The
S outher n C ross
June 12 to June 18, 2019
Reg No. 1920/002058/06
100-year-old priest has four priest sons
No 5140
www.scross.co.za
Holy Trinity Sunday
Nthabiseng Maphisa: Women and work today
The highlights of a pilgrimage to Rome
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R12 (incl VAT RSA)
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Don’t miss next week’s special 24-page Catholic Education issue OUT ON JUNE 19
Two inmates of Brandvlei Minimum Prison in Worcester, Western Cape, received the sacrament of confirmation from Norbertine Father Francis Malaka (centre) of St Maria Goretti church in Worcester. (From left) Sponsor Violet Roberts, confirmand Isaac Arendse, confirmation candidate Lucky Choga, Fr Malaka, confirmation candidate Jerome Mitchell, confirmand Dawid Franke and sponsor Julia Noble.
Runners raise R280 000 for Radio Veritas
Bradburne cause to launch R
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HE group that is working towards the beatification of John Bradburne is looking to raise R377 000 to help finance the investigation into the English-born Zimbabwean martyr’s life. The cause for John Bradburne’s sainthood will be officially launched on September 5, the 40th anniversary of his murder. The bishops of Zimbabwe gave their approval for the cause last month. Bradburne’s niece Celia Brigstocke had worked tirelessly towards launching the sainthood cause for her uncle until her death last August. Her eldest daughter, Kate Macpherson, now leads the efforts. According to Independent Catholic News in Britain, two people have claimed miraculous cures through Bradburne's intercession: a South African woman who regained the use of her legs, and a man in Scotland cured of a brain tumour. Bradburne was born in 1921 in England, the son of an Anglican clergyman. He served in the British army in World War II, and converted to Catholicism in 1947 after staying with the Benedictines of Buckfast Abbey. He wished to become a monk at Buckfast, but had not been long enough in the Church. Instead he became a wanderer throughout Europe and the Middle East. A prolific poet, he became a Third Order
John Bradburne and a leprosy patient at Mutemwa. Franciscan in 1956. Through a Jesuit friend in present-day Zimbabwe, Bradburne came to serve at the Mutemwa leper settlement, spending the last ten years of his life there. During the Bush War, ZANU forces kidnapped Bradburne and murdered him on September 5, 1979. The John Bradburne Society in England is staging ongoing events to make his life of better known (www.johnbradburne.com).
BY ERIN CARELSE
ADIO Veritas raised R280 000 in its Comrades Marathon telethon—at which Fr Emil Blaser OP made a surprise appearance. The #runforradioveritas campaign saw seven priests and five lay people run the Comrades to raise funds for the station. The Comrades Marathon Sponsorship fundraiser was initiated last year by Mahadi Buthelezi with “Radio Veritas Warriors” Boyce Ntlwane and Collins Mokgohlwa. The latter two, with Frs Zweli Mlotshwa and Teboho Matseke, took part in the 2018 marathon. This year the team was expanded to include five more priests—Frs Lehlohonolo Tapole, Mbulelo Qumntu, Thembalethu Mana, Moruti Ntholeng and Derrick Thungo—and three lay people: Ella Kungwana, Leona Chetty and Nomusa Shelembe. The campaign was supporting them in the 90km “up run” from Durban to Pietermaritzburg on June 9. The theme for the telethon was “I have fought the good fight, I have run the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7), speaking both for the runners and for the radio station’s journey over the past 20 years. Listeners were invited to phone in throughout the day and sponsor the runners, with the funds going towards the station. Some of the runners were also interviewed in the studio. The entire Radio Veritas team participated in the planning and organising of the telethon, with the preliminary work done by
Fr Emil Blaser with some of the volunteers on the telethon day. (From left) Lehutjo Thobejane, Moira Mpama, Zee Kubheka, and Vincent Mokoena. Mahadi Buthelezi. A surprise on the day was the presence of Fr Emil Blaser, who had just been discharged after two months in hospital. He was clearly energised to be back behind the microphone again and listeners expressed their happiness and appreciation, Radio Veritas deputy director Olinda Orlando said. Other special guests included Mgr Barney McAleer and Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria. Many listeners called in to share what Radio Veritas has meant in their lives and to their faith. Continued on page 3
S outher n C ross Pilgrimage
CATHOLIC FRANCE 6-16 October 2019
Led by Fr Lawrence Ndlovu
Lourdes, Paris, Nevers, Paray-le-Monial, Avignon, Marseilles, Orleans and more...
For more information or to book, please contact Gail at info@fowlertours.co.za or phone/WhatsApp 076 352-3809
www.fowlertours.co.za/sandri
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The Southern Cross, June 12 to June 18, 2019
LOCAL
G’Town Spiritfest to offer contemplative prayer BY SAMANThA CAROLUS
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ONTEMPLATIVE prayer will again form part of Spiritfest at this year’s Grahamstown Festival. Spiritfest will be hosting a collaboration between the World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM) and the Centre for Christian Spirituality to offer Christiancentred meditation to all festivalgoers. This will take place as one-hour morning sessions at the city’s St Patrick’s Catholic church. The WCCM, founded in 1991 and based in London, promotes
meditation in over 100 countries. Besides the teaching of a mantrabased meditation in the school of John Main to the public, it has special outreach in many fields such as education, health, leadership, social justice, science and technology and interfaith dialogue. The Centre for Christian Spirituality was established in 1987 to help people deepen their prayer lives. It offers Christian meditation, centering prayer, retreats, quiet days and spiritual direction. In November 2000 Fr Laurence Freeman, the director and spiritual
guide of the WCCM, established a link between the Centre for Christian Spirituality and the WCCM. Fr Freeman is scheduled to visit South Africa in September.
New director for France pilgrimage STAFF REPORTER
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OLLOWING the sad passing of Bishop Giuseppe Sandri of Witbank, The Southern Cross has appointed popular Johannesburg priest Fr Lawrence Ndlovu (pictured) to lead its pilgrimage to Catholic France in October. Bishop Sandri, who led a Southern Cross pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Italy in 2013, was scheduled to lead the 2019 pilgrimage to France. Fr Ndlovu, parish priest of Our Lady of Peace church in Roodepoort, has written for many publications and appeared frequently on television. His 2018 collection of poetry, In Quiet Realm, has been critically acclaimed. Last year he wrote the prestigious Southern Cross Christmas editorial. Fr Ndlovu lectures part-time in theology at St Augustine College, is
chair of the Choral Music Archive NPC, and a trustee of the St Augustine Education Foundation Trust. In 2016 he was listed by the Mail & Guardian in its Top 200 Young South Africans. The same year he received the Youth Trailblazer Award from the Gauteng provincial government for his outstanding contribution to youth development.
“Fr Lawrence will be a superb spiritual director on this special pilgrimage,” said Southern Cross editor Günther Simmermacher. “We will remember Bishop Sandri in a very special way on this pilgrimage, and dedicate it to his memory,” he said, adding that Fr Ndlovu had served with the late bishop on the bishops’ liturgy committee. The Catholic France pilgrimage will include Lourdes, Nevers, Paris, Avignon, Orléans, Carcassone, Montpellier and Bourges, as well as sites associated with St Eugene de Mazenod, founder of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, in Marseilles and Aix-en-Provence, and Paray-le-Monial, where the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus originated. n For more information go to www. fowlertours.co.za/sandri or contact Gail at 076 352-3809 or info@fowler tours.co.za
Each meditation session will include some history and background of the practice of meditation in the form of audiovisual material produced by the World Community’s outreach arm, Meditatio. “The method of this way of ‘pure prayer’ will be explained, and short periods of practice will be included so that those attending get a taste,” said Paul Faller of the South African branch of the WCCM, who will be leading the sessions. “There will also be time for questions and discussion,” he added. A variety of resources will be
available to buy. Mr Faller noted that meditation has many benefits proven through research and that with regular practice will bring about spiritual fruits. “Many people in South Africa have a guarded or negative attitude to meditation because of its association with eastern religions,” he said. “But meditation is a universal practice, found in all major religions.” The one-hour sessions will run daily from July 1-5 at St Patrick’s church from 9:30. n For more about Spiritfest see www. grahamstowncathedral.org/spiritfest Tasneen Ebrahim, a Grade 11 student at St Dominic’s Priory School in Miramar, Port Elizabeth, has been selected for the Swimming South Africa national elite senior squad for open water swimming. The squad will be looking to compete at the 2019 European Cup, 2019 FINA World Swimming Championships and 2019 FINA 10km Marathon Swimming Cup. Tasneen will also be focusing on qualifying for the 2020 FINA World Junior Open Water Championship to be held in the Seychelles. She is ranked first nationally in the 10km for U-18, and second in both the 5km and 7,5km distances in her age group. She has also been chosen for the Swimming South Africa youth squad.
The Southern Cross, June 12 to June 18, 2019
LOCAL
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Archbishop: Apologise for attacks on migrants BY ERIN CARELSE
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TTACKS on migrants are a defiant rejection of God’s commandment “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”, Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg has said in a paper. “Such attacks cast a dark shadow on the unsurpassable value of life and they demand an official apology,” he said. “There has to be a change of heart among South Africans and a deep desire to be welcoming. There is an urgent need to accept the reality of the migration of people not just here in Southern Africa but the world over. It is imperative that suspicions be dissipated and divisions overcome,” the archbishop urged.
He said the division between migrants and refugees on the one hand and locals on the other is fuelled by the regrettable belief that migrants take advantage of the benefits of housing, health-care, employment and education at locals’ expense. “Migrants cannot be made the scapegoat of the shortcomings of the South African state,” Archbishop Tlhagale noted. “The conflict between migrants and locals is a case of the poor fighting the poor, instead of forging bonds of communion and solidarity among themselves.” He added that the decision to leave one’s homeland under trying circumstances testifies to courage. “Migrants are courageous, for they do not know what is in store
for them in a foreign country,” the archbishop said. “They are highly motivated because they seek to change their life-situation for the better. They have a positive attitude because they bank on succeeding. They are highly committed for the sake of their children.” Sometimes they work for months without pay in both the education field and health services. “Their generosity makes them vulnerable,” he noted. Archbishop Tlhagale said South Africans themselves are in desperate need of unity. “Violent service delivery protests irrupt from time to time and leave in their wake the destruction of property, namely schools, clinics, li-
braries, buses, and so on,” he said. “Levels of violent crimes are unacceptably high: murder, rape, femicide, and gangsterism. The cancer of corruption has weakened the entire fabric of society. Unemployment (27%) and the resultant poverty have given rise to high levels of frustration and despair among the poor.” The archbishop said that a new mind, accompanied by a new attitude and a new set of values, is needed to bridge the divide between migrants and South Africans. “It is by the power of the Spirit that obstacles and prejudice are overcome,” he explained. “It is the Spirit that enables people to reach out to each other, to support each other, to heal each other.”
