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Pope sends missionary families to SA

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Taizé global meeting for SA

By ERiN CARELSE

S

OUTH Africa will welcome several thousand young people next year for an international Taizé pilgrimage of hope, peace and trust.

Local young adults aged 18 to 35 will be joined by others from Africa and abroad in Cape Town from September 25 to 29 for the Pilgrimage of Trust on Earth organised by the Taizé Community.

The ecumenical monastic Community was founded in the small village of Taizé, France, by Swiss Christian Br Roger Schütz, known as Br Roger, in 1940. Today the Community comprises one hundred Brothers from more than 25 different countries.

Br Roger, who died in 2005, devoted his life to reconciling all Christian denominations, and focused his work on youth.

The Cape Town Taizé pilgrimage, which will help young people in their search for God, will encourage them to have a profound trust in themselves and in others.

They will be invited to be attentive to the signs and people of hope present around them, and encouraged to take up responsibilities to become bearers of peace and trust in churches and in society.

The daily programme will include common prayers, times of sharing in small groups, workshops on various themes (faith and life, cultural presentations), visiting and meeting people of hope in the neighbourhood, Bible readings, meditative singing, praying, being in silence, and sharing faith.

The morning programme will be in parishes/local churches, and from midday onwards at a common venue.

Participants will be accommodated in parishes and local communities. This personal welcome is an important aspect of the pilgrimage. The young people will be put up in families with simple means.

Every day a shuttle bus service (and/or train) will bring those attending from local parishes to the common venue at midday, and take them back after prayers in the evening.

Attending the Cape Town meeting involves full participation and preparation in advance.

The Taizé Community has organised meetings with local churches each year, in cities such as Johannesburg (1995), Calcutta (2006), Cochabamba, Bolivia (2007), Nairobi (2008), Santiago, Chile (2010), Berlin (2011), Kigali, Rwanda (2012), and Basel (2017).

All young people who participate in Taizé meetings are called to be witnesses of peace wherever they live, in their local communities, cities, and churches.

The Brothers, who commit themselves for their entire lives to the Community and live exclusively from their own work, also welcome young people every week throughout the year at Taizé itself.

The final date to register for the Cape Town Pilgrimage of Trust on Earth is July 21, 2019, and this can be done through your local congregation, chaplaincy, or youth office. n For details contact Brothers from Taizé, Saint Bartholomew’s, via e-mail at CapeTown@taize.fr Cape Town will host an international Taizé pilgrimage in September next year. The ecumenical Taizé Community in France, established in 1940, works to reconcile all Christian denominations, with a special focus on youth.

Those participating in the pilgrimage will be encouraged to be attentive to the signs and people of hope present around them, and to take up responsibilities to become bearers of peace and trust in churches and in society.

Jesuit Father Russell Pollitt in a still from a documentary on saints which is scheduled to be broadcast on June 17 at 9:00 on SABC 2. He is one of several Catholics interviewed for the documentary, including Southern Cross columnist Raymond Perrier, Fr Lawrence Ndlovu, Dr Nontando Hadebe, Fr Anthony Egan SJ and Frances Correia.

Local docu on saints on TV STAFF REPORTER

A

DOCUMENTARY on the veneration of saints, featuring several prominent South African Catholics, will be broadcast on SABC 2 on Sunday, June 17 at 9:00.

The 48-minute documentary explores issues such as “Why are there saints?”, “How are they made?”, “What did they do to be canonised?”, saints’ relics, incorruptibility and so on.

Interviewees include Southern Cross columnist Raymond Perrier, Jesuit Fathers Russell Pollitt and Anthony Egan, Fr Lawrence Ndlovu, theologian Dr Nontando Hadebe and Frances Correia.

Producer Patricia Proctor said that with the documentary she hopes to “clarify, to Catholics and non-Catholics, many of the misconceptions about the Catholic practice of venerating the saints”.

“For example, many people are under the impression that Catholics ‘worship’ saints, pray directly to them for help and replace God with the saints. Indeed, some Catholics do these things, believing them to be acceptable, when, in fact, that is not the teaching of the Church at all,” Ms Proctor told The Southern Cross.

“Also, I knew that it’s a subject many would find fascinating,” she added.

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experience for Ms Proctor, an independent producer who has been directing and editing mostly religious programmes for the SABC for 22 years.

“During my research I found out more about many of the saints about which I was previously unaware. For example, I learnt the details surrounding the martyrdom of both St Maximilian Kolbe and Oscar Romero [who will be canonised on October 14], the surprising fact that St Christopher is fictional, and, of course, I learnt a great deal more about our own Bl Benedict Daswa.”

The insights of the interviewees also impressed her.

Fr Ndlovu, for example “highlights the fact that the faith is not always Eurocentric; that there’s a strong history of the faith and of saints in Africa”, while Dr Hadebe discussed the similarities between the veneration of saints and the African tradition of ancestor worship.

In the documentary, Frances Correia of the Jesuit Institute explains how many people have replaced the saints with sports heroes and other celebrities.

“I loved what Fr Anthony says about this,” Ms Proctor said. “That the people who get the attention and adoration nowadays are ‘celebrities without substance, politicians without principles and public figures who have feet of clay’.”

2

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2018

LOCAL

Pope sends missionary families to SA STAFF REPORTER

P

OPE Francis has commissioned four families from the Neocatechumenal Way to become missionaries in the Cape Town archdiocese.

The four families—from Brazil, Germany, India and the United States—have concluded their visa processes and will settle soon as part of a new missio ad gentes (“mission to the nations”) to South Africa.

Altogether Pope Francis sent 200 families with 600 children to various parts of the world during an audience to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Neocatechumenal Way. The four families appointed to evangelise in Cape Town are the Casaroto family from Brazil, with three children (one of them just born); the Gomes family from India, with five children; the Meza family from the US, with a daughter, and the Hochhäusler family from Germany, with ten children.

Wolfgang and Ursula Hochhäusler from Munich were the first of these families to visit Cape

Town—coincidentally just as their archbishop, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, was in the city.

“We are amazed by how the Lord is preceding us in the mission,” said Mr Hochhäusler.

“We made ourselves available for this mission because of the many wonders Christ has done in our lives. We are full of gratitude. He [conquered] all our fears about leaving our country and our comfort.

He will show us the way to let many people know his love and mercy.”

Mr and Mrs Hochhäusler received a blessing from Cardinal Marx, who underlined the importance of a missionary presence stable over time.

The missio ad gentes concept was inaugurated in 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI, explained Dino Furgione, coordinator of the Neocatechumenal Way in South Africa.

“Each of these missions consists of a priest, accompanied by four or five families with their children, who, at the request of the local bishop, receive a mandate to evangelise in highly disfavoured areas,

Visiting Cardinal Reinhard Marx, with family missionaries Wolfgang and Ursula Hochhäusler from Germany, and Cape Town Archbishop Stephen Brislin. or in new areas where the Church struggles to arrive, with the mission to make a Christian community visible,” he said.

“The families and priest all live in the same district where they meet

every week for a Word celebration and a Eucharistic celebration.

“The experience in countries where these missions are already operating shows that many people are touched by the songs they sing,

the unity they radiate, and how they interact with each other,” Mr Furgione said.

He noted that already in 1985, Pope John Paul II said that in order to provide an answer to secularisation in the modern world, it was necessary to return to the “first apostolic model”.

“The first Christians came together in houses as we can read in the Acts of the Apostles,” Mr Furgione said. “The missio ad gentes imitates this model by coming together in houses in the middle of the nonbaptised. They are answering the call Pope Francis has made, for the Church to ‘come out of herself and go to the suburbs, not just geographical but also existential suburbs.’”

Archbishop Brislin of Cape Town said these missions are responding to an urgent need.

“There are so many people in our diocese who are thirsty for God, who seek answers. I am grateful to the families who generously make themselves available to bring their testimony where it is most needed,” the archbishop said.

Bishops issue warning on ‘fake’ nun STAFF REPORTER

T

St John Bosco parish in Robertsham, Johannesburg, celebrated the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians with a procession through the streets surrounding the church. Male parishioners all took turns to carry the plinth with a statue of Our Lady surrounded by an arrangement of flowers. A rosary made from balloons was set free at the end of the procession. Longtime parishioners Martin Rathinasamy and Joe Borrageiro are shown carrying the plinth. (Submitted by Mark Kisogloo)

HE Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) has warned churches that a woman who claims to be a Holy Cross Sister is not what she appears to be.

The warning, issued in a memorandum signed by Archbishop Stephen Brislin, president of the SACBC, came after several months of investigation by the bishops’ conference into Elizabeth Nicholas, a Nigerian who holds a Ghanaian passport.

The investigation followed complaints that Ms Nicholas had raised funds from parishes around the country, under the

guise of being a Holy Cross Sister.

Reportedly, Ms Nicholas was able to present a work permit issued by the Holy Cross Sisters in Cape Town.

However, according to the SACBC memorandum, the Holy Cross Sisters in Cape Town “know nothing about her being in the country under their jurisdiction”.

Ms Nicholas was also a student at St John Vianney Seminary in Pretoria, but, the memorandum states, “without proper documentation”.

“Ms Nicholas presents herself as a religious Sister. There are great doubts that she is a bona

Group accompanying disabled in their parish lives celebrates 20 years

By ERiN CARELSE

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Thuso Nkuna walks down the aisle at the 20th anniversary Mass of the Special Religious Development community, assisted by Dominican Sister Teresa Marie Healey, a founder member of the group.

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fide Sister and she is not connected to any religious order or diocese of the SACBC,” the memorandum said.

“She is travelling throughout the region presenting herself as a religious, and sets up stalls at every big event selling rosaries and other holy articles in different dioceses where she has been seen,” the SACBC memo said.

“We are concerned this could lead to an abuse of the situation.”

SACBC associate secretarygeneral Fr Patrick Rakeketsi confirmed the content of the memorandum as accurate, saying it was sent out to warn priests and bishops about Ms Nicholas.

ELIVERING a homily on how disability is perceived in society, Fr Francis Muturi AJ said we all have disabilities of some kind, be it prejudices or unforgiving hearts, and just because those disabilities may not immediately be noticed doesn’t mean they are not there.

Fr Muturi, parish priest of St Angela’s church in Dobsonville, Soweto, was celebrating the 20th anniversary Mass of the Special Religious Development (SPRED) community.

The special anniversary Mass at St Angela’s was attended by supporters from across Johannesburg: friends, faithful companions, family members, and members of the community.

Fr Muturi also spoke about living life with love, and about finding Jesus while spending time with special faith friends.

At the end of the Mass, com-

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The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2018

3

New Catholic business body seeks common good

By ERiN CARELSE

A Fr Didacus McGrath OFM Cap (centre), celebrated the 62nd anniversary of his ordination at Nazareth House, Cape Town, with staff and friends.

(Submitted by Fr Anstey Kay OFM Cap)

Author explores Frontier Wars from Xhosa view

By ERiN CARELSE

I

N his debut novel, The Broken River Tent, the first in a trilogy, Mphuthumi Ntabeni shares the story of the struggle for land between the Xhosa and the British in Eastern Cape in the 19th century.

