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Why Catholics Don’t ‘Worship’ Statues

The Future of Africa’s Church

The Pope Who Might Have Been Aborted

S o u t h e r n C r o s s

Fr R a l p h d e Ha h n : 6 5 Y E A R S A P R I E S T ... and 80 years a wr iter

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Many ways to serve God

Dear Reader,

In the month of May, we usually pray for vocations, following on from Vocations Sunday (this year on April 30) In this issue we look at two kinds of vocations specifically

One is the vocation to the priesthood, lived to the fullest over 65 years by Fr Ralph de Hahn, whose prolific writings will be familiar to many readers of The Southern Cross Fr Ralph turns 95 on June 4 but this faithful priest is concrete proof of age really being just a number He has the fitness, energy and mental faculties which people 25 years his junior would be grateful for.

The other vocation we highlight this month is that of two young women from Johannesburg , twins at that, who are using their talent for the glory of God. In the case of The Light Twins, that gift is music, a medium which is a powerful tool of evangelisation

That is a kind of vocation we should pray and give thanks for, too. Of course, we need vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life, and we must not cease to pray (and work) for these But we should also pray that all people may hear God’s call to ser ve him according to their talents, capacity and charism in contributing to the mission of the Church That ser vice can take on many forms, from making music to parish or charitable engagements to the stillness of contemplative prayer or even promoting The Southern Cross in your parish Eve r y o n e o f u s h a s a vo cat i o n ( o r, i n d e e d , s eve ra l vo cat i o n s ) w i t h w h i c h we ca n s e r ve t h e L o rd we j u st h ave to b e o p e n to h e a r i n g t h at ca l l

Hearing God is also the subject of a book we review this month Titled Pray, Then Listen, the book suggests that we complement our structured prayer routine with spontaneous prayers throughout the day, with a view to discerning God’s response to us. Prayer can thus be a twoway conversation. God speaks to us all the time not in a booming voice from the heavens but in signs and in giving us (often unexpected) insights The trick is to know when God is speaking to us, and to discern what he is saying

This month we also focus on Africa

There is the moving article on a martyr for social justice in the DRC who

was gunned down by police during a protest.

We a l s o s u m m a r i s e t h e re c e nt A f r i ca n Sy n o d a l C o nt i n e nta l A s s e m b l y i n A d d i s A b a b a . I t s o u tco m e i n c l u d e s m a ny co m m e n d a b l e v i s i o n s , i n c l u d i n g a ca l l to a d d re s s r i g i d h i e ra rc h i e s a n d h a r mf u l c l e r i ca l i s m

It remains to be seen how the assembly ’s call for inclusivity in the Church “a Family where all belong and feel at home” will be lived out in countries where the Catholic bishops endorse and even pursue the criminalisation of homosexuality During his visit to Africa in Februar y, Pope Francis called such laws sinful and an injustice

Iwa s a m a ze d to l e a r n t h at i n N i ge r i a , 9 4 % o f C at h o l i c s go to M a s s at l e a st o n c e a we e k O n p a ge 2 2 , a l o ca l ca rd in a l ex p l a i n s w hy h e t h i n ks h i s co u nt r y re co rd s s u c h a h i g h M a s s atte n d a n c e . One reason must be that Nigerians identify strongly with their religion, possibly also a result of the ethno-political situation there But it ’s fair to obser ve that where faith is important in society, religious adherence tends to be h i g h

A re c e n t s t u d y i n t h e U S fo u n d t h a t 2 0 % o f d e v o u t , c o m m i tt e d C a t h o l i c s s ay t h a t t h e y a re n o t c o m fo r ta b l e w i t h s h a r i n g t h e i r fa i t h i n o t h e r w o rd s , t o e va n g e l i s e F i g u re s i n S o u t h A f r i c a m i g h t w e l l b e s i m i l a r W hy w o u l d o n e i n f i v e c o m m i tt e d C a t h o l i c s n o t w a n t t o ta l k a b o u t t h e i r fa i t h ?

I n s o m e c a s e s i t m ay b e b e c a u s e t h e y l a c k t h e n e c e s s a r y i n s i g h t s t o a r t i c u l a t e m a tt e rs a b o u t t h e i r fa i t h , a n d t o re s p o n d t o c r i t i c i s m o f i t I f s o, i t p o i n t s t o a c r i s i s i n o n g o i n g fo r m a t i o n . I t s e e m s o bv i o u s t h at e n co u ra g i n g t h e fa i t hf u l to m a ke u s e o f C at h o l i c m e d i a i n c l u d i n g t h i s m a ga z i n e wo u l d o ffe r s o m e re m e d y to t h e fo r m at i o n c r i s i s A n d i t wo u l d st re n gt h e n p e o p l e ’s C at h o l i c i d e nt i t y

I n t h at s p i r i t , we t h a n k yo u fo r re a d i n g The Southern Cross a n d p l e a s e te l l yo u r f r i e n d s a b o u t yo u r m o nt h l y C at h o l i c m a ga z i n e

G o d b l e s s ,

G ü nt h e r S i m m e r m a c h e r ( Ed i to r )

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Why Catholics don’t ‘worship’ statues

We clear up a common misconception that Catholics worship or pray to statues

The Light shines through music

Catholic gospel duo The Light on their faith and music

65 years a priest

We interview 94-year-old Fr Ralph de Hahn

The future of the Church in Africa

A meeting of Catholics from 41 African countries spelled out the continent’s vision of synodality

Doctor wanted to abort future pope

How St John Paul II’s mother stood firm when her doctor recommended aborting her baby

Where 94% of Catholics go to Mass

A Nigerian cardinal explains why Mass attendance in his country is the world’s highest

How the God of Mercy calls us

Sr Margaret Mary Makuwerere reflects on how we find God’s call to serve in the Gospel of Luke

A guide on how to talk to God

We review a book that promises readers techniques of effective prayer to communicate with God

25 A martyr for justice

Colleen Constable recalls the martyrdom of a young woman who wanted to become a nun

27 The power of a mother’s prayer

As we mark Mother’s Day on May 14, Fr Enrico Parry reflects on the power of praying moms

EVERY MONTH

5 FROM OUR VAULTS

The Southern Cross 41 years ago

6 YOUR QUESTIONS

Our

Your

The story of

Our Lady of Fatima

The future of Africa’s Catholic Church

Fr Ralph de Hahn: 65 years a priest

The Light Twins: Singing for God

With pull-out poster!

41 Years Ago: May 23, 1982

Another attempt on pope’s life

While giving thanks at Fátima, Portugal, for surviving the 1981 assassination attempt, Pope John Paul II was stabbed by a Spanish traditionalist priest who shouted: “Down with the pope, down with the Second Vatican Council.” The 61-year-old pope’s immediate response was to give his assailant a blessing

Southern Cross veteran dies

Mar y Singleton, who wrote the “Home Circle” column in The Southern Cross from 1932-47, died on May 3 at 81. The daughter of Southern Cross co-founder William Egan was awarded the papal cross Pro ecclesia et pontifice in 1948

Workers march in the Vatican

Vatican City’s first-ever labour protest action took place on May 3 when 110 lay workers and employees staged a march in the tiny papal state at the beginning of a new round of labour negotiations In a resolution, the workers’ assembly sharply criticised the Vatican administration for delaying tactics in talks with their union

Editorial: Muted conscience

Looking at the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the Sacrament of Reconciliation, editor Mgr Donald de Beer notes that “the voice of violated conscience has become muted among us We find it hard to believe that anything we really want to do could possibly be a serious sin ”

P r e v i o u s “ F r o m T h e Va u l t s ” a r t i c l e s a t w w w. s c r o s s . c o . z a / v a u l t s

What else made news in May 1982:

• A powerful bomb, set to detonate after hours, damages the office of the West Rand Administration Board in Meadowlands, Soweto, on May 12. Nine days later, a bomb explodes at the offices of the Department of Coloured Affairs in Pinetown, Durban. No one is injured in either blast.

• Pope John Paul II makes an apostolic visit to Britain, the first by a reigning pontiff. More than 2 million people attend papal events.

• In the Falklands War, several Argentine and British ships are sunk and hundreds of sailors are killed, including 326 on the Argentine cruiser “General Belgrano”

• Aston Villa of England wins the European Cup, beating Germany’s Bayern Munich 1–0 with a goal by Peter Withe

• The film E T the Extra-Terrestrial, directed by Steven Spielberg, debuts at the Cannes Film Festival

Does the Church still believe in purgatory?

Q . M y w h o l e l i f e I b e l i e v e d t h a t t h e

C a t h o l i c C h u rc h t e a c h e s t h e e x i s t e n c e o f p u r g a t o r y ? B u t I h a v e h e a rd f ro m s e v e r a l p e o p l e t h a t t h e C h u rc h h a s d ro p p e d t h a t t e a c h i n g I s t h a t t r u e ?

