Johannesburg, Private Bag X10, Doornfontein, 2028 by January 31, e-mail to evangel.hod@ catholicjhb.org.za or drop off at the chancery office at 186 Nugget Street in Doornfontein.

The winners will be chosen by the shrine project committee. The following criteria will be used: relevance to the theme “Mary Mother of Mercy”; how well the submission reflects the Johannesburg archdiocese; and creativity and originality.

Winners will be announced on March 3 on the first Saturday of the Marian pilgrimage at the Mother of Mercy Shrine in Magaliesburg. n Visit www.catholicjhb.org.za/ mother-of-mercy-logo-competition.

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The Southern Cross, January 24 to January 30, 2018

INTERNATIONAL Dolores o’Riordan, the singer of irish rock group The Cranberries who dioed suddenly at the age of 46, has been described as a woman of soul and courage by Bishop Brendan leahy of limerick. it was in his duiocese’s Catholic schools where the singer honed her musical talent in the 1980s. The death of the mother of three, who once met St John Paul ii, “is such a sad loss of a young and precious life”, the bishop said.

(Photo:CNS)

German bishops: Bless gay unions?

T

HE vice-president of the German bishops’ conference has urged a debate on whether Catholic clergy should bless samesex unions.

“I’m concerned with fundamental questions of how we deal with each other; although ‘marriage for all’ differs clearly from the Church’s concept of marriage, it’s now a political reality,” said Bishop Franz-Josef Bode of Osnabrück.

“We have to ask ourselves how we’re encountering those who form such relationships and are also involved in the Church, how we’re accompanying them pastorally and liturgically.”

The first gay weddings were conducted in Germany following a June 30 vote by the parliament to allow full same-sex marriage.

“Same-sex relationships are generally classified as a grave sin in the Church, but we need to think how we can differentiate,” Bishop Bode said in an interview with the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung daily newspaper.

“Shouldn’t we be fairer, given that there is much that’s positive, good and right in this? Should we not, for example, consider a blessing—something not to be confused with a wedding ceremony?”

He said the Church should discuss same-sex unions in more detail and recognise “silence and taboo” settles nothing.

Canons 1055-57 of the Church’s Code of Canon Law de-

Two same-sex partners exchange wedding rings during a 2017 ceremony at the civil registry office in Munich. German bishops may start duscussions about whether such unions can be blessed in church (Photo: Marc Müller, EPA/ CNS) fine marriage as an indissoluble union between a man and woman.

The June vote to allow same-sex marriage was condemned by German Church leaders, including Archbishop Heiner Koch of Berlin, chairman of the Church’s Marriage and Family Commission, who said in a statement that same-sex cohabitation could be “valued through other institutional arrangements”.

However, it was approved by the country’s Protestant Church. Some lay Catholic groups, including the We Are Church organisation, have called for same-sex couples to be offered Church blessings.

In May 2015, the German Church amended its employment rules to permit lay staffers to keep their jobs after they were divorced and remarried without an annulment or if they formed a gay union.

In his interview, Bishop Bode also said he believed fuller use should be made of lay “pastoral coordinators” to make up for a shortage of ordained clergy.

He added that women should be taking on “leadership roles in the churches”, and called for a Vatican commission currently considering women deacons to expand its work.

“This commission is very much exploring tradition, but I think we shouldn’t just start there,” the bishops’ conference vice-president said.

“We must face the fact that women are doing much responsible work in the Church today. I’d like to see a conversation between experts and competent bishops— and as much contact as possible with the group dealing with these issues in Rome. This question will ultimately have to be decided by a council or synod.”

Twenty-six countries, including South Africa, have legalised samesex marriage.—CNS

These are the most anti-Christian countries

By CouRTNEy GRoGAN

T

HERE are more than 215 million persecuted Christians worldwide, according to the 2018 World Watch List, Open Doors’ annual ranking of the 50 worst countries for violence against and persecution of Christians.

The report found that one in 12 Christians worldwide are victims of violent persecution. Open Doors cites the spread of radical Islam and increasing religious nationalism as the two major drivers of global Christian persecution.

North Korea tops the list of worst offenders, as it has for the past 16 years. Although the communist North Korean government claims to provide freedom of religion in its constitution, no one can be openly Christian within the atheist state without facing arrest, re-education in a labour camp or, in some cases, execution.

Despite the danger, Open Doors finds that there has been tremendous growth in underground Christianity in North Korea in the last two decades. The report estimates that there might be up to 300 000 Christians living clandestinely in North Korea.

Afghanistan comes in a close second in this year’s World Watch List ranking. Afghan citizens in the 99% Muslim country are banned from becoming Christian. Underground Christians in Afghanistan have been killed by their own family members, who viewed Christian conversion as a shameful apostasy.

Islamic militancy has been on the rise in Somalia, where Christians, if discovered, are often martyred.

Christians in Egypt, Libya and Kazakhstan have also experienced increased persecution since last year’s report, as have Christians in India by Hindu nationalists.

Pakistani Christians experienced the most documented violence, according to the report. Islamic militants in Pakistan specifically target Christians. A suicide bomb on Easter Sunday 2016 killed 74 people and injured hundreds more.

In addition to the spread of radical Islam, the report identified a rise in religious nationalism and intense persecution in central Asia as major trends in the persecution of Christians. Hindu nationalism has increased in India and Nepal, as has Buddhist nationalism in Burma and Sri Lanka. And persecution of Christians in central Asian nations, including Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan, is intensifying under nationalist, pro-Islamic governments.

Also included on the list were Mexico and Colombia, where organised crime and corruption were cited as the source of Christian persecution.

Open Doors documented that 3 066 Christians were killed; 1 252 were abducted; 1 020 were raped or sexually harassed; and 793 churches were attacked within the reporting period for the 2018 World Watch List.—The full report is available at www.bit.ly/2ATFQhu—CNA

The Southern Cross, January 24 to January 30, 2018

INTERNATIONAL

Amoris Laetitia ‘calls for new pastoral plan’

By CARol GlATZ

D

IFFICULTIES in embracing Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation on the family, probably are tied to difficulties in accepting its new attitude and approach to providing pastoral care, said Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

“Amoris Laetitia flowed from a new paradigm that Pope Francis is pursuing with wisdom, with prudence and with patience,” the Vatican secretary of state said in an interview with Vatican News.

“Probably the difficulties that arose and still exist in the Church, beyond some points of view on the content, are due to precisely this change in attitude that the pope is asking of us—a change in paradigm, inherent in the text, that is asked of us, this new spirit, this new approach,” he said.

“So, clearly, every change always entails difficulties, but these difficulties are to be prepared for and are to be faced with dedication in order to find responses that may become opportunities for further growth, greater study,” he said.

As Vatican secretary of state, the Italian cardinal is Pope Francis’ top aide both for internal Church matters as well as for relations with governments and international organisations. He also serves on the nine-member Council of Cardinals that advises the pope on Church governance and the reform of the Roman curia.

When asked about the ongoing

reform of the curia, Cardinal Parolin said the process of change again has less to do with external, “structural” changes and more to do with an internal call for “conversion”.

Reform is not just a series of new laws, rules and appointments as much as it is about the kind of “deep spirit that must animate every reform of the curia”, he said.

Every Christian’s life must be a life of conversion, he said, and curia members, too, should always be removing “those shadows that may hinder this commitment and this mission” of the Church so that they may “become a real help to the pope in proclaiming the Gospel, for witnessing the Gospel, for evangelising today’s world”.

What’s most innovative in the pope’s new approach, Cardinal Parolin said, can be seen in how the Church is reaching out to youth in preparation for this year’s Synod of Bishops on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.

The approach, which emphasises personal responsibility over a more paternalistic style, he said, is similar to what John F Kennedy said at his inaugural address in 1961: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”, but applying it to what young people can do for the Church.

“The pope and the Church ask young people what they can do for the Church, what contribution they can make to the Gospel, to spreading the Gospel today,” he said.— CNS

Pope Francis in Chile: Forgive us for abuse

By JuNNo ARoCHo ESTEVES

P

OPE Francis, in his first formal speech in Chile, asked forgiveness from those who were sexually abused by priests.

Addressing government authorities and members of the country’s diplomatic corps, the pope expressed his “pain and shame at the irreparable damage caused to children by some ministers of the Church”.

“I am one with my brother bishops, for it is right to ask for forgiveness and make every effort to support the victims, even as we commit ourselves to ensure that such things do not happen again,” he said.

Preparations for Pope Francis’ visit to Chile were overshadowed by continuing controversy over the pope’s decision in 2015 to give a diocese to a bishop accused of turning a blind eye to the abuse perpetrated by a notorious priest.