A young man, Phila, relates the life of Xhosa chief Maqoma, who led most of the battles with the British in the Frontier Wars.

Mr Ntabeni said that although there’s no shortage of source material on historical events of the 19th century in South Africa, most are from the point of view of British/Dutch missionaries, and British soldiers and officials.

“Rarely do you find them from a Xhosa point of view. This book seeks to remedy that,” he said.

Mr Ntabeni writes a regular column for The Southern Cross, and contributes to various national and international publications. n The Broken River Tent is available at Exclusive Books, Bargain Books, Cum Books, Book Lounge and all major bookshops.

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NEW lay initiative, a Catholic business group, aims to support members in their professions and foster ethics and social responsibility.

Following several conversations with Catholics in business and industry, it was felt that there needed to be a body where they could integrate faith and work; apply Catholic values, especially the Church’s Social Teachings; and formulate a comprehensive pastoral response beyond just pastoral statements.

The Catholic Business Forum (CBF) was thus founded.

The official launch took place at St Augustine College, with an inaugural lecture by Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago, who was the guest speaker.

During the developing stages of the forum, there were a number of issues that Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg wanted the CBF to focus on, namely: • Emphasising the Church’s teachings on morality • Branching out to other professionals and government • Ensuring that the initiative is inspirational and effective • Growing the forum within

Southern Africa and worldwide • Running and managing an initiative such as the forum as laity • Having lay leadership shown and celebrated by the Church • Making sure that it is an ethical and informative platform • Ensuring that the forum is the voice of the Church.

Moreover, it was seen as important that there were comprehensive pastoral responses to national and global business issues.

In 2015, for example, an anonymous source leaked 11.5 million documents that detailed financial and attorney–client information for more than 214,488 offshore entities. These Panama documents, some dating back to the 1970s, were created by, and taken from, a Panamanian law firm and corporate service provider.

The breaking of this world story—and later the many other stories involving businesses, especially in South Africa—brought to

the fore the critical need of pastoral responses to major business issues.

And the most important tool of pastoral reflection and response was seen as engagement.

CBF convenor Fr Lawrence Ndlovu said that the Church, its people, and ministers, needed to back forums where and through Catholic business people could be accompanied in their daily work.

Fr Ndlovu said a forum allows matters of business and industry to be measured based on their ability to serve the common good.

“Through facilitating issues of business ethics, ethics in public life, philanthropy, and a deeper spiritual understanding of being a Catholic Christian in industry, the Church will be making a more direct intervention in response to the social ills and virtues found in South Africa and on the African continent,” he said.

“The forum is also a tool through which the Church can offer pastoral care to its members in business, industry, government and other professions,” Fr Ndlovu said. n For more information, contact Mahadi Buthelezi on (011) 663 4700 or 083 992 0387.

Precious Blood Sister Agnes Grasböck of Mariannhill celebrated her 80th birthday with friends. These included Frs Wim Lindeque (second from left) and Stefan Hippler (fifth from left), who came especially from Cape Town for the occasion. With them are friends from the Durban German-speaking Community, which Sr Agnes has taken care of for many years: Frans and Clarissa Wilbrink, Trudy Kastner, Renate and Wolfgang Voss, Bruni Cassia and Norma White.

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The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2018

INTERNATIONAL

Relics of St John XXIII make a pilgrimage in his home diocese

By PAUL HARiNG

A

CCOMPANIED by Bishop Francesco Beschi of Bergamo and escorted by both Italian and Vatican police officers, the glass coffin containing the body of St John XXIII left the Vatican for a 600km drive to Bergamo.

The route taken for the trip north was kept secret for security reasons.

When the procession reached Bergamo’s central Vittorio Veneto Square, Bishop Beschi told thousands of people gathered there that it was “with great joy and emotion that I accompanied to our diocese, our city, the urn with the mortal remains—now relics—of John XXIII, which return for a few days to the land of his birth”.

St John, who opened the Second Vatican Council, was born on November 25, 1881, in Sotto il Monte, a town near Bergamo. After his ordination as a priest and years of service in the Vatican diplomatic corps, he was appointed patriarch of Venice in 1953. He was elected pope on October 28, 1958, and died five years later.

The pilgrimage with his remains marks the 60th anniversary of his election and the 55th anniversary of his death.

In connection with the pilgrimage of St John’s relics, Pope Francis gave an interview to L’Eco di Bergamo, the area’s main daily newspaper, which is owned by the diocese of Bergamo.

In the interview, Pope Francis described St John as “a saint who did not know the word enemy, but always sought what would unite people”.

For St John, he said, “the Church is called to serve human beings, not just Catholics, and to defend always and everywhere the rights of the human person and not just of the Catholic Church”.

Pope Francis said the pilgrimage was meant to be “a gift and an occasion” to renew one’s faith and to remember the great pope. It is a special opportunity for the elderly, the sick and the poor, who have

Pope Francis exchanges gifts with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople during a meeting in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican.

(Photo: Paul Haring/CNS)

Are we now defined as homo oeconomicus?

By CiNDy WOODEN

A shaft of light illuminates people waiting to venerate the body of St John XXiii (inset) in the cathedral in Bergamo, italy. The body of the late pope left the Vatican early to be displayed in his home region until June 10.

(Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) not been able to go to St Peter’s basilica to pray at his tomb.

The visit to the diocese of Bergamo included a stop at the city’s prison, where 180 prisoners—including 35 Muslims—asked permission to enter the internal courtyard where a truck carrying the remains was to stop.

The prison yard was the first place in Bergamo where people were allowed to touch the glass coffin. The prisoners were given a square of either yellow or white fabric to touch to the glass; most of them touched the glass with their hands, then used the fabric to wipe the glass clean.

Vincenza, one of the inmates, told the local television station that it was amazing to have the saintly pope’s remains stop in the prison at the beginning of the pilgrimage “because usually, especially for important events, prisoners are the last ones people think about”.

From the prison, the relics were

driven to the diocesan seminary named after Pope John XXIII. The priests of the diocese escorted the remains to the cathedral later in the day.

Teens and young adults of the diocese held a prayer vigil in the cathedral and the remains were also to be present the next morning as new priests were ordained for the diocese.

After a Mass with the poor, the body was moved to the hospital named after the late pope, then transferred to the Shrine of St John XXIII in Sotto il Monte.

Pilgrims can pray before the saint’s remains at the shrine until June 10, when Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, will celebrate Mass and the body will be returned to the Vatican.

Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of St Peter’s basilica, told Vatican Media that “this is the first time it’s ever happened that the remains of a pope make a return visit to his home, to his roots”.—CNS

P

OPE Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople called on Christians to work together to build a culture of solidarity in the face of growing economic inequality and a lack of respect for the human dignity of the poor and of migrants.

The two leaders met privately before addressing an international conference sponsored by the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation, which seeks to promote the teaching of St John Paul II’s 1991 encyclical on social and economic justice.

“The current difficulties and crises within the global economic system have an undeniable ethical dimension,” Pope Francis told some 500 business leaders, theologians and proponents of Catholic Social Teaching.

The crises clearly “are related to a mentality of egoism and exclusion that has effectively created a culture of waste, blind to the human dignity of the most vulnerable”, the pope said.

In his speech to the gathering, Patriarch Bartholomew insisted that Christianity is “essentially social.

Faith is not limited only to the ‘soul’ without any interest for the social dimension, but rather, it also plays a pivotal role at the level of society”.

The Orthodox and Catholic Churches, he said, promote spiritual values and charitable activity, but they also teach “the principles of the respect of the person, solidarity, subsidiarity and the common good”.

Patriarch Bartholomew condemned what he described as the “fundamentalism of the market, the deification of profit, the association of dignity with property, the reduction of the human being to homo oeconomicus and the subordination of the human person to the tyranny of needs”.

In addition, he said, “We worship technology and its highest symbol — the computer—as our god,” thinking that it will solve all people’s problems. But the world’s deepest problems cannot be fixed with technology alone, he said, citing “social injustice, divorces, violence, crimes, loneliness, fanaticism and the clash of civilisations”.

“Never before have we possessed so much scientific knowledge and acted so violently and destructively against nature and our fellow human beings,” Patriarch Bartholomew said.

“The contribution of our Churches remains crucial,” he said, because “They have preserved high values, a precious spiritual and moral heritage, and deep anthropological knowledge.”—CNA

Irish bishop hopes papal visit will bring healing after abortion vote

By MiCHAEL KELLy

A

N Irish bishop said he hopes Pope Francis’ August visit can help bring healing after a divisive referendum that will pave the way for abortion on demand up to 12 weeks’ gestation.

In a May 25 referendum, voters opted by a margin of 66,4% to 33,6% to remove the right to life of the unborn from the constitution.

Bishop Brendan Leahy of Limerick told Mass goers that the result “is deeply regrettable and chilling for those of us who voted ‘no’.”

He said: “The final result of the referendum is the will of the majority of the people, though not all the people.

“It is a vote, of course, that does not change our position. Our message is one of love: love for all, love for life, for those with us today, for those in the womb,” he said.

Referring to Pope Francis’ August 25-

26 visit, Bishop Leahy said: “In August, we will unite as a family, to renew that sense of family when the World Meeting of Families comes here. We have the privilege of Pope Francis coming, and today I cannot think of his visit being more timely: to come here and remind us of the importance of family, of the love we have of family, of the reality that, yes, families get bruised sometimes, but they should never be broken.

“So we go forward to that moment, we look forward to the healing it will bring and how we will be renewed again in love and care for one another,” he said.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin insisted that “the Irish church after the referendum must renew its commitment to support life”.

Speaking during a homily at Mass for the ordination to the diaconate of four seminarians at the national seminary in Maynooth, County Kildare, Archbishop

Martin insisted that the Church is called to be pro-life “not just in words and statements and manifestoes, but to be pro-life in deeds, by being a Church which reflects the loving care of Jesus for human life at any stage.”

“That loving care includes support to help those women who face enormous challenges and who grapple with very difficult decisions to choose life,” he said.

Archbishop Martin said during the homily that “the challenge of witnessing to Jesus Christ in today’s world is not an easy one. Many will see the results of the referendum as an indication that the Catholic Church in Ireland is regarded today by many with indifference and as having a marginal role in the formation of Irish culture.

“The Church that is called to make present the Jesus who is full of mercy and compassion is seen by many as somehow weak in compassion,” he said.—CNS

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INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2018

Stats show more Church annulments done for free

By CiNDy WOODEN

I

MPLEMENTATION of Pope Francis’ abbreviated process for declaring the nullity of a marriage got off to a slow start, Vatican statistics showed, but his encouragement for making the annulment process free for petitioners fared better.

Many dioceses in the United States and Canada already had been subsidising all or part of the costs involved in the process when, in 2015, Pope Francis issued documents reforming part of the annulment processes. The documents were: Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus (“The Lord Jesus, the Gentle Judge”) for the Latin-rite church and Mitis et Misericors Iesus, (“The Meek and Merciful Jesus”) for the Eastern Catholic churches.

The documents encouraged bishops to fully fund their marriage tribunals and not charge petitioners “so that, in a matter so closely tied to the salvation of souls, the Church—by demonstrating to the faithful that she is a generous mother—may demonstrate the gratuitous love of Christ, which saves us all”.