TH E C A T H O L I C C H U R C H D O E S t e a c h t h e e x i s t e n c e o f p u r g at o r y . T h e C a t e c h i s m o f t h e C a t h o l i c C h u r c h m a k e s i t c l e a r : “ A l l w h o d i e i n G o d ’ s g r a c e a n d f r i e n d s h i p , b u t s t i l l i m p e r f e c t l y p u r if i e d , a r e i n d e e d a s s u r e d o f t h e i r e t e rn a l s a l v a t i o n ; b u t a f t e r d e a t h t h e y u n d e r g o p u r i f i c a t i o n , s o a s t o a c h i e v e t h e h o l i n e s s n e c e s s a r y t o e n t e r t h e j o y o f h e a v e n T h e C h u r c h g i v e s t h e n a m e purgatory t o t h i s f i n a l p u r i f i c at i o n o f t h e e l e c t ” ( 1 0 3 0 - 3 1 )

T h i s b e l i e f i s r e f l e c t e d e v e n i n t h e O l d T e s t a m e n t . I n t h e S e c o n d B o o k o f M a c c a b e e s , J u d a s M a c c a b e u s “ m a d e a t o n e m e n t f o r t h e d e a d ” t h a t t h e y m i g h t b e f r e e d f r o m s i n ( 1 2 : 4 6 ) , w h i c h s u g g e s t s a J e w i s h p r a c t i c e o f o f f e r i n g p r a y e r s a n d s a c r i f i c e t o c l e a n s e t h e s o u l s o f t h e d e p a r t e d . I n t h e G o s p e l o f M a t t h e w , J e s u s s a y s t h a t c e r t a i n s i n s “ w i l l n o t b e f o rg i v e n , e i t h e r i n t h i s a g e o r i n t h e a g e t o c o m e ” ( 1 2 : 3 2 ) , a n i n d i c a t i o n t h a t s o m e p u r g i n g o f t h e s o u l m a y o c c u r a f t e r d e a t h .

T h e g o o d n e w s i s t h a t p u r g a t o r y i s n o t a f i n a l d e s t i n a t i o n ; e v e r y o n e t h e r e w i l l w i n d u p i n h e a v e n e v e n t ua l l y W e c a n ’ t k n o w h o w o u r c o n c e p t o f t i m e r e l a t e s t o e t e r n i t y t h e p r o c e s s o f p u r i f i c a t i o n i n p u r g a t o r y c o u l d e v e n b e i n s t a n t a n e o u s P e r h a p s t h e r e h a s b e e n s o m e c o nf u s i o n b e t w e e n t h e t e a c h i n g o f p u rg a t o r y a n d t h e i d e a o f l i m b o , c o n c e p t s t h a t s o m e t i m e s a r e c o nf l a t e d a s b e i n g t h e s a m e t h i n g A n d i t

Q u e s t i o ns answered

D o y o u h a v e q u e s t i o n s a b o u t o u r f a i t h ? S e n d t h e m t o : e d i t o r @ s c r o s s . c o . z a

i s t r u e t h a t t h e C h u r c h h a s d r o p p e d t h e b e l i e f i n l i m b o b u t i t n e v e r w a s a t e a c h i n g i n t h e f i r s t p l a c e . I n t h e p a s t , i t w a s t h e c o m m o n b e l i e f o f C a t h o l i c s a l t h o u g h n e v e r d e f i n e d d o g m a t i c a l l y t h a t c h i l d r e n w h o d i e d w i t h o u t b e i n g b a p t i s e d d i d n o t g o t o b e w i t h G o d i n h e a v e n , b u t r e m a i n e d i n a s t a t e o f n a t u r a l h a p p in e s s c a l l e d l i m b o B u t t h a t w a s t h e o l o g i c a l s p e c u l at i o n , n o t d o c t r i n e ; a n d i n 2 0 0 7 , t h e C h u r c h ’ s I n t e r n a t i o n a l T h e o l o g i c a l C o m m i s s i o n , w i t h t h e a u t h o r i s a t i o n o f P o p e B e n e d i c t X V I , p u b l i s h e d a d o c u m e n t t h a t c o n c l u d e d t h a t “ t h e r e a r e t h e o l o g i c a l a n d l i t u r g i c a l r e a s o n s t o h o p e t h a t i n f a n t s w h o d i e w i t h o u t b a p t i s m m a y b e s a v e d e v e n i f t h e r e i s n o t a n e x p l i c i t t e a c h i n g o n t h i s q u e s t i o n f o u n d i n r e v e l a t i o n ”

How are patron saints appointed?

Q . I n y o u r N o v e m b e r 2 0 2 2 i s s u e y o u h a d f e a t u re o n “ F i v e s a i n t s w i t h u nu s u a l p a t ro n a g e s ” W h o d e c i d e s o n p a t ro n a g e s , a n d o n w h a t b a s i s ?

AP A T R O N S A I N T I S A S P E C I A L i n t e r c e s s o r w i t h G o d a n d t h e a d v o c a t e o f a p a r t i c u l a r n e e d , o c c u p a t i o n , l o c a l i t y , h e a l t h i s s u e , a n d s o o n . S o m e s a i n t s h a d t h e i r p a t r o n a g e s a w a r d e d m a n y c e n t u r i e s a g o b y p o p u l a r a p p e a l , w i t h t h e r e a s o n s n o w o f t e n o b s c u r e O t h e r s h a v e b e e n f o r m a l l y a s s i g n e d p a t r o n a g e s b y t h e C h u r c h a u t h o r i t i e s , s u c h a s S t T h o m a s M o r e w h o i n 2 0 0 0 w a s d e s i g n a t e d b y P o p e J o h n P a u l I I a s t h e p a t r o n s a i n t o f l e g i s l a t o r s a n d d i p l o m a t s P a t r o n s a i n t s u s u a l l y h a v e s o m e c o n n e c t i o n o r r e l e v a n t e x p e r i e n c e r e l a t i n g t o t h e i r p o r t f o l i o F o r e x a mp l e , S t S c h o l a s t i c a i s t h e p a t r o n f o r m a t t e r s p e r t a i n i n g t o t h u n d e r s t o r m s

a n d r a i n , o n a c c o u n t o f a s t o r y w h e r e b y h e r p r a y e r s f o r i n c l e m e n t w e a t h e r , t o p r e v e n t h e r t w i n b r o t h e r S t B e n e d i c t f r o m l e a v i n g t h e i r m e e t i n g , w e r e a n s w e r e d O t h e r p a t r o n a g e s a r e m o r e r a nd o m S t F i a c r e i s t h e p a t r o n o f t a x i d r i v e r s b e c a u s e P a r i s c a b b i e s u s e d t o p a r k o u t s i d e a h o t e l n a m e d a f t e r t h e W e l s h - b o r n s a i n t I n h i s l i f e t i m e , F i a c r e w a s a h e r b a l i s t , w h i c h a l s o e a r n e d h i m t h e t h a n k l e s s p a t r o n a g e

o f h a e m o r r h o i d s u f f e r e r s

In our appeals to heavenly advocates on our behalf, we need not be confined to those who have been assigned a particular patronage If we have Internet issues, for example, we may turn to Bl Carlo Acutis, the teenager who developed a popular website (on Eucharistic miracles)

A n d a l l C a t h o l i c s c h o o s e a p a t r o n s a i n t a t t h e i r c o n f i r m a t i o n . W e h a v e r e c o u r s e t o t h e m f o r a l l k i n d s o f t h i n g s i n o u r l i v e s . D e v o t i o n o t h e p a t r o n o f o u r p a r i s h c h u r c h i s a l s o b e n e f i c i a l

A n d , o f c o u r s e , O u r B l e s s e d M o t h e r i s t h e u l t i m a t e p a t r o n s a i n t o r a l l o u r p e t i t i o n s !

B u t w e m u s t b e w a r e o f s e e i n g p a t r o n s a i n t s a s m a g i c i a n s a l l h e y d o i s t o a d v o c a t e o n o u r b e h a l f b e f o r e G o d , a n d t h e y a l w a y s p o i n t u s t o G o d

Q Recently the Vatican laicised the former US priest Frank Pavone, but the Letter to the Hebrews says: “You are a priest forever ” So what exactly are the implications of laicisation?

FR A N K P A V O N E , A P R O M I N E N T p r i e s t w h o h e a d e d a c o n t r o v e r s i a l U S p r o - l i f e o r g a n i s a t i o n , w a s d i s m i s s e d f r o m c l e r i c a l o r d e r s f o r “ b l a s p h e m o u s c o m m u n i c a t i o n s o n s o c i a l m e d i a ” a n d “ p e r s i s t e n t d i s o b ed i e n c e o f l a w f u l i n s t r u c t i o n s o f h i s d i o c e s a n b i s h o p ” H e w i l l n e v e r c e a s e t o b e a p r i e s t , b u t a s a l a i c i s e d p r i e s t h e i s u n a b l e t o e x e r c i s e p r i e s t l y d u t i e s a n d p r i v i l e g e s

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, priestly ordination “confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that permits the exercise of a ‘sacred power’ which can come only from Christ himself through his Church” Ordination marks a person with an irremovable imprint, a character, which “configures them to Christ”

Ordination, in Catholic theology, makes a permanent change that the Church has no power to reverse As you note, the Letter to the Hebrews states: “You are a priest forever ” This change is referred to as being ontological, or a change in being itself

In addition to making an ontological change, ordination also makes a legal change in a person’s status in the Church By ordination, a person becomes in canon law a “cleric”. A cleric, or a sacred minister in the Church, is an

M

ordained man who is permitted by the Church to exercise sacred ministry as a priest or a permanent deacon

A cleric is bound to certain obligations, and he has certain rights, such as the right to be appointed to pastoral leadership positions in the Church Clerics who are priests have the right to be financially supported by the Church and are bound by obedience to the pope and to local Church authorities

While ordination can never be lost no power on earth can erase the sacramental imprint of ordination a person can lose the legal status of being a cleric; this is what is referred to as “laicisation” or “dismissal from the clerical state”

Loss of rights

A laicised priest is no longer referred to as “Father” or other titles given to clerics When a person loses the clerical state he is no longer permitted to celebrate Mass or any other sacraments, except in situations he is unlikely to encounter, such as being with a person in danger of death. Someone who has lost the clerical state also no longer has the canonical right to be financially supported by the Church

Often, a man who is laicised is also dispensed from the obligation of celibacy and may marry but this is not always the case, especially when

I S S E D A N I S S U E ?

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someone has been involuntarily removed from the clerical state.