The pope’s appointment of Bishop Juan Barros as head of the diocese of Osorno sparked several protests—most notably at the bishop’s installation Mass—due to the bishop’s connection to Fr Fernando Karadima, his former mentor. Fr Karadima was sentenced to a life of prayer and penance by the Vatican after he was found guilty of sexually abusing boys.

Survivors of abuse and their supporters planned a conference and protests around the pope’s arrival.

Pope Francis walks with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet after arriving for a meeting with government authorities, members of civil society and the diplomatic corps in Santiago, Chile. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) But Pope Francis made his way to La Moneda, the presidential palace, and was welcomed by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet. Thousands were gathered in the square outside the palace, chanting “Francisco, amigo, Chile esta contigo” (“Francis, friend, Chile is with you”).

Despite the jovial atmosphere outside La Moneda, there were serious signs of protest in Santiago.

Chilean media reported vandalism at the Divine Providence parish, not far from O’Higgins Park, where the pope was to celebrate Mass later in the morning.

Vandals spray painted the words “complice” (“accomplice”) and “papa arde” (“burn, pope”) on the facade of the church below a banner welcoming Pope Francis.

Three days earlier, several Chilean churches were firebombed, and police found other, unexploded devices at two other churches in Santiago. Some of the pamphlets included the phrase, “The next bombs will be in your cassock” and spoke of the cause of the Mapuche indigenous group.— CNS n Full round-up of Pope Francis’ visit to Chile and Peru next week.

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ATHOLICS in Belgium are concerned the country’s euthanasia law is being abused to kill patients without legal checks and safeguards.

Auxiliary Bishop Jean Kockerols of Mechelen-Brussels said “not just the Church’s hierarchy, but doctors and medical professionals as well” were concerned.

The Belgian Church’s Cathobel news agency published an article saying the Federal Euthanasia Control and Evaluation Commission violated its statutes by failing to refer suspected legal abuses for investigation.

The federal euthanasia commission, headed by Dr Wim Distelmans, a euthanasia practitioner, is required to verify that euthanasia deaths follow procedures written into the law, referring suspected violations within two months to a state prosecutor.

“It’s shocking that, 15 years since its creation, this commission has not referred a single file to prosecutors or condemned a single doctor,” the Catholic report said.

“It is acting as judge and jury,

and not fulfilling its role. It isn’t broadening application of the law, but violating it.”

Bishop Kockerols said that the Church had long been aware the commission was “not working as it should”. He said the bishops would support any investigation into its activities or “any steps to ensure it functions as it’s supposed to”.

“We’re against euthanasia in every form, and the Church’s official position is well known,” he said.

In its report, Cathobel said a commission member had recently resigned when the case of a dementia patient, killed without consent, was not referred to prosecutors.

It added that the commission had failed to refer complaints by the family of a 38-year autism sufferer, when she was killed by request without required documentation after ending a love affair.

Euthanasia and assisted dying were legalised in traditionally Catholic Belgium in 2002, and euthanasia deaths are increasing by 27% annually, according to health ministry data. —CNS

OPEN DAY 17 FEBRUARY 2018

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Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service Rome bureau chief, and Joshua McElwee, Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, talk to Pope Francis about their book, A Pope Francis Lexicon, during a flight The book contains 54 essays by cardinals, bishops, theologians, women and men religious and professional writers describing the impact Pope francis has had. (Photo: l’osservatore Romano/CNS)

5

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The Southern Cross, January 24 to January 30, 2018

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: GĂźnther Simmermacher

Fake news: don’t lie

T

HE eighth Commandment admonishes us not to bear false witness—but the sin of lying is becoming more and more easy to commit as our access to means of communications increases.

When we spread fake news on social media, blogs or e-mail, we make ourselves complicit in the act of bearing false witness, knowingly or unknowingly.

Of course, fake news is not a new phenomenon. Disinformation and propaganda are age-old strategies in the games for power and influence. Invariably, they are at the root of wars and violence—and of genocide, as the histories of places like Nazi Germany, Rwanda or Cambodia teach.

But in the past, fake news was the reserved domain for political leaders, writers and news media.

Today, anybody with Internet access can produce disinformation— in order to manipulate public sentiment, to “satirise� current affairs, or just to accumulate clicks— and circulate it under a banner of implied credibility. And their mischief is then distributed by other users of the Internet.

Combined with an increasing distrust of traditional media, especially in the West, the spread of fake news is creating uncertainty among many people about which items they read are true and which aren’t.

The danger we face is that discernment is abandoned and people will believe only what they want to believe—and often what they want to believe is what confirms their own preconceptions (and prejudices).

The term “fake news� is itself already meaningless as politicians freely direct it at traditional media which report on their transgressions.

Of course, the news media are not exempt from criticism; many are openly biased and some— such as Fox News in the US or the Daily Mail in Britain—blatantly entertain a hostile relationship with the truth. But not all news one disagrees with is made up.

When one indiscriminately calls demonstrably fact-based coverage “fake news�, one attacks the truth.

But this is where it can become confusing, because disinformation derives the essential veneer of credibility by incorporating facts in its web of lies.

This is how it works: The fake news practitioner has an idea to

fabricate a truthless article that populist leader Julius Malema has called for the extermination of white people. Since Mr Malema has a history of making inflammatory statements about white people, there will be those who think that such an absurd claim is plausible, especially if it confirms their preconceptions about Mr Malema.

By adding reasonable details of the context in which Mr Malema made that supposed remark—a place, a time, an audience—the deception gains further credibility.

In the sincere belief that Mr Malema actually called for genocide, social media users then share the fake news item. They have been tricked into circulating a lie.

The effects of spreading such fake news are almost always injurious. Their purpose often is to fan the flames of fear and prejudice.

People of faith who are guided by the Commandments, and all people of goodwill, cannot tolerate fake news. Those who spread untrue content are complicit in lying, whether they share these lies deliberately or unknowingly.

When they do so innocently, they must be aware of that.

There are techniques of media literacy which all consumers of media and users of the Internet should master.

Firstly, be incredulous. If a report makes a big claim, be suspicious and research whether credible news sites have covered that news in a slightly different way. If only one source reports that Zuma has been jailed, or the pope has praised the devil, or cancer has been cured, then it’s probably fake.

Check if the article is from a “satire� of fake news site dressed up as a news organ. Does it provide credible sources? Is the writing style professional?

If in doubt, use myth-busting sites like Snopes.com to confirm whether a story has already been flagged as fake, or confirmed as true.

Secondly, be discerning. If a headline rouses you to anger or fear, calm down and employ the steps above. If the story is true, there’s still time to get angry or fearful.

As we celebrate the feast of St Francis de Sales, patron of writers and journalists, on the publication date of this issue, let us pray for the facility of discernment in the face of information overload.

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.

Pray for Irish abortion referendum

I

RELAND’S Constitution has a single sentence known as the Eighth Amendment. It reads: “The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws, to respect, and as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.�

This means, in practice, that if the life of an expectant mother is in danger, everything is done to save the life of the mother, and the collateral damage that may eventuate

Women in Chuch still ‘second-class’

O

N seeing the front-page headline “Church stands with women� (December 27), I read on in great anticipation, hoping that the many criticisms of the second-class treatment of women in our Church had actually been recognised, borne fruit, and been addressed by the powers-that-be.

What a disappointment to once again understand that the Justice & Peace Commission of our Catholic bishops’ conference is seemingly unconcerned about the injustices suffered by our women at the hands of our patriarchal system.

Perhaps bishops, being celibate, do not realise that there will never be “peace in the home� until women enjoy equal rights as granted to them

by God—and denied them by our Church hierarchy!

Women are the backbone of our Church, yet they are denied their rightful position in our “‘family� because our bishops obstinately refuse to remove “the social and cultural barriers that prevent women and girls from achieving their full potential�, as quoted in the article.

By not respecting their rights, the Church actually denigrates them, and this can lead to more general disrespect—and possibly even to the more heinous abuses discussed in the article.

How can our bishops’ stance against abuse of women be taken seriously when they actively practise the scandal of “silent violence� against women in the Church?

Would Jesus not have described this attitude in the same terms he used against the Pharisees?

Geoff Harris, Rooiels, Western Cape

What is purpose of ‘black Jesus’?

R

ESPONDING to GĂźnther Simmermacher’s article “Was Jesus black?â€? (January 3), anyone halfway intelligent would know that Jesus looked like a typical Middle

in the loss of the baby is accepted as unfortunate. Outside of this scenario, abortion has been illegal in Ireland since this amendment was introduced in 1983.