Jesuit Father David Marcotte speaks on “The spirituality and psychology of wellbeing” in Pretoria. The US clinical psychologist is delivering this year’s Winter Living Theology series, hosted by the Jesuit Institute with the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s Lenten Appeal and Fordham University in New York. After his lectures in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town (June 11-13), Fr Marcotte will speak in Durban (June 18-20); Manzini, Swaziland (June 22); Port Elizabeth (June 25-27); and Gaborone (July 3). For more information or to register: www.jesuitinstitute.org.za/index.php/wlt2019
Charismatics host ecumenical event BY SR PhATSIMO RAMOKGWEBANA SC
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HIS year’s ecumenical Ascension Day lunch, hosted by Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the diocese of Gaborone, was another successful occasion, bringing people together for praise and worship. Held at the Ave Maria Pastoral Centre on what is a national holiday in Botswana, the main purpose of the event is to promote ecumenism by bringing together the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations. Each year the diocesan team and spiritual guide Fr Camillus Ogaraku invite a speaker from a different church. This year Pastor Keleneilwe Kgerethwa of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa preached on “the love of God”. The day started with morning Mass, which was also attended by members of other denominations, followed by praise and worship with music and testimony. Pastor Kgerethwa said he was honoured to be among Catholics and to be given space to speak at the event. Noting that Catholics and Protestants
Bishop Victor Phalana of Klerksdorp was among the speakers at an ecumenical Ascension Day event hosted by Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Gaborone, Botswana. are commonly referred to as mainline Churches, because they belong to the same tradition, he said: “Our secret is one baptism, one God, one Christ, and one Faith.” He added that “the beauty of Catholics is they express in-depth their faith towards the many things they do”. After the event, Pastor Kgerethwa said: “I loved the praise and worship
[and seeing participants] presenting who God has been to them in the Catholic Church.” “I saw testimony, the instruments, the melody, the voices—it was so heavenly,” he said. Borrowing from the Transfiguration account, the pastor said: “It was indeed good to be here. If I was Peter I would just say, let us build ourselves space, let us not go away.” After a networking lunch, Bishop Victor Phalana of Klerksdorp reflected on “worshipping the Lord in spirit and in truth”, a topic given by Charismatic Renewal to help members in their own reflections and study. Jesus, Bishop Phalana said, wants us to worship him in the heart, through the heart, with the heart. External expressions of faith, he added, are also important as we worship God. In praising God and in our evangelising efforts, “We also have to show the spirit of humility, contrition, repentance and conversion. That alone has to prepare us to be sent.” Bishop Phalana noted the presence of a spirit of joy at the event: “People could not contain it, in the dances, songs, ululating, praising and prayers.”
Radio Veritas Charting College of the Little Flower human endeavour, life and telethon wins STAFF REPORTER the times took its toll and the Continued from page 1 “The excitement inside and outside the studio was energising, with listeners donating from R6 to as much as R40 000. The phone never stopped ringing,” Ms Orlando said. “Old and young called. One granny of 83 pledged R83. A little girl called in and made the first pledge of the day: R100,” she added. “None of this would have been possible without the wonderful ladies of the Friends of Radio Veritas who manned the telephones and fed the hungry hordes. Our gratitude goes to Moira Mpama, Ouma Nakedi, Terry Mokoena, Reggie Pooe, Refiloe Kolokoto, Lehutjo Thobejane, Hazel Rakei, and Pearl Molapo.”
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NEW book by a former student follows the history of an iconic Catholic school for boys in Polokwane (then Pietersburg). Written by Bruno Verriest, College of the Little Flower: Brothers of Charity College details the school’s history, and the Church and political environment the first Brothers found themselves in. Ten Brothers of Charity left Ghent in Belgium as missionaries in 1928. “Driven by an unwavering determination to succeed, exposed to the whims of nature and the political turmoil of the times, they would create a school that would for almost 50 years be acknowledged as one of the leading Catholic learning institutions in South Africa,”
said Frank Nunan of Write-On Publishing, himself an old boy of the school, who edited and released the book. The Brothers also opened Pax College in Doornspruit and St Conrad’s Brothers of Charity College in Klerksdorp. “In the end, as in all
College of the Little Flower came to an abrupt end in 1976,” Mr Nunan noted. “The book is a tribute to those original missionaryteachers and those of every creed and race who supported them, mainly the Benedictines, the Dominican Sisters of Siena Newcastle, the King’s Sisters and the Sisters of Charity of Heule,” he said. College of the Little Flower: Brothers of Charity College contains more than 170 pictures, and the preface was written by Br René Stockman, superior– general of the Brothers of Charity worldwide. n The book is available from www.writeonpublishing.co. za or www.sacatholiconline. org or e-mail frank@writeon publishing.co.za
Archbishop Tlhagale said a symbolic gesture of making amends at a national level would go a long way. “A public apology accompanied by concrete action of restoring the dignity of migrants would be the appropriate thing to do,” he said. The archbishop added: “The fact that it has not been done, speaks to the hesitation and ambivalence of the South African leadership.” Scripture, he noted, says Christ made peace by his death on the cross (Col 1:20). “As followers of Christ we have a task to advance the recognition of diversity and to acknowledge as our calling the promotion of the dignity and sanctity of every person,” Archbishop Tlhagale said.
Top judge for annual lecture
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HIS year’s Brenninkmeijer Memorial Lecture will be delivered by former Constitutional Court judge Yvonne Mokgoro. The annual lecture is held in honour of the late Bishop Johannes Benninkmeijer OP, who headed the diocese of Kroonstad from 1977 until his death at 72 on July 2, 2003. Justice Mokgoro’s lecture, “Thinning the Line between Privilege and Disadvantage: A Constitutional Imperative for Social Cohesion”, will be given on June 27 at 14:30 at Holy Family College in Parktown, Johannesburg. She was born in Galeshewe near Kimberley, and matriculated at St Boniface Catholic High School in 1970. The judge studied part-time for a bachelor of jurisprudence, bachelor of law, and masters of law at the then-University of Bophuthatswana. She obtained a second masters from the University of Pennsylvania in the US. She began her law career in the then-Mmabatho Magistrate’s Court and in 1984 was appointed a lecturer in law at the University of Bophuthatswana, rising to become associate professor. From 1992-93 the judge was associate professor at the University of the Western Cape, and later served as a specialist researcher in human rights at the Human Sciences Research Council. Justice Mokgoro was appointed to the first Constitutional Court in 1994, serving to the end of her 15-year term in 2009. She recently chaired the Mokgoro Inquiry, held to investigate the fitness of suspended senior NPA advocates Lawrence Mrwebi and Nomgcobo Jiba to hold office. n RSVP by e-mail to Hilda Chinyowa at hilda@cie.org.za or 011 433 1888 by June 20.
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The Southern Cross, June 12 to June 18, 2019
INTERNATIONAL
Freedom a highlight of papal trip BY JUNNO AROChO ESTEVES
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HE memory and witness of Romania’s martyred bishops are a reminder that Christians are called to stand firm against ideologies that seek to stifle and suppress their cultural and religious traditions, Pope Francis said on his visit to Romania. The pope celebrated a Divine Liturgy during which seven Easternrite Catholic bishops, who died during a fierce anti-religious campaign waged by the communist regime in Romania, were beatified. “These pastors, martyrs for the faith, reappropriated and handed down to the Romanian people a precious legacy that we can sum up in two words: freedom and mercy,” the pope said. According to the Vatican, an estimated 60 000 people filled Blaj’s Liberty Field, while some 20 000 followed the liturgy on big screens set up in various squares around the city. For Eastern Catholics in Romania, the field—located on the grounds of Blaj’s Greek Catholic Theological Seminary—is both a symbol of national pride and sorrow. It was in Liberty Field where, during the 100th anniversary of the Romanian nationalist revolution that communist authorities formerly dissolved the Eastern-rite Romanian Catholic Church. One of the newly-beatified bishops, Bishop Ioan Suciu, the apostolic administrator of Fagaras and Alba Iulia, refused to appear at the event, which was perceived by his flock as a sign that they were called to re-
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main steadfast in their faith and follow the path of persecution and martyrdom. Thirty years after the fall of communism, the sun shone brightly and solemn hymns echoed over the field that was once the site of the Eastern Catholic Church’s darkest period. In his homily, the pope remembered the sufferings of Eastern-rite Catholics who were forced to “endure a way of thinking and acting that showed contempt for others and led to the expulsion and killing of the defenceless and the silencing of dissenting voices”.
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ope Francis visited members of the Roma community (once called gypsies) living in the neighbourhood of Barbu Lautaru. According to the Vatican, a newly erected church and pastoral centre were built to assist the Roma community to fully integrated within the social fabric of the city of Blaj. “In the Church of Christ, there is room for everyone,” the pope told members of the community, “otherwise it would not be the Church of Christ.” “Whenever anyone is left behind, the human family cannot move forward. Deep down, we are not Christians, and not even good human beings, unless we are able to see the person before his or her actions, before our own judgments and prejudices,” the pope said. He told the Roma community that his heart was heavy due to “the many experiences of discrimination, segregation and mistreatment experienced by your communities,” inflicted upon them, including by
members of the Catholic Church. He asked forgiveness of them “for those times in history when we have discriminated, mistreated or looked askance at you” instead of defending them in their “uniqueness”.
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he pope’s trip to Romania was a “continuation of Pope John Paul’s historic visit in 1999, the first by a reigning pontiff to a predominantly Orthodox country since the Great Schism of 1054”, said Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti. However, unlike his predecessor, who remained in Bucharest, Pope Francis visited the ancient city of Iasi, where met with thousands of young men and women, along with parents and grandparents, whom he called upon to pass along the wealth and knowledge that can only come from their long-held traditions and faith. On the second day of his trip, the pope visited a Marian shrine in the heart of Transylvania—Sumuleu Ciuc shrine—an important place of pilgrimage for Romanians and for Catholics from across the border in Hungary, where he called on the faithful to ask God “for the grace to change past and present resentments and mistrust into new opportunities for friendship”. “Complicated and sorrow-filled situations from the past must not be forgotten or denied, yet neither must they be an obstacle or an excuse standing in the way of our desire to live together as brothers and sisters,” he said.—CNS
Pope Francis greets children as he meets with members of the Roma community in Blaj. (All photos: Paul haring/CNS)
(Left) Women in traditional dress wait for the start of Pope Francis’ celebration of a Divine Liturgy and the beatification of seven martyred bishops of the Eastern-rite Romanian Catholic Church at Liberty Field in Blaj. (Right) Pope Francis meets with Prime Minister Viorica Dancila of Romania in the Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest.
S outher n C ross
Tour to Mauritius Pope Francis arrives in procession to celebrate Mass at the Marian shrine of Sumuleu Ciuc in Miercurea Ciuc, Romania.
See Pope Francis at the Papal Mass! Explore Catholic Mauritius... and relax a little 6-13 Sept 2019 • Led by Fr Russell Pollitt SJ A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY: Fly to Mauritius to attend the PAPAL MASS during Pope Francis’ historic trip to this tropical island. See the great CATHOLIC SITES of this faith-filled country. Includes a GUIDED RETREAT at the beach and spiritual direction by the popular Fr Russell Pollitt SJ — and time for relaxation and fun in one of Mauritius’ best 4* resorts.