Ordinarily, the Church does not permit a person who has been dismissed from the clerical state to teach, as a layman, in a Catholic college or school, to be a lector or extraordinary ministry of holy Communion, or to exercise other functions in the name of the Church This is determined on an individual basis, and exceptions and dispensations can be made

A person can lose the clerical state because he has requested it through a special petition to the pope personally, or he can lose it as a penalty for committing an ecclesiastical crime There are also provisions that allow for a priest or deacon who has abandoned his ministry to be removed from the clerical state after a protracted period of time, and through a specified canonical process

O P R O B L E M !

Back copies are available at R20 plus p&p. Simply place your order with admin@scross.co.za

Catch up with Saint of the Month posters: St Teresa of Avila; St Martin de Porres; St John Bosco; St Josephine Bakhita; St Charles Lwanga; St Anne; St John Vianney; St Vincent de Paul; St John XXIII, St Oscar Romero, St Bernadette, St Anthony of Padua, St Maria Goretti, St Maximilian Kolbe, St Teresa of Kolkatta, St Francis of Assisi, St Elizabeth, St Nicholas, St Joseph, St Catherine of Siena and more

How to answer a common anti-Catholic prejudice

No, Catholics don’t ‘worship’ statues

It is a common accusation directed by some Protestants at Catholics: The idea that we ‘worship’ or ‘pray to’ statues. prof Michael ogunu explains why that accusation is untrue, and why our relationship with statues is actually biblical!

GOD CONDEMNS THE SIN OF i d o l a t r y, w h e t h e r i t i s i n t h e f o r m o f w o r s h i p p i n g s t a t u e s o r a n y o t h e r c r e a t e d t h i n g t h a t c a n b e c o m e a n i d o l . I n E x o d u s

2 0 : 3 - 5 t h e L o r d f o r b i d s t h e c a r v i n g o f g r a v e n i m a g e s f o r t h e p u r p o s e o f i d o la t r y :

You shall have no other gods before me

You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for

I the Lord your God am a jealous God.

T h e w r i t e r L o r a i n e B o e t t n e r, i n h i s a n t i - C a t h o l i c b o o k R o m a n C a t h o l i c i s m

( 1 9 6 2 ) , m a d e t h e b l a n k e t s t a t e m e n t : “ G o d h a s f o r b i d d e n t h e u s e o f i m a g e s i n w o r s h i p . ” Ye t i f p e o p l e w e r e t o “ s e a rc h t h e s c r i p t u r e s ” ( c f . J o h n 5 : 3 9 ) , t h e y w o u l d f i n d t h e o p p o s i t e i s t r u e G o d f o r b a d e t h e w o r s h i p o f s t a t u e s , b u t h e d i d n o t f o r b i d t h e r e l i g i o u s u s e o f s t a t u e s . I n s t e a d , h e a c t u a l l y c o mmanded their use in religious contexts.

S t a t u e s i n t h e B i b l e P e o p l e w h o o p p o s e t h e r e l i g i o u s u s e o f s t a t u e s f o r g e t a b o u t t h e m a n y p a s s a g e s w h e r e t h e L o r d c o m m a n d s t h e m a k i n g o f s t a t u e s , a l s o i n t h e B o o k o f E x o d u s ( 2 5 : 1 8 - 2 0 ) :

A n d y o u s h a l l m a k e t w o c h e r u b i m o f g o l d ( t w o g o l d s t a t u e s o f a n g e l s ) ; o f h a m m e re d w o r k s h a l l y o u m a k e t h e m , o n t h e t w o e n d s o f t h e m e rc y s e a t M a k e o n e c h e r u b o n t h e o n e e n d , a n d o n e c h e r u b o n t h e o t h e r e n d ; o f o n e p i e c e o f t h e m e rc y s e a t s h a l l y o u m a k e t h e c h e r u b i m o n i t s t w o e n d s T h e c h e r u b i m s h a l l s p re a d o u t t h e i r w i n g s a b o v e , o v e r s h a d o w i n g t h e m e rc y s e a t w i t h t h e i r w i n g s , t h e i r f a c e s o n e t o a n o t h e r ; t o w a rd t h e m e rc y s e a t s h a l l t h e f a c e s o f t h e c h e r u b i m b e

King David gave Solomon the plan “ f o r t h e a l t a r o f i n c e n s e m a d e o f r efined gold, and its weight; also his plan

f o r t h e g o l d e n c h a r i o t o f t h e c h e r u b i m t h a t s p r e a d t h e i r w i n g s a n d c o v e r e d the ark of the covenant of the Lord All t h i s h e m a d e c l e a r b y t h e w r i t i n g o f t h e h a n d o f t h e L o r d c o n c e r n i n g i t a l l , a l l t h e w o r k t o b e d o n e a c c o r d i n g t o t h e p l a n ” ( 1 C h r o n o l o g y 2 8 : 1 8 - 1 9 ) .

D a v i d ’s p l a n f o r t h e t e m p l e , w h i c h t h e b i b l i c a l a u t h o r t e l l s u s w a s “ b y t h e w r i t i n g o f t h e h a n d o f t h e L o r d c o nc e r n i n g i t a l l ” , i n c l u d e d s t a t u e s o f a ng e l s .

I n o b e d i e n c e t o t h i s d i v i n e l y i ns p i r e d p l a n , S o l o m o n b u i l t t w o g i g a nt i c , g o l d e n s t a t u e s o f c h e r u b i m :

I n t h e m o s t h o l y p l a c e h e m a d e t w o c h e r u b i m o f w o o d a n d o v e r l a i d t h e m w i t h g o l d . T h e w i n g s o f t h e c h e r u b i m t o g e t h e r e x t e n d e d t w e n t y c u b i t s : o n e w i n g o f t h e o n e , o f f i v e c u b i t s , t o u c h e d t h e w a l l o f t h e h o u s e , a n d i t s o t h e r w i n g , o f f i v e c u b i t s , t o u c h e d t h e w i n g o f t h e o t h e r c h e r u b ; a n d o f t h i s

c h e r u b , o n e w i n g , o f f i v e c u b i t s , t o u c h e d t h e w a l l o f t h e h o u s e , a n d t h e o t h e r w i n g , a l s o o f f i v e c u b i t s , w a s j o i n e d t o t h e w i n g o f t h e f i r s t c h e r u b T h e w i n g s o f t h e s e c h e r u b i m e x t e n d e d t w e n t y c u b i t s ; t h e c h e r u b i m s t o o d o n t h e i r f e e t , f a c i n g t h e n a v e . A n d h e m a d e t h e v e i l o f b l u e a n d p u r p l e a n d c r i m s o n f a b r i c s a n d f i n e l i n e n , a n d w o r k e d c h e r u b i m o n i t ( 2 C h r o n o l o g y 3 : 1 0 - 1 4 ) S i m i l a r l y E z e k i e l 4 1 : 1 7 - 1 8 d es c r i b e s g r a v e n ( c a r v e d ) i m a g e s i n t h e i d e a l i s e d t e m p l e h e w a s s h o w n i n a v is i o n , f o r h e w r i t e s : “ O n t h e w a l l s r o u n d a b o u t i n t h e i n n e r r o o m a n d [ o n ] t h e n a v e w e r e c a r v e d l i k e n e s s e s o f c h e r u b i m ”

‘ T h e B r a z e n S e r p e n t ’ , a s t a t u e a t t h e F r a n c i s c a n c h u r c h o n M o u n t N e b o , J o r d a n , w h e r e t r a d i t i o n s a y s M o s e s d i e d

During a plague of serpents sent to p u n i s h t h e I s r a e l i t e s d u r i n g t h e e x odus, God told Moses to “make [a statue o f ] a f i e r y s e r p e n t , a n d s e t i t o n a p o l e ; a n d e v e r y o n e w h o i s b i t t e n , w h e n h e s e e s i t s h a l l l i v e S o M o s e s m a d e a b r o n z e s e r p e n t , a n d s e t i t o n a p o l e ; a n d i f a s e r p e n t b i t a n y m a n , h e w o u l d l o o k a t t h e b r o n z e s e r p e n t a n d l i v e ” ( N u m b e r s 2 1 : 8 - 9 ) O n e h a d t o l o o k a t t h e b r o n z e s t a t u e o f t h e s e r p e n t t o b e h e a l e d , w h i c h s h o w s t h a t s t a t u e s c o u l d b e u s e d r i t u a l l y, n o t m e r e l y a s r e l i g i o u s d e c o r a t i o n s . M e m o r y j o g g e r s P e o p l e w h o d o n o t k n o w b e t t e r s o m e t i m e s s a y C a t h o l i c s “ w o r s h i p ” s t a t u e s . N o t o n l y i s t h i s u n t r u e , i t i s e v e n u n t r u e t h a t C a t h o l i c s h o n o u r s t a t u e s C a t h o l i c s u s e s t a t u e s , p a i n t i n g s , a n d o t h e r a r t i s t i c d e v i c e s t o r e c a l l t h e p e r s o n o r t h i n g d e p i c t e d J u s t a s i t h e l p s t o r e m e m b e r o n e ’s m o t h e r b y l o o k i n g a t h e r p h o t o g r a p h , s o i t h e l p s t o r e c a l l t h e e x a m p l e o f t h e s a i n t s b y l o o k i n g a t p i c t u r e s o f t h e m T h e f a c t t h a t s o m e o n e k n e e l s b ef o r e a s t a t u e t o p r a y d o e s n o t m e a n that they are praying to the statue, just

Photo: Ed Baker (Creative Commons)

S t a t u e s o f O u r L a d y a r e d i s p l a y e d i n a s h o p w i n d o w

a s t h e f a c t t h a t s o m e o n e k n e e l s w i t h a B i b l e i n t h e i r h a n d s t o p r a y d o e s n o t m e a n t h a t t h e y a r e “ w o r s h i p p i n g ” t h e B i b l e . S o m e t i m e s a n t i - C a t h o l i c s c i t e D e u t e r o n o m y 5 : 9 , w h e r e G o d s a i d c o n c e r n i n g i d o l s : “ Yo u s h a l l n o t b o w d o w n t o t h e m ” S i n c e m a n y C a t h o l i c s

s o m e t i m e s b o w o r k n e e l i n f r o n t o f s t a t u e s o f J e s u s , t h e B l e s s e d Vi r g i n M a r y a n d o t h e r s a i n t s , a n t i - C a t h o l i c s c o n f u s e t h e l e g i t i m a t e v e n e r a t i o n o f a s a c r e d i m a g e w i t h t h e s i n o f i d o l a t r y.