Despite ranking among the top countries in the world for its high standard of maternity care, Ireland is now under extreme pressure from both within and outside the country, including the UN human rights committee, to repeal this amendment.

Because the Catholic Church has

Eastern Jew of that era, swarthy to a greater or lesser extent.

It’s understandable that Western Europeans depicted him as relatively fair-skinned (never a blueeyed blond, to the best of my knowledge) and equally understandable that Jesus and John could be represented as Africans.

You suggest that Jesus knew all about social oppression as seemingly do Africans and other indigenous peoples—all as a result of colonialism, which in fact brought many more benefits than drawbacks.

As for Jesus looking like a Christian Palestinian, on my visits to Israel I was often at a loss to distinguish between Sabras and Christian Arabs, both of whom I came into a fair amount of contact with.

So munificent of you not to invalidate the faith of white Christians!

The first time I read this article I thought: “My word! GĂźnther Simmermacher is being politically correct.â€? Then no! What is the purpose of the article at all? To denigrate white South Africans, or white people in general? It certainly seems like that.

I would say it would be a lot better had this article not been written, let alone published.

Margaret von Solms, Sedgefield

Jesus was not black (or white)

I

READ Patrick Dacey’s letter (January 3) and the article “Was Jesus black?� in the same issue.

Why surmise, as Mr Dacey does, that Eve was of African descent when it is clear from what we learn 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

consistently condemned abortion and offered alternatives, every possible attempt is being made to discredit the Church in the eyes of the people, so that votes may be won for the pro-choice side in a referendum later this year.

Please pray for the people of Ireland during these coming months and for its wonderful pro-life movement.

Pray for the Church that, even in the face of persecution and relentless opposition, she will have the strength to “speak the Truth in a spirit of love�.

Judith Leonard, Knysna

in the Bible that colour is not an issue in the biblical message? The scientific analysis regarding Eve is a joke.

Jesus and the disciples talk about Jews and Gentiles, not the colour of the person.

I, as a white person, have never identified Jesus as being of any colour, rather as the saviour of mankind, and we were never encouraged in catechism to think of Jesus as black, white or coloured, for that matter.

We were taught, as it says in the Bible, that Jesus was a Nazarene and, if I remember correctly, “out of the House of David a king shall be born to save all�.

I am also appalled at the Catholic Church for printing all our new missals with pictures of a black Jesus and disciples.

Look at the people of Jesus’ time and that will determine what Jesus actually looked like.

Jennifer Jansen van Rensburg, Cape Town

Pope now divisive

A

RCHBISHOP Stephen Brislin calls the pope the Church’s central unifying aspect (December 13).

But for the last two years Pope Francis has been that no more.

After his publication of Amoris Laetitia, and of the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, containing his interpretation of Amoris Laetitia, the unity of the Catholic Church is breaking apart.

This was caused by the pope allowing divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion.

Some bishops, for instance in Germany, follow the pope in this new trend. Other bishops, for instance in neighbouring Poland, still refuse to give Communion to divorced and remarried Catholics.

The Polish bishops base themselves on canon law. Canon 951 does not allow divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion.

As Jacob Zuma is not above the Constitution, so the pope is not above canon law, but is expected to uphold its perennial truths of faith.

JH Goossens, Pretoria

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PERSPECTIVES

Always start with ‘why’ T HE author and motivational speaker Simon Sinek gives good advice in the title of his 2011 book Start With

Why. In an earlier column we discussed the importance of having a purpose in life. In this column, I want to suggest that if you want to be a leader, start by asking why you want to be a leader.

Is it to gain power? Is it to have access to resources? Or is it for another reason or purpose?

Let me begin with a story. There was an island where, when a new king assumed the throne, he would take an oath of allegiance to the constitution and loyalty to the service of the people.

At one time there was a king who took his oath very seriously, and always made sure he had a copy of the Constitution with him wherever he went. He was often seen in hospitals feeding and nursing the sick; on poor people’s farms, helping them to weed or to harvest; in restaurants working as a waiter serving guests.

Often people did not realise who it was serving them; but those who recognised him would ask: “Your Majesty, why are you doing this?” His response was always the same: he would hold up the Constitution and point to it without a word.

There were occasions when he had to give a speech. The speeches would be on different topics, but he would often end his speech by saying: “Oppression, rape, theft, murder and other ills stem from a big ego. When you are a king, there is always a temptation that your ego becomes so large that the whole country becomes too small to accommodate it.”

And he would add: “Kingship and leadership are about service, not about egos. My

joy comes from serving my fellow citizens.”

During this particular king’s reign, there was no oppression of person by person, and rape was rare. If anybody was seen stealing somebody else’s property, the whole community would descend upon him or her. The news of murder sent shock waves throughout the whole island, for life was thought to be so sacred that it was unthinkable that someone could actually take someone else’s life.

The people loved their king for he was authentic, and they respected the values he stood for.

T

his story illustrates two important principles. First, the purpose of leadership.

What is leadership for? Is it for self, or is it for the purpose of serving others?

Second, the story illustrates the power of leadership. Those of us who want to be leaders, in whatever sphere of life, should be aware of these two principles.

With regard to the first principle, it is important for those of us who want to be leaders to “Begin with the end in mind”; to

in his column Emmanuel Ngara tells the story of a king whose leadership style offers valuable lessons.

The stakeholder society S OME years ago there was a fashion in the corporate world to talk not about “shareholders” but “stakeholders”.

As with all fads, there was some part of this that was cosmetic but some part that recognised a deeper truth: that while the shareholders are the legal owners of a company, there are others who have a stake in how the company performs—its customers, its employees, its managers, its suppliers, and the communities in which it operates.

Moreover, while shareholders come and go as they buy and sell their shares, stakeholders often have a much more enduring relationship with the company.

This concept has even more relevance for Church organisations and NGOs since there are no shareholders in the commercial sense.

Though legally the assets of the Church or of its charities do ultimately belong to trusts or bishops or religious congregations, they are not like normal shareholders. More importantly, the actions (or inactions) of our organisations need to be accountable to a wide range of individuals and groups—so the concept of the stakeholder has a lot to recommend it.

Think of your parish: who has a stake in its operations? Certainly the regular churchgoers.

In a well-run parish, they elect a pastoral council, a group which plays an interesting dual role of accountability. Through their regular meetings, they should be aware of, and commenting on, the activities of the priest, any paid staff, and key organisations and volunteers that work in the parish.

But they should then be accountable in turn to the wider parish—to report back on a regular basis and to be open to answer questions.

At the same time, as well as the regular congregants, there are other stakeholders who may not be involved in electing the parish council but who have a legitimate

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Raymond Perrier is seen addressing last year’s AGM of the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban. (Photo: Sithembiso Shoba) right to ask questions and receive feedback.

For example, what about people who come to the parish from time to time but may not be regulars; or people who would like to come to the parish but do not feel welcome? And what about the people who benefit from the activities of the parish— the poor helped by the SVP, the housebound visited by sodalities? And the community: local hospitals and schools, other churches or faith communities, even neighbouring businesses.

All of these are stakeholders. How can we as a parish feed back to them? And how can we get input from them? Do we even make it clear to them that we see them as stakeholders in our parish?

Meeting of stakeholders The question has been on my mind since, at the Denis Hurley Centre, we are about to have our annual general meeting— or rather our annual stakeholders’ meeting.

As an organisation—following what is regarded as best practice for an NGO—we are governed by a board of trustees. They are the people who on behalf of the ultimate owner (in our case the archdiocese of Durban) have legal responsibility for the assets and activities of the DHC. They ap-

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Christian leadership

“Start with Why”. One should ask oneself: “Why do I want to be a leader? Is it for the sake of myself? Or is it for the sake of serving others—my country, my church, or people who are less fortunate than myself?”

If we examine the Christian faith carefully, we will realise that those who have practised leadership as it should be did not do it for themselves.

Jesus, the Son of God, had no need to abandon his state as God and come down to earth to be born of a woman as a human being, and to then suffer and die a painful and shameful death. He did all this in order to save humanity from the slavery of sin.

St Teresa of Calcutta left a relatively comfortable religious life to found a new congregation, the Missionaries of Charity, which is dedicated to the sick and dying who fall in the category of the poorest of the poor, or the most desperate.

With regard to the power of leadership, the story shows how influential the king’s example was. If we examine our own societies carefully, we will see that very often the character of the leader tends to have a ripple-effect on the character and behaviour of others in the same society.

Corrupt leaders will have the effect of encouraging corruption to grow like a cancer in society, whereas a righteous leader who seriously champions the cause of values-based leadership will have a positive impact on the moral fibre of the country he or she leads.