For more information or to book contact Gail at
info@fowlertours.co.za or phone 076 352-3809
www.fowlertours/mauritius
Controversial institute loses its headquarters BY CAROL GLATZ
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HE Italian ministry for culture has revoked a licence it granted to the controversial ultra-conservative Dignitatis Humanae Institute to manage a stateowned historic monument south of Rome, citing irregularities in the bidding process and a breach of contract. The former Carthusian monastery of Trisulti was being used as the headquarters of the institute, which was founded by Benjamin Harnwell in 2008. US Cardinal Raymond Burke is the honorary president of the institute, 11 other cardinals make up the
institute’s advisory board, and former Donald Tump aide Steve Bannon, is a patron and member of the board of trustees. The institute had been planning to renovate and use the 800-year-old abbey for its “Academy for the Judeo-Christian West. The Italian culture ministry announced that it found evidence of a number of contractual obligations being violated and other factors that support annulling the permit. Mr Harnwell told The Washington Post in a statement that “the government move was “nothing more than the braying of the cultural Marxist left against the defence of Western civilisation”.—CNS
Italian Cardinal Elio Sgreccia died on June 5, the day before his 91st birthday. As the head of the Pontifical Academy for Life from 2005-08, Cardinal Sgreccia helped articulate the Vatican’s position on many important issues such as embryonic stem-cell research, euthanasia, the definition of brain death, abortion and in vitro fertilisation. Ordained to the priesthood in 1952, Pope John Paul II appointed him a curial bishop in 1993, and Pope Benedict XVI made him a cardinal in 2010 at the age of 82. (Photo: Paul haring/CNS)
INTERNATIONAL
The Southern Cross, June 12 to June 18, 2019
Priest’s 100th birthday Archbishop: No more with four priest sons gang ‘show funerals’ A I N Italian priest has just celebrated his 100th birthday— with his four sons who are also Catholic priests. After being widowed at the age of 45, Fr Probo Vaccarini of Rimini became first a deacon and eventually a priest at the age of 69 in 1988, at the urging of his sons. Since then the grandfather of five has worked as a pastor in a small rural community near the Adriatic Sea. According to the online portal Newsrimini, he marked his centenary with a Mass presided over by Bishop Francesco Lambiasi in the cathedral of Rimini. After fighting in Russia during World War II, Fr Vaccarini started a career as a railway surveyor. With his wife Anna Maria, he had three daughters and four sons; all four sons became priests. After the death of his wife, 55 years ago, the devotee of Padre Pio became increasingly involved in the Church. Encouraged by his sons, he was ordained a priest himself in May 1988. “He has always been a very religious man. When he became a deacon we expected that,” said one of his sons, Fr Giuseppe Vaccarini, 61. “But when he said he wanted to become a priest, we were surprised,” he added.
BY MIChAEL KELLY
Widowed Fr Probo Vaccarini celebrated his 100th birthday with his four sons—who are all priests. (Photo via Catholic News World) “He lives the faith with an incredible passion. When we ask him on the phone, ‘Who are you with?’, he always answers in the same way: ‘I am with Jesus and the little Madonna’, and this has now become his motto,” Fr Giuseppe said. In his 31 years as a priest, Don Probo, as he is widely known, has never missed the celebration of daily Mass in his parish of San Martino in Venti. He has written over 15 books
and an autobiography entitled Spouse, Widower and Priest. He lives with a daughter in the old family home and spends most of his time reading. It is an unusual situation to have a priest with four sons who are also priests: Frs Francesco, Giovanni, Giuseppe and Gioacchino. “We have not imitated one another,” Fr Giuseppe laughed. “Each of us has taken different paths, but then reached the same conclusion. It is the call…”
Benedict XVI is like my grandfather, says pope
BY JUNNO AROChO ESTEVES
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OPE Francis said that he continues to visit retired Pope Benedict XVI, 92, who is like a grandfather who encourages him and gives him strength. “I take his hand and let him speak. He speaks little, at his own pace, but with the same profoundness as always. Benedict’s problem are his knees, not his mind. He has a great lucidity,” the pope told journalists on his return flight from Romania. The pope spent about 35 minutes with reporters on the short flight, answering five questions. When asked about his relationship with this predecessor, the pope said his conversations with Pope Benedict make him stronger. “When I hear him speak, I become strong,” he explained. “I feel this tradition of the Church. The tradition of the Church is not a museum. No, tradition is like the roots that give you the sap in order to grow. You won’t become the root; you will grow and bear fruit and the seed will be root for others.” Recalling a quote by Austrian composer Gustav Mahler, the pope said that tradition “is the guarantee
Pope Francis answers questions from journalists aboard his flight from Sibiu, Romania, to Rome. (Photo: Paul haring/CNS) of the future and not the custodian of ashes”. Referring to his remarks in Romania about unity and fraternity, the pope was asked about growing divisions within the European Union. Unity on the continent is a task for every European country, he said. “If Europe does not guard well against future challenges, Europe will wither away,” he warned. While cultural differences must be respected, Europeans must not give
in “to pessimism or ideologies”. Pope Francis also was asked about an event in the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral in Bucharest and how it appeared that many people at the gathering did not join in reciting the Lord’s Prayer. Where there is tension or conflict, the pope said, Christians must have “a relationship with an outstretched hand”. “We must go forward together,” he said, “always keeping in mind that ecumenism isn’t about arriving at the end of the game. Ecumenism means walking together, praying together, an ecumenism of prayer.” Christians also share “an ecumenism of blood, an ecumenism of witness and what I call ‘an ecumenism of the poor’—working together to help the sick, those who are on the margins”. “It is possible! It is possible to walk together in unity, fraternity, hand outstretched, thinking well of each other, not speaking ill of others,” he said. Every Church has those opposed to Christian unity, who call others “schismatics”. “Let the old bachelors criticise,” the pope said.—CNS
UN declares August 22 as day for victims of violence against religion
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HE UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution establishing August 22 as the Day to Commemorate Victims of Violence Based on Religion. The resolution invites all member states, organisations, civil society, individuals and the private sector to observe the international day and show appropriate support for victims of religiously motivated violence. In the wake of recent religiously motivated terrorist attacks, the resolution notes a serious concern for “continuing acts of intolerance and violence based on religion or belief against
individuals, including against persons belonging to religious communities and religious minorities around the world, and at the increasing number and intensity of such incidents”. Poland initiated work toward the commemorative day, and united with Brazil, Canada, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, and the United States to co-draft the resolution. Ultimately, 88 UN member states voted to co-sponsor the resolution. The Vatican commented on the resolution after its adoption in a statement released by its Permanent Observer Mission to the
UN. The statement recalled the recent religiously motivated violence in Sri Lanka, Burkina Faso, New Zealand, and California. “This resolution and the international day it establishes is an opportunity for the international community to focus on the victims and to strengthen efforts to eradicate such violence and acts of terrorism targeting persons because of their religion or belief,” it said. The Vatican also reminded the UN that religion cannot be blamed for these acts. They are, rather, deviations from religious practices and must be condemned.—CNS
N the midst of a bitter gangland feud in the Irish capital, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has moved to ensure that funerals of those killed are not used as overt shows of wealth or perceived influence. Speaking at Mass in St Mary’s pro-cathedral, Archbishop Martin warned that “where it can be ascertained that individuals hold direct responsibility in this traffic in evil, they will no longer be allowed to exploit religious services in the archdiocese of Dublin to enhance their image”. A feud between two rival drug gangs has left at least 20 people dead in Dublin. Police have said the murders often are linked to “turf wars” over who controls the import and sale of illegal drugs in Ireland. Funerals often have been ostentatious occasions with wreaths commemorating overt symbols of wealth such as Rolex watches and high-powered sports cars. The archbishop said that while every Catholic had the right to a dignified burial, there would be no more “show funerals” in the archdiocese. Police and community leaders have warned that the perceived celebrity nature of some of the funerals has a negative effect on young people who may be vulnerable to becoming involved with gangs. Archbishop Martin has taken a leading role in confronting gang violence and many of the murders have been committed within the boundary of his cathedral parish. He said at the Mass that recent
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has moved to ensure that funerals of those killed in gang battles are not used as overt shows of wealth or perceived influence. (Photo: Paul haring/CNS) violence “has taken on an unprecedented level of depravity with shootings taking place unscrupulously near schools and shopping centres, leaving families terrified and children witnessing brutality that will leave scars on their lives for years”. “The perpetrators and sponsors of such violence merit nothing but rejection and distain. They belong behind bars and their business of death must be undermined and destroyed,” he said. Archbishop Martin, who has led marches against gang violence in inner-city neighbourhoods in the Irish capital, appealed to “anyone who can provide information about this sickening underworld to have the courage and the decency to come forward in the interest of all”.—CNS
Troops block pilgrims from martyr feast
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OME 200 Rwandans were blocked by national troops from crossing the border with Uganda to attend a pilgrimage for the feast of St Charles Lwanga and his fellow martyrs in the neighbouring country. The pilgrims were turned back amid ongoing tensions between leaders of the two countries. One Rwandan pilgrim told the French news agency AFP that her group was prohibited from crossing the border by officials who cited security reasons. Rwanda has blocked people from crossing the border with Uganda for three months. The closures have affected Rwandans living in border towns, who cross into Uganda to work and buy food. While Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Rwandan President Paul Kagame supported each other during their country’s respective revolutions, they have had a
A nun carries a candle outside the Namugongo Shrine during an Uganda Martyr's Day Ceremony. (Photo: Ronald Kabuubi, EPA/CNS) tense relationship in recent months, each accusing the other nation of interference and mistreatment of its citizens. Each year, the commemoration of the Ugandan martyrs at a shrine near the capital Kampala draws millions from around the globe, including Kenya, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Africa News.—CNA
Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood
Jesus invites us! If you want to follow his invitation contact:
Tapestry by Margaret Mkhize
BY ELIZABETh BAChMANN
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The Vocation Directress Mariannhill Convent P.O. Box 10487 Ashwood, 3605 or The Vocation Directress Glen Avent Convent P.O. Box 261, Mthatha, 5099
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The Southern Cross, June 12 to June 18, 2019
LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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.