Pope Francis, in the same documents, introduced an abbreviated process by which a diocesan bishop can issue a declaration of nullity.

The Vatican’s Statistical Yearbook 2016, completed in February and recently published, reported that over the course of the year, about 33,7% of the nullity cases handled around the world were handled at no

implementation of Pope Francis’ abbreviated process for declaring the nullity of a marriage got off to a slow start, Vatican statistics showed, but his encouragement for making the annulment process free for petitioners fared better.

(Photo:Gregory Shemitz) charge to the person petitioning; in 23,3% of the cases, the person was asked to cover some of the tribunal costs of his or her case; and in about 42,8% of the cases, the petitioner covered all the costs.

Ten years earlier, the Statistical Yearbook 2006 reported only about 23,3% of cases were handled free of charge, 30,3% of cases included a partial charge and, in 46,3% of the cases, the petitioners were asked to cover the full cost.

In the country-by-country breakdown, the yearbook reported that in 2016, fully 50% of annulment requests in the US were handled for free, 20,8% of cases in the US involved a partial charge, and about 29% included a full charge.

The dioceses of Canada reported in 2016 that about 40,7% of their cases were handled free of charge, 40,1% involved a partial payment, and 19% included a full charge to the petitioner.

The new rules issued by Pope Francis in 2015 empowered a bishop to issue a decree of nullity when certain conditions are evident, for example, when it is clear one or both parties lacked the faith to give full consent to a Catholic marriage, or when physical violence was used to extort consent for the marriage.

Of the more than 50 000 marriage cases handled by the Church worldwide in 2016, the yearbook said, fewer than 1 700 involved what the book described as the “briefer process before the bishop”, and only 1 118 of the cases were completed during the year.

Bishops in the Americas—North, Central and South—were responsible for clearing more than half of the completed cases.

Of those, 289 were reported in the US and 18 in Canada. Bishops in Asia completed 200 abbreviated cases while the bishops of Europe completed 196 cases. No cases were reported from Australia or New Zealand.— CNS

Male-only priesthood ‘is definitive’ despite doubts

By CiNDy WOODEN

T

HAT only men can be validly ordained to the priesthood is a truth that is part of the Catholic faith and will not and cannot change, said Cardinaldesignate Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

“It gives rise to serious concern to see that in some countries there still are voices that put in doubt the definitive nature of this doctrine,” the cardinal-designate wrote in the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano.

St John Paul II, confirming the constant teaching and practice of the Church, formally declared in 1994 that “the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful”.

Cardinal-designate Ladaria said some

people continue to question the infallibility of St John Paul’s declaration in the document Ordinatio Sacerdotalis because “it was not defined ex cathedra” or formally, solemnly proclaimed as infallible. The argument, the cardinal-designate wrote, is that “a later decision by a future pope or council could overturn it”.

But “sowing these doubts creates serious confusion among the faithful not only about the sacrament of orders as part of the divine constitution of the Church, but also about how the ordinary magisterium can teach Catholic doctrine in an infallible way”, he wrote.

A teaching of the Church is infallible not only when it is solemnly pronounced by a council or by a pope speaking ex cathedra, he said. A teaching is recognised as infallible also when it is “the ordinary and universal teaching of bishops spread

throughout the world when, in communion among themselves and with the pope, they propose Catholic doctrine that is to be held definitively”.

That is what St John Paul did, he said.

“He did not declare new dogma, but with the authority conferred on him as successor of Peter, he formally confirmed and made explicit—to remove any doubt—that which the ordinary and universal magisterium had considered as belonging to the deposit of faith throughout the history of the Church.

“Christ willed to confer this sacrament on the 12 Apostles—all men—who, in turn, communicated it to other men,” Cardinal-designate Ladaria wrote. “The Church always has seen itself as bound to this decision of the Lord, which excludes that the ministerial priesthood can be conferred validly on women.”—CNS

GK Chesterton’s sainthood cause may soon be opened

By PERRy WEST

A

S an investigation into the life of Catholic apologist GK Chesterton nears a close, admirers of the English writer voiced hope that his sainthood cause could soon be opened.

“Chesterton stands up as that saint who contradicts the world in terms of speaking out against a bad philosophy and bad thinking,” said Dale Ahlquist, president of the American Chesterton Society.

“Chesterton is someone who has really contradicted the age. He is in fact a maker of converts. There are hundreds of people who have come to the Catholic faith as a result of encountering GK Chesterton, and I’m certainly one of them.”

An investigation into the cause for Chesterton, conducted by Canon John Udris, is expected to be completed this year.

It will then be sent to Bishop Peter Doyle of Northampton, UK, who will consult with the Vatican about whether to open the beatification cause.

GK Chesterton was born in 1874 and died in 1936 as a well-known author with many

An investigation into the life of GK Chesterton in the hopes of opening a sainthood cause is nearing completion. (Photo: public domain) published novels, poems, plays, and philosophical and theological essays. As a result of his marriage to Frances, he developed a strong faith as a devout Anglican. In 1922, he converted to Catholicism.

His writing is known for its wit and dedication to the truth.

Among his numerous works, he is the author of the Father Brown mystery series and the Christian apologetic book Orthodoxy.

Mr Ahlquist said there is much evidence for Chesterton’s

beatification: “His heroic virtue, his goodness, and his humility.” However, he said the Englishman is most well known for defending faith and reason.

“He saw the attack on the family, on life itself, the attack on the faith, but also the attack on reason and the use of good, solid, rational thinking. He knew people were starting to lead with their moods and lead with their emotions.”

With the continued deterioration of reason in today’s world, Mr Ahlquist suggested that the world needs a saint opposed to the culture. He quoted Chesterton’s saying on Thomas Aquinas: “Sometimes the age is converted by the saint who contradicts it the most.”

Personal devotion to Chesterton is growing, said Mr Ahlquist, noting that his organisation has distributed thousands of Chesterton prayer cards in 12 different languages throughout the world.

“We are hoping and praying that Bishop Doyle makes a positive decision and will be recommending to the Congregation for Saints that they officially open the cause.”—CNA

5

An Arkansas Catholic priest is taking “Father Flex” as his ninja name as a contestant on the new season of the US reality show American Ninja Warrior.

Fr Stephen Gadberry, pastor of St Mary’s church in Batesville and St Cecilia’s church in Newport, applied last December to be on the show, which allows everyday “warriors” to show off their skills in a series of challenging obstacle courses.

Fr Gadberry hopes that his participation in the upcoming season of American Ninja Warrior will make the clergy appear more human and available.

Competitors advance from city qualifying and finals to regional finals and finally national finals in Las Vegas. The grand prize winner receives $1 million. (Photo: Aprille Hanson, Arkansas Catholic/CNS)

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6

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2018

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher Guest editorial: Michael Shackleton

Homework and the home

O

UR special supplement on Catholic Education (May 23) provided a reasonably comprehensive assessment of the state of education in South Africa, with special attention to our own schools.

The positives and the negatives were highlighted, so readers could see that whatever problems schools, teachers and learners were faced with in past years, they had now taken on a fresh 21st century challenge.

Although in theory education is on the right track, it needs a new impetus to rise higher and achieve greater success in producing citizens well prepared to handle today’s turbulent environment.

Coincidentally, around the same time, there were press reports that told of a growing number of South African teachers who believe homework is a potential hazard for children’s emotional wellbeing at primary school level.

The headmaster of the Catholic De La Salle Holy Cross College Junior School in Victory Park, Johannesburg, was quoted as asking teachers whether extra work at home is worth eating into the already limited time the school’s young pupils have at home.

He is not in favour of ditching homework altogether, but likes to reduce it to certain days, leaving the other days for the children to be free for family time. Also, he is reported to want young children to spend no longer than 15 minutes at it and higher-grade learners no longer than 30 minutes.

This is a question that tends to shift the interest from education as a school-orientated mission into the home and parental responsibility.

Apparently researchers are discovering that children who come home from the classroom with a pile of homework often need medication to ease their high state of anxiety and depression.

Families facing this problem, it was found, were not eating together, the children were going to bed late and arriving at school late, to the detriment of their academic achievement.

No one argues that all children with no homework on their minds will be undoubtedly better adjusted and healthier in mind and body. But some argue that for reasons of healthy psychological development, homework is unproductive and unnecessary.

Of course, referring to the suc-

cesses some schools have achieved with a no-homework policy does not make it a general rule. Primary schools vary hugely in their locations, personnel, pupils and funding, and it is normal for the individual school to decide in accordance with its own needs and goals.

In practice, the majority of South African schools stick to the rule that homework is part of the wider curriculum and there should be no rush to abandon it.

Studying at home, especially when examination time approaches, is something that generations of schoolgoers have grown up with.

Our Catholic schools are spread across the land from rural areas to affluent urban settlements. Each school takes its task seriously of bringing up its charges in the spirit of Christian love and respect for their dignity as individual human persons.

Homework is not intended to be burdensome but is a tool to evoke in the child a keenness and desire to learn, not solely about textbook material but also about human relations, justice and appreciation of one another and the planet we live on.

Parents who supervise or guide their children play an enormous part in educating them, not only with homework assignments but also with mature parental care and wisdom.

Many parents, including single parents, are so preoccupied with work that they have little time to devote to homework guidance.

This is a reality that all educators know very well and are coping with as well as they can. The shortage of teachers means less contact with parents and less effective education. When parents can support their children with reading, writing and the audio-visual aids and smart appliances in use today, the ideal for sound teaching is in sight.

Whether homework is important during a child’s junior school life or not is apparently less doubtful now than before. But there are increasing indications that it has no great bearing on academic performance.

The social and emotional tensions of modern South Africa are reflected in our schools and colleges. Wise parents and educators have to work together to ease the burden on families and all learners, particularly those in junior school.

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.

Follow Christ of the Gospels Y OUR editorial, “The Pope of the Gospel” (April 18), again celebrates the wisdom and sagacity of our Holy Father. Further to this, was his simple yet profound phrase, “Who am I to judge”, when responding to questions about whether there was a “gay lobby” in the Vatican.

Unfortunately, many of us still misunderstand the teachings of Christ. How easily we feed our selfserving prejudices. How we condemn others by claiming, “the Bible says” or “Canon Law rules”?

As we “wash our hands up to the elbows” and insist that others do the same, we forget that the Commandments and Canon Law were written for us, and not for our abuse in standing in judgment of others.

Jesus deals with this clearly in Mk 7:7 when he is taken to task by the Pharisees about the disciples not upholding “the traditions of

Met gala Catholic theme a travesty

F

ORTY Vatican vestments and diverse sacred objects from 15 papacies are out on loan to enhance the aesthetic appeal of this year’s Costume Institute exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan.

Called “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”, the exhibition opened on May 7 with the Met gala.

Observing TV news items showing celebrities trooping up the red carpet modelling ostensibly Churchinspired but including outrageously décolletage garments to the backdrop of sacred artefacts, I failed to see where faith entered the equation.

It was mentioned that the vast majority of the designers strutting their stuff at the gala had been raised Catholics.

I was mystified because if the designers were actually aware of the import of the cross and the rosary, their introduction of these as style items was sacrilegious.