This leads us to conclude that those of us who want to be leaders should not just ask why we want to be leaders but should also ask what kind of leaders we want to be.

Raymond Perrier

Faith and Society

pointed me as director and I have to report back to them—formally at a meeting every two months and informally between meetings.

But the director and the trustees together must also be accountable to a wider group: our stakeholders.

They are an interesting and diverse range of people: our staff and volunteers, our donors (individuals no less than big institutional grant-makers), our neighbours (the cathedral, the mosque, local businesses).

And, also importantly, the people who use our services: the homeless who come to us for food and support, the poor who use the clinic, the refugees who seek a welcome, the unemployed who hope that we can help them get work.

Accountability does not mean keeping everyone happy: that would be impossible.

We cannot do everything that we are asked to do and we are always having to make decisions about trade-offs.

But accountability does require us to show how we make decisions and to be prepared to explain or even defend decisions that we make. Why did we start one project and not another? Why did we spend money in one way and not another? Why did we partner with one organisation and not another? Where have we met our goals and where have we not met them—and what have we learnt?

It is tempting for priests or parishes or Church organisations to say, “We are accountable to God—he will be our judge.”

And that is true.

But since God is in the face of every person we encounter, and especially the faces of the poor, God gives us an opportunity to be accountable not just at the end of our lives but throughout our lives.

Continued on page 11

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The Southern Cross, January 24 to January 30, 2018

7

Chris Chatteris SJ

Pray with the Pope

No to corruption General Intention: That those who have material, political or spiritual power may resist any lure of corruption.

OWER corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It has to be one of the most over-quoted sayings in the English language, but Lord Acton’s famous words are as true today as they were when he uttered them in the 19th century.

As the governing party struggles to clean up its act under a new leader, South Africans are getting a ringside view of the moral struggle involved in the corruption of political and material power.

The politicians have the political power and business people have the material power. When they get together in a mutually corrupting relationship, there is a perfect storm of sleaze, scandal and shame.

One wonders how upright pillars of society from businesses and political parties, who are supposed to have the highest professional and ethical standards, can end up enmired in the evil-smelling swamp of something like state capture.

On the petty level of struggling officials, one can understand corruption as a survival tactic. But at government and business level, no one needs to do this, least of all those with annual salaries in the millions. Greed is a terrifyingly powerful motivation, blinding people to the fact that they are stealing from the poorest of the poor.

And once the swamp is established, it’s extremely hard to drain. Once everyone is doing it, the “contaminated moral environment”, as the late Czech leader Václav Havel called it, is extremely hard to decontaminate. There are so many interests at stake, and people’s consciences have been blunted by practising vice, that moving to practising virtue requires real conversion or serious coercion and often both.

Will the governing party in South Africa be able to present the electorate with a clean list of candidates for the 2019 elections?

‘P

T

he Holy Father also mentions the potential corruption of spiritual power.

Those who exercise that power are primarily the clergy, and we priests must realise that our priestly spiritual power is perceived by many as absolute.

Ordinary people are frequently in awe of the priest’s sacramental power and it is easy to play on this deep respect to exploit them.

We should remember that demanding “fees” for the sacraments and other spiritual services, especially exorbitant ones, was one of the causes of the Reformation. We are servants, not spiritual rentiers.

We clergy are also sometimes tempted to play up the status of our office to solicit expensive trips, gifts and lavish parties to celebrate our birthdays and anniversaries of ordination. All this in a country where people are still living in shacks. Power not only corrupts; it can also blind.

One of the justifications for this kind of behaviour, some of which borders on simony, is that as clergy we are entitled to be compensated, even pampered, for the very tough life that we lead with its hard work and its renunciation of marriage. But this surely is a serious materialistic misinterpretation of the Lord’s saying about the hundredfold.

If we fall into this misinterpretation, we risk turning the Catholic Church into another of those “prosperity cults” which we are so quick to criticise. We must consider the sayings about how the Gospel is to be preached without charge and in simplicity of life. Certainly, the labourer is worthy of his hire, but we should understand that he is a “labourer”, not a “tenderpreneur”.

But a thought for the leadership here: if clergy do fall into these temptations, is this sometimes because they simply lack enough money to support themselves, and if so, what can be done about their situation?

Finally, all of us in this country need to remind ourselves in deep humility that because corruption is in the very air we breathe, no one is beyond its lure.

It’s a good word, “lure”. It comes from hunting or fishing and is defined as an attractive but often artificial object, used to tempt an animal into the trap or a fish onto the hook and to their deaths.

Corruption doesn’t only corrupt; it also kills, morally and spiritually. The pope’s intention is terribly apt for this moment in our history.

You can find a short but inspiring video on this theme featuring Pope Francis himself on www. thepopevideo.org.

8

The Southern Cross, January 24 to January 30, 2018

COMMUNITY

The faith level 4 class at Corpus Christi parish in Wynberg, Cape Town, received their First Communion. Mass was celebrated by Fr Michael Clement, assisted by Frs Manuel Fernandes and Christu Amal.

St Therese parish in Edenvale, Johannesburg, celebrated its youngsters and new converts being confirmed

by Archbishop Buti Tlhagale with parish priest Fr Joseph leathem oMi.

New young members of the Sacred Heart Sodality at Mahobe mission in umzimkulu diocese in kwaZulu-Natal, with their mentor Sr Nomveliso Mbanjwa lSMi.

Fr Joy Sebastian SDB was officially installed as the new provincial superior of the Salesians. Fr Sebastian takes over the reins from Fr Francois Dufour SDB, who has led the Salesians for 11 years. Fr Sebastian (left) reads a pledge to perform his duties as new Salesian provincial superior, while Fr Americo Chaqisse (right) SDB general councillor of the Salesians for the Africa-Madagascar region, and Fr Michael Connell SDB (centre) look on. The ceremony took place at a Mass in the chapel of St John Bosco in Booysens, Johannesburg, and was followed by an outdoor lunch. Many people from Ennerdale, where Fr Sebastian was parish priest, came to bid him farewell.

Students at Sacred Heart School in observatory, Johannesburg, were confirmed at St Charles’ church in Victory Park.

Archbishop Buti Tlhagale was the main celebrant and Auxiliary Bishop Duncan Tsoke the co-celebrant. The confirmands were Chukwuka Dunn, Dani Costello, Micole Monteiro, keegan urquhart, Franklin lodge, Atang Malebo, unathi Marapyana, liam Morgan, Benjamin Ndlovu and owen Riley.

Bethan Martell of St Teresa’s School in Rosebank, Johannesburg, with an artwork of hers displayed at the school’s annual Grade 12 art exhibition, opened by Molemo Moiloa, director of the Visual Arts Network of South Africa. Each student produced at least three major works which centred around a theme they themselves had chosen. Mediums on display included painting, sculpture, printmaking and mixed media.

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The Reconciliation class of St Ninian’s parish in kuils River, Cape Town, gathered for a group photo during training classes.

The Southern Cross, January 24 to January 30, 2018

CHURCH

9

Going to Egypt as a sign of peace One way of helping to make peace is to encourage tourism to the Middle East, FR CHRiSToPHE BoyER M.Afr. found on a visit to Egypt.

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EXT week, the bishops of Southern Africa will meet in Pretoria with the head of the Coptic Church in South Africa, Bishop Anthonios Markos of Johannesburg.

Copts are what the Christians— Orthodox or Catholic—are called in Egypt, where they make up around 20% of the population. Their presence goes back right to the beginning of Christianity.

Bishop Markos started the Coptic Orthodox Church in Johannesburg in 1992 and soon after became friends with Archbishop George Daniel, then head of Pretoria archdiocese and the SACBC Department for Ecumenism & Interreligious Dialogue.

There are many struggling independent churches in South Africa but the Coptic Church is truly African since the beginning of the faith. There is much to learn from it.

The January 29 meeting in Pretoria takes on some significance in light of the two-week experience which Archbishop Daniel and I had when we visited our Coptic brothers and sisters in Egypt in October.

Archbishop Daniel was invited by the Egyptian ambassador to attend an interfaith conference on the Sinai Peninsula to promote peace in that troubled region. As a member of the Department for Ecumenism & Interreligious Dialogue with some knowl-

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HESE are the names of the Associates of The Southern Cross, who have contributed to our Associates’ Campaign in 2017.

The Board of Directors and the Editor of The Southern Cross warmly thank the Associates and contributors for their generous support. By becoming Associates or contributing otherwise, they have helped put The Southern Cross on a safer financial footing.

They have also assisted us in our apostolic outreach. Thanks to our Associates, every seminarian in South Africa and many beyond have access to the weekly Catholic newspaper.