T h o u g h b o w i n g c a n b e u s e d a s a p o s t u r e i n w o r s h i p , n o t a l l b o w i n g i s worship. In Japan, people show respect

o u t h e r n C r o s s

b y b o w i n g i n g r e e t i n g ( t h e e q u i v a l e n t o f t h e We s t e r n h a n d s h a k e ) S i m i l a r l y, a p e r s o n c a n k n e e l b e f o r e a k i n g w i t ho u t w o r s h i p p i n g h i m a s a g o d I n t h e s a m e w a y, a C a t h o l i c w h o m a y k n e e l i n f r o n t o f a s t a t u e w h i l e p r a y i n g i s n ’t w o r s h i p p i n g t h e s t a t u e o r e v e n p r a yi n g t o i t b u t t o G o d .

T h e C a t e c h i s m o f t h e C o u n c i l o f Tr e n t ( 1 5 6 6 ) t a u g h t t h a t i d o l a t r y i s c o m m i t t e d “ b y w o r s h i p p i n g i d o l s a n d i m a g e s a s G o d , o r b e l i e v i n g t h a t t h e y p o s s e s s a n y d i v i n i t y o r v i r t u e e n t i t l i n g t h e m t o o u r w o r s h i p , b y p r a y i n g t o , o r r e p o s i n g c o n f i d e n c e i n t h e m ”

T h u s , t h e C a t h o l i c C h u rc h a bs o l u t e l y r e c o g n i s e s a n d c o n d e m n s t h e s i n o f i d o l a t r y. W h a t t h o s e w h o a c c u s e Catholics of worshipping statues fail to r e c o g n i s e i s t h e d i s t i n c t i o n b e t w e e n t h i n k i n g a p i e c e o f s t o n e o r p l a s t e r i s a g o d w h i c h i s t h e s i n o f i d o l a t r y a n d t h e v i r t u o u s a c t o f d e s i r i n g t o v is u a l l y r e m e m b e r C h r i s t a n d t h e s a i n t s i n h e a v e n b y m a k i n g s t a t u e s i n t h e i r h o n o u r

T h e m a k i n g a n d u s e o f r e l i g i o u s s t a t u e s i s a t h o r o u g h l y b i b l i c a l p r a ct i c e . A n y o n e w h o s a y s o t h e r w i s e d o e s n o t k n o w t h e i r B i b l e Michael Ogunu is the international president of the World Apostolate of Fatima.

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i n F a t i m a , P o r t u g a l A c o m m o n b u t f a l s e m i s p e r c e p t i o n a b o u t C a t h o l i c p r a c t i c e s i s t h a t w e w o r s h i p o r “ p r a y t o ” s t a t u e s T h a t i s n o t t r u e : w e w o r s h i p a n

ALEXANDRA TOWNSHIP IN Johannesburg once had the nickname “Dark City” because for decades there was no electricity. The darkness was also one of poverty and the broken promise of making it big in the City of Gold Out of the sprawling ghetto, in the 1960s came the all-female mbaqanga group The Dark City Sisters.

Today, Alexandra township is electrified The darkness is a thing of the past except during loadshedding. And where once were The Dark City Sisters, today there are The Light Twins

The Light Twins are twin sisters Lebone and Lesedi Khunou As their name suggests, the twins aim to spread a message of living in the light. The duo first made an appearance on social media platforms in 2015 after accepting a Christmas carol challenge.

The identical twins, both devout Catholics, sourced their stage moniker from their own Setswana names, which in English mean light “We chose the name because as Christians, called upon to bring God’s into the world For us, this lig is our voices through music,” they told The Southern Cross

The twins, who are marketing graduates from the University of Johannesburg, juggle their lives as marketing employees of a wellknown insurance company w their blooming music careers

They started to sing in church youth choir of th home parish of St Hubert’s Alexandra. They have since be part of all the parish’s choirs sometimes conducted by th mother, Elizabeth Khuno “She is our biggest cheerlead but also our biggest critic.”

In 2015, they came acros

THE LIGHT shines through MUSIC

Facebook post challenging brave choristers to put out videos of themselves singing Christmas carols. They took on the challenge “The response was incredible,” they say, “and it encouraged us to record more videos and share them on social media ”

Feedback for their videos was phenomenal, with people making mounting requests for the pair to record an album. “We relented to the requests from our growing army of YouTube fans In 2017 we released our 12-track debut album titled Filled With Hope. ”

Fans across the board

The Light Twins describe their sound as contemporar y gospel Their repertoire comprises popular Catholic songs and their own compositions. Their fanbase has since grown to include Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

“Catholics make up the majority of

our fans They love how we have taken the traditionally-sung Catholic hymns and revamped them to give them a new expression,” said Lebone “NonCatholics love both our own compositions as well as the Catholic hymns, most especially ‘Ikelelloeng’, which is very popular and is loved by many Another one is the Marian song ‘Kwake Kwathi’, which is quite interesting to us, given the widespread misconception about Our Lady and her role in the Church,” Lebone said

In May 2020, in the midst of the Covid-19 lockdown, the twins released a song in response to the pandemic, as reported in The Souther n Cross newspaper at the time “This Too Shall Pass” featured fellow gospel artists Tefo M and Thulasizwe Ndlovu, and was well-received “We saw how South Africa and d were so distressed, scared peless True to our name, we ht we’d be that light that es through in this difficult dark period,” Lebone said “We wanted to let people now that this too shall pass, and that God will see us through ” They included the other artists in the song “to help us in spreading a message of hope as well as to show unity and togetherness and that, if we come together as a people we can fight the virus”.

Since then, a whirlwind o f a c h i e v e m e n t s h a s s e t t h e d u o o n a p a t h t o m u s i c a l stardom Some of their songs h a v e t o p p e d t h e i Tu n e s

Twins Lebone and Lesedi Khunou have taken the Catholic gospel scene by storm with their faith-filled songs and sweet harmonies. Daluxolo Moloantoa spoke to them.

T h e L i g h t T w i n s a r e L e s e d i a n d L e b n e K h u n o u

gospel music charts Their song “O tla Ntshedisa (Reprise)” was playlisted on o n e o f t h e b i g g e s t o n l i n e m u s i c p l a tforms globally, Apple Music The Light Twins were among a number of South African gospel music artists to perform o n a M S C C r u i s e t o t h e P o r t u g u e s e Islands in May 2022

They are now five-time nominees of the Ingoma Music Awards In late 2021 they participated in Stand Up South Africa, a national music talent search competition on SABC 2 They landed in the top eight

They have also shared the stage with their gospel music icons such as Sbu Noah, Zaza Mokhethi, and Teboho Moloi, among others.

For the twins, it was a milestone when they were featured on Vatican News “The feature on Vatican News was a dream come true for us The light of Christ in us continues to shine to reach millions of hearts Our ‘brand’ has grown tremendously over the years and continues to grow, and for this we’re thankful,” they said

The twins are actively ngaged in advocacy on mental health issues, espeially the effect of these on youths and even children They believe that he Catholic Church should be welcoming to young people who are facing mental health issues.

They hope to help bring young people back to the Church, to show that “the Church is cool”. They tr y to ve this through social media such as TikTok, one of the “powerful platforms that can be used to draw the youth in”, according to Lesedi

Rise of Catholic gospel

The Light Twins are leading a rising appreciation for Catholic gospel songs in the mainstream gospel music scene. Interestingly, some of the Catholic songs reaching conventional gospel music fans are sung by artists who are not Catholic “The adoption of Catholic music is rising quite beautifully, and the message is spreading far and wide, with popular artists such as Lebo Sekgobela

singing Catholic songs like ‘Kabelo ea ka entle’, Zaza Mokhethi with her rendition of ‘Ke tshweri rosary’, and Puleng March lending her voice to ‘Re atametse’, to name but a few,” Lebone noted.

C a t h o l i c s s u c h a s K g e t h a n g K o n e s e a n d D u r b a n ’s T h a n d e k a D u b e ( f e a t u r e d i n t h e July 2021 issue of The Southern Cross) are also popularising Catholic h y m n s i n t h e m a i ns t r e a m g o s p e l m u s i c s c e n e “ I t i s q u i t e mar vellous to witness t h i s m u s i c a l r e v o l ut i o n t a k i n g p l a c e , ” Lebone said.

T h e L i g h t Tw i n s h a v e p e r f o r m e d f o r C a t h o l i c a n d n o nCatholic audiences A memorable exper i e n c e w a s t h e i r p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n a n a l l - s t a r C a t h o l i c g o s p e l l i n e - u p f o r a R a d i o Ve r i t a s f e s t i v a l a t S t D o m i n i c ’s School in Boksburg last October They s h a r e d a b i l l w i t h T h a n d e k a D u b e , T h u s o w a S a b i n i ( w h o f e a t u r e d i n t h e M a rc h 2 0 2 1 i s s u e o f T h e S o u t h e r n C ro s s ) , Te f o M , T h u l a s i z w e N d l o v u , K g e t h a n g K o n e s e , a n d P i n k s t e r f e e s Psalm 150:6.