Consecrated chastity the core of my life
Editor: Günther Simmermacher
Driving out Christians M
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ILGRIMS to the Holy Land will see in abundance the holy shrines of Our Lord and the rocks of the prophets. These are often referred to as the “Ancient Stones” of the faith. These ancient stones are animated by the “Living Stones” of the Holy Land: the region’s indigenous Christian community. Christians of the Holy Land come mainly in three forms: the foreign custodians of shrines and institutions (among Catholics, these are mostly Franciscans); a small number of foreign nationals working in Israel; and the indigenous Palestinian Christians. While the foreign Christians are transient, the Palestinian Christians have lived in that land for thousands of years—even before there was Christianity. They are the descendants of the first Christians, of the Jews, of the Samaritans, of the Canaanites. These Christians, like all Palestinians, have been the people of the land for thousands of years. And now they are disappearing. Where in 1948, the year the state of Israel was founded, they made up 8% of the region’s total population, they now constitute less than 2% of just the Palestinian populations of Israel and the West Bank. Large numbers of Palestinian Christians fled or were expelled from Jewish-controlled areas of Palestine during the so-called Arab–Israeli War of 1948. Political and economic pressures have caused further emigration. The state of Israel makes it no great secret that it wishes this remaining minority to leave. There is no other explanation for the hardships its bureaucracy imposes on Palestinian Christians. This week we read about the arbitrary yet clearly targeted means by which Israel is keeping apart families in which one spouse is not Palestinian. An Israeli lawyer, Yotam BenHillel, has found the only plausible explanation for the bureaucratic nightmares Israel imposes on such families: “The suspicion arises that the real reason behind the decision [to refuse full residence rights to foreignborn spouses of Palestinians] is a racist-demographic one. Namely, to prevent the inclusion of new people in the population registry in the territories and to encourage others…to leave the West Bank.” These are the mechanics of ethnic cleansing by non-violent means. Palestinian Christian families
suffer other forms of bureaucratic harassment. For example, a family from, say, Nazareth in Israel is compelled to obtain a permit to visit its relatives in Bethlehem in the West Bank for Christian feasts such as Christmas or Easter. Usually most of the family will receive such a permit, except almost invariably for one or two members. Visits by families from Bethlehem to Nazareth are virtually impossible to arrange. The list of anguishes which Palestinian Christians are subjected to by Israel is long. They include gross human rights violations, including restrictions on freedom of movement and expropriation of ancestral land and property. And they include many small harassments. For example, lately the Israeli Defence Force has closed the road between the West Bank village of Taybeh, whose population is 100% Christian, and the Palestinian capital Ramallah, where many residents of the small town work. A 15-minute commute now takes 45 minutes. In the face of an accumulation of human rights abuses and harassment, and given the realities of being a minority in a context of oppression and economic privation, one can understand why Palestinian Christians are leaving their beloved ancestral homeland. But when the Living Stones are all gone, what will become of the Ancient Stones? In effect, they will become sites not of lived Christian faith but religious museums curated by foreigners. Pope Francis calls on us to stand in solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters in faith. This solidarity must also involve our conscientisation to the political struggles our fellow Christians face in the Holy Land, and it must result in our forthright condemnation of those who are creating these hardships. Who will speak up for these Christians if not their fellow Christians? Our solidarity must involve support for Palestinian Christians when we go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, by using their services and buying in their shops. To do otherwise is a betrayal of these descendants of the first Christians. And in solidarity, we must include the Christians of Palestine in our prayers, that peace and justice will come to their land, and with it the return of many families in the Palestinian diaspora.
ICHAEL Shackleton’s guest editorial (May 15) entitled “Celibacy needs more explaining” calls me to respond. I have tried to live the three vows of evangelical poverty, responsible obedience and consecrated chastity for some 55 years in the Congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. By the time I made my final vows in the early 1970s, and as a result of our deep study of Vatican II, the adjectives added onto them by the Congregation made more sense of the life-long commitment I was making in a big leap of faith. But the inner reality of them was the same. As I look back over this fruitful and long life as a woman religious, I am filled with gratitude for all it has been and how it has enriched me. Very soon after my first profession, as a student in my twenties at university in England, I realised that consecrated chastity freed me to form relationships with so many different men and women, without any sexual overtones. I had the freedom to connect at a different level to that perhaps prevalent among young people. This made me quite sure that this was the life to which I had been called. I think my next discovery was that this commitment to consecrated celibacy was also the path to “the aloneness” necessary for the God quest, and for an ever-deepening relationship with the person of Jesus. I love people, generally, some
Caravaggios in Rome astounding
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HANKS for your article “Where the Risen Christ walked” (May 15). It was also good to see the photo of the group in Rome led by Fr Russell Pollitt SJ. A friend and I were in Rome last year, and a relative of his who is an official tour guide kindly took four of us to see the paintings by Caravaggio in the church of St Louis of the French. They are amazing. There are three of them—”The Calling of St Matthew”, “The Inspiration of St Matthew”, and “The Martyrdom of St Matthew”. The church is near Piazza Navona. Peter Onesta, Johannesburg
Women deacons: pope disappoints
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T is disappointing Pope Francis’ commission appointed to ascertain the merits of women becoming deacons has stalled. “Papa” Francis has displayed
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more easily than others, and I love my God in a particular way. There is something mutually dynamic in that love: close relationships with people send me searching for God; time with God sends me back re-energised to share myself, my training, and my gifts with people.
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nd something I have come to understand only fairly recently is that this vow of chastity has given me life-long personal autonomy in the choices I have been able to make for myself. I now realise that consecrated chastity, lived out in a supportive community of women with whom I share a particular religious life, is the foundation and core of that life. It seems to have always been so. Some of the women—single, widowed, married, reformed prostitutes—who were Jesus’ close companions in his short active life continued to accompany the Apostles, some in apparently celibate relationships, in the early days of Christianity. From then on, the lives of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, those in medieval monasteries and convents, cloistered and active men and women, beguines, canonesses, all have one thing in common—chaste celibacy as the foundation of their lives of prayer and service. The way we live out the vows of poverty and obedience differ in degree and approach from Congregation to Congregation…but chaste 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. Letters can be sent to PO Box 2372, Cape Town 8000 or editor@scross.co.za or faxed to 021 465-3850
many acts of wisdom in his papacy, but on this issue there is no doubt he is being cautious, knowing the backlash a bold decision will set off. However, it is quite apparent that the Church is shying away from appointing women deacons for reasons other than what the investigation was meant to ascertain: that being to confirm women having been deacons throughout Church history. This is similar to the Scottish golf club of St Andrews not allowing women to become members because of the original rule set up in 1754. The facts relating to St Andrews overturning the 260-year-old rule were quite simple: in 2014 the club put it to the vote by members who returned an 85% yes to open the doors for women to become members of the club. This highlights that the Catholic Church is in a dilemma, because on the one hand Pope Francis acknowledges that “clerical culture” is a big problem, yet clerical culture became the blueprint of the Church when the bishops first gathered in Nicaea in 325 AD. The precedent of the bishops becoming our “shepherds” to maintain control of their flock, the sheep, was firmly established. A similar situation existed in Jewish history in the century prior to the common era, where Temple priests controlled religious affairs. The people of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Essenes, “rebelled” against this clerical culture and set up their headquarters in Qumran. What terminated this standoff was the Jewish/Roman war of 67-70 AD which led to the total destruction of the Temple and precipitated Rabbinic Judaism. The hierarchy of the Catholic Church know full well that opening the doors for women to become deacons will eventuate in women priestly ordinations. Being World Cup month and using the analogy of cricket, the bishops have their eye on the ball and there is no way they’re going to let it slip from their grasp. Patrick Dacey, Johannesburg
celibacy has no degrees to it, or partial expressions of it; it is living and loving fully and richly, but without any genital expression of this love, for the sake of the reign of God. Michael Shackleton’s editorial does not mention that celibacy for all clergy was not mandatory for the first thousand years of Christianity. Being married did not stand in the way of the ordained minister’s administration of the sacraments, his service to the people of God, and the key difference between the ordained and the laity. Celibacy need not be as core and foundational to the priesthood, as it is to both men and women in religious life. Another interesting piece of information that has come to light is that generally men find consecrated celibacy more difficult to live than women do. For male religious, celibacy is the most challenging vow…for women, obedience apparently is the greatest challenge (see Sandra Schneiders: Finding the Treasure, Pauline Publications. 2000). Adult Christian formation today, as well as the way in which we speak about the vows and their different challenges for men and women, and who should be making them, needs a radical new look to understand them in the light of recent theology, spirituality and psychology. This may help draw those with true vocations into the priesthood and religious life. Brigid Rose Tiernan, Johannesburg
Moving date of Ascension wrong
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FIND it very strange how easily the bishops could have allowed and applied to Rome to have the solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ be moved from the actual feast day (a Thursday) to the nearest Sunday, just in order for the majority of the faithful to observe this day as a holy day of obligation. And while most Catholic churches were closed on that Thursday evening, I noticed other Christian churches were open and celebrating the Ascension, such as the Anglican, Dutch Reformed and New Apostolic churches in my area. I also noticed that most schools were closed out of respect for this feast day but some Catholic schools were open, writing exams. What is happening here? Am I missing something? I look at how packed our churches are, for example, on Ash Wednesdays and yet the bishops never moved that day to the nearest Sunday. Catholics know how important certain feast days are to their faith. Why confuse and compromise our faith so much? Should the Ascension not enjoy greater reverence than Ash Wednesday? Once we give in to pleasing people’s preferences, we are treading seriously on compromising our faith. What will we do if the South African government decides to move Good Friday and Christmas to the nearest Sunday? Will we just succumb as well, and accept it out of obedience to the state? Should our current leaders not be aware of the consequences certain decisions on matters of faith could have on the local Church? The Church was a force to be reckoned with during the apartheid years. Why are our leaders not standing up and defending the faith rather than just giving in to convenience people. What happened to sacrifice and going the extra mile because of our love for our God? One thing about our Muslim brothers and sisters is that they don’t compromise their faith because for them their faith is real! Is the solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ real for us? Leslie Selbourne, Cape Town
The Southern Cross, June 12 to June 18, 2019
PERSPECTIVES
In changing times: Get to work, girl! Nthabiseng M Maphisa EN and women face different challenges as they mature. Modern men still experience the pressures of being providers and protectors in their households. The expectations of a woman, however, will vary depending on which decade you are referring to. The film The Stepford Wives brought to my attention that the 1950s was the time of the perfect housewife who cleaned the house while wearing a skirt and heels and baked scones daily. The 1960s and ’70s saw a revolt against this and the alpha female was born, reaching her prime in the ’80s. Since then the role of a woman in the household is no longer ruled by an external standard imposed upon her but is a choice she makes out of her own freedom. At least that’s what I think. My sister had her first children (a set of twins) last year. Through this I have been able to witness the delicate balance between being a mother and living a normal life. At times the two can be mutually exclusive. I am certain that among all the difficult and sometimes filthy jobs in the world, nothing is as demanding as being a parent. There are no leave days, no promotions and no salary increases. Despite this, parents must fulfil every duty expected of them. I worry that many of us are unprepared for the hours of overtime and soiled nappies. I feel underqualified because I feel that one needs a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry to mix a bottle of milk using baby formula and lukewarm water. Frequently I have attempted to do this; but the milk was either too hot or too cold, and the process had to be repeated
until the concoction could be ingested by baby. I find it daunting that women are expected to do all of the above while maintaining good oral hygiene and looking energised.
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odern women have an unprecedented abundance of choices. They can become doctors and engineers while also being wives and mothers. Some will forego one for the sake of the other at different stages of their lives. It is not that I am incapable of learning how to bath a baby or assemble a pram, but I question my willingness to do so in place of furthering my education or becoming an entrepreneur. The latter would seem selfish to some women and perfectly acceptable to others. The impending expiration date of one’s ovaries does not make this decision any easier. All my life I saw the peak of success and happiness as getting a well-
This is how the role of women was defined in the past. But, asks Nthabiseng Maphisa, how is a woman going to combine professional and domestic aspirations today?