The newspaper is also sent to prisons for inmates who wish to follow a Christian way of life, to the Catholic university chaplaincies and to hospitals.

These needs are on-going.

Existing Associates will be invited to renew their support for The Southern Cross as their annual associateship expires.

Readers who have not yet done so may become Associates at any time.

An annual Mass is celebrated for the intentions of our Associates on January 24, feast day of St Francis de Sales, patron of journalists, and on All Soul’s Day for deceased Associates and deceased family members of Associates.

edge of Arabic, I was appointed to accompany the archbishop.

Arriving at our hotel in Cairo we met an Austrian professor, a German journalist, an Algerian journalist writing for a Russian publication, a priest and an imam from South Sudan, an imam from Mali, another imam from Pakistan residing in Ireland... We went directly to the Conference Palace.

Soldiers were surrounding the venue. They were meant especially for the protection of government officials; when those left, so did the troops.

It is a big conference centre. Participants might have been around 2 000 people. Personalities started speaking only in Arabic. There was simultaneous translation on earphones—but the ones of the archbishop didn’t work. The theme was tourism and religion.

Because of increased terrorism there are fewer tourists in Egypt, so the industry needs promotion.

Sinai is beautiful, with its mountains and the Red Sea. It offers climbing, diving and therapeutic facilities.

In a religious context, it’s the place of the burning bush and where the Ten Commandments were revealed to Moses.

Statistics show that religious tourism to the region is more regular than other types, especially in the face of terrorism.

At the conference, Muslim scholars of Cairo’s famous Al-Azhar University sat next to leaders of churches—but no Jews—all in religious attire. An evangelical bishop spoke to praise the government for authorising the building of a church.

During tea time we spoke with a few clergy, especially the Coptic Catholic bishop and the local Coptic Catholic parish priest—an ex-Com-

Archbishop George Daniel (centre) and Fr Christophe Boyer M.Afr. (right) with a Coptic monk at St Anthony monastery in Egypt’s Eastern Desert. boni student in Zambia—as well as with an evangelical bishop, the papal nuncio and his secretary.

After a magnificent lunch— which finished around 15:00, which is the normal time for that in the Middle East—we attended the inauguration of a beautiful mosque in the evening.

The flight across Egypt On Friday morning we took a flight to the ancient St Catherine’s monastery in the Sinai.

The military presence was heavy.

The monastery was too small for the big crowd of the conference. It needs restoration: paintings are dark from smoke and grime, and many furnishings are worn out. We were told they are working on initiating restorations.

Established in AD 565 and officially called the Sacred Monastery of

the God-Trodden Mount Sinai, it received the name St Catherine of Alexandria by Crusaders. A living thorn bush represents the burning bush. We stopped at the foot of the mountain thought to be where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments revelation but we had no time to climb it.

St Catherine’s is the world’s oldest continuously occupied monastery and library. The oldest manuscripts of the Bible are kept at the monastery, but in the crowd we lost track of the Texan monk who was ready to show us the library.

In the evening, with the illuminated mountains providing the backdrop, there was a beautiful UNESCO concert of mostly religious music, with singers from 15 countries, some Christians and others Muslims. It was on the theme of peace and love.

The official’s introductory speech seemed a bit too nationalistic and pompous, but that is understandable in the context of terrorism: Egypt is stronger than Islamism. Still, an English-speaking Bedouin spoke with us critically of the government.

We went on to experience many more great things. In Cairo we attended the holy liturgy at the Coptic parish church next to St Mark’s guest house, visited Old Cairo with the “Hanging” church and the church of the Holy Family (the Abu Serga), and had lunch in a convent of Coptic nuns Of course we saw the pyramids and the Sphinx at Giza, and toured the national museum. We also visited the garbage collectors of the suburb of Zabbaleen on the slopes of the Mokattam mountain.

We went to the monasteries in the Eastern Desert of St Paul the Hermit and St Anthony, where we stayed overnight and were shown great hospitality by the monks.

At the patriarchal basilica in Alexandria, we venerated the casket containing the head of St Mark, and studied the stone slab giving the names carved in stone of St Mark and his successors as patriarchs, including St Athanasius.

On our way back we called at the St Bishoy and Syrian monasteries in the Western Desert.

On our last day in Cairo we visited the crypt of the new Coptic cathedral and venerated the tomb containing the remains of St Mark before we were granted a private audience with Coptic Pope Tawadros II. In working for peace, I believe that the aim should always be reconciliation between different religions.

Tourism to the Middle East, including and especially pilgrimages, can be a tool for that.

A heartfelt thanks to our

ASSOCIATES IN 2017 Nigel Bands, Newton Park; Christopher Bradley, Somerset West; Carmelite Sisters, Thapelong; Louis Chappel, Springs; Desmond Cox, Rondebosch; Merrilyn de Gersigny, Durban; Fr Ralph de Hahn, Vredehoek; Gerard de Rauville, Mount Edgecombe; Michael Denoon, Durbanville; Peter Fewell, Sun Valley; Prof Brian Figaji, Durbanville; Fr Alois Ganserer, Bloemfontein; Fr Stefan Hippler (HOPE), Vlaeberg; Barbara Houghton, Sea Point; Barry Jordan, Rondebosch; Kevin Judge, Australia; Cely& Terry Kingston, King William’s Town; Knights of da Gama Council 14; Cyril Leibach, Boksburg North; Carl Maske, Gordon’s Bay; Mary Eleanor Molyneaux, Umbilo; Sheila Mullany, Vredehoek; Gavin O’ Connor, Durbanville; Melitza Oosthuizen, Polokwane; Mervyn Pollitt, Link Hills; John RS Reid, Heidelberg; Eileen Reynolds, Mowbray; Fr Kevin Reynolds, Groenkloof; Henk Schoots, Edgemead; George Skinner, Dullstroom; St Michaels Catholic Church, Rondebosch; Ronnie van Hof, Fish Hoek; Terence Walsh, Claremont; Lorna Wicks, Kokstad.

† Denise Armstrong, Dalpark; John Brodey, Scottburgh; CWL, Fish Hoek; Patrick Cosgrove, Simonstown; Adele Dawson, Parklands; Audrey Downs, Primrose; Maria Frade, Randfontein; Mervyn Gatcke, East London; Maria Cristina Ghimenton, Pietermaritzburg; John & Maureen Kilroe, Claremont; Timothy Largier, Constantia; Loreto Sisters, Strand; Walter Middleton, Johannesburg; Brian Montgomery, Somerset West; Moore Family, Worcester West; James Needham, Surrey; JP O’Connor, Camps Bay; Lawrence Osborne, Springbok; Mel Palmer, Rondebosch; Evarista Phiri, Rustenburg; Dr George Pillay, Bellville; Peter Sangiorgio, Oranjezicht; Cornelis Segers, Lonehill; St James Catholic Church, St James; Garth Towell, Honeydew; Hans Karl Wagner, Stirling; Ashley Williams, Port Elizabeth; Dr Jan van der Mey, Port Elizabeth; Peter Yazbek, Brandhof. † Monica Alson, Elsies River; BAA Bailey, Elsies River; Claude Bassuday, Sunset Beach; Dr Francis Diab, Tyger Valley; Beeh Dhlongolo,

Olifantsfontein; Ursula Douglass, Welgelegen; Michelle George, Grassy Park; Laurence Gorman, Scottburgh; Stephen Ludwig, Newlands; Elizabeth Lynch, Durban; Pamela Maccelari, Stellenbosch; Brother Daniel Manuel SCP, Rocklands; N Ndimane, Kwa Mashu; Gordon Rizzo, Linton Grange; Thomas T Pupuma, Zastron; Bernadette Patterson, Durban; Salesians of Don Bosco, Southdale; Dominic Sam, Port Elizabeth; Elizabeth Skliros, Birchleigh North; Faith Tasker, Kokstad; Monica van Niekerk, Pinetown. † ZLJ Basich, Camps Bay; Megan Brennan, Vredehoek; Priscilla Francis, Newlands West; AP Goller; Mr & Mrs AH Lester, Greenfields; Estelle Moodaley, Port Elizabeth; Patrick & Jane Pedersen, Fish Hoek; Enid Pemberton, Fish Hoek; Joan Swanson, Durbanville; Margaret Baxter, East London; John Faller, Kengray; Pat van Halloran, Tokai; Holy Family Sisters; DG Hyams, Edenvale.

Plus those who asked not to be named.