If the Augustinians had taught these couturiers their catechism as they did me, the latter would have been quaking in their boots. Where was the respect due to God? Dressed in clerical garb with cardinal’s skullcap, the Vatican’s minister of culture, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, addressed the crowd at Palazzo Colonna, Rome, at a preliminary gathering held earlier to publicise the Met exhibition.

In the presence of designer Donatella Versace and Vogue’s editor-inchief Anna Wintour, the cardinal said: “Clothing itself is both a material necessity and a deeply moving

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symbolic act that was even recorded in the biblical story of Adam and Eve...God himself was concerned with dressing his creatures.”

To myself as a bystander, however, some of those present looked less dressed than undressed.

I remember the simple words of St Jacinta Marto, the Fatima shepherdess and seer. She said Our Lady had warned her that certain fashions would be introduced that would offend Our Lord very much.

This unsophisticated warning has stopped neither designers from creating them nor customers from wearing them.

It would take a policy decision from the faithful to boycott immodest fashions to reverse this trend.

I am deeply saddened that liturgical vestments formerly worn when the Blessed Eucharist was celebrated have now been cynically displayed alongside secular fashion.

What rendered the entire exercise intolerable is the realisation that this impious travesty of religious faith has taken place with the assistance and benign approval of the Vatican.

Luky Whittle, Kroonstad

Let’s pray silently after Eucharist

T

HANK you for the beautiful article on the Eucharist by Fr Ralph de Hahn (May 23).

He writes, “After receiving Holy Communion we sit in silent prayer; hear his heart beat inside your heart.”

I have felt for some time now that the congregation does not have the opportunity to sit in silent prayer.

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the elders”: “How rightly Isaiah prophesied about you hypocrites,” Jesus says.

Another contentious matter is whether divorced “sinners” should be allowed to receive Holy Communion. Perhaps, once again, we could refer to the mercy of Jesus.

Not only did he invite his betrayer to the Last Supper, he knew full well that Judas was most definitely not “in a state of grace”.

One wonders what advice we would offer Jesus at Jacob’s Well?

Firstly, he speaks to a Samaritan woman. Secondly, he is not supposed to speak to any woman without her husband being present.

“You are a Jew. How is it that you ask me, a Samaritan, for something to drink?” No shortage of arrogance in this shady lady? Yet, she focuses on upholding “the law (tradition)” and Jesus does not.

Now, in our modern world, we

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have to deal with all sorts of mixedup “sinners”. So, what’s to be done?

As a start, we should take the books of the Bible, the Catechism and Canon Law, read them thoroughly, and then confine them to some or other archive.

Thereafter, let’s get back to basics and read the four Gospels (aloud) and open our hearts and minds with a view to following Christ.

That’s it! Mission accomplished.

We will never again need to burden ourselves with gay folk who go to Mass with their drug-addict, transvestite friends or the divorcée receiving Holy Communion.

We may even become humble enough to drop our stones into the sand and “eat with sinners and tax collectors”.

Heaven can only be gained by “charity and mercy”, not by revealing and condemning the sins of others, for whatever Pharisaical reason.

“Who am I to judge?” God bless you, Pope Francis.

Tony Meehan, Cape Town

We seem to be rushed straight into singing a hymn, and all too soon it is the end of the Mass.

So we go out of church without having time to pray quietly for a few minutes, and reflect on the wonder of receiving our Lord and meeting him personally in this gift of the Eucharist.

Perhaps we could go back to the times when the priest said a short prayer after Communion, and then we all sat silently, and together spent a little time with our Saviour, before rushing to join the rather busy world outside?

J Le Roux, St Francis Bay

Critical to know what others feel

Y

OUR editorial “Race and our future” (May 16) provided a far better response than what I would otherwise have attempted to make to MJ Maidment’s letter “Winnie column had no place here” on the same page.

How can one begin to “Love thy neighbour as thy self” if one does not know what one’s neighbour is feeling?

Paddy Ross, Cape Town 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

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2018

PERSPECTIVES

Why bishops told president to go Arinze T Joseph Ani HE Catholic Bishop’s Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has called for the immediate resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari.

This was prompted by the massacre of two Catholic priests and 17 parishioners of St Ignatius Quasi parish in the middle-belt Benue state—in the midst of an early morning Mass on April 24.

More than 2 000 Christians have lost their lives to the terrorism of Fulani herdsmen in the middle-belt of Nigeria.

The CBCN after the attack and murder of over 80 innocent souls in January this year contacted the President Buhari to ensure that lives would henceforth be protected and the menace of the herdsmen be treated accordingly. But the government has done little or nothing to stop the killings.

The bishops’ conference has said that President Buhari has left Nigerians feeling exposed and vulnerable, facing the dark clouds of fear and anxiety.

Since the existence of Nigeria as a nation, the present government has recorded the highest number of terrorist attacks on Christians—with zero effort to stop or apprehend the terrorists.

The CBCN believes this is because the president deliberately placed all the security agencies of Nigeria “in the hands of the adherents of only one religion”.

Taking a close survey of the heads of all the security agencies of Nigeria, 90% of them are found to be Hausa-Fulanis (the tribes of the herdsmen terrorists) and Muslims. It is on this note that the CBCN spoke out clearly: “Since the president who appointed the heads of the nation’s security agencies has refused to call them to

order, even in the face of the chaos and barbarity into which our country has been plunged, we are left with no choice but to conclude that they are acting a script that he approves of.”

T

he bishops continued: “If the president cannot keep our country safe, then he automatically loses the trust of citizens. He should no longer continue to preside over the killing fields and mass graveyard that our country has become.

“Repeated calls from us and many other Nigerians on the president to take very drastic and urgent steps to reverse this ugly

Nigerians in Lagos protest against the killing of innocent citizens. The Catholic bishops of Nigeria have sharply criticised President Muhammadu Buhari of failing to protect citizens, saying it’s either deliberate or due to incompetence. (Photo: Peter Dada/CNS)

Our need to heal SA S OUTH Africa needs another Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). We need a process which encourages ordinary South Africans to encounter one another, to listen to each other, speak of their fears, grievances, perceptions and misperceptions.

We need a process to find healing and forgiveness, to be transformed by one another, and together find solutions to the deep problems of our beloved country.

I’m not really sure how we can do this.

I feel that we are polarised far more today than we were ten years ago.

I also know how difficult these necessary conversations are, because they force us to examine ourselves very closely and will certainly bring on deep emotions, many of which have been kept hidden for decades.

One of the advantages of having attended a multiracial Catholic school in the 1980s and ‘90s, was that black, white, coloured and Indian children first met each other on the playground, away from political tensions and preconceived ideas.

We played together and when we fought, it was not about race but about the very ordinary things that all children need to learn: how to share, to be fair, to treat others with respect, to take turns.

As we headed into high school, South Africa held its first free and fair elections and a new form of government came into being. We spoke about our parents going to vote. Our teachers made us record what we saw in the news and around us.

Slowly we became politically aware. We also realised that our parents had very different ideas about what the new South Africa represented. We discovered that we had embodied some of our parents’ thoughts and ideas. It made for some explosive lessons as our different worlds collided jarringly and we tried to make sense of it all.

T

here was a geography lesson where we realised for the first time that a small minority had control over 90% of the country’s agricultural land, and it just did not seem fair.

I remember an English lesson, where we spoke about whether Shakespeare and William Blake were even relevant, given the time and geographical place we were growing up in. Where are the African writers, we asked? Or the time someone asked the religious education teacher if Jesus was only for white people.

Those were not easy times to be in high school. But in all those discussions, the shared anger, frustration, confusion and lack of awareness, as well as the inability

to fully express ourselves, I remember two moments that today I recognise as moments of true reconciliation, when we were able to see beyond race and discover each other’s inherent dignity and worth.

In our final year of school, the prefect body was very polarised by the usual popularity contests. I arrived early one morning and overheard a conversation about how some of the girls had decided to boycott the two headgirls.

One black girl stood up against her black fellow pupils and said that she would support the heads—who were white and Indian, respectively. The others accused her of not standing with her own kind, to which she responded: “I will stand with the person who has integrity.”

On another occasion, in a heated history discussion, a black classmate said that all white people should leave South Africa and go back to the countries of their ancestors. This comment elicited a very emotional response from the white students because for us, South Africa was our home, not a distant European country that most of us had never even visited.

Our teacher looked on helplessly as both sides tried to argue about who belonged in South Africa.

After we’d let it all out, we started talking about how first one white girl could stay because she could contribute to improving the quality of education, another could stay because she was good at solving problems. We then talked about what each one of us, irrespective of race, could contribute to the future of our country, and we concluded that each of us had a place.

We had our TRC in the classroom.

Those difficult and beautiful moments prepared us to be adults in post-apartheid South Africa.

We were able to do this because we had played together as six-year-olds, and knew each other on a personal level. This familiarity is the foundation that allowed us to have these challenging conversations and still emerge as friends afterwards.

M

ost South Africans in their 30s and 40s who attended single-race schools never had the same opportunity.

In an effort to put the past behind us, we—as a nation—have bottled up halfformed thoughts and perceptions of groups from different races and never got beyond the surface to recognise the value of each person.

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

Letter from Nigeria

Understandings of the sacraments

tragedy that threatens the foundation of our collective existence and unity as a nation, have fallen on deaf ears,” the bishops said.

“It is clear to the nation that he has failed in his primary duty of protecting the lives of Nigerian citizens. Whether this failure is due to inability to perform or lack of political will, it is time for him to choose the part of honour and consider stepping aside to save the nation from total collapse.”

The CBCN also urged the government to tread carefully on disarming Nigerians who legally procured weapons of self-defence, calling on Nigerians to stand for their fundamental right to life and security.

“Government should encourage and empower citizens to secure themselves and their environments,” the bishops said.

“This is not the time to disarm people with legally procured weapons of self-defence. These are not normal times since those we pay to protect us have failed to do their duty. Nigeria can return to normal times if we put our heads together with sincerity.” (See https://bit.ly/2rLrKj5 for the full statement.)

“May the souls of Frs Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha, the souls of their 17 parishioners and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen,” the bishops added.

What is the difference between the Catholic understanding of a sacrament and the Protestant understanding of it?

Denis B

A

CCORDING to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the sacraments are perceptible signs (words and actions) accessible to our human nature. By the action of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit they make present efficaciously the grace that they signify (1084).

Thus each sacrament is a sign of something beyond itself. A good example is the pouring of water in baptism: a sign that the person is being washed clean to enter a new life. This action is also an efficacious sign, in that it brings about an invisible regeneration of the human soul. Christ immediately shares his life of grace with the person; all sins are forgiven and the way is opened to life with him and the Christian community.

The Heidelberg Catechism influenced by the teachings of John Calvin (1509-1564) declared that “sacraments are holy, visible signs and seals instituted by God in order to declare more fully and seal to us, by the use of them, the promise of the gospel; namely, that he grants us the grace of forgiveness of sins and eternal life, for the sake of the one sacrifice of Christ accomplished by the cross”.

On the surface these definitions may not appear to be different, but Protestants subordinate the sacraments to the Word of God and believe that they give nothing that the Word of God does not give. This is consistent with Protestantism’s subordination of the Church to Scripture.