The twins have a simple suggestion to ramp up the upsurge of interest in Catholic hymns by gospel fans “As Catholic artists, we need to find ways of delivering our music creatively, and in a way that helps people grasp the message Because we have been singing our rich hymns the same way for the past 100 years, it has been easy for Catholics and other people in general to not hear the message. We Catholic gospel artists need to deliver a message differently for people to hear that very message That’s not to say that we need to change the tunes of the hymns we love, but the vocals need to present the song with meaning,” they said.

Apart from their own music, the twins also listen to a variety of music by other Catholic gospel acts. “Each of the artists brings and evokes different feelings at different times, so we listen to a

varied list If we had to choose one, we’d say that a current favourite of ours is the song ‘Re Balehela’ by Kgethang Konese featuring Helen M ”

Past the ridicule

A c c o r d i n g t o L e s e d i , t h e L i g h t Twins’ journey hasn’t always been easy “We have been ridiculed” by some people But today the twins are confident i n t h e m s e l v e s a n d t h e i r t a l e n t T h e y e n c o u r a g e y o u n g p e o p l e w h o m a y b e discouraged and ridiculed by others to g o t h e i r o w n w a y a n d g r o w i n c o n f idence

The young women attribute their success to the fact that they have always aligned themselves to the will of God “We are a testament of God’s greatness and favour in each individual’s lives,” they said “We have always trusted the gift that God has blessed us with, and the mission of spreading his Word through music We are always infinitely conscious of this fact, and perpetually grateful to him for his blessings”.

The Light Twins’ latest single, “Jesu Ngiyinika Wena”, was released in Februar y and is available on all digital platforms Their music is accessible at youtube.com/@TheLightTwins or follow them on Facebook: facebook.com/ TheLightTwins

Fr Ra l ph de Ha h n

65 years a pries t

Ev e n i n h i s m i d - 9 0 s , F r R a l p h d e H a h n r e m a i n s a c t i v e a n d m a ke s p l a n s fo r t h e f u t u r e H e t o l d G ü n t h e r S i m m e r m a c h e r a b o u t h i s l o n g l i fe a n d p r i e s t l y m i n i s t r y

HI S H A N D S H A K E I S A S F I R M a s e v e r, t h e m i n d r e m a i n s q u i c k , a n d t h e e x u b e r a n c e t h a t e f f e r v e s c e n t j o y i n the Lord is undiminished At almost 95 years of age Fr Ralph de Hahn radiates a timeless energy

I n D e c e m b e r, F r d e H a h n m a r k e d 65 years of priesthood, all ser ved in the city of his birth, Cape Town but his ministr y has touched many people outside the Mother City and South Africa.

Before he submitted to his ordination in December 1957, Fr de Hahn said t o G o d : “ L o r d , i f y o u w a n t m e a s a p r i e s t , I w a n t a t l e a s t o n e m i l l i o n s o u l s ” H e g o t h i s w i s h m a n y t i m e s over, through his ministr y in parishes and the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, his work in the media (which included SABC radio and TV from 1968-93), and his 19 missionary travels to the US, duri n g w h i c h h e r a i s e d m a n y m i l l i o n s o f rands for his archdiocese

Born on June 4, 1928, of Dutch and German stock, Ralph de Hahn was the first of six children born to the plumber Henr y de Hahn and his wife Freda (née Wassung) “My parents were married in an Anglican church, but as a family we belonged to no particular church I was ‘christened’ in one or another church,” Fr de Hahn told The Souther n Cross

The family would church-hop until one day, when “curiosity took us into t h e C a t h o l i c c h u rc h o f S t A g n e s i n Wo o d s t o c k ” , F r d e H a h n r e c a l l e d “ T h e r e w a s a p re s e n c e t h e r e w h i c h w e h a d n e v e r f e l t b e f o r e ” T h a t p r e s e n c e p e r s u a d e d t h e f a m i l y t o c o n v e r t t o Catholicism, and parents and five surviving children were baptised together by parish priest Fr McNulty

The young Ralph received Catholic s c h o o l i n g f r o m t h e D o m i n i c a n S i s t e r s and Christian Brothers up to Standard 6 b e f o r e m a t r i c u l a t i n g f r o m S e a P o i n t H i g h , w h e r e h e w a s a n a l l - r o u n d a t h -

F r R a l p h d e H a h n , w h o w i l l t u r n 9 5 o n J u n e 4 , a s k e d G o d f o r a m i l l i o n s o u l s a n d G o d p r o v i d e d I n s e t : R a l p h d e H a h n a s a f i r s t - y e a r s e m i n a r i a n i n 1 9 5 2

lete. “The principal, Mr Graham, kindly allowed me to come late ever y morning b e c a u s e h e k n e w I s e r v e d a t m o r n i n g M a s s i n S t A g n e s . ” M a s s t h e n w a s i n L a t i n , “ a l a n g u a g e n e i t h e r t h e p r i e s t nor I understood”, Fr de Hahn noted.

P h o t o s : G ü n t h e r S i m m e r m a c h e r / T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s

No thought of priesthood

No thought of priesthood

R a l p h w a s a c t i v e i n h i s p a r i s h , i n C a t h o l i c A c t i o n , t h e L e g i o n o f M a r y, and as head youth organiser for the diocese of Cape Town. He also founded a C a t h o l i c v a r i e t y g r o u p c a l l e d S t a r s o f

To m o r r o w I t s t a g e d m a n y s h o w s , i ncluding his self-written The Life of Jesus, which was performed at the Three Arts theatre in Plumstead

Still, God waited before calling Ralph to the priesthood “I certainly did not want to enter the priesthood,” Fr de Hahn said Instead he ended up working for seven years as an articled clerk.

O t h e r s , h o w e v e r, s a w a p r i e s t i n

t h e y o u n g m a n . “ M y p a s t o r, p a r i s hioners and the Dominican Sisters press u r e d m e t o a p p r o a c h A rc h b i s h o p O w e n M c C a n n a b o u t e x p l o r i n g t h e p r i e s t h o o d . ” R a l p h d e c i d e d t o p u r s u e the path to the priesthood after the cele b r a t i o n o f h i s 2 1 s t b i r t h d a y, h e l d i n t h e p a r i s h h a l l o f S t A g n e s ’ p a r i s h i n June 1949

The future cardinal also saw a priest i n R a l p h , a n d i n 1 9 5 2 h e s e n t h i m t o the new St John Vianney Seminar y in Pretoria Ever ybody was delighted, exc e p t t h e d e H a h n f a m i l y. “ T h e y w e r e n o t h a p p y a b o u t m e l e a v i n g t h e m and losing my financial support.”

Once at the seminar y, “I knew that t h i s w a s w h a t G o d c a l l e d m e t o G o d d i d c a l l m e , a n d h e w o u l d u s e a l l m y skills and talents in his ser vice,” Fr de Hahn recalled. “I owe my faith and my vocation to the Irish missionaries who came to this countr y ”

In 1954, Archbishop McCann himself a product of St Agnes decided to send Ralph to Rome to study theology at his own alma mater, the Propaganda Fide College “It was a bitter pill for me, though. I had been so happy at St John Vianney Now alone to Propaganda Fide! It was a severely testing first year Italian, Latin, Greek, Hebrew and so on But God’s call saw me through ”

His four years in Rome eventually turned out to be a happy time. “Being w i t h s t u d e n t s f r o m a l l p a r t s o f t h e world, gave me that missionar y vision which I treasure to this day ”

F r R a l p h d e H a h n i s o r d a i n e d b y A r c h b i s h o p P i e t r o S i g i s m o n d i i n R o m e o n D e c e m b e r 1 1 , 1 9 5 7

o u r D e c e m b e r 2 0 2 2 i s s u e .

The priest has also published collections of poetr y and short stories in books The revenue from these books was given to the archdiocesan fund for the construction of churches in poorer areas

Ordination in Rome

Ordination in Rome

Fr de Hahn was ordained at Propaganda Fide on December 21, 1957, by Archbishop Pietro Sigismondi, the secretar y of the Congregation for Propagat i o n o f t h e F a i t h U p o n h i s r e t u r n t o Cape Town in 1958, his first parish appointment was to Holy Cross church in District Six “Archbishop McCann said he sent me there, ‘because that’s where I began’.” Nine more parishes would follow, with the final appointment before his (not entirely volunt a r y ) r e t i r e m e n t i n 2 0 0 3 b e i n g t o Obser vator y

In 1966, Fr de Hahn began his 20year stint as the director of the newlye s t a b l i s h e d A rc h d i o c e s a n C a t e c h e t i c a l C e n t r e , w i t h t h e t a s k o f m o d e r n i s i n g and systemising teaching materials and m e t h o d s To t h a t e n d , h e d i r e c t e d c o u r s e s w e e k l y i n t h r e e c e n t r e s f o r many years As archdiocesan school ins p e c t o r h e v i s i t e d e v e r y c l a s s r o o m o f e v e r y C a t h o l i c s c h o o l i n t h e a rc h d i ocese These visits “brought the Church to the Catholic schools They were my joy and delight.”