Find out more about the Associates’ Campaign and how to contribute to it at

www.scross.co.za/associates-campaign

The Southern Cross, Associates Campaign, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000 l Account details: Standard Bank, Thibault Square Branch (Code 020909), The Southern Cross, Acc No: 276876016 (please fax or e-mail deposit slip or confirmation) l Fax Number: 021 465-3850, Email: admin@scross.co.za

10

The Southern Cross, January 24 to January 30, 2018

PERSONALITY

60 years a priest A veteran media priest and a popular fixture in the Cape Town Church, Fr Ralph de Hahn is celebrating 60 years as a priest. NEREESHA PATEl spoke to him.

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ITH a skip in his step that lets him bound up staircases with ease, a booming voice that could travel the world twice over, and an iron grip bordering on a bone-crushing squeeze, it is difficult to believe that the bright, blue-eyed priest is turning 90 in June.

And in February the archdiocese of Cape Town will officially celebrate Fr Ralph de Hahn’s 60th anniversary of his ordination.

For the past 60 years, since his ordination in Rome on December 21, 1957, Fr de Hahn has devoted his life to serving the archdiocese of Cape Town. Seemingly defying the turn of time, the retired priest said that he can only thank God for his longevity.

“It’s a miracle that a guy like me should ever get this far. I’m too wild,” Fr de Hahn joked. “What God has given to me by his extraordinary grace is amazing—it’s truly a miracle.”

The priest is still well-known for his tireless enthusiasm and fitness, in the Catholic Charismatic Movement he loves so much and in the parishes he readily supplies at.

Born in Cape Town in 1928, Fr de Hahn, the eldest son of a convert family, was a member of St Agnes’ parish in Woodstock, where he and his family were received into the

Church.

He received his primary education from the Dominican Sisters at St Agnes’ Convent and the Irish Christian Brothers.

Then he attended Sea Point High School where he was involved in a wide range of sports, including athletics, cricket, badminton, football and ballroom-dancing.

But he wasn’t just a jock. Since he was 15, Fr de Hahn has been writing poems, stories and plays— for him, he says, to write is a gift from God. Southern Cross readers will know him well from his reflections and the nearly annual Christmas stories.

Above: Fr Ralph de Hahn in typical pose as he greets the congregation at Mass at Holy Trinity church in Matroosfontein, Cape Town, this month.

Left: Fr De Hahn as a seminarian before his ordination to the priesthood in Rome in December 1957. (Main photo: Charmaine little)

Career before priesthood After matriculating, Fr de Hahn worked for seven years as a statistical clerk at a firm of indent agents.

During this time, he also studied part-time for a secretarial degree.

By then he was a well-known youth leader in the diocese of Cape Town. This position not only allowed him to engage with other church youth groups, he said, but it also gave him the impetus to serve the Catholic Church in holy orders.

From 1952-54, Fr de Hahn studied philosophy at St John Vianney Seminary in Pretoria. Afterwards, he was sent by Archbishop (later Cardinal) Owen McCann to complete his theology training at Propaganda Fide College in Rome.

He went reluctantly, as he wanted to continue studying at St John Vianney, but his archbishop was insistent.

“The cardinal told me that he went to this college in Rome, so I must do the same. He gave me the cruise and train tickets, saying, ‘Off

you go, and God go with you’—just like that,” recalled Fr de Hahn, chuckling.

Despite his hesitation, Fr de Hahn came to enjoy his four-year stay in Rome.

“It was a thrill to be there,” he said. “Students who went to Propaganda Fide came from all over the world as missionaries. We had the privilege of meeting cardinals, archbishops and dignitaries. They would come to meet the pope [Pius XII], who would send them to Propaganda Fide to dine with us, because we were students of his college!”

After his ordination by Archbishop Pietro Sigismondi, Secretary of the Congregation for Propagation of the Faith, in 1957 he returned to South Africa. Again following in Cardinal McCann’s footsteps, he was assigned to Holy Cross parish in District Six, where he remained until 1961.

He would take on as many as ten parish assignments around Cape Town, assuming these posts with the same level of dedication and passion that he possessed since his first assignment.

Alongside his parish duties, Fr de Hahn was a regular radio and television presenter on the SABC

from 1968 to 1993. He used these media to proclaim the Gospel, to positive responses from listeners and viewers alike.

Additionally, Fr de Hahn wrote articles for a number of Catholic publications such as The Southern Cross, Diocesan News and Marianna, as well as for publications in Italy, India and Sri Lanka.

In 1966 he was appointed archdiocesan director of catechetics, a position he held for 20 years.

He made a point of visiting all the Catholic schools in the city in order to “bring the Church to them” and vice-versa. One of the highlights of his career was being able to create intimate relationships with the schools, teachers and pupils.

“Today, those teachers and children—now all grown up—tell me how they all remember me coming to their schools, teaching them and telling them stories,” he said.

Missionary spirit Another career highlight was travelling to the United States on 20 occasions (lasting about six to eight months) as a chief missionary preacher. Over the years, Fr de Hahn brought back large amounts of money for the Cape Town archdiocese, courtesy of the countless American congregants who were touched by the visiting priest preaching for the poor.

Fr De Hahn (right) in 1967 after a teachers’ Mass with (from left) Fr J Duffy SDB and teachers Sybil Jacobs (Retreat), lawrence “kingsize” kalipa (Nyanga) and Maureen Martin (Parow).

We accommodate small Conferences, Retreats and workshops

We are 5 min from Howick Falls, 10 min from Midmar Dam, 20 min from Pietermaritzburg.

Contact Veronica 083 784 7455 Email redacres@omi.org.za

Regrettably, due to stolen telephone cables, we no longer have a landline.

For his involvement in the early stages of the Charismatic Catholic Renewal in the US, he was appointed the spiritual director of the movement in the Cape in 1967, retiring from that position in 2009.

Having a missionary view of his work, Fr de Hahn said that he lives by the spirit of poverty, giving away the money donated to him by generous people to the poor, who he feels need it more than him.

“From the money I collected from my preaching, I never used it for myself. It’s all been given to the poor and the archdiocese.”

In 1984, Fr de Hahn led the construction of Holy Trinity church in Matroosfontein, and in 2000, he was also able to purchase the Holy Spirit Centre in Maitland from the Holy Cross Sisters for the archdiocese.

When the call came from Archbishop Stephen Brislin to help build churches in three impoverished areas, Fr de Hahn utilised his writing talents to support the effort. He penned a collection of poetry, On Poetic Wings, which looks at the beauty of the Catholic faith; the anthology sold out in quick time, and all proceeds went towards the building fund.

For his work among disadvantaged communities, Fr de Hahn has been awarded a host of accolades, including the International Rotary Medal and the Don Bosco Silver Mission Medal. He was also honoured with a prestigious African poetry award.

Fr de Hahn’s last official post was as parish priest of Observatory before entering the retirement centre for priests at Nazareth House in Vredehoek. But even now in his retirement, he still remains active.

Among his recent writing endeavours was an inspirational book of short stories titled Let Me Tell You A Story.

With his diamond jubilee, the vast volume that is Fr de Hahn’s life-story still carries on growing.

What is his secret?

“I’m always joyful. Happiness comes and goes, but joy of life is the virtue of the Holy Spirit; when you possess the Holy Spirit, joy is yours.

Be content with what God made you,” Fr de Hahn said.

CLASSIFIEDS

Sr Kefilwe Sejeso SC

S

ISTER Kefilwe Mogolo Macdelyn Sejeso, a member of the Sisters of Calvary congregation in Gaborone, died on December 27 at the age of 40 after a short illness.

She was born on February 2, 1977, in GooRuele ward in Kanye. Sr Kefilwe began her postulancy as a Calvary Sister at Our Lady of the Rosary parish in Thamaga village, with four companions. She made her final vows in 2007 at Thapelong parish in Kanye.

During her formation stages, Sr Kefilwe gained training in religious life and various apostolates of the congregation, including the prison and youth ministries.

Sr Kefilwe undertook pastoral work where she derived joy from choir leadership, Small Christian Community engagements, funeral leadership, and prison outreach. She also contributed immensely to the development of less-privileged children.

As a church choir conductor, she achieved first position at the Southern African Catholic Church Inter-Diocesan Music

Festival held in Rustenburg, South Africa.

She also took her talent as a chorister to her workplace, where the various schools she served benefited from her hard work as choir conductor during primary school music competitions.

Sr Kefilwe was a leader by nature, determined and hard working. In the congregation she was

a member of the leadership team as secretary as well as being recruitment director.

She was engaged as a teacher under the ministry of education, serving at Kgafela Primary School and Pilane Primary School, where she was holding a position as senior teacher at the time of her death.

Among other roles she played in the community were those of lay counselling and community youth-development programmes.

Sr Kefilwe also practised as a caregiver for orphaned children and victims of sexual abuse from 2001-05, and later taught within a special unit of pupils who were mentally challenged.