Catholicism holds that the sacraments, like the Church, are established by Christ’s will to bring about salvation to humanity.

Calvin taught that Christ established only two sacraments: baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Catholics uphold the traditional seven sacraments instituted by Christ: Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Eucharist, Holy Orders, Matrimony and Anointing of the Sick.

Baptism among Protestants is not much different from our own teaching. Water and the Trinitarian formula are used. Catholic doctrine is that this sacrament renews the person absolutely, as mentioned above, Protestants believe that although baptism removes original sin and raises to new life, it presupposes faith and seals it.

The Lord’s Supper for Calvin is not a sacrifice in the Catholic sense, but a memorial of Christ’s death on the cross in which the believer has a share.

The words, “This is my body; this is my blood”, in the Eucharistic rite are not literal, as Catholics believe. Bread and wine represent Christ’s body and blood. The whole ceremony of the Supper seals and strengthens the participants’ faith in Christ who is spiritually present.

Catholics and Protestants both believe that the Lord’s Supper is a sacrament of spiritual growth.

Sarah-Leah Pimentel

The Mustard Seeds

The psychologist Sigmund Freud suggested that the things we repress are the things that later erupt in very ugly ways.

This is what we are seeing today: in Vicky Momberg’s unacceptable outburst, in Ashwin Willemse’s walkout during a live rugby broadcast, and countless other stories that have made headlines.

I know that a school setting for these conversations is unrealistic, and truth be told, my classmates and I probably would need to do it again, this time examining our own worldviews and the tropes we have formulated based on our individual experiences as adults.

More than this, it’s not enough to just talk about race and our perceptions of each other. We also need the inner healing transformation that makes each one of us accountable to the transformation of our society so that it can truly be more equitable and race no longer be a determining factor for success or failure.

This requires each one of us to make some sacrifices and take responsibility to build the kind of country we’d like to live in.

As Christians, we recognise that we cannot go this course alone. We need the Holy Spirit to touch our hearts, so that, like Zacchaeus, we can encounter Christ in our brothers and sisters whom we have grieved, and return that which we have taken—reducing the other to the smallness of our misperceptions.

And we might go even further by giving more than we owe, recognising the inherent dignity of each person and fostering deep transformation.

Perhaps a good starting point is Winter Living Theology 2018, organised by the Jesuit Institute, which this year has as its theme: “Racial Justice and the Demands of Discipleship”. The series of talks and discussions, presented by US priest Fr Bryan Massingale, will take place in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Durban and Cape Town.

Our faith tradition and spirituality has the tools which can help us unlock and kickstart a process of listening, sharing, healing and transforming at a personal and parish level.

And maybe, our experience as a Church could contribute to a far larger national discussion on race and real reconciliation and healing.

7

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

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The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2018

SA CHURCH 200

A timeline of Catholicism in SA As the Church marks 200 years of being established in South Africa, GüNTHER SiMMERMACHER gives an overview of Catholic history in the country.

T

HE history of Catholicism in South Africa precedes colonisation by the Dutch by more than 150 years, with the first Mass on our soil celebrated by the Portuguese around December 1487.

After that, Catholics had to contend with the absence of Mass until the official establishment of the Church in the Cape, the bicentenary of which we are marking with celebrations this weekend.

Here, then, is a potted history of the Catholic Church in South Africa.

1487: The Portuguese explorer Bartholomew Diaz lands at Walvis Bay in present-day Namibia on December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and then sails south along the South African coast. He names modern Mossel Bay after St Blaise. The first Mass on South African ground is celebrated on the island of the Holy Cross (named by Diaz), off Port Elizabeth, in either late December 1487 or early January 1488.

1497: The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama names the land he sighted on Christmas Day on the east coast of South Africa “Tierra de Natal”. Though, like Diaz, he has missionary priests on board, no efforts at evangelising the people of the tip of Africa are made.

1501: The first Catholic structure—variously believed to have been a small chapel or hermitage— is built at Mossel Bay by João da Nova and dedicated to São Bras (St Blaise).

1652-1804: The Catholic Church is not allowed a formal presence in South Africa under successive Dutch and British colonial rule, and the practice of Catholicism is severely curtailed.

No resident Catholic priests are permitted, though visits by priests travelling on Portuguese or French boats were allowed on occasion.

1660: The French ship “Marichal” lands stricken in Table Bay, with Catholic clergy on board.

Commander Jan van Riebeeck bans them from holding public assemblies on land for purposes of Catholic worship.

1685: Commander Simon van der Stel welcomes Jesuit priests on their way to Siam, and allows them to make astronomical observations. They visit the “numerous” Catholics in houses and

A painting by A Sturgis shows Cape Town’s St Mary’s cathedral in 1903.

Consecrated in 1851, it is the mother church of the South African Church, which celebrates its 200th birthday this month. hospitals and hear confession, but are allowed to celebrate Mass only on board their ship. One of the priests, Fr Guy Tachard, later reported having met Catholics “of all countries and of all conditions, free, slaves, French, Germans, Portuguese, Spaniards, Flemings, and Indians”.

1685: The commissioner of the Dutch East India Company, Hendrik van Rheede, instructs van der Stel that Catholics may not to be admitted as free-burghers.

1798: A plan by the Holy See’s Propaganda Fide to establish a mission at the Cape of Good Hope fails.

1805: After the Dutch government allows religious toleration the previous year, the colonial governor permits the arrival of three Dutch Catholic priests. Arriving in October, one is given the task of evangelising the Khoisan. It is not known

which building they were given for the celebration of Mass.

1806: The British reclaim the Cape Colony in January and quickly expel the three Dutch priests alongside other Dutch officials. No replacement priests are brought in. Whatever building the Dutch priests used for Mass is requisitioned to serve as a military hospital.

1818: Pope Pius VII erects the Apostolic Vicariate of the Cape of Good Hope (and adjacent territories), appointing his fellow Benedictine, the Englishman Dom Edward Bede Slater (1774-1832), as the first vicar-apostolic of the Cape. Having been denied a residency permit in the Cape Colony, Bishop Slater lives in Mauritius (as will his successor, Bishop Placide Morris).

1820: Bishop Slater arrives at the Cape on New Year’s Day and continues to Mauritius two weeks

The first issue of The Southern Cross, dated October 26, 1920, with Pope Benedict XV on the cover.

in 1951 The Southern Cross appeared daily for a few days to mark the establishment of the Southern African hierarchy and the Marian Congress in Durban.

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later. He leaves behind a young Irish priest, Fr Patrick Scully, to serve the local Catholic community.

1822: Construction for a Catholic chapel begins in Cape Town in October under Fr Scully’s supervision with funds raised by the Catholic community. Located in Harrington Street and holding 500 people, it comes into use in 1824, and is South Africa’s first parish church (the site is now a parking lot).

1824: Fr Scully leaves in July and is replaced by Fr Theodorus Wagener who in 1827 is joined by Fr Thomas Rishton.

1837: The Harrington Street chapel collapses after torrential rains due to the roof having been dismantled for an emergency replacement of the roof timbers.

1838: Bishop Raymond Griffiths (1798-1862), a Dominican, arrives in Cape Town in May, becoming South Africa’s first resident bishop.

1847: Following the retirement of Bishop Griffiths, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth are allocated their own vicariates of the Cape of Good Hope, with Bishop Thomas Grimley (1821-71) becoming vicar apostolic of the Western District, and Bishop Aidan Devereux (1801-54) of the Eastern District.

Devereux becomes the first bishop to invite religious Sisters to come to South Africa.

1850: The vicariate of Natal is established in November, with Bishop Jean-Francois Allard (1806-89) named as its first vicarapostolic in January 1851.

1851: Cape Town’s St Mary’s cathedral, South Africa’s mother church, is consecrated on April 28 to Our Lady of the Flight Into Egypt, having been built on what was known as Tanner’s Square.

1852: The first missionaries of the new congregation of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate arrive in South Africa, at the invitation of Bishop Devereux and the interested support of Oblate founder St Eugene de Mazenod. It takes until 1862 until their missionary endeavours really take off after they are allowed to set up a mission by King Moshoeshoe, the founder of the Basotho nation.

The Oblates go on to be the leading missionary in South Africa.

1854: The French Oblate Joseph Gérard arrives in Natal and is ordained to the priesthood in Pietermaritzburg. He serves the first eight years evangelising among Zulus. In 1862 he moves to Lesotho and becomes the apostle of that nation.

1855: At the invitation of Bishop James Ricards (1828-93) of the Eastern Vicariate, the Trappists send a group of monks under the leadership of Abbot Franz Pfanner to establish a new monastery at Dunbrody on the Sundays River near Port Elizabeth. The community moves two years later to land near Pinetown, outside Durban, which they named Mariannhill.

The monastery grows fast, becoming the largest in the world.

1885: The first locally-founded congregation for religious women, the Precious Blood Sisters, are founded by Abbot Pfanner. Pope Pius X approves their constitution in 1906.

1898: Fr Edward Kece Mnganga is ordained as the first black South African priest, having been sent to Rome to study by Abbot Pfanner. Fr Mnganga dies in 1945.

1909: Pope Pius X approves the separation of the Congregation of Mariannhill Missionaries from the Trappist order. Abbot Pfanner dies three months later at Emaus mission at 84. The new order and the Precious Blood Sisters attract vocations worldwide.

1903-07: Three more African priests are ordained—Frs Alois Majonga Mncadi, Andreas Mdontswa Ngidi and Julius uMkomazi Mbhele—before the

Bishop Patrick Raymond Griffith, the first resident bishop, came to Cape Town in 1838. training of indigenous black clergy is suspended until the 1920s.

1920: The Southern Cross is founded and incorporated into the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company by the bishops of South Africa and shareholders from the laity, vicariates and religious orders.

Among its future editors, in the 1940s, is Fr Owen McCann (190794), who would become archbishop of Cape Town and South Africa’s first cardinal. He would return to edit the newspaper after retiring in 1986.

1925: South Africa’s first locally-born bishop, the Oblate David O’Leary (1880-1958), is appointed vicar apostolic of Transvaal (now the archdiocese of Johannesburg), which was erected in 1886 with Bishop William Miller OMI (1858-1927) as its first head.

1946: Cape Town-born Fr Denis Hurley OMI (1915-2004) is appointed vicar apostolic of Natal. At 31 he is the youngest bishop in the world. He also becomes the youngest archbishop in the world, at 35, when his vicariate is elevated to become the archdiocese of Durban. He would head the archdiocese for 45 years, three more than his predecessor, Bishop Henri Delalle OMI (1868-1949).

1947: South Africa’s first national seminary, St Peter’s, is founded in Pretoria for black seminarians.

1948: St John Vianney national seminary in Pretoria is founded for white seminarians.

1951: Pope Pius XII establishes the local hierarchy and the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) is founded, with Archbishop Hurley as its first president. It includes four archdioceses: Cape Town and Durban, as well as Pretoria (erected in 1948) and newly-erected Bloemfontein.

1952: South Africa is placed under the patronage of Our Lady of the Assumption.