Pop Culture Catholic
paid corporate job, driving a luxury car, with no kids or husband in sight. Through many retreats and conversations with God, and the realisation that money isn’t everything, I have begun to question the notion of finding purpose and peace in being a bloodthirsty corporate tigress. But smelly nappies and sleep deprivation don’t present marriage and motherhood as the easier option either. So what’s a girl to do? It seems there are only two choices: either you dive into the bottomless pit of ambition or painfully sacrifice your dreams for the sake of child-rearing. The prevalence of discrimination against pregnant women compels many women to choose the first option. Some say we can “have it all” but I don’t know what that means. What is the roadmap to living out our God-given nature to be mothers and following our dreams? I believe it is possible we can do it all but not on our own. It requires a change in the mindset of the older generation who measure the worth of a woman by her cooking and cleaning skills and her fertility—and not by her intelligence and kindness. It needs a shift in the thinking that women can be viewed only through the door of a kitchen. When these walls have crumbled, only then can a woman pursue her dreams without guilt, while serving the man who holds her heart and the children they will bear.
How Luke joins Jesus on his journeys Cackie Upchurch E VERY Gospel was written in hindsight, with the end of the story happening before a word was recorded. The death and resurrection of Jesus, and the Spirit-led missionary experience of the early believers, eventually gave birth to the Gospel accounts. The story of Jesus only became clear as the disciples reflected on it after he was raised, as they shared the stories in oral form, honing their skills as sacred storytellers. Luke left his imprint on the Gospel that bears his name, and on a second volume, the Acts of the Apostles. A feature that runs throughout both books is that of the journey. The Gospel takes us from Galilee to Jerusalem. Acts resumes the story in Jerusalem and takes readers to “the ends of the earth” (1:8). The physical journey of Jesus and of his first-generation disciples opens up the landscape for readers to discover other journeys in the biblical text and in our own lives. Luke builds into that larger journey framework a number of smaller and yet significant journeys. Just a few months into her pregnancy, Mary travels from Nazareth to Ein Kerem to visit her older relative Elizabeth (1:3945). A little later, Mary and Joseph will take their son to the temple in Jerusalem for consecration (2:22-38). And when he is a few years older, Jesus will again travel with his parents to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover (2:4152) among descendants of the twelve tribes of Israel who escaped from Egypt centuries earlier. These physical journeys in the early life of Jesus are also spiritual journeys. Jesus’ parents grow in their understanding of their son’s identity.
Lessons From Luke
Olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem, one of the sites Luke takes us to as he follows the journeys of Jesus in his Gospel. (Photo: Günther Simmermacher) Those who receive the travellers—Elizabeth, Simeon and Anna, and the temple teachers—help us begin to appreciate Jesus’ role in salvation history, accompanied by centuries of expectation and hope. The journey motif continues as we see Jesus moving from town to town, inviting his disciples to leave behind their typical routines and see the world through his eyes. They witness that Jesus not only heals physical ailments but also relationships. Each healing is a journey from brokenness to wholeness. A leper or a woman who is haemorrhaging would have been shunned; their healings allow them to reenter their communities.
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esus reveals God’s goodness in each small encounter, and in larger sweeps of time and place. He takes Peter, John, and James to a high mountain where the
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vastness of the land is obvious. But an even larger horizon is revealed as Jesus is transfigured (9:28-36). The disciples hear God’s voice identify Jesus as his chosen Son, commanding them to listen to him. They experience a glimpse of the glory that will be revealed in the fullness of time, but they must also journey back down to the rhythms of daily life. The final chapters of Luke bring Jesus from the towns and villages around Galilee to the heart of the capital city of Jerusalem. The journey of about 180km is punctuated by countless encounters with people in need and numerous opportunities to teach. It is a journey that forms his followers and puts him in opposition to those in power. Within the city itself, there are three key journeys for Jesus: his entry into Jerusalem on a donkey that is marked by praise and shouts of triumph (19:28-40); his journey in chains from the garden of Gethsemane to the Sanhedrin (22:47-71), then to Pilate, the Roman prefect of Judea (23:1-5), and finally to King Herod Antipas (23:6-25); and his final journey through the streets of Jerusalem as he carried the cross on which he would die (23:26-32). Surely, as Peter, John, and James view Jesus on the cross—stripped, beaten, and dead—they ponder their former journey Continued on page 11
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Michael Shackleton
Open Door
Are Anglican ordinations valid? What is the attitude of the Church with regard to Anglican Orders? Has this altered in view of ecumenical developments since Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical which in 1896 declared Anglican Orders to be null and void? Peter Onesta
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ING HENRY VIII of England caused his parliament to pass the Act of Supremacy in 1534. In one stroke, he and his heirs and successors would become the only supreme head on earth of the Church of England. His young successor, Edward VI, supported the teachings of Martin Luther and guided Thomas Cranmer, archbishop of Canterbury, in suppressing Catholic doctrine. The Book of Common Prayer replaced the Roman Missal and the Church of England became Protestant. Episcopal and priestly ordinations were now conducted from the rubrics of a rite prescribed in a new manual known as the Edwardian Ordinal. Catholic opinion was that the Ordinal’s text had been so mutilated by Protestant bias, that it could not be accepted as conferring ordination to the sacrificing priesthood as understood by Rome. Within the Church of England there remained manifestations of Catholicism. The Low Church and the High Church evolved, and Anglicanism, rather than the Church of England, began to overlap the limits of the rigid Articles of Faith contained in the Book of Common Prayer. Uncertainties emerged. Were Anglican Orders valid, invalid or simply doubtful? Pope Leo’s encyclical Apostolicae curae (1896) declared categorically that they were not valid.
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his declaration still holds. When Anglican clergy are accepted into the Catholic priesthood they are ordained unconditionally; the presumption is that their previous ordination was not a valid one. A doubtful ordination can never provide the required certainty of validity. Nonetheless, Anglicans and Catholics have a historical affinity. Vatican II (1962-65) in its Decree on Ecumenism said: “Among the communions in which Catholic traditions and institutions in part continue to exist, the Anglican Communion has a special place” (Art 13). Pope Paul VI showed this in a practical way when in 1966 he met the archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey, and gave him his episcopal ring and a chalice, hinting that the two sides should never have been separated and must cooperate for priestly unity. In 1967 the same archbishop and pope established the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), which has been meeting regularly since 1970, each side wanting to learn from the other. Its most recent meeting was in July, 2018 with the theme: “Walking Together on the Way: Learning to be Church”. There is an undoubted desire on the part of both sides, Anglicans and Catholics, whose liturgies and worship can be so alike, to settle their differences. The way ahead will have many formidable bumps, not unlike the way behind, but the constant desire for us to become visibly one remains. It is up to the Holy Spirit and our prayers and example to bring it to fruition.
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 12 to June 18, 2019
COMMUNITY The diocese of Bethlehem in the Free State celebrated Bishop Jan de Groef’s 40th anniversary as a priest and tenth episcopal anniversary. The bishop, a Missionary of Africa, is seen with Cardinal Wilfrid Napier. (Submitted by Fr Dikotsi Mofokeng)
Patrick and Diana Budd of Pinetown, Durban, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary with a thanksgiving service and renewal of vows. Their golden anniversary service was conducted by Fr Brian Southward, retired parish priest at St Dominic’s in hillcrest, Durban. They are seen (left) on their wedding day in Bulawayo in 1969, and (right) at their golden wedding anniversary celebrations.
The RCIA class of 2019 at St John Bosco parish in Robertsham, Johannesburg, was received into the Church. (Submitted by Pamela Jagesar)
Send your photos to pics@scross.co.za
Ss Peter and Paul church in George, Oudtshoorn diocese, celebrated the confirmation of several parishioners. (Front from left) catechist Sandy Page, Mikaela van Rensburg, Tarenn Grobbelaar, Chelsea Meyer, parish priest and diocesan administrator Fr John Atkinson, Tayla Johnson and Logan Swartz, (back) Leander Petersen and Darren Stadler.
The Maronite parish of Our Lady Of Lebanon in Johannesburg South hosted its 18th annual festival. The day was opened after Mass with a short prayer by parish priest Fr Jean Yammine. Entertainment included belly dancing and traditional Lebanese Dabke dancing (above) by the Maronite Dancers group and a children’s activity corner. Traditional Lebanese food and other cuisines were on sale, including local favourite boerie rolls. (Submitted by Mark Kisogloo)
Celeste de Freitas, sacristan of Our Lady of Loreto parish in Kempton Park, Johannesburg, lights candles to commemorate the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, and to remind parishioners of the start of the Five First Saturdays Fatima devotion. (Submitted by Berniece Eales)
Nazareth Sister Lorraine Akal renews her vows before Archbishop Emeritus George Daniel of Pretoria during her golden jubilee celebration.
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Fr Tom Segami of St Peter Claver church in Pimville, Soweto, blessed the new grotto contributed by the parish’s Catholic Women’s League. (Photo: Eddie Tshabalala)
Winifred Quirk of St Anthony’s parish in Sedgefield, Oudtshoorn diocese, celebrated her 90th birthday after Sunday Mass. She is seen with two of her daughters: Fiona Buttemer of St Anthony’s (left) and Avril van Zyl of Bloemfontein. Two other daughters, Jackie Stanton from Bloemfontein and Pascalette Olson of Plettenberg Bay, arrived later to celebrate a family dinner in the evening. Mrs Quirk is one of the founder members of the parish. (Submitted by Bobbi Morgan-Smith)
The Southern Cross, June 12 to June 18, 2019
LIFE
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Christian families torn apart by law Palestinian families are torn apart by many Israeli regulations. Foreign spouses of Palestinians are affected by them as well, as JUDITh SUDILOVSKY reports.