Fr de Hahn became the spiritual director of the Charismatic Catholic Renewal in the Cape in 1967 the year the global spiritual renewal began He retired from that position in 2009 “In the US, they told me in 1966 already that I was charismatic,” Fr de Hahn joked

On 19 occasions he was sent to tour the United States to raise money for the a rc h d i o c e s e o f C a p e To w n , w h i c h h e did to great effect. Fr de Hahn was also a b l e t o r a i s e f u n d s f o r h i s o w n i n i t i ative, Mission Aid, which he used to supp o r t v a r i o u s p r o j e c t s A m o n g o t h e r t h i n g s , M i s s i o n A i d f u n d e d t h e c o nstruction of Holy Trinity church in Matroosfontein on the Cape Flats one of t h e a rc h d i o c e s e ’s l a r g e s t c h u rc h e s a n d b o u g h t t h e H o l y S p i r i t C e n t r e i n Maitland for the Catholic Charismatic Movement, which was later transferred as a gift to the archdiocese.

T h e t i m e s i n t h e U S w e r e i m p o rt a n t t o F r d e H a h n . H e w a s i n v i t e d t o l u n c h w i t h B i s h o p F u l t o n S h e e n , a p io n e e r i n t h e u s e o f e l e c t r o n i c m e d i a a s a tool of evangelisation From 1968-93, F r d e H a h n h i m s e l f w a s a r e g u l a r f i xture on SABC radio with his 15-minute

O n e p i e c e o f w r i t i n g w a s a g i f t t o the pope! In 1999 Fr de Hahn was asked to write a commentar y on the daily office for a new French missal “I have no idea how they found me,” he said Eighty years after he first started to p u t h i s c r e a t i v e p e n t o p a p e r, F r d e H a h n s t i l l w r i t e s p r o d i g i o u s l y h i s flatlet in the clergy retirement home at Nazareth House resembles a busy study b u t h e w r i t e s “ o n l y w h e n I ’ m i ns p i r e d t o d o s o ” H e i s c u r r e n t l y w o r ki n g o n h i s m e m o i r s , a t a s k s e t t o h i m b y A rc h b i s h o p S t e p h e n B r i s l i n O n e t h i n g h e d o e s n ’t w r i t e i s s e rm o n s T h e p r i e s t i s k n o w n f o r h i s i ns p i r i n g h o m i l i e s , a n d h e h a s a t a l e n t f o r s p e a k i n g o f f t h e c u f f “ I p r e a c h only what I know and live sin included.”

r e f l e c t i o n s . A f t e r T V w a s i n t r o d u c e d i n South Africa in 1976, he celebrated tele v i s e d M a s s e s .

E v e n t o d a y, F r d e H a h n u s e s m o de r n m e d i a t o e v a n g e l i s e t h r o u g h

recorded reflections circulated daily on WhatsApp These are received by thous a n d s o f p e o p l e a r o u n d t h e w o r l d .

A w r i t e r f o r 8 0 y e a r s

A w r i t e r f o r 8 0 y e a r s

F r d e H a h n i s p e r h a p s e v e n b e t t e rknown for his writings, many of which h a v e a p p e a r e d i n T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s o v e r s e v e n d e c a d e s T h e f i r s t o f t h e s e w a s a C h r i s t m a s s t o r y t i t l e d “ W h e n D a r k n e s s F a l l s ” i n t h e e d i t i o n o f D ec e m b e r 1 0 , 1 9 5 2 H i s m o s t r e c e n t C h r i s t m a s s t o r y r a n 7 0 y e a r s l a t e r, i n

I n h i s 6 5 y e a r s o f p r i e s t h o o d , F r d e H a h n h a s s e e n m a n y c h a n g e s i n t h e C h u rc h T h e m o s t s i g n i f i c a n t o f t h o s e , o f c o u r s e , w a s t h e S e c o n d Va t i c a n C o u n c i l ( 1 9 6 2 - 6 5 ) “ I w e lc o m e d Va t i c a n I I , b u t i t w a s f a r t o o r a p i d l y i m p o s e d , ” h e s a i d . F r d e H a h n s e e s a c r i s i s i n t h e d im i n i s h e d “ r e v e r e n c e , a w e , m y s t e r y i n t h e p u b l i c c e l e b r a t i o n s o f H o l y M a s s I f e a r t h a t d e s e c r a t i o n , t h e l a c k o f r es p e c t f o r t h e E u c h a r i s t , i s t h e m a j o r c a u s e o f a l l o u r p r e s e n t n a t i o n a l a n d s p i r i t u a l C h u rc h p r o b l e m s . ”

H i s b e s t p i e c e o f c o u n s e l f o r y o u n g p e o p l e c o n s i d e r i n g a v o c a t i o n ? “ Ta k e a d v i c e f r o m t h e M a s t e r s ” P r i e s t s , h e s a i d , m u s t b e w a r e o f b e i n g t o o p a r o c h i a l . A n d t h e y m u s t b e p r ep a r e d t o “ d i e t o s e l f ” i n o r d e r t o “ p r od u c e g o o d f r u i t , w i t h t h e H o l y S p i r i t a l o n e ! ”

‘ I p r e a c h o n l y w h a t

Synod 2021-24: T h i s i s t h e A f r i c a n w a y

The Catholic Church of Africa came together in Ethiopia to discuss and present the continent ’s contribution to the global Synod on Synodality, which will change the way the Church works.

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AFRICA HAD NEVER SEEN anything like it before: lay people, cardinals, bishops, priests, and religious from 41 countries came together in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, over six days to deliberate over the future of the Church on the continent

The groundbreaking occasion, which brought more than 200 delegates together in March, was held to discuss and present the African Synodal Report in preparation for the Synod of Bishops on Synodality, the first part of which will take place in Rome in October.

It had been a long journey of faith since the synod’s preparatory phase was launched by Pope Francis on

October 9, 2021 It began in the parishes during the diocesan phase before graduating into the continental stage in Addis Ababa

“It is the first assembly, a Kairos for renewal of the Church in Africa It has been a moment to study but also to live synodality It has been a moment to experience the sense of family of God in Africa It has been a moment to listen to one another, to listen to the Holy Spirit on the delicate issues affecting the continent of Africa It is a synodal assembly to mutually renew our mission here in Africa,” said Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, the newly-elected president of the Symposium of the Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM)

What do we mean by ‘synodality’?

Sy n o d a l i t y d e n o t e s t h e p a r t i c u l a r

s t y l e t h a t q u a l i f i e s t h e l i f e a n d

m i s s i o n o f t h e C h u r c h , e x p r e s si n g h e r n a t u r e a s t h e P e o p l e o f G o d j o u r n e y i n g t o g e t h e r a n d g a t h e r i n g i n a s s e m b l y, s u m m o n e d b y t h e L o r d J e s u s i n t h e p o w e r o f t h e H o l y S p i r i t t o p r o c l a i m t h e G o s p e l S y n o d a l i t y o u g h t t o b e e x p r e s s e d i n t h e C h u rc h ’s o r d i n a r y w a y o f l i v i n g a n d w o r k i n g . S y n o d a l i t y, i n t h i s p e r s p e c t i v e , i s m u c h m o r e t h a n t h e c e l e b r a t i o n o f e c c l e s i a l m e e t i n g s a n d b i s h o p s ’ a s s e m -

b l i e s , o r a m a t t e r o f s i m p l e i n t e r n a l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n w i t h i n t h e C h u rc h ; i t i s t h e s p e c i f i c m o d u s v i v e n d i e t o p e r a n d i o f t h e C h u r c h , t h e P e o p l e o f G o d , w h i c h r e v e a l s a n d g i v e s s u b s t a n c e t o h e r b e i n g a s c o m m u n i o n w h e n a l l h e r m e m b e r s j o u r n e y t o g e t h e r, g a t h e r i n a s s e m b l y a n d t a k e a n a c t i v e p a r t i n h e r e v a n g e l i s i n g m i s s i o n T h e a i m o f t h i s s y n o d a l p r o c e s s i s n o t t o p r o v i d e a t e m p o r a r y o r o n et i m e e x p e r i e n c e o f s y n o d a l i t y, b u t r a t h e r t o p r o v i d e a n o p p o r t u n i t y f o r

t h e e n t i r e P e o p l e o f G o d t o d i s c e r n t og e t h e r h o w t o m o v e f o r w a r d o n t h e p a t h t o w a r d s b e i n g a m o r e s y n o d a l C h u rc h i n t h e l o n g - t e r m

A b a s i c q u e s t i o n p r o m p t s a n d g u i d e s u s : H o w d o e s t h i s j o u r n e y i n g t o g e t h e r a l l o w t h e C h u r c h t o p r oc l a i m t h e G o s p e l i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h t h e m i s s i o n e n t r u s t e d t o h e r ; a n d w h a t s t e p s d o e s t h e S p i r i t i n v i t e u s t o t a k e i n o r d e r t o g r o w a s a s y n o d a l

C h u rc h ?

S o u rc e : s y n o d v a

‘Our journey is one of conversion, reform and growth at all Church levels’

L e f t : A p a r t i c i p a n t a t t h e A f r i c a n S y n o d a l C o n t i n e n t a l A s s e m b l y i n A d d i s A b a b a t a k e s a p h o t o o f e p i s c o p a l d i g n i t a r i e s .