Sr Kefilwe made further major contributions to the development of youth in Botswana through the Talk Back TV programme, where she was a key resource during some discussions.

She is survived by her twin sister, her mother, three brothers and three sisters.

Sr Kefilwe was buried on January 3 at Moreneng cemetery in Kgale.

Sr Phatsimo Ramokgwebana

Feb 2 feast day is heaven scent

M

Y father was a wonderful man, but as he grew older, he started to develop a few foibles and fancies that hadn’t previously existed.

Always a neat and tidy man, (ex-army), he became quite obsessed with wiping down the front of the kitchen cupboards every day, without fail.

Yet another flight of fancy was his detestation of candles—especially the scented variety. My habit of always having two or three candles which I like to light each evening would be totally stymied if Dad was visiting.

“They’ll choke me to death!” he used to dramatically exclaim, and no amount of reasoning with him would make the slightest iota of difference.

For us Christians the candle remains highly symbolic of the light of Christ in our lives.

The candle flame, which can be so easily extinguished, further reminds us of the fragility of our faith, which requires careful and constant nurturing. And candles are frequently used as an aid to prayer and meditation, and are a traditional part of many of our

sacramental practices.

On February 2, we celebrate the wonderful feast of Candlemas, also known as the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus at the Temple.

It has also become a tradition for many Christians to bring their candles to their local church where they are blessed

Julia Beacroft views candles as symbolic of the light of Christ for Christians, and lights two or three every evening.

Julia Beacroft

Point of Reflection

and then used for the rest of the year, especially during prayer.

As diverse and flawed humans we all exhibit our own personal likes and dislikes of objects, people and places and, of course, this is both natural and normal.

It would seem that candles are synonymous with our Christian faith—but clearly not every single person will appreciate this fact or indeed their beauty and aroma.

The feast of Candlemas reminds us of our Lord Jesus Christ and the blessed candles continue to do so. These traditional candles are meant to be fragrancefree but no matter—all of God’s children cannot help but appreciate the beautiful essence and fragrance of Christ himself. n Julia Beacroft’s book Sanctifying The Spirit is published by Sancio Books. It is available on Amazon.

The stakeholder society Continued from page 7 We can and must do that through formal events like board meetings, AGMs and printed reports. But sometimes we also get a chance to do it face to face.

Many years ago, I worked in a refugee camp in northern Uganda. We had huge, almost unlimited demands on our scarce resources. As director, I was constantly having to make hard decisions to spend money on one thing and thus not spend it on something else.

So, in steps Marcello. He was a 60-year-old South Sudanese refugee whose fingers and feet had been badly disfigured by leprosy. He was also a star pupil in our adult literacy programme.

Marcello was determined to learn to read the Bible for himself. Each day he would stumble

with his wounded feet about 1km each way to the local literacy centre.

One day, as I was driving past his hut, he flagged me down.

He was ready now for a bible and would I buy him one? No problem, I said, without thinking—until he explained that he needed it in an obscure language called Lokoya.

Normally we could get bibles for about $1 in the common Sudanese languages. But a bible in Lokoya, I discovered, would cost $25! To an NGO worker this made no sense. I could get bibles for 24 more people if I did not give one to Marcello.

And he could probably read in some other language if I told him I could not get a bible in his.

But then I imagined the end of my life—when I would face the great accountability at the

Pearly Gates—and the fear that the one question that St Peter would ask me would be: “Why didn’t you give Marcello his bible?”

So my decision was not a managerial one but a response of love and generosity, the sort that we cannot justify on a spreadsheet or a report to donors but which we know is the right thing to do. Marcello got his bible. n The Denis Hurley Centre annual meeting takes place at the DHC on Saturday, February 3 at 15.30 and is open to all. Beforehand at 14:30 there will be a screening of the recent SABC TV programme about Paddy Kearney; afterwards at 17:30 the first of the weekend’s Hurley Memorial Masses in Emmanuel cathedral celebrated by Cardinal Wilfrid Napier. Safe parking behind the cathedral or beneath Victoria Street Market.

The Southern Cross, January 24 to January 30, 2018

CLASSIFIEDS

11

Births • First Communion • Confirmation • Engagement/Marriage • Wedding anniversary • ordination jubilee • Congratulations • Deaths • in memoriam • Thanks • Prayers • Accommodation • Holiday Accommodation • Personal • Services • Employment • Property • others Please include payment (R1,80 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

PRAYERS

THANKSGIVING NOVENA TO ST JUDE—o Holy St Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke your special patronage in time of need, to you i have recourse from the depths of my heart and humbly beg to who God has given such great power to come to my assistance. Help me in my present and urgent petition. in return i promise to make your name known and cause you to be invoked. St Jude pray for us and all who invoke aid. Amen. lB.

PARENTS FOR CHILDREN—o Jesus, lover of children, bestow your most precious graces on those whom you have confided to our care. increase in them faith, hope and charity. May your love lead them to solid piety, inspiring them with dread for sin, love of work and an ardent desire of worthily approaching your holy table. Preserve in them innocence and purity of heart; and if they should offend you, grant them the grace of a prompt and sincere repentance. From your tabernacle watch over them

day and night; protect them in all their ways. Grant that they may acquire the knowledge that they need to embrace the state of life to which you have called them.

Grant us a sincere love, constant vigilance and generous devotedness towards them. Grant us all consolation on earth and eternal reward in heaven.

O VIRGIN Mother, in the depths of your heart you pondered the life of the Son you brought into the world.

Give us your vision of Jesus and ask the Father to open our hearts, that we may always see His presence in our lives, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, bring us into the joy and peace of the kingdom, where Jesus is lord forever and ever. Amen FATHER in heaven, everliving source of all that is good, keep me faithful in serving you. Help me to drink of Christ's truth, and fill my heart with his love so that i may serve you in faith and love and reach eternal life. in the sacrament of the Eucharist you give me the

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 795. ACROSS: 4 Zebedee, 8 Rheims, 9 Delilah, 10 See-saw, 11 Images, 12 Movement, 18 Inspired, 20 Menial, 21 Voodoo, 22 Kingdom, 23 Sinner, 24 Arrears. DOWN: 1 Presume, 2 Deserve, 3 Embalm, 5 Emeritus, 6 Elijah, 7 Eraser, 13 Evildoer, 14 Trident, 15 Adjourn, 16 Senior, 17 Single, 19 Profit.

joy of sharing your life. keep me in your presence. let me never be separated from you and help me to do your will.

PERSONAL

ABORTION WARNING: The truth will convict a silent Church. See www.valuelife abortionisevil.co.za ABORTION ON DEMAND: This is legalised daily murder in our nation. our silence on this issue is the reason why it continues.

Avoid pro-abortion politicians.

HOLY SPIRIT CENTRE: 161a Coronation Street, Maitland, Cape Town. We offer food and accommodation 70+ guests (school/tour/ youth groups, and so on).

Bookings manager on 021 510 2988, cell 083 723 0293, e-mail hscentre@ telkomsa.net

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

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 KZN-DURBAN: Self-catering guest house close to churches, shopping malls and beach. Tel 083 2632174.

Traditional Latin Mass

Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel 36 Central Avenue, Pinelands, Cape Town Call 071 291 4501 for details.

Email: sspx.capetown@gmail.com The

Liturgical Calendar Year B – Weekdays Cycle Year 2 Sunday January 28, 4th Sunday of the Year Deuteronomy 18:15-20, Psalms 95:1-2, 6-9, 1 Corinthians 7:32-35, Mark 1:21-28 Monday January 29 2 Samuel 15:13-14, 30; 16:5-13, Psalms 3:2-7, Mark 5:1-20 Tuesday January 30 2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14, 24-25, 30--19:3, Psalms 86:1-6, Mark 5:21-43 Wednesday January 31, St John Bosco 2 Samuel 24:2, 9-17, Psalms 32:1-2, 5-7, Mark 6:1-6 Thursday February 1, Bl Benedict Daswa Readings for memorial: Wisdom 2:12-20 or Ephesians 6:10-17, Psalms 27:1-4, John 12:24-26 Readings for normal week: 1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12, Responsorial psalms 1 Chronicles 29:10-12, Mark 6:7-13 Friday February 2, Presentation of the Lord Malachi 3:1-4 or Hebrews 2:14-18, Psalms 24:710, Luke 2:22-40 Also World Day for Consecrated Life Saturday February 3, St Blaise, St Ansgar 1 Kings 3:4-13, Psalms 119:9-14, Mark 6:30-34 Sunday February 4, 5th Sunday of the Year Job 7:1-4, 6-7, Psalms 147:1-6, 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23, Mark 1:29-39

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5th Sunday: February 4 Readings: Job 7:1-4, 6-7, Psalm 147:1-6, 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23, Mark 1:29-39

S outher n C ross

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OMETIMES it seems as though life is so awful that it cannot possibly be true what we say about God. Next Sunday’s first reading has Job complaining about precisely that: “Is it not servitude for humans, life on earth? Aren’t his days like the days of a hireling…like a hireling who waits for his wages? So I have been allotted months of futility; nights of misery have been apportioned to me.”