visa’s expiration date when she Campaign, which tries to provide submitted it to them to see if her information to spouses and highlight their plight, an estimated visa could be extended. Her request was denied because 25 000 foreign spouses remain in her husband, who was abroad at the the Palestinian territories with only time, had not accompanied her a tourist visa, are denied any norwhen she applied, and so she pre- malised status and have family unipared once again to leave but by fication requests pending. The tourist visas that spouses are then her visa date had already exissued must be renewed often, repired. More than two weeks later, fol- quiring spouses to travel abroad. HAT was meant to be one lowing a Catholic News Service in- Sometimes the visas are renewed of the happiest of occaonly for three months, quiry into her case, the sions for the Zoughbi famother times for longer, and Israeli defence ministry’s ily became a nightmare because of Coordinator of Govern- ‘Israel’s intent many now are only singleIsraeli policy on family reunificavisas. ment Activity in the Teris to force entry tion for foreign spouses of PalestiniSince Israel controls the ritories (COGAT), which ans. oversees the visa process families to borders, including those in For almost 30 years, US-born Palestinian territories, it defor foreign spouses of Sandra Elaine Lindower, 56, has leave cides which foreigners are Palestinians, informed been married to Dr Zoughbi allowed into the West Sandra that she would Zoughbi, a well-known and internaPalestine’ Bank, including foreign be permitted to enter if tionally respected Catholic Palestinspouses of Palestinians. she places a bond. – Israeli ian peace activist, and founder of Under the Oslo Accords, She must enter the Bethlehem conflict transformathrough the Allenby lawyer Yotam the Palestinian Authority tion centre Wi’am. was granted the authority Bridge Crossing along They have raised their four chilBen-Hillel to administer the populathe border with Jordan dren together in the ancestral tion registry and grant perand will receive a threeZoughbi home compound in Bethmonth visa. The agency said the manent residency to foreign lehem in the West Bank. “entry of holders of foreign citizen- spouses of Palestinian residents of Sandra was scheduled to return the Palestinian territories. ship...is not a given right”. from a trip to the United States in But in reality, Israel still controls “Love can’t be based on borders April in time to help begin planand politics or on countries. It is a the Palestinian population registry ning the wedding of her son—the basic human right to create a family and determines which foreigners first of her children to be married. married to Palestinians can receive together,” said Dr Zoughbi. Instead, the family was thrust resident status in the context of into a whirlwind of Israeli regulaConstant state of limbo family reunification, with the Palestions when Sandra was denied entry Sandra Lindower and other for- tinian Authority acting as a rubber at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in Tel eign spouses of West Bank Palestinistamp. Aviv. ans say their requests to receive a Foreign spouses say that, in reAfter being detained for hours permanent status based on the right cent years, the visa system has been without food or water, or any expla- of family reunification are being deadministered with no clear criteria. nation at the airport, she was de- nied, leaving them in a constant For some time, family reunificaported back to the US for “safety state of limbo. tion for Palestinians in general has and security” reasons, charged with Essentially, the opportunity for a only been possible under “special having overstayed her visa. foreign spouse to obtain status humanitarian circumstances”, She says her overstay was the re- through family unification has which do not include marriage. sult of the civil administration been frozen since 2009. holding her passport till after her ‘Racist demographic’ plan According to the Right to Enter In March, German national Josefin Herbach and her husband, Abed Salaymah, a Palestinian resident of the West Bank, took their case to the Israeli Supreme Court, demanding that her status as a foreign spouse be normalised. The court gave the state until September to provide its new policy regarding the status of foreign spouses, said Israeli lawyer Yotam Ben-Hillel, who is representing the couple. “The suspicion arises that the real reason behind the decision [not to normalise a status] is a racist-demographic one. Namely, to prevent the inclusion of new people in the population registry in the territories and to encourage others, such as the plaintiff, to leave the West Bank,” said Mr Ben-Hillel. In addition to the family unification freeze, the past two years have also seen an “alarming escalation” Morgan Cooper works in the family garden with her son Kamae in in denials of long-term visas to forRamallah, West Bank. She is from the US and her husband, Saleh Totah, eign spouses and in the “frequency is Palestinian. Morgan says that she can’t leave the West Bank without and range of arbitrary demands and conditions” imposed by the Israeli knowing whether she may ever return to her family.
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Zoughbi Zoughbi, a Palestinian Catholic, with his sons, Tarek and Rafiq, near the door of a cave that was the ancestral home of his family in Bethlehem, West Bank. Dr Zoughbi’s wife Sandra was deported by Israeli officials when she tried to return to Bethlehem for her son’s wedding. (Photos: Debbie hill/CNS) authorities on such long-term visas, he said. “Altogether, this has left Palestinian families with foreign spouses without the ability to reside in the [West Bank], with the intended purpose of forcing families to leave Palestine,” said Mr Ben-Hillel.
‘They want us to leave’ Most foreign spouses are hesitant to go public with their stories for fear that it will jeopardise their ability to renew their visas, said one US foreign spouse, a Catholic who asked that her name not be used. COGAT officials also monitor social media accounts belonging to foreign spouses to see if they post what are deemed to be “political” posts, she said. “They just want people like us to leave,” she said. “It just keeps getting worse and worse.” Foreign spouses must sign Hebrew-only documents to renew their visas. Requirements or prohibitions are changed without warning; they are detained at the borders, denied entry and required to make security deposits as high as R280 000 to be permitted to return to their homes for a few months. With that bond, Sandra was able to attend the wedding of her son on May 26. Once an Israel airport border security officer told her she should “take her Palestinian husband and go to America” if she wanted to avoid all the visa hassles, said Morgan Cooper, 38, an American who has been married to Saleh Totah since 2012. The Totah family, whose origins are Catholic, is one of the four founding families of the Palestinian capital Ramallah, but most of the extended family has emigrated.
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“Saleh will never consider leaving Ramallah. It is so important to him to raise his son Palestinian and make this stand as a Christian,” Morgan said. “I’ve put down roots here like I have never put down anywhere else,” said Morgan, sitting on the sun porch of her Ramallah home as she watched her two-year-old son Kamae search for a lost turtle in the side garden. Her husband runs an adjacent café, serving some dishes made from the organic vegetables they grow on their home’s rooftop garden. They are building an arboretum on land on the outskirts of Ramallah. Though it seems like Morgan has carved out a little slice of paradise for herself, it is more like a gilded prison that she cannot leave. “If I leave, I may never be able to come back. And if I stay, I may never be able to leave,” she said. As with all foreign spouses, Morgan has permission only to be in the West Bank, called “Judea and Samaria” by Israel. She is not allowed to work or volunteer anywhere and must regularly renew her visa to be able to remain in Ramallah with her family. In Bethlehem, it has been a difficult time for the Zoughbi family as they simultaneously prepared for the wedding and struggled to find a solution that would allow Sandra to rejoin them for the wedding. Still, Dr Zoughbi said he has kept his faith. “Faith and hope are two values I believe in. Nothing will break that. Nothing will push me to lose faith,” Dr Zoughbi said. “Of course, there is some anger, but I transfer my anger to hope. Faith keeps my sanity alive.”—CNS
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The Southern Cross, June 12 to June 18, 2019
TRAVEL
From left: Pilgrims at the holy Stairs, which they could ascend on the original marble state before the wooden casing went on again • Pilgrims with Rome-based Fathers Tulani Gubula, Kabelo Mahemo and Emmanuel Nkofo CMM after Mass in the church of St Ignatius • Pilgrims admire the beauty of the basilica of St John Lateran. (Photos: Günther Simmermacher)
Highlights of Rome on pilgrimage In May, 57 Southern Cross pilgrims travelled to the Holy Land and Rome. GüNThER SIMMERMAChER reviews the highlights of the Rome leg of the pilgrimage.
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PILGRIMAGE is always packed with highlights. That is why I always urge pilgrims to keep a journal of their journey. The Southern Cross’ pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Rome, led by Fr Russell Pollitt SJ, will have filled the journal of the diligent diarist. Our group of 57 experienced many moments of grace, joy and wonder. This week and next I will recall some of these in a highlights package, starting with the Rome segment of the pilgrimage.
The group One of the joys of leading pilgrimages is that every group has its own character and dynamic. This is influenced by many things. The itinerary, of course. The spiritual director and guides. Personalities within a group. Particular events... Almost invariably, everybody on a pilgrimage is very nice—and if they aren’t, maybe they really need the graces of a pilgrimage. In our group nobody needed to address that particular problem. The pilgrims always care about one another. On the morning of the second day, one of our group suffered a nasty fall in our hotel, requiring treatment in hospital. After the group had returned from the day’s activities, her room was filled with concerned people who just a couple of days earlier had been strangers to her. This group was, for its size, also very disciplined. Timekeeping is important. If at every site somebody is a few minutes late, soon you’ll lose an hour in a day. This group wasted little time. Over the years I have experienced many excellent spiritual directors on pilgrimage. We benefited from the muscular but gentle spiritual direction of Fr Pollitt. He preached superb homilies and guided us well in our reflections. It was evident just how much this priest loves the Mass and its liturgy. He was also great company, with a fine sense of humour.
The Catholic HQ The Catholic Church is everywhere in Rome. Even the most pagan of all intact ancient buildings, the Pantheon, is a converted church. And everywhere there’s Catholic
history. Palaces and fountains built by assorted cardinals, and streets named after men from Church history. Walk into almost any church in central Rome, and there’ll be religious art by the artistic superstars of their day: an unexpected Michelangelo sculpture here, or a surprise Caravaggio there. Of course, there are priests everywhere. Souvenir shops even flog a calendar of handsome Roman-collared priests, with something for everybody. Father August and Father October sport cappello romano hats for the elegant preconcilar hunk look. Alas, these “priests” are all models. At the papal outfitters Gammarelli some of us bumped into a real priest of a Polish order, in a white robe. He had just bought a white zucchetto, or skullcap. Trouble is, only the pope may validly wear a white zucchetto. Since no cleric is allowed to impersonate the pope, this priest presumably bought the zucchetto in the hope of exchanging it with Pope Francis at the next general audience. Still, he put it on for us, looking quite pontifical. The spirit of Pope Francis permeates Rome, in ways trivial and profound. Tourist-tat merchants flog Pope Francis bobbleheads, and for the more discerning there are Pope Francis rosaries. Our group had a more spiritual pope-related experience: our inaugural Mass was in the basilica of St Mary Major, the church which Pope Francis visits before and after every foreign trip to pray before the icon of Salus Populi Romani in the Borghese chapel. After Mass, we also had an opportunity to kneel before that icon and pray. A couple of days later, the group had the chance to see Pope Francis in person at the general audience in St Peter’s Square. It pays to be in the care of people who know exactly when to come and where to stand: our group saw Pope Francis pass them by, at a close distance, not once but twice. And the wily audience attendees will position themselves near a mother with a baby. Most of the time, the pope will stop right there to hug the infant.
Meeting the saints We Catholics love our saints. And for our fix of saints, Italy is the place to go. In Rome you can’t move for tombs of saints. There is, of course, St Peter’s basilica, where many saintly popes are buried. For tourists without toplevel connections it is quite impossible to get close to the tomb of St
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our group will recall the Mass in the basilica of St Sebastian, above the catacombs named after him on the Appian Way, as the one in Rome that touched them the most. It was one of those Masses that makes the blood course warmer through the veins. Maybe it was so because the chapel—much nicer than the main altar—was compact and strikingly beautiful. Maybe it was because the sun filtered through its windows to bathe Fr Russell, wearing red vestments, in a special glow. Maybe Fr Russell preached better and we sang more competently than at the other Masses. Maybe we had been more relaxed in this quiet place. Or maybe we simply felt the spirit of God in this place more than in the others. The Southern Cross’ pilgrims on the Spanish Steps in central Rome. Peter, on top of which the great basilica is built (its altar, beneath Bernini’s glorious bronze canopy, is located directly above it). Two tombs in the basilica are particularly popular: those of Popes St John XXIII and St John Paul II. The former is displayed in a glass cabinet; I have been blessed to have had Mass twice there, and once at the tomb of then-Blessed John Paul. In the crypt is the plain tomb of St Paul VI. Next to it, there is an empty tomb that once held the remains of St John XXIII and then St John Paul II. Clearly, that tomb has saint-making powers! Somebody suggested that one sad day we might bury Pope Francis there. But I suspect that the Holy Father will stipulate that his remains be transferred to Buenos Aires, to be buried in the cathedral there, or perhaps in a poor parish church. If so, he’ll likely be ignored. On our way we bumped into other saints in their tombs: St Paul in the basilica outside the walls named after him; St Jerome and Pope St Pius V in the basilica of St Mary Major; the third-century martyr Pope St Fabian in the chapel in the basilica of St Sebastian where we had Mass; the Jesuit founder St Ignatius of Loyola (plus the finger of St Francis Xavier) in the church of the Gesù; Robert Bellarmine, Aloysius de Gonzaga and John Berchmans (patron of altar servers) in the church of St Ignatius... The church of St John Lateran holds the tombs of several uncanonised popes, including that of Pope Leo XIII, who surely is an uncanonised saint. At the tomb of St Ignatius in the
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Gesù our group was treated to a spectacle. Above the tomb is a large painting of the saint being received into heaven by Christ. Every day at 17:30 it is mechanically lowered to loud music by a macchina barocca, designed by the 17th-century Jesuit artist Andrea Pozzo, to reveal a silver statue of St Ignatius, hidden behind the painting. We were going to miss that, so the custodian on duty lowered the painting especially for our benefit. It was a quite amazing show. After Mass in the Gesù, we had the opportunity to view the rooms of St Ignatius, which one reaches through a most beautiful chapel. Here artefacts of the saint are displayed, including his sparse furniture, shoes and robe. But new chairs stand on the spot where he died.