C e n t r e : C a r d i n a l M a r i o G r e c h , s e c r e t a r y - g e n e r a l o f t h e S y n o d o f B i s h o p s , a d d r e s s e s t h e a s s e m b l y

R i g h t : D o m i n i q u e Y o n , y o u t h c o o r d i n a t o r o f t h e a r c h d i o c e s e o f C a p e T o w n , s p e a k s a t t h e a s s e m b l y All photos: Africa Synodality

“As the Synodal Family of God in Africa, we have found immense joy in walking together, and we desire to continue doing so Our journey is a journey of conversion, reform and growth at personal, communal and institutional levels of the Church,” the assembly said in the final communiqué, read by Bishop Emmanuel Badejo, the Nigerian president of the Pan African Episcopal Committee for Social Communication, after the concluding Mass at St Gabriel church in Addis Ababa

“This is a time to rejoice: let us not allow the weeds to hinder us; let us allow the Holy Spirit to lead us forward to continue to sow new seeds and harvest abundant fruits of synodality,” the communiqué said

Apart from nine cardinals, 29 bishops and 41 priests, most participants at the synodal continental assembly were lay women and men, including young people, consecrated people, as well as representatives of other Christian traditions and faiths

“With courage and joy, confidence and humility, the delegates listened to one another and to the Holy Spirit In a spirit of discernment, they listened to what the People of God from around the world said in the first year of the Synod In prayer and silence, they discerned the intuitions, discussed the questions and themes and identified the calls of our synodal journey in order to prepare an African Synodal Document that represents the authentic voice of Africa,” the communiqué noted

The time they spent together was an experience of lived synodality a moment of profound dialogue, listening and discernment among local churches and with the Universal Church. At the end of the assembly, SECAM finalised the contribution of the Church in Africa to the general secretariat of the Synod in Rome represented by its relator, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, and secretary-general, Cardinal Mario Grech for the purposes of drafting a working document

Listen – even to your opponents

“Listening is the basis for the entire synodal process,” Cardinal Grech said in his address, “transforming the Synod from an event into a process For many, listening corresponds to a useless waste of time which favours and even justifies those in the Church who want to create controversy, allowing them to shove spokes in the wheels ”

But those opponents, too, should be heard, the Maltese cardinal said “We must not be afraid to engage in discussion among ourselves It is not our arguments that will convince us but the Holy Spirit who leads the Church into all truth. We are all called, in conscience, to give our response: from those who are deeply convinced to those who still harbour doubts to those who are openly opposed It is not by speaking against the synod process outside the places of listening that we build communion No one is prevented from speaking ”

In that spirit, the assembly affirmed Africa’s Church as the “Synodal Family of God”. Accordingly, “we are a listening Church We listen without judging, especially those who do not feel sufficiently recognised in the Church We accept the invitation

of synodality to listen to those who feel exiled, neglected and excluded from the Church. We recognise that when we do this, others feel welcomed and are free to share their own spiritual journey,” the assembly’s communiqué said

The assembly called for genuine conversion and reform. “We commit ourselves to overcoming rigid hierarchical structures, unhealthy autocratic tendencies, harmful clericalism and isolating individualism that undermine and weaken relationships between bishops, priests and laity These weeds confront us with a challenge to deepen our experience of synodality, to reflect on what it means to walk together in times of tension ”

The Synodal Continental Assembly said it had confirmed the

Continued on page 16

Holy Land: Led by Frs Christopher Slater & Peter Whitehead • 3 to 12 July

Holy Land & Egypt: Led by Fr Silas Rangwage • 7 to 19 July

Holy Land & Egypt: Led by Bishop Victor Phalana • 30 Aug to 10 Sept

Holy Land: South Prayer Group • 11 to 20 September

Holy Land: Led by Fr Chris Townsend • 22 September to 1 October

Lourdes & Paris: Led by Fr Christopher Slater • May 2024

Holy Land & Rome: Led by Mgr Simon Donnelly • 20 May to 1 June 2024

5 2 3 8 0 9 o r i n f o @ f o w l e r t o u r s . c o . z a w w w . f o w l e r t o u r s . c o . z a

‘Let’s overcome autocracy, rigid hierarchical structures, and harmful clericalism’

Church’s way of doing things in Africa

“The Family of God in Africa is firmly rooted in the synodal dynamic. Synodality is no longer a remote desire, a faint hope or a distant future objective We have tasted the nourishing fruits of synodality by encountering, dialoguing with and listening to one another, and all together listening to the Holy Spirit,” the communiqué said “We are the Church in synod: the Family of God is our Tent in Africa ”

But the synod must be an open-ended space of gathering. “The African Synodal Family is a Church that makes way for differences, diversity, tensions and forces, and which “empties herself, but without losing the foundations and fundamentals of our faith”, the assembly said.

“Our continent is blessed with rich principles and values of our cultures and traditions Indeed, rooted in African anthropological principles and cultural values especially Palaver, Ubuntu and Ujamaa, which emphasise community spirit, sense of family, teamwork, solidarity, inclusivity, hospitality and conviviality the Catholic Church in Africa has grown as a Family of God

“These principles and values are good and healthy seeds for the birth and growth of a truly synodal Church in Africa and in the world,” the communiqué said, recommitting to the building of a synodal Church in Africa “as a Family where all belong and feel at home”.

Solidarit y with those in distress

The assembly was keenly alert to the political and social problems on the continent, saying that “we do not flee from the lived realities of our continent: the wounds of Africans are also the wounds of the Synodal Family of God. The Synodal Family of God walks with those who are affected by war, ethnic strife, religious intolerance, terrorism, and all forms of conflict, tension and violence. With solidarity, compassion and charity, the Synodal Church in Africa journeys with our sisters and brothers in distress ”

The assembly heard from women, noting that “African women hold the Church together” They are the majority and the backbone of the Church. “To journey together as a Synodal Church means recognising their giftedness, talents, charisms and contributions For women in Africa and across the world, synodality is an opportunity for ‘full and equal participation’ in the life of the Church Women are a gift to the Church There is no way true synodality can happen in the Church if women are not considered equal partners,” the assembly said.

Another source of the African Church’s life is the youth

“The Church in Africa is vibrant because of the energy, passion and creativity of the youth. Their contribution to the mission and ministry of the Church is a gift for the edification of a truly synodal Church in Africa. Young people have an important place and a pivotal role in the Synodal Family of God in Africa.”

Among the young people who addressed the assembly was Dominique Yon, youth coordinator of the archdiocese of Cape Town and a member of the Vatican’s International Youth Advisory Body

The continental assembly and the two Synods of Bishops in Rome, to be held this year in October and to be continued a year later in 2024, must be seen as a beginning There must be a culture of synodal practices at all levels of the Church in Africa, the assembly said. “We desire to birth a culture of synodality as a habitual way of proceeding in the Church As the Synodal Family of God in Africa, we are a learning Church ” For more on the Synod on Synodality, see www synod va

‘True synodality can’t happen in the Church if women are not considered equal partners’

r & J u n n o A ro c h o E steve s l o o k at O u r L a d y o f Fát i m a .

AS THE CATHOLIC WORLD prepares to turn its focus on Portugal for World Youth Day in August, much attention will also be given to the apparitions of Our Lady at the small village of Fátima, about 100km north-west of the capital

The apparitions to Lúcia dos Santos, 10, and her cousins Francisco, 9, and Jacinta Marto, 8, took place between May 13 and October 13, 1917, on a field near the town of Fátima.

The Marto and dos Santos families lived in the village of Aljustrel, about 2km from what is now the Fátima sanctuary The two peasant families were relatively well-off in terms of land and livestock ownership Their respective houses, both now museums, are not tiny, but by our modern standards not really big enough to accommodate such large families For example, five Marto boys had to share one bed.

The apparition of the Blessed Virgin was not the children’s first supernatural experience. In 1915 Lúcia had an apparition of an angel The following year, Francisco and Jacinta were with Lúcia when the strange figure appeared again. “Do not be afraid! I am the Angel of Peace Pray with me,” the angel said The children told no one about the mysterious event

The lady appears

They were tending sheep on a field known as Cova da Iria, which was owned by the dos Santos family, on May 13, 1917, when “a lady” appeared to the children “brighter than the sun, shedding

rays of light clearer and stronger than a crystal goblet filled with the most sparkling water and pierced by the burning rays of the sun”.

The lady said she was “from heaven” and would reveal her identity later She instructed the children to come back to the Cova da Iria on the 13th day of the next six months, and asked them to pray the rosary every day “in order to obtain peace for the world”. Portugal had entered the First World War on the Western front just a few weeks earlier

Lúcia wanted to keep the apparition secret, but Jacinta innocently told her mother about it. She in turn told a neigh-

bour, as a joke by the next day, the whole village knew. And soon great controversy arose The parents were incredulous, and Lúcia even suffered beatings and ridicule from her mother. The local priest was dubious, and the local politicians were angered Portugal at the time was ruled by an anti-clerical government which had taken power in 1910 For them, any expression of religious fervour represented a political threat.

Mayor’s death threat

It is remarkable that the three children stuck by the account of their experiences, with even the local priest and Lúcia’s mother expressing their disbelief, and at the brutish hands of the civil administrator who in August interrogated the children individually and threatened to boil them in a vat of oil (telling each that he had already done so to the others). When Lúcia was ready to crack under the pressure, little Jacinta and Francisco insisted that they must stay firm, for to deny the apparitions would be to tell a lie and thus to commit a sin

As promised, Our Lady had appeared on June 13 and July 13. The June apparition held terrifying news: that Francisco and Jacinta would soon die, while Lúcia would remain on earth for “some time longer” to establish devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Indeed, Francisco and Jacinta died in 1919 and 1920 respectively, but Sr Lúcia died in 2005 at the age of 97

In the July apparition, the lady said she would reveal her identity in October and “perform a miracle for all to see and believe” She told the children to make sacrifices for sinners, and revealed three secrets Two of the secrets were made public in 1941; the third secret was not released until 2000. The first secret involved a vision of hell People who had begun gathering around the children on the 13th of the month, heard Lúcia “cry out” during the frightening revelation

L e f t : T h e c a n o n i c a l l y c r o w n e d s t a t u e o f O u r L a d y o f F á t i m a i n t h e s a n c t u a r y ’ s A p p a r i t i o n c h a p e l C e n t r e : C o l o u r i s e d p h o t o o f L u c i a ,

F r a n c i s c o a n d J a c i n t a , t a k e n o u t s i d e t h e M a r t o h o m e i n A l j u s t r e l

R i g h t : S h r i n e o f O u r L a d y a t V a l i n h o s , n e a r A l j u s t r e l , w h e r e t h e

A u g u s t 1 9 1 7 a p p a r i t i o n t o o k p l a c e

The second secret was that while World War I would end, a “worse one will break out” if people continued offending God The children were told that calamity would be prevented if Russia was consecrated to the Immaculate Heart

‘I f people kne w what eter nit y is, the y w ould do ever ything to change their lives.’