1953-55: With the enactment of the Bantu Education Act, the future of Catholic mission schools comes under threat as the government threatened to phase out subsidies within three years. After negotiations fail, the bishops embark on a huge fundraising drive, internationally and among the faithful, raising £976 000 (around R221 million in today’s value) in late 1955. The Southern Cross is one of the main drivers of the appeal. The Catholic school system is thus saved.

1954: Bishop Pius Bonaventura Dlamini FFJ (1908-81) becomes South Africa’s first black bishop when he is appointed to head the diocese of Umzimkulu. He later becomes the auxiliary bishop of Mariannhill, the country’s second-most populous diocese.

1957: The SACBC condemns apartheid as “intrinsically evil”.

1960: The SACBC issues another pastoral letter condemning apartheid, just a month before the Sharpeville massacre.

1962: Cardinal Giovanni Montini, who in less than a year be-

SA CHURCH 200

The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2018

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Fr Peter Riffel OMi and Archbishop Denis Hurley with a poster promoting the bishops’ campaign to fund mission schools and seminaries in 1955. • Cardinal Montini (soon Pope Paul Vi) lays the foundation stone of Regina Mundi church in Moroka, Soweto, in 1962. With him is Fr Gerard Coleman OMi. • Cardinal Owen McCann returns from Rome after receiving his red hat in 1964 • St John Vianney seminarians march to the Union Buildings to protest against apartheid in 1985. • President Nelson Mandela welcomes Pope John Paul ii to South Africa in 1995. comes Pope Paul VI, visits South Africa and lays the foundation stone for Regina Mundi church in Moroka, Soweto, which will become South Africa’s largest Catholic church and the “Cathedral of the Struggle”.

1962-65: Several South African bishops take part in the Second Vatican Council, including Archbishop Hurley (who would become a leading voice in the council), Cardinal McCann, Bishop Dlamini and Bishop Gerard van Velsen OP of Kroonstad, 1964: Pope Paul VI elevates Archbishop McCann to the rank of cardinal.

1972: St John Vianney seminary begins to desegregate.

1975/76: Springfield Convent in Cape Town becomes the first “white” school to decide to accept black students. With the prompting from religious in education, the SACBC in its January 1976 plenary session decides to open all of its 192 private Catholic schools in South Africa to all races, defying threats by the National Party government. It is the first instance of school apartheid being smashed.

1978: Bishop Peter Fanyana Butelezi OMI (1930-97), auxiliary of Johannesburg, becomes South Africa’s first black African arch-

Cardinal Amato speaks at the beatification of Benedict Daswa in 2015. bishop when he is transferred to the archdiocese of Pretoria. He dies in office in 1997.

1984: Bishop Stephen Naidoo CSsR (1937-89) becomes South Africa’s first “non-white” archbishop when he is appointed to head the archdiocese of Cape Town, which he had served as auxiliary since 1974. He dies in office in 1989.

1986: The islands of St Helena, Tristan da Cunha and Ascension are transferred from the archdiocese of Cape Town, which had responsibility for them since 1852, to the

newly-erected prefecture of the Falklands.

1988: Pope John Paul II visits Lesotho to beatify Bl Joseph Gérard. He travels to several Southern African states—including Botswana and Swaziland in the SACBC territory—but excludes South Africa in protest against apartheid. Bad weather, however, forces him to land in Johannesburg, where foreign minister Pik Botha welcomes an unsmiling pope.

1988: In November Mother Teresa visits South Africa, going to

Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban and Johannesburg.

1988: Agents of the apartheid regime firebomb the SACBC’s Pretoria headquarters, Khanya House.

1995: Pope John Paul II visits South Africa for one day, celebrating a televised Mass in Johannesburg.

1999: St Augustine College, South Africa’s only Catholic university, opens in Johannesburg.

The process leading up to its establishment was initiated by longrunning Southern Cross columnist Prof Emmanuel Ngara and brought to fruition an objective stated by the bishops in the early 1950s.

2000: The SACBC Aids Office opens. In 2004 it will be the biggest non-governmental provider of antiretrovirals, saving thousands of lives.

2001: Pope John Paul II elevates Archbishop Wilfrid Napier OFM of Durban to the rank of cardinal.

2012: Radio Veritas, South Africa’s only Catholic radio station, goes on air on medium-wave. It previously broadcast on DStv since 2004 and on short-wave in 2002.

2015: The martyr Benedict Daswa, a school principal murdered on February 2, 1990 by a

mob, is beatified at Tshitanini village near Thohoyandou, Limpopo, by Cardinal Angelo Amato, the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Bl Daswa is South Africa’s first beatus. The cause for Abbot Pfanner is still ongoing.

2017: The jubilee year to celebrate the bicentenary of the Catholic Church in South Africa is launched in Cape Town’s St Mary’s cathedral.

The chapel built by João da Nova is pictured in a stained glass window in Mossel Bay’s Maritime Museum.

Fr Johan Strydom, current pastor of St Blaise church in Mossel Bay, with the cross that marks the spot where the first chapel stood.

South Africa’s first four black priests, ordained between 1898 and 1907.

SA’s first chapel, built in 1501 Long before the Dutch colonised South Africa, Portuguese mariners built a Catholic chapel at Mossel Bay, the first place of Christian worship in Southern Africa. ViNCENT RAyNE & WERNER PHiLiP explain.

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HE first official chapel of the Catholic Church in South Africa was constructed in Cape Town in the 1820s—but the first chapel was built more than 300 years earlier, and 150 years before the Cape was colonised by the Dutch.

The first Catholic chapel on South African soil was built by Portuguese explorers in Mossel Bay in 1501 under João da Nova, commander of the third East India fleet to India and discoverer of the island of St Helena. This small chapel was dedicated to São Bras (St Blaise).

Thirteen years earlier, in February 1488, Bartolomeu Diaz had sailed into Mossel Bay where he disembarked on the feast of St Blaise and found fresh water. It was named the bay Aguada de São Bras (The Watering Place of St Blaise), since the fleet had landed there on the saint’s feast day.

Diaz and his men didn’t stay long: the locals chased them away.

In 1497, Vasco da Gama received a friendlier welcome; he bartered cattle with the local Khoi people— the first commercial transaction between Europeans and South Africa’s indigenous people.

Four years later, João da Nova and his companions landed at the bay. Hanging on a milkwood tree at the watering station, they found a boot with a note from a seafarer named Pedro D’Ataide, who had lost much of his fleet in a storm in India.

Addressed to Da Nova, the letter gave details of the disaster D’Ataide fleet had suffered and warned about the dangers seafarers might encounter on their travels to the Far East.

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he tree served as a post office for decades after that (today it is a tourist attraction). This means that there was regular traffic of seafarers at the bay.

The chapel was built by Da Nova in the first instance for Catholic worship by those who landed there.

The mariners had no control as to who used or visited the chapel.

Without a permanent presence there, they couldn’t have prevented anyone else from using it for whatever purpose anyway.

By 1576, a letter to Portugal refers to the chapel of St Blaise as being in ruins. Today there is no trace of it.

It is good that so much attention is being given to the 200th anniversary of the Catholic Church establishing its presence in South Africa, but it is sad that so little attention was given to the 500th anniversary

of that first Catholic chapel in Mossel Bay in 2001.

Naturally, quite a lot was done locally. For example, Bishop Edward Adams of Oudtshoorn celebrated Mass in the local Maritime Museum.

Bishop Adams, who is now retired, also blessed a foundation stone for a replica chapel. Construction for it never materialised due to lack of funds—and the fact that it was suspected by some, against a broader consensus, that the original site is beneath the museum complex building.

The broader consensus places that first chapel at a spot marked by a cross.

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An artist’s impression of St Blaise chapel, the first place of Christian worship in Southern Africa. The appears in Historical Mossel Bay, issued by the Municipality of Mossel Bay. Inset: João da Nova

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The Southern Cross, June 6 to June 12, 2018

MUSIC

These women lift voices for Jesus A group of talented singers have banded together to spread the Good News through the medium of music, as NEREESHA PATEL reports.

many,” she explained.

“We were not sure what their reaction to our programme would be, but what a blessing it turned out as—from the first song to the last, it was one big, spirit-filled and emotional experience, with the prisoners interacting and applauding everything.”

Ms Coetzee added: “When we asked them to sing ‘Shout to the Lord’ with us, the roof was literally lifted—the entire prison must have heard!”

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OR the past 13 years, Voices for Christ—an all-female gospel group based in Cape Town— has been enthralling audiences that have included prominent Church leaders, religious, and ordinary people from all denominations.

Performing from a wide repertoire of Christian gospel and spiritual songs, the interdenominational group’s mission is simple: to spread the Word of God as far as they possibly can to all churches, denominations and organisations through their music.

“It is our desire to use the talents God has blessed us with and to share them with everyone, not to gain fame or glory, but to spread his Word here on earth so as to glorify his name,” said Linda Coetzee, coordinator and member of Voices for Christ.

The group was formed in 2005, a year after Ms Coetzee and her husband Dirkie moved from Johannesburg to Cape Town so that she could pursue a solo music ministry.

An adept vocalist and musician, she was approached by four women—Elsabé Genade, Leonie Cloete, Marinda Wallace and Amanda Beukes—to accompany them on piano for a special item at a church event.

After hearing them sing, it was “informally decided” that they should start an all-female group and music ministry.

The name Voices for Christ, which was initially used by Ms Coetzee and her former singing partner Alta Niemandt for their music ministry from 1997 until 2004, was

International audience

Voices for Christ use music to bring the joy of God to the people. Linda Coetzee, who is interviewed in this article, is third from left. (Photo: Dirkie Coetzee) adopted as the new group’s moniker.

“One of the most important activities of the human heart is to praise and worship God,” according to their mission statement.

“This is the reason we exist—supporting this activity is the purpose of Voices for Christ.”

Currently, the group line-up comprises six members: Ms Coetzee (alto, soprano and contralto), Elsabé Genade (alto), Leonie Cloete (first soprano), Bianca Cloete (soprano), Gerda van Biljon (alto), and Velma-Jean Campbell (violin). Ms Wallace and Ms Beukes left the music ministry in 2017.

Since its inception, Voices for Christ has performed across South Africa in various venues ranging from small churches in rural towns to large churches, halls and auditoriums, with requests to partake in

international performances being considered.

The sound of voices Whether they sing altogether or solo, in duets or quartets, a capella or to background music, there’s no denying the music these talented vocalists produce has a captivating effect on their audience.

“We have a mellow and distinctive sound, and we strive to tell a story through each song,” explained Ms Coetzee. “Our music is considered middle of the road: not being fully conservative, but also not being extensively contemporary.”

Hymns, cover songs and original compositions are arranged and recorded at Bulelani Studio in Durbanville, Cape Town, which is owned by Ms Coetzee.

To date, Voices for Christ has re-

leased five albums, with the latest offering, Grace Alone, having been launched in April.

Although they like to switch up their repertoire every now and again, songs such as “Above All”, “Remember the Lord” and “I Lift My Hands” are among their favourites to perform.

In its 13-year run, Voices for Christ has enjoyed many memorable moments and unique experiences.

Highlights include participation in the Pollsmoor Prison outreach programme in May 2011, which saw the group presenting a praise and worship service in Cape Town’s maximum-security jail. This, said Ms Coetzee, was “a day we will never forget”.