Encounters with SA priests At two of our Masses, we were delighted to welcome South African priests to concelebrate. Fr Simon Donnelly, a Johannesburg priest who works as a translator in the Vatican’s secretariat of state, joined us for Mass at the church of the Gesù. Some in our group knew Fr Simon as their previous parish priest, and so were delighted to meet up with him. I’ve known Fr Simon, a man with a great sense of humour, for close to 25 years, as the son of my long-time colleague, the late Gene Donnelly. The following day, we were joined at Mass in the church of St Ignatius by three priests currently studying in Rome: Frs Tulani Gubula, Kabelo Mahemo and Emmanuel Nkofo CMM. More might have joined us but for exams and other commitments. The priests said they were touched by our invitation to join them at Mass because they sometimes feel isolated from home.
The Masses And so the Masses with these priests were special. The African singing in particular visibly brought the feeling of home to them, right there in that remarkable Roman 17th-century church of St Ignatius. Still, I would guess that most of
Links with Holy Land In around 328 AD, St Helena, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, came to the Holy Land and financed the construction of churches there, most notably those of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Her munificence also meant that she did what colonialists always do: take native artefacts home. Many of the holy relics Helena took have been lost; the authenticity of others is disputed. Many of these items are in the church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome, which we passed by but, alas, didn’t have time to visit. But we encountered a few items relating to the Holy Land—the other part of our pilgrimage—in Rome. Whether or not these are authentic may be open to debate. On the one hand it seems plausible that the first Christians would have preserved not only the memory of places but also physical items relating to Jesus Christ. On the other hand, forgery of relics was a thriving industry in the medieval age, so it’s not always clear what’s real and what’s fake. The basilica of St Mary Major holds the crib of Jesus from Bethlehem, which (if it indeed is the actual manger) stood on a spot we can still venerate in the crypt of the church of the Nativity. And the basilica of St John Lateran holds the purported table of the Last Supper. But the big event was the Sancta Scala, the Holy Stairs, which tradition says is the mable staircase on which Jesus walked before he was condemned by Pontius Pilate. For half a millennium, these stairs, which may be ascended only on one’s knees, were covered by wood. This year the wood was removed for restoration, and for a few weeks the stairs were exposed and accessible in their original marble state. And those few weeks provided a window for our group to see and climb the Holy Stairs in their unclad marble state before the wood was going back on, after the feast of Pentecost. It was one of the many special blessings we experienced. Next Week: Pilgrimage highlights in the Holy Land.
The Southern Cross, June 12 to June 18, 2019
YOUR CLASSiFieDS
Lebo WA Majahe
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ATHOLIC journalist Kelebogile Francina “Lebo” Majahe passed away suddenly on Sunday, May 26. She was buried on June 1 at the young age of 35. Her passing was unexpected and a shock to the Catholic community of the archdiocese of Johannesburg. Widely known as Lebo WA Majahe, her byline in ADnews, she stood at the threshold of a new phase of her life. Just days after she succumbed to pneumonia, she was to have graduated from college with a diploma in public relations. Her son Kamogelo was in his first year at Krugersdorp High School and she had been attending church at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, also in Krugersdorp. She had made it known that she was intent on furthering her career and was job-seeking. “Little did she know,” said Archbishop Buti Tlhagale at her funeral, that “now was the hour of her death”. Lebo was devoted to Our Lady and to the Mother of Mercy shrine to be erected at Magaliesberg, the archbishop said, thanking God for Lebo’s gifts and reminding mourners that God is rich in mercy.
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ebo Majahe was born on December 31, 1984, to the late Taetso William Majahe and Priscilla Mamane. She went to school at Mofumahadi Catholic School in Kagiso, Mariasdal High School in Tweespruit in the Free State, and then Mandisa Shiceka High School in Kagiso where she matriculated. Lebo did an internship as a radio journalist with Radio Veritas. She was studying journalism at Boston College when she volunteered in 2009 as a journalist with the ADnews. I had started only months before. Lebo had the theory and I had a little experience on a community weekly paper. There had been no office for the Diocesan News at the old chancery, so
by degrees and squeeze we settled ourselves in the room with the switchboard equipment which at one time had served as a vocations office. In time, Lebo befriended all the seminarians of the archdiocese. Together, from our windowless cubbyhole with an old laptop that no one else wanted—and later a spankingnew desktop, the one that is on her now-vacant desk in the newsroom—we developed the content of the Diocesan News which we quickly renamed the Archdiocesan News, to reflect the priorities determined by the archdiocesan synod of 2008. We set up the first Facebook group for the archdiocese— quite daring in those early days of social media. Lebo built it up to the more than 6 000 members, and used it to good effect in her evangelising work. She threw herself wholeheartedly into fundraising for the new chancery, going with the car raffle to parishes to “get the story”, just as she did more recently for the shrine fundraising. Lebo attended World Youth Day in Madrid in 2011 and with her characteristic determination set about raising funds for her ticket and for the group. She also went to WYD in Krakow, Poland, in 2016, reporting for the ADnews and The Southern Cross.
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ebo was the go-to person for branded coffee mugs, blankets and T-shirts for all fundraising. Another of the causes Lebo supported with her usual gusto was the sainthood cause for Bl Benedict Daswa. She made good friends among the Catholic community of that part of Limpopo, some of whom travelled to her funeral. She supported the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference in promoting the beatification ceremony for Bl Daswa, and wrote articles about it for ADnews, The Southern Cross and
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DeATH NOTiCeS
various websites. Lebo was a great networker. She built Catholic community at all levels of society, from cabinet ministers and archbishops to children making their first communion. She wormed her way into the hearts of a great many fellow Catholics. She was a bundle of energy, resourceful, determined, a great networker yet fiercely independent and private, almost to a fault. She was so private that few knew that in the recent elections she worked as an election-day volunteer. Lebo was a Catholic: a staunch Catholic, an active Catholic, a supporter of the institutional Catholic Church and its officials. She was also a devout Catholic, enthusiastic and sincere in her devotions to Our Lady, St John Paul II and Bl Daswa. The last giggle we had together was at St Augustine College in Johannesburg, at the bestowal of what amounts to an honorary doctorate on Archbishop Tlhagale. She was on assignment and I was attending as a guest but got a mention as an ADnews reporter. “Tough!” I whispered to her. Quick as a flash she said: “You write the article and we’ll share the by-line.” All that vitally that was Lebo is no more. Lebo is survived by her mother Priscilla, son Kamogelo, sisters Boitumelo and Neo, niece Onalenna, and her life partner. By Judy Stockill
Fr Theophilus Malotsa OMI
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HE late Oblate Father Theophilus Lesiba Malotsa, widely known as Bisto, is recalled as a political activist and strong preacher who found consolation in scripture. Fr Malotsa died on February 9 at the age of 69. Born on August 4, 1949, he made his first oblation in his order in 1971 and was ordained on January 23, 1977. He served the Oblates of Mary Immaculate as formator at pre-novitiates at Munsieville, Marapyane and Rayton from 1986-90. Fr Malotsa served in the parishes of Moletsane, Mokoena/Katlehong/Thokoza, Munsieville, Mamelodi, Mohlakeng, Toekomsrus, Victory Park, Molapo and Kagiso 2. He experienced many personal challenges in his early priesthood. Some of the challenges he carried in his heart till his death. He learnt the value of the support of the religious community and of his superior. They were the Simons of Cyrene who helped him carry his crosses. Fr Malotsa was very aware of his weaknesses, but from this he drew spiritual strength. He knew God’s power is revealed in those who are weak.
Fr Remigius Makobane, a contemporary of Fr Bisto, who preached at his funeral, said: “When Fr Bisto was on the verge of losing hope, the provincial reminded him of the vow of perseverance.” The vow of perseverance is the fourth vow that Oblates of Mary Immaculate take. The vow, a sign of Christ’s fidelity to the Father, calls Oblates to be attached to the religious family and have a definitive commitment to its mission, with a determination to bear all difficulties. Fr Makobane added: “Fr Bisto was a good preacher and
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many were better off for listening to him. He was known to be direct with his challenges; harsh and uncompromising in his sermons. Sometimes his brother Oblates would have to remind him to mind his language.” Fr Malotsa was a priest during the post-1976 resistance to apartheid. He was a founding member, and the first president for a week, of Azapo. The struggle for political liberation reflected his inner struggle for personal freedom. Through all his struggles Fr Malotsa found consolation in scripture. He loved the study of the Bible and the preparation of homilies. At the time of his death he was pursuing a higher degree in scripture studies. This gave much meaning to his life. Fr Makobane described Fr Malotsa as “a man of humility and respect who lived a simple lifestyle with integrity. He seldom got angry; and he had a ready smile.” On the spiritual level, Fr Makobane said, Fr Malotsa “was captured by the cross and by the motherhood of Mary Immaculate”. These two pillars of Oblate spirituality gave Fr Malotsa much strength. He was known to be a man of prayer.
SHieLDS—Doreen (née Roberts). Passed away peacefully on June 1, after celebrating her 100th birthday on May 29. Mother to Brian and Christopher, aunt, great-aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend to all will never to be forgotten and will always be lovingly remembered by the Shields, Balk, Stott and Roberts families.
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How Luke joins Jesus on his many journeys Continued from page 7 up the Mount of Transfiguration. They might wonder again about his identity, and about the meaning of discipleship. One answer to their questions may be found in the story of two disciples who travel to Emmaus after Jesus’ death (Lk 24:13-35). The stranger who joins the two is present to their sorrow and confusion, warming their hearts as he responds to their questions and offers them insight. It is in the journey that Jesus prepares them to recognise that he is alive and that he will empower them to his mission. n This is the second in a ten-part series of articles on the Gospel of Luke produced by Little Rock Scripture Study and first published in the Arkansas Catholic.