Then he tells the familiar story of the sleepless night: “When I lie down I think, ‘When shall I get up?’”, and complains about the speed with which life passes: “My days are faster than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope. Remember that my life is a wind. Never again shall my life look on goodness.”

You may well often have felt precisely that.

So allow Job to speak to you, to give you words to describe your sense of hopelessness; but at the same time, your task is to do what Job does at the end of the book, namely take time out to listen to what God is saying. You see, it is permitted to complain at God, provided we allow God to get a word in edgeways.

The psalm for next Sunday has a rather

different tone, and may serve to cheer you up after listening to Job, for it is a lovely song of praise to God: “Praise Yah, for he is good, sing of our God, because it is sweet to give praise.”

But the singer is aware of suffering: “He rebuilds Jerusalem, the Lord gathers those scattered ones of Israel, heals their broken hearts, binds up their wounds.”

However, it is all to be seen in the context of God’s greatness: “He measures the number of the stars, and calls all of them by name.”

Then comes the real message: “Our Lord is great, and mighty in power; his wisdom cannot be reckoned.” Then there is an important twist to the story, that this is a God who prefers those who are at the bottom of the pile: “The Lord gives courage to the lowly.”

Does that make you feel a bit better?

In the second reading, Paul is giving expression to the fact that he is utterly captivated by God, and as a result simply has to preach the Gospel. “There is nothing to boast about if I preach the Good News; because there is a necessity lying upon me. Woe to me if I do not!” And this is true whether he is

paid or not: “What is my salary? That by preaching I make it free of charge, so as not to abuse my authority in the Gospel.”

That does not mean, however, that life is awful for him, but that he has made a choice: “Although I am free, I made myself a slave of everybody, to win over more people…I became everything to everybody that somehow or other I might save some of them.”

Then comes the “bottom line”, what really makes Paul tick: “I do everything for the sake of the Good News, in order to get some partnership in it.”

This same sense of coping with awfulness appears also in the Gospel for next Sunday.

Jesus has been preaching in the Capernaum synagogue, it being the Sabbath, and they come into the house of the two brothers Simon Peter and Andrew.

Then, having dealt effortlessly with the demons, and possibly feeling that he had earned a rest, Jesus is now brought face to face with the awfulness. There is, for example, Simon Peter’s mother-in-law; and, no, this is not an old joke; for she has a “fever”, which

Can you lose your vocation?

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an abiding sadness and even the danger of missing heaven.

Such were the vocation stories of my youth, and, truth be told, I went to the seminary to become a priest with that lingering as a shadow in my mind.

But it was only a shadow. I didn’t enter religious life and priesthood out of fear, though some moral fears did play a part in it, as they should. Fear can also be a healthy thing.

Fear can also be unhealthy. It’s not healthy to understand both God and your vocation in terms that can have you missing out on happiness and salvation on the basis of a choice made while you were still young. God doesn’t work like that.

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t’s true that we are called by God to a vocation which we are meant to discern through conscience, through community, through circumstance, and through the talents that we’ve been given. For a Christian, existence does not precede essence.

We’re born with a purpose, with a mission in life.

There are many clear texts in scripture on this: Jesus, praying for entire nights to know his Father’s will; Peter conscripted on a rock, to be led by a belt that will take him where he would rather not go; Paul being led into Damascus and instructed by an

Conrad

ECENTLY I received a letter from a man who shared that he was still deeply haunted by a story he’d heard in school many years before.

One of his religion teachers had read the class a story about a priest who went to visit a childhood friend. While staying with his friend, the priest noticed that, while his friend was cheerful and affable enough, he seemed to be harbouring some deep, residual sadness.

When he asked his friend about it, his friend confessed that he “had lost his salvation” because he had felt a call to priesthood when he was young but had chosen instead to marry. Now, he felt, there was no existential redemption from that.

He had had a vocation and lost it and, with that, also lost for good his chance at happiness. Though happily enough married, he felt that he would bear forever the stigma of having been unfaithful in not accepting his God-given vocation.

I was raised on stories like that. They were part of the Catholicism of my youth.

We were taught to believe that God marked out a certain vocation for you—to be a priest, a Sister, a married person, or a single person in the world—and if you didn’t accept that, once you knew your calling, then you had “missed” or “lost” your vocation and the consequence would be

Nicholas King SJ

When life is too awful

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Sunday Reflections

in a world without antibiotics would often be the forerunner of death.

Without pausing for breath, he goes into the women’s quarters (where he should not be) and takes her by the hand (which he should not do, because of possible impurity): “And the fever left her, and she started to serve them.”

Then the Sabbath ends with sunset, and that means that people can bring to him “many in a bad way with different kinds of diseases”. And the evangelist simply says: “He cured them.”

So how does Jesus deal with the awkwardness? By prayer: “Early in the morning, deep at night, he went out and went into a lonely place, and there he started to pray.”

Now it is true that Simon Peter and the rest of them cannot begin to understand what is going on, and want him to get back to work.

But could this prayer be a way for you to cope with the awfulness of life?

Southern Crossword #795

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

elder as to his vocation; Moses being called to do a task because he saw the suffering of the people; and all of us being challenged to use our talents or be stripped of them.

We’re all called to mission and so each of us has a vocation. We’re not morally free to live our lives simply for ourselves.

But God doesn’t give us just one chance which if we miss it or turn down will leave us sad forever. No. God opens a new door every time we close one. God gives us 77x7 chances, and more after that, if needed.

The question of vocation is not so much a question of guessing right (“What very specifically was I predestined for?”) but rather a question of giving oneself over in faith and love to the situation that we’ve chosen (or which more often than not has by circumstance chosen us).

We should not live in unhealthy fear about this. God continues to love us and desire our happiness, even when we don’t always follow to where we are ideally called.

Recently I heard a homily in a church in which the priest compared God to a GPS, that is, that computerised instrument of App, complete with human voice, which gives drivers ongoing instructions on how to get to their destination.

One of the features of a GPS is this: No matter how many times you disregard or disobey its command, the voice never expresses impatience, yells at you or gives up on you. It simply says “Recalculating”.

Sooner or later, no matter how many times you disregard it, it gets you home.

Delightful as that image is, it’s still but a very weak analogy in terms of understanding God’s patience and forgiveness.

None of us should be haunted, long-term, by sadness and fear because we feel that we’ve missed our vocation, unless we are living a selfish life.

Selflessness rather than selfishness, a life in pursuit of service rather than a life in pursuit of comfort—not guessing correctly—constitutes one’s vocation.

Our Christian vocation is to make what we are in fact living—married, priest, religious, single in the world—a life of selflessness and service to others.

Happiness and salvation are contingent upon that, not upon guessing correctly.

ACROSS

4. Father of “the sons of thunder” (Mk 3) (7) 8. The Douay Bible was partly translated here (6) 9. She took a short cut to Sampson (7) 10. It has its ups and downs in the playground (3-3) 11. I am a long time showing these icons (6) 12. Religious group working together in a certain direction? (8) 18. Under divine influence, like the Scriptures (8) 20. Sort of unskilled work (6) 21. Kind of dolls used by Caribbean cult (6) 22. We pray it will come (7) 23. One who may oppose a saint (6) 24. Outstanding debts (7)

DOWN

1. Suppose to turn out supreme (7) 2. Be worthy of a reward (7) 3. Undertake undertaker’s job (6) 5. Sure time for title of honour (8) 6. Prophet who went sky high (6) 7. It will remove the written word (6) 13. Malefactor (8) 14. Neptune’s spear (7) 15. Postpone till later date (7) 16. Rose in a higher ranking (6) 17. One bachelor or spinster (6) 19. Financial gain for the parish (6)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

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HE story of Adam and Eve was being carefully explained in the children’s catechism class.

Following the story, the children were asked to draw some picture that would illustrate the story.

Little Thabo drew a picture of a car with three people in it. In the front seat was a bearded man, and in the back seat, a man and a woman.

The catechist was at a loss to understand how this illustrated the lesson of Adam and Eve. Little Thabo was prompt with his explanation.

“Why, this is God driving Adam and Eve out of the garden!”

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