“It was amazing to see just over 200 prisoners freely choosing to attend since we did not expect so

Another highlight was when Hope Channel, an international Christian lifestyle television network, asked Voices for Christ to record several of their songs in 2010. The accompanying music videos were broadcast locally and internationally.

Similarly, the group was asked by local production company Khoisan Pictures to record several songs from their album Above All for SABC 2’s Hosanna programme in 2009. The video-shoot was “absolutely great fun”, Ms Coetzee said.

Despite the success and recognition they have received, the members of Voices for Christ strive to never lose focus on their mission.

At the end of the day, they hope that their listeners will feel the presence of God and revel in his love, grace and forgiveness.

Quoting Ephesians 5:19, the group’s mission statement reads: “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord”, and Psalm 95:2: “Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”

These are fitting words for a group which lives up to its name: these are truly Voices for Christ. n For more information about Voices for Christ and their music, go to www.voicesforchrist.co.za

Become a Southern Cross Associate!

The Associates Campaign is an integral support to The Southern Cross ensuring that it continues its apostolic outreach, developing the means of transmitting our Catholic values in the new forms of media and safeguarding its future in these uncertain economic times.

BY BECOMING OR REMAINING AN ASSOCIATE YOU WILL:

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• Safeguard the future of The Southern Cross. The Associates Campaign is a bedrock in which the existence of The Southern Cross is rooted.

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• Support our apostolate to prisoners to help them convert to a life with Christ. As St Paul admonishes us: “Keep in mind those A who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them…since you too are in the one body” (Heb 13:3). Our outreach currently serves 24 prisons as well as six army bases; it is funded entirely by the Associates Campaign.

• Ensure that all our seminarians may have access to The Southern Cross so that they remain in touch with the events and thinking of the local and worldwide Church.

• Help us give young journalists a foundation in religious reporting at a time when the secular press covers our Church only in relation to bad news.

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CLASSIFIEDS

Sacred Heart devotion one of Church’s treasures

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.

By FR RALPH DE HAHN

IN MeMORIAM

PARKeRWOOD—Sheela MJ (née Coughlan). 14.6.41 to 31.5.2002. May Almighty God bless you, darling. you were a wonderful wife and mother. Thanks to the teachings of our Lord Jesus and your love of his Mother Mary.

Love always from Tony Snr and sons Vincent, Tony Jnr and John.

P

RACTICALLY all the world is aware of the image of the Heart of Jesus surrounded by thorns and unquenchable fire.

We know this image was made known to St Margaret Mary Alacoque in France in 1675 and spread like a wild, untamed fire to every corner of the earth.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart is seen as central to Christianity because Christianity is the reign of love. It is a devotion not simply to the heart of Jesus, not to a part of him, but to the whole Christ who seeks our love. It is not mere sentimentality, but established in fact and reality.

Pope Leo X111 named it “an obligatory devotion—because it is at the heart of our faith”.

All the saints tell us that to know this Heart is to know love.

Bl Miguel Pro, the Mexican martyr priest, says: “You know where I learnt to love? It was in the heart of Jesus.”

St Bonaventure cries: “His heart is mine!”

St John of the Cross advises: “Let your heart not be made captive by any earthly thing.”

Jesus himself tells us he came to cast fire upon the earth, only that it be kindled in the hearts of men (Lk 12:49).

Christ invites us: “I stand at the door and knock (on your heart)...and only you can open the door from within…and I will come in and sup with you” (Rev 3:20).

On the other hand, we hear Our Lord complaining: “You people honour me with your lips, but your hearts are very far from me” (Mk 7:6).

Also, take the scene of our Lord on the hill overlooking Jerusalem and hear the cry of his saddened heart: “Jerusalem, O

CLASSIFIeDS

PeRSONAL

Jerusalem...how often have I longed to gather your children as a hen gathers her children under her wings...and you refused” (Mt 23:37).

H

owever, we are very much aware of Our Lord’s compassion and readiness to forgive.

His love and mercy is endless, no beginning, no end—as revealed to St Faustina Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament: “The greater the sinner, the greater right he has to my mercy.”

It is amazing not that God should love us so much, but that he should love us at all!

The world was created by the word of God, re-created by his redemption, and is continually renewed by his love.

We are asked to show trust in God’s merciful love and his promises.

Scripture reveals his love present in all creation, in the cloud by day, the fire by night, and by thunder, and in the Ark, and the grand Temple of Jerusalem; but now we find his offer to live in the hearts of men. There is no

Southern CrossWord solutions

This week we congratulate: June 11: Bishop Francisco de Gouveia of Oudtshoorn on his 67th birthday

SOLUTIONS TO 814. ACROSS: 1 Hell, 3 Mechtild, 9 Saviour, 10 Vivid, 11 Indoctrinate, 13 Absurd, 15 Sneeze, 17 Intermission, 20 Octet, 21 Lineage, 22 Ferryman, 23 Dear. DOWN: 1 Hospital, 2 Livid, 4 Errors, 5 Having no sins, 6 Invitee, 7 Dodo, 8 Concurrently, 12 Reindeer, 14 Senator, 16 Imelda, 18 Inane, 19 Wolf.

Liturgical Calendar Year B – Weekdays Cycle Year 2 Sunday June 10, 10th Sunday of the Year Genesis 3:9-15, Psalm 130:1-8, 2 Corinthians 4:13--5:1, Mark 3:20-35 Monday June 11, St Barnabas Acts 11:21-26; 13:1-3, Psalm 98:1-6, Matthew 10:7-13 Tuesday June 12, St Onophrius 1 Kings 17:7-16, Psalm 4:2-5, 7-8, Matthew 5:1316 or 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, Psalm 131:1-3, Matthew 13:44-46 Wednesday June 13, St Anthony of Padua 1 Kings 18:20-39, Psalm 16:1-2, 4-5, 8, 11, Matthew 5:17-19 Thursday June 14 1 Kings 18:41-46, Psalm 65:10-13, Matthew 5:20-26 Friday June 15 1 Kings 19:9, 11-16, Psalm 27:7-9, 13-14, Matthew 5:27-32 Saturday June 16, Saturday Mass of Our Lady 1 Kings 19:19-21, Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-10, Matthew 5:33-37 Sunday June 17, 11th Sunday of the Year Ezekiel 17:22-24, Psalm 92:2-3, 13-16, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, Mark 4:26-34

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greater love than this.

With this Spirit of Love we see more deeply, understand more deeply, and love more deeply.

For “eye has not seen, nor ear has heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor 2:9 and also Isa 64:4).

The Sacred Heart devotion in the Catholic Church is a great treasure.

Christ’s Heart is the greatest of all physicians: “Come to me all who labour and are heavily burdened, come to me and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28).

This devotion also serves perfectly to explain the mysteries.

Our hearts are made by God, and for God. “He loved me,” says Paul “and delivered himself for me”(Gal 2:20). And nothing finite can satiate our hearts: St Augustine tells us that our hearts will be forever restless until they rest in God. And when our hearts no longer burn with love of the Sacred Heart, many others will die of the cold.

Our bishops’ anniversaries

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PRAYeRS

O eTeRNAL TRUTH, true love and beloved eternity. you are my God. To you do i sigh day and night. When i first came to know you, you drew me to yourself so that i might see that there were things for me to see, but that i myself was not yet ready to see them. Meanwhile you overcame the weakness of my vision, sending forth most strongly the beams of

your light, and i trembled at once with love and dread. i sought a way to gain the strength which i needed to enjoy you. But i did not find it until i embraced "the mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who is above all, God blessed for ever." He was calling me and saying: "i am the way of truth, i am the life."

Late have i loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have i loved you! you were within me, but i was outside, and it was there that i searched for you. in my unloveliness i plunged into the lovely things which you created. you were with me, but i was not with you.

Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all. you called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. you flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. you breathed your fragrance on me; i drew in breath and now i pant for you. i have tasted you, now i hunger and thirst for more. you touched me, and i burned for your peace.—St Augustine LORD GOD, this candle that i light here today reminds me of the light that you enkindled in me at my Baptism. Renew the flame of your Love in me. Let it burn away all my egotism, my jealousy, my pride and my failure to love. Let me have a warm and generous heart.

Lord, i am not able to remain here in this church very much longer: i have to go.

So, please accept this candle in my place. Let it be like a part of me that i give to you. Here, before the image of Blessed Mary, mother of God, and imploring her powerful intercession, i ask you, as i offer you this humble candle, to allow my prayer to penetrate every activity and every facet of my life, so that everything will be shaped and formed by the burning flame of your Love. i ask this for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

FATHeR in heaven, ever-living 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 joy of sharing your life. Keep me in your presence. Let me never be separated from you and help me to do your will.

LORD, inspire those men and women who bear the titles “husband” and “wife”.

Help them to look to you, to themselves, to one another to rediscover the fullness and mystery they once felt in their union. Let them be honest enough to ask: “Where have we been together and where are we going?” Let them be brave enough to question: “How have we failed?” Let each be foolhardy enough to say: “For me, we come first.” Help them, together, to reexamine their commitment in the light of your love, willingly, openly, compassionately.

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

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Page 10

200th birthday: What SA Church plans for jubilee

BY ERIN CARELSE

M Learners of Brescia House School in Bryanston, Johannesburg, with their distinctive hats, are seen attending the annual Grade 11 Catholic Schools Mass at the archdiocese’s cathedral of Christ the King. The event is organised by the Catholic Schools Office and every Grade11 class of all the Catholic schools around Johannesburg attends each year.

Nuns invite prayer at arts fest

BY SAMANTHA CAROLUS

T

WO religious Sisters will aim to bring a sense of quiet and calmness to the busyness of the Grahamstown Arts Festival in late June through guided prayer.

Running as part of Spiritfest, the festival’s religious component, Guided Prayer is an opportunity to take some quiet time and space to become aware of God’s presence.

Assumptionist Sister Ursula Hinchion of the St Patrick’s parish will be leading the guided prayer sessions, with the help of Sr Geraldine Carolan.

The guided prayer session takes the form of a one-on-one, confidential conversation in a warm and comfortable space, in which there is listening and sharing. It is then followed by focused prayer.

One could compare guided prayer to a doctor’s visit, said Sr Ursula.

In the same way that one goes to the doctor and explains all the pain and symptoms, so would one go to a prayer companion and discuss troubling issues. Then, like the doctor who prescribes medication to treat the symptoms, the prayer companion will give prayers and help the person to pray over the

The

issue troubling their heart.

This, in turn, deepens one’s relationship with God. “It has a ripple effect on your faith,” Sr Ursula said.

She explained that the prayer guide gives the person an opportunity to reflect on what is happening in their daily life and where God and those around them fit into their daily schedules.

The prayer guide is there to listen, she said. This in turns helps to encourage and to help the person become more aware of God’s loving presence in their life.

The session is usually half an hour and is carried out in an atmosphere of trust and confidentially, she said.

The event has seen great success over the years. Sr Ursula noted that “people feel more at peace and closer to their God, just after a quick and simple thirty minutes of prayer”, with many people leaving the sessions “feeling more whole”.