Liturgical Calendar Year C – Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday June 16, Trinity Sunday Proverbs 8: 22-31, Psalm 8:4-9, Romans 5:1-5, John 16:12-15 Monday June 17 2 Corinthians 6:1-10, Psalm 98:1-4, Matthew 5:38-42 Tuesday June 18 2 Corinthians 8:1-9, Psalm 146:2, 5-9, Matthew 5:43-48 Wednesday June 19, St Romuald 2 Corinthians 9:6-11, Psalm 112:1-4, 9, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 Thursday June 20 2 Corinthians 11:1-11, Psalm 111:1-4, 7-8, Matthew 6:7-15 Friday June 21, St Aloysius Gonzaga 2 Corinthians 11:18, 21-30, Psalm 34:2-7, Matthew 6:19-23 Saturday June 22, Ss John Fisher & Thomas More; St Paulinus of Nola 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, Psalm 34:8-13, Matthew 6:24-34 Sunday June 23, The Body and Blood of Christ Genesis 14:18-20, Psalm 110:1-4, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Luke 9:11-17
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PARiSH NOTiCeS
NeW PARiSH NOTiCeS MOST WeLCOMe: If any parish notices listed are no longer valid, call us on 021 465-5007 or e-mail us at m.leveson@scross.co.za so that we can remove them. Also, we’d welcome new notices from parishes across Southern Africa to run free. DURBAN: holy Mass and Novena to St Anthony at St Anthony’s parish every Tuesday at 9:00. holy Mass and Divine Mercy Devotion at 17:30 on first Friday of every month. Sunday Mass at 9:00. Phone 031309-3496 or 031 209-2536. St Anthony’s rosary group. Every Wednesday at 18:00 at St Anthony’s church opposite Greyville racecourse. All are welcome and lifts are available. Contact Keith Chetty on 083 372-9018. NeLSPRUiT: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at St Peter’s parish every Tuesday from 8:00 to 16:45, followed by Rosary, Divine Mercy prayers, then Mass/Communion service at 17:30.
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The Body and Blood of Christ: June 23 Readings: Genesis 14:18-20, Psalm 110:1-4, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, Luke 9:11-17
S outher n C ross
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EXT Sunday, we in this country are celebrating the feast of Corpus Christi. At the heart of the matter is God’s unfailing generosity, greater than anything that we could possibly deserve. The first reading is a mysterious one, and we understand far less about it than we should like. We are presented with the figure of “Melchisedek, King of Salem” (often understood as Jerusalem), who brings out to Abram “bread and wine”. Melchisedek is described as “priest of God Most High”, a title that appears no less than three times in these three verses, and this God is described as “creator of heaven and earth”. This priest now blesses Abram and “God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hands”. Not to be outdone in generosity, Abram (we think—the text is not quite clear) “gave him a tenth of everything”. God is there in this strange story, and generosity is at the heart of the matter. The psalm is equally mysterious, and also mentions Melchisedek; and we know it quite well because it is often quoted in the New Testament, because they used it to understand Jesus a bit better. Certainly there is here a generosity appropriate for Corpus Christi.
In it we hear God saying, “My Lord,” (whom Christians inevitably read as Jesus) “sit on my right, until I make your enemies into your footstool.” Then comes a promise: “The sceptre of your power the Lord will send from Sion—rule in the midst of your enemies.” The point is that you can rely on the Lord’s generosity: “The Lord has sworn an oath and he will not go back on it: you are a priest forever, like Melchisedek.” These are beautiful words, even if we do not fully understand them. The connection with the feast is a little easier to grasp in the remaining two readings. In the second reading, Paul is explaining that the divisions they have been experiencing in Corinth mean they have not been celebrating the Lord’s Supper (which will have been a bit of a shock for them, of course). Then, very patiently, he reminds them of the tradition he had taught them, using the formulae still familiar to us today: “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was being betrayed, took bread, and gave thanks, broke and said, ‘This is my body which is for you. Do this for my remembering.’”
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Conrad
For example, like Jesus, Socrates was also unjustly condemned to death. But he faced his death with calm, completely unafraid, convinced that the just man has nothing to fear either from human judgment or from death. Socrates discoursed very calmly with his disciples, assured them that he wasn’t afraid, imparted his blessing, drank the poison, and died. And Jesus, how much to the contrary: In the hours leading up to his death he felt deeply the betrayal of his disciples, sweated blood in agony, and just minutes before dying cried out in anguish as he felt himself abandoned. We know, of course, that his cry of abandonment wasn’t his final moment. After that moment of anguish and fear, he was able to hand his spirit over to his Father. In the end, there was calm; but, in the moments before, there was a time of awful anguish within which he felt himself abandoned by God.
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f one does not consider the inner complexities of faith, the paradoxes it contains, it makes no sense that Jesus—sinless and faithful—should sweat blood and cry out in inner anguish as he faced his death. But real faith isn’t always what it looks like from the outside. Many persons, and often times particularly those who are the most faithful, have to undergo a trial that the mystics call a “dark night of the soul”. What’s the “dark night of the soul”? It’s a God-given trial in life wherein we,
Sunday Reflections
Then he uses the formula for the cup after supper: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, as often as you drink it, for my remembering.” Then he explains the relevance of this: “You see, as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes.” And that, of course, is why they (and we) must no longer have battles at the Eucharist: they dishonour the Lord’s generosity, and fail to recognise what Corpus Christi means. In the Gospel for the solemnity, we have Luke’s account of the feeding of the five thousand. It is yet another act of generosity; it starts with Jesus teaching “about the Kingdom of God”, and curing “those who have need of healing”. The disciples, however, are not at all sure about this generosity business, especially when “the day began to go to bed”. For the Twelve march up with orders to Jesus to “get rid of the crowd, for them to journey to the villages and farms round about and find something to eat; because we’re in a wilderness here”. (We notice how charitable they sound; but it is really disguised ungenerosity, of course).
Who wants to die like Jesus? COMMON soldier dies without fear; Jesus died afraid.” The author Iris Murdoch wrote those words which, I believe, help expose an over-simplistic notion we have of how faith reacts in the face of death. There’s a popular notion that believes that if we have strong faith we should not suffer any undue fear in the face of death, but rather face it with calm, peace and even gratitude because we have nothing to fear from God or the afterlife. Christ has overcome death. Death sends us to heaven. So why be afraid? This is, in fact, the case for many women and men, some with faith and some without it. Many people face death with very little fear. The biographies of the saints give ample testimony to this, and many of us have stood at the deathbed of people who will never be canonised but who faced their death calm and unafraid. So why was Jesus afraid? And it appears he was. Three of the Gospels describe Jesus as far from calm and peaceful, even as sweating blood, during the hours leading up to this death. Mark’s Gospel describes him as particularly distressed as he is dying: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” What’s to be said about this? Jesuit Father Michael Buckley once gave a famous homily within which he set up a contrast between the way Socrates faced his death and the way Jesus faced his. Fr Buckley’s conclusion can leave us perplexed. Socrates seems to face death more courageously than Jesus does.
Nicholas King SJ
God’s unfailing generosity
To their undoubted horror he puts the boot on the other foot: “Give them something to eat yourselves.” They can’t believe the generosity that is being asked of them: “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we go on a journey and buy foods for all?” (They think of the most absurd idea they can imagine, to bring Jesus to his senses). Without troubling to argue with them, Jesus tells them “make them lie down in companies of up to fifty” (and the evangelist has already told us that there are 5 000 men). Then we are stunned witnesses of God’s generosity, as, in the familiar language of the Eucharist, “He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looked up to heaven and blessed them and broke and gave to his disciples, to offer to the crowd. And they all ate, and were sated; and their surplus was taken up: twelve baskets of fragments.” God’s generosity leaves us astounded. And how are you going to respond this week? It might need to be something spectacular.
Southern Crossword #867
Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI
Final Reflection
much to our own surprise and anguish, can no longer imagine God’s existence or feel God in any affective way in our lives. In terms of inner feeling, this is felt as doubt, as atheism. Try as we might, we can no longer imagine that God exists, much less that God loves us. However, as the mystics point out and as Jesus himself gives witness to, this isn’t a loss of faith but actually a deeper modality of faith itself. Up to this point in our faith, we have been relating to God mainly through images and feelings. But our images and feelings about God are not God. So, at some point, for some people— though not for everybody—God takes away the images and the feelings and leaves us conceptually empty and affectively dry, stripped of all the images we have created about God. While in reality this is actually an overpowering light, it is felt as darkness, anguish, fear, and doubt. And so we might expect that our journey towards death and our face-to-face encounter with God might also involve the breaking down of many of the ways we have always thought and felt about God. And that will bring doubt, darkness, and fear in our lives. Fr Henri Nouwen gives a powerful testimony to this in speaking about his mother’s death. His mother had been a woman of deep faith and had each day prayed to Jesus: “Let me live like you, and let me die like you.” Knowing his mother’s radical faith, Nouwen expected that the scene around her deathbed would be serene and a paradigm of how faith meets death without fear. But his mother suffered deep anguish and fear before she died and that left Nouwen perplexed—until he came to see that his mother’s lifelong prayer had indeed been answered. She had prayed to die like Jesus—and she did. “A common soldier dies without fear; Jesus died afraid.” And so, paradoxically, do many women and men of faith.
S outhern C ross Pilgrimage
Led by Archbishop William Slattery www.fowlertours.co.za/passion
1. Twilight in the Hindu sky (4) 3. March in a confusion while he’s in charge (8) 9. Morally bound to attend Sunday Mass (7) 10. The smoke of a Cuban parish? (5) 11. Instalment of the new bishop (12) 13. Reach your destination (6) 15. Drawer returns with recognition of your service (6) 17. Mutant liners give us kind of music without singers (12) 20. Picture of the bride or the horse at the finish (5) 21. Charm and cast a spell (7) 22. Boring sermon is remote (8) 23. Drab-sounding poet in a Country Churchyard (4)
DOWN
1. Concerning a bishop’s see (8) 2. Croatian city to break in parts (5) 4. Concealed punishment? (6) 5. Inability, having no skill (12) 6. A magnet around this colour (7) 7. Standard set by some Romans (4) 8. Saving a groat, and worse situations result (12) 12. A dry lot I convert for false worship (8) 14. Bitterness of the private soldier we hear (7) 16. Mum with Sue inside the exhibition hall (6) 18. Sparkling headdress (5) 19. Quarrel that’s past perhaps (4) Solutions on page 11
CHURCH CHUCKLE
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VENING approached at the Sea of Galilee, and Jesus saw that the crowd of people gathered to see him was hungry. He procured five loaves of bread and two fish from the disciples, and by miracle multiplied those to have enough to feed 8 000 men, besides women and children. As the disciples started to distribute the bread and fish, they heard voices from the crowd. “Has the fish been tested for mercury?” asked one man. “Do you have gluten-free option?” asked another. “I’m vegan,” a few complained. The number of those who ate was eventually about 5 000 men, besides women and children.
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