The guided prayer sessions are available from July 2-6 between 10:00 and 12:00 at St Mary’s Catholic church in Hill Street.

For more about Spiritfest see www.grahams towncathedral.org/spiritfest

S outhern C ross

ASSES throughout the country on June 10 will celebrate the bicentenary of the Church in South Africa, while the archdiocese of Cape Town will conclude the jubilee year with a closing Mass on June 24.

The national Masses of thanksgiving to mark the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the Church in the country will be taking place in all cathedrals, parishes and mission stations throughout Southern Africa at 12 noon on June 10.

Church bells will be rung to symbolise the solidarity of faith.

A recording from Pope Francis will also be aired, and the special bicentennial candle that was blessed and given to every bishop or his delegate to take back to their cathedral at the inaugural bicentennial celebration Mass last year will be lit in every cathedral.

For Catholics in Cape Town, there will be a Mass in the cathedral of Our Lady of the Flight into Egypt—South Africa’s mother church—on the day.

Planning is also underway for the closing Mass of the bicentennial on Sunday, June 24 at the Bellville Velodrome in Bellville at 14:00. It will be presided over by Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town.

It was previously announced that the closing Mass would be held in Stellenbosch but the Velodrome will allow for a greater number of people to attend, as the seating inside accommodates 5 000 people.

The Mass is a tickets-only event. Should more than 5 000 be attending, there will be an overflow section for 3 000 people in the adjacent athletics stadium, which will be partially enclosed with big screens and a live feed of the proceedings.

Bishops from the rest of the country have also been invited as Cape Town is the mother diocese. Together with the priests,

FEW PLACES LEFT:

Altar servers lead the recessional at the end of the Mass in St Mary’s cathedral, Cape Town, which launched the bicentennial jubilee in June 2017. (Photo: Günther Simmermacher) they will join the archbishop in the sanctuary which will have a raised platform with the altar, as well as two screens on either side for better viewing.

Archbishop Brislin will also be inviting civic dignitaries and leaders of other religious bodies.

The Mass will have an all-inclusive liturgy and the prayers of the faithful will be said in different languages.

The archdiocesan choir will be leading the music and there will be liturgical dancing done by dancers of an archdiocesan group, representing all of the dioceses.

June 24 is the solemnity of the birth of St John the Baptist, and therefore white vestments will be used.

There will be a live stream on YouTube on the day, so those unable to come to the Mass will be able to watch it live. The URL will be released closer to the time.

See next week’s issue for a timeline of the Catholic Church, from the first Mass celebrated on South African soil to the bicentennial jubilee.

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11th Sunday: June 17 Readings: Ezekiel 17:22-24, Psalm 92:2-3, 13-16, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, Mark 4:26-34

O

S outher n C ross

NE very helpful set of images for thinking about what God does in us is that of a plant, and how it grows. Certainly that is what we find in the first reading for next Sunday and in the Gospel.

In the first reading, Ezekiel hears God making a promise about what he is going to do for the children of Israel, exiled in Babylon.

He sees Israel as a cedar (one of the largest of the trees in that culture), which will be transplanted from its native heath, presumably the Lebanon, and then, God says: “I shall plant it on a high mountain of Israel, and it will put forth branches and produce fruit, and it shall be a mighty cedar and every bird, every winged thing in the shadow of its branches.”

And this will have a powerful effect (as is generally the case with the Lord’s creative work): “Then all the trees of the field will know that I, the Lord, bring down the high tree and raise up the tree that is brought low, that I make the green tree wither, I, the Lord will say and do this.”

In an agricultural society (even in urban Babylon) this is a powerful image.

The psalm, at first blush, does not seem to be talking much about plants, with its exhortation that “it is good to give thanks to the Lord, to give music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your steadfast love in the morning, and your truth in the night”.

Then, however, we are into a parable about the “just person”, who is said to “flourish like a palm-tree, and grow like a cedar of Lebanon”.

Next we are invited to imagine the trees that grow in God’s Temple: “Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God.” Continuing the image, the singer imagines that “they shall bear fruit even when they have grey hair (something of a mixed metaphor here?); they shall be fat and luxuriant”.

And, as always in the Scriptures, in the end this is all about God: “to proclaim that the Lord is upright, my Rock, and there is no injustice in him”.

In the second reading there is really nothing very much about plants, but you can hear

R

tionship to their churches because what they’ve met in their churches doesn’t speak well of God. I say this in sympathy. It’s not easy to do God adequately, let alone well. But we must try, and so all of our sacramental and pastoral practices need to reflect a healthy theology of God, that is, reflect the God whom Jesus incarnated and revealed.

What did Jesus reveal about God?

F

irst, that God has no favourites and that there must be full equality among races, among rich and poor, among slave and free, and among male and female. No one person, race, gender, or nation is more favoured than others by God. Nobody is first. All are privileged.

Next, Jesus taught that God is especially compassionate and understanding towards the weak and towards sinners.

Jesus scandalised his religious contemporaries by sitting down with public sinners without first asking them to repent.

He welcomed everyone in ways that often offended the religious propriety of the time and he sometimes went against the religious sensitivity of his contemporaries, as we see from his conversation with the Samaritan woman or when he grants a healing to the daughter of a Syro-Phoenician woman.

Moreover, he asks us to be compassionate in the same way, and immediately spells out what that means by telling us that God loves sinners and saints in exactly the same way. God does not have preferential love for the virtuous.

Shocking to us too is the fact that Jesus

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Sunday Reflections

Paul’s certainty that the process is going to continue, and that all will be well.

“So we have courage, and know that when we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord; we are walking by faith not sight.”

And in an idea that is the opposite of the growth of plants, “We prefer to be away from the body, and at home in the Lord, to be pleasing to him.”

Then comes another metaphor, that of the law-court: “All of us have to appear before the tribunal of Christ, in order that each one may get what they deserve through the body, for what they have done, whether good or evil.”

In the Gospel, we are in the parable-chapter of Mark’s gospel, one of those rare passages when the evangelist actually shows us what Jesus taught.

Here we have two parables.

The first is that of “a person who sows seed on the ground…and the seed grows and lengthens, he has no idea how. It grows automatically, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear”. Next Mark relates

Mercy, truth and pastoral practice ECENTLY a student I’d taught decades ago made this comment to me: “It’s been more than twenty years since I took your class and I’ve forgotten almost everything you taught.

What I do remember from your class is that we’re supposed to always try not to make God look stupid.”

I hope that’s true. I hope that’s something people take away from my lectures and writings because I believe that the first task of any Christian apologetics is to rescue God from stupidity, arbitrariness, narrowness, legalism, rigidity, tribalism, and everything else that’s bad but gets associated with God. A healthy theology of God must underwrite all our apologetics and pastoral practices. Anything we do in the name of God should reflect God. It’s no accident that atheism, anti-clericalism, and the many diatribes levelled against the Church and religion today can always point to some bad theology or Church practice on which to base their scepticism and anger.

Atheism is always a parasite, feeding off bad religion. So too is much of the negativity towards the Church which is so common today.

An anti-Church attitude feeds on bad religion and so we who believe in God and Church should be examining ourselves more than defending ourselves.

Moreover, more important than the criticism of atheists are the many people who have been hurt by their churches. A huge number of persons today no longer go to church or have a very strained rela-

Nicholas King SJ

God grows within us

the process of harvesting; and given that this is supposed to be about “the kingdom of God”, we should be applauding.

Then the second parable is offered, this time about the “grain of mustard”. The point here is that it is a tiny seed which grows into a very sizeable vegetable with large branches for “the birds of heaven to live under its shade”.

Finally, the lesson concludes with the observation that “Jesus used to speak the word to them in many parables like this, insofar as they were able to hear”.

There is obviously something of a puzzle here for us: “Apart from a parable he used not to speak to them.”

So we wonder how this helps the general growth of the word; then we discover about the special status of the disciples (who never seem to be all that bright in this Gospel): “He used to interpret everything to his own disciples on their own.”

There is undeniably growth here.

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Final Reflection

never defends himself when attacked.

Moreover, he is critical of those who, whatever their sincerity, try to block access to him.

He surrenders himself to die rather than defend himself. He never meets hatred with hatred, and dies loving and forgiving those who are killing him.

Jesus is also clear that it’s not necessarily those who explicitly profess God and religion who are his true followers, but rather those, irrespective of their explicit faith or church practice, who do the will of God on earth.

Finally, and centrally, Jesus is clear that his message is, first of all, good news for the poor, that any preaching in his name that isn’t good news for the poor is not his Gospel.

We need to keep these things in mind even as we recognise the validity and importance of the ongoing debates among and within our churches about whom and what makes for true discipleship and true sacrament.

It is important to ask what makes for a true sacrament and what conditions make for a valid and licit minister of a sacrament. It is important too to ask who should be admitted to the Eucharist and it is important to set forth certain norms to be followed in preparation for baptism, the Eucharist, and marriage.

Difficult pastoral questions arise around these issues, and this is not suggesting that they should always be resolved in a way that most immediately and simplistically reflects God’s universal will for salvation and God’s infinite understanding and mercy.

Admittedly, sometimes the long-term benefit of living a hard truth can override the short-range need to more quickly take away the pain and the heartache.

But, even so, a theology of God that reflects the compassion and mercy of God should always be reflected in every pastoral decision we make. Otherwise we make God look stupid—arbitrary, tribal, cruel, and antithetical to Church practice.

Marilynne Robinson says Christianity is too great a narrative to be underwritten by any lesser tale, and that should forbid in particular its being subordinated to narrowness, legalism, and lack of compassion.

CATHOLIC IRELAND A pilgrimage with Bishop Victor Phalana 19-28 August 2018

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ACROSS

1. Jesus did not ascend to here (4) 3. Confused child met German saint (8) 9. Various aspects of the Redeemer (7) 10. Bright colour of Roman numerals 6,6 and 500 (5) 11. Arid content I teach uncritically (12) 13. A bus on a short road is nonsensical (6) 15. You may be blessed after you do it (6) 17. An interval during parish retreat? (12) 20. Eight musicians (5) 21. Descent from twisted Nile for a long time (7) 22. Charon’s job title on the river of Hades (8) 23. Expensive way to express affection (4)

DOWN

1. Medical institution that could be Catholic (8) 2. Angry about Roman numerals 51, 6 and 500 (5) 4. Pius IX published a syllabus of them (6) 5. Being without offences against God (6,2,4) 6. One asked to attend the wedding (7) 7. Act twice to find defunct bird (4) 8. How things happen at the same time (12) 12. Santa Claus’ antlered transport (8) 14. Ancient Roman could be modern American (7) 16. Medal I alter for patron saint of first communicants (6) 18. Silly (5) 19. Survive, keeping this animal from the door (4) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

E

VERY Sunday at Mass in a Cape Town parish, the congregation prayed for good rains to end the water crisis.

One week, a parishioner had enough: “Father,” he said at Mass, “every Sunday we pray for rain, and for nothing.”

Father replied: “That’s because you don’t have enough faith!”

The man angrily replied: “What do you mean?

Week after week, we pray and pray for rain!”

“Yes, that is true,” Father answered, “but how many people do you ever see here with umbrellas?”

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