Although Sr Lúcia confirmed that the consecration was done properly by Pope Pius XII in 1942 and by John Paul II in 1984, some Fátima devotees continue to argue that it was not

The third secret was a vision of a “bishop dressed in white” shot down amid the rubble of a ruined city. The official Vatican interpretation, discussed with Sr Lúcia before its publication in 2000, was that it referred to the persecution of Christians in the 20th century, and specifically to the 1981 attempt on the life of St John Paul II.

Delayed apparition

Since on August 13 the children were detained by the mayor, Our Lady appeared six days later at Valinhos, just outside Aljustrel, also on land owned by the Dos Santos family This time, the lady asked that money given by pilgrims be used to build a chapel on the site of the apparitions

In the September 13 apparition the lady asked the children to continue praying the rosary “to obtain the end of the war” and promised that Jesus, St Joseph, Our Lady of Sorrows and Our Lady of Carmel would appear during the final miracle in October.

October 13 was a rainy day Still, tens of thousands of people, devotees and sceptics, gathered at the Cova da Iria to witness the promised miracle or to see no miracle and thus discredit the children’s claims.

The lady appeared and finally identified herself as “Our Lady of the Rosary” She requested that people cease to offend God, and then opened her hands, which reflected a light towards the sun Lúcia cried out: “Look at the sun!” As the crowds looked on, the sun appeared to “dance,” spinning and changing colours The children also saw the promised figures of Jesus, St Joseph and Mary

Many theories but no conclusive scientific explanation have been forwarded for the reported solar phenomenon. Apart from unproven scientific theories, sceptics suggest a mass hallucination, supposedly caused by all these people looking into the sun too long and seeing what they wanted to see all at the same time, including neutral observers and even sceptics In 1930, the Church declared the phenomenon a miracle

Devotion to Our Lady of Fátima grew quickly In short order, a small chapel was built on the spot of the apparitions, as requested in the September apparition, and in 1920 pilgrims installed a statue of Our Lady of Fátima in the chapel in defiance of government troops. The first Mass there was celebrated in 1924, and the foundation stone for the basilica of

1907

Lucia dos Santos is born in Aljustrel, near Fátima, on March 28

1908

Francisco Marto is born in Aljustrel on June 11.

1910

Jacinta Marto is born in Aljustrel on March 11

1915

Lucia has first vision of an angel near Aljustrel

1916

All three children have a vision of an angel, near Aljustrel.

1917

May 13: A series of six apparitions of ‘the lady ’ begins at the Cova da Iria field near Fátima.

August: The children are detained, interrogated and threatened with death by the mayor

October 13: Final apparition “ The lady ” reveals herself as Our Lady of the Rosary and performs the “Miracle of the Sun” Locals build a small chapel on the exact site of the apparitions.

1919-20

Francisco, 10, dies on April 4, 1919 Jacinta, 9, dies on February 20, 1920 both victims of the influenza pandemic.

1920

Pilgrims defy government troops and enshrine a statue of the Virgin Mary in the chapel

the Holy Rosary was laid in 1928. Two years later, only 13 years after the apparitions at Fátima, the Holy See officially approved them as “worthy of belief”

One devotee was St John Paul II, who credited his survival from the assassin’s bullets on May 13, 1981 to Our Lady of Fátima, whose feast day it was that day. On the first anniversary of the murder attempt, the pope placed an assassin’s bullet into the crown of the statue of Our Lady in Fátima.

Sr Lúcia went on to become a Carmelite nun, living most of her life in the order’s convent in nearby Coimbra until her death at 97 in 2005. Francisco and Jacinta were canonised by Pope Francis on May 13, 2017, the 100th anniversary of the first apparition Sr Lúcia’s cause is ongoing.

1925

Lucia enters the convent of the Sisters of St Dorothy in Spain, making her first vows in 1928.

1928

Foundation stone is laid for the basilica of the Holy Rosary in the Fátima sanctuary. It is consecrated only in 1953

1935

The bodies of Francisco and Jacinta are reinterred in the new basilica

1930

The Vatican declares the apparitions at Fátima “worthy of belief ”

1941

First and second Secrets of Fátima are revealed

1948

Sr Lucia becomes a Carmelite nun in Coimbra, near Fátima

1981

Pope John Paul credits Our Lady of Fátima for protecting him in an assassination attempt on May 13

2000

The third Secret of Fátima is revealed Pope John Paul II beatifies Francisco and Jacinta

2005

Sr Lucia dies at 97 on February 13

2017

Pope Francis canonises Francisco and Jacinta at Fátima on the centenary of the first apparition.

How a future pope was almost aborted

IN 1919, A POLISH WOMAN

named Emilia fell pregnant with her second child. It was, however, a difficult and life-threatening pregnancy, and her doctor urged Emilia to abort the child

As a devout Catholic, Emilia refused, found a new doctor, and on May 18, 1920, gave birth to a boy, who was named Karol, after his father. Some 58 years later, the world would come to know him as Pope John Paul II

In a book published in Poland, Milena Kindziuk describes how Emilia Wojtyłowa, St John Paul II’s mother, was advised to get an abortion by a well-known obstetrician in their hometown of Wadowice, near Krakow, because he believed that neither the mother nor the baby would sur vive the deliver y

“She had to choose between her own life and that of the baby she was carr ying, but her deep faith did not allow Emilia to choose abortion,” Kindziuk said in an inter view with ACI Stampa. “Deep in her heart she had to be ready to make this sacrifice for the baby she was carr ying.”

In her book, Emilia and Karol Wojtyła Parents of St John Paul II, Kindziuk cites the testimony of a midwife, referred to only as Tatarowa, and the reports of Emilia’s friends, Helena Szczepanska and Maria Kaczorowa, as well as the memories of other resi-

dents of Wadowice.

Emilia was depressed by the insistence of her first doctor that she should have an abortion. Kindziuk said that Emilia and Karol Sr “made a bold decision that, regardless of ever ything, their conceived baby was to be born And so they started looking for another doctor.” They ultimately chose Dr Samuel Taub, a Jewish doctor from Krakow, who had moved to Wadowice after the First World War.

“Emilia’s friends kept memories of that visit. The doctor confirmed that there was a risk of complications during childbirth, including Emilia’s death. However, he did not suggest an abortion,” Kindziuk said Dr Taub recommended that Emilia lie down and rest often, and to feed herself well

Born to a litany

On May 18, 1920, “Emilia lay in her apartment in Koscielna Street, in the living room, in the presence of a midwife,” Kindziuk explained At the same time Karol Sr and their 13-yearold son Edmund had gone out around 17:00 to participate in the prayer of the Divine Office in the parish church across the street where they sang the Litany of Loreto. “Emilia asked the midwife to open the window she wanted the first sound her son could hear to be a song in honour of Mar y. In short, Emilia Wojtyła gave birth to her son, [while] listening to the song of the Litany of Loreto ”

St John Paul II later recalled that he was born to the litany in honour of the Mother of God, adding that he was elected pope at the same time of day that he was born

The sainthood causes of St John Paul II’s parents were formally opened in Poland in May 2021 Karol, a Polish army lieutenant, and Emilia, a school teacher, were married in Krakow on Februar y 10, 1906 The Catholic couple gave birth to three children: Edmund in 1906; Olga, who died shortly after her birth; and Karol in 1920

Emilia sensed that her miraclebaby would go on to achieve great things Locals later recalled that when the boy was just a few months old, she said to them: “You’ll see, my child will one day be a great man.”

Before she died of a heart attack and liver failure in 1929, Emilia was a staple of faith for the household At the time of her death, the future pope was a month away from his ninth birthday After this tragic event, Karol Sr took Lolek, as the future pope was known, and older son Edmund on a special pilgrimage to the shrine of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska There, he showed them “a new mother”. As pope, John Paul II chose as his motto “Totus Tuus” (“Totally Yours”), dedicated to the Blessed Virgin

Edmund, a doctor, would die at the age of 26 in 1932. Karol Sr died of a heart-attack in 1941, an event that influenced his son’s decision to join the seminar y

Karol Wojtyła Jr was ordained in 1946, became auxiliary bishop of Kraków in 1958 and archbishop in 1964. He was named a cardinal in 1967, and became Pope John Paul II in 1978. He died on April 2, 2005.

The secret of Nigeria ’s M A SS S U C C E SS

AC C O R D I N G T O A R E C E N T s t u d y, N i g e r i a h a s t h e h i g he s t M a s s a t t e n d a n c e i n t h e w o r l d , w i t h 9 4 % o f t h e c o u n t r y ’s 3 2 , 5 m i l l i o n C a t h o l i c s s a yi n g t h e y a t t e n d M a s s a t l e a s t w e e k l y I n c o m p a r i s o n , 3 4 % o f I t a l y ’s s e l f - i d e n t i f i e d C a t h o l i c s a t t e n d M a s s w e e k l y, 2 4 % i n t h e U S , 1 4 % i n G e r m a n y, a n d o n l y 8 % i n B r a z i l , t h e w o r l d ’s m o s t p o p u l o u s C a t h o l i c c o u n t r y N o f i g u r e s a r e a v a i l a b l e f o r s o u t h e r n A f r i c a n c o u n t r i e s

A f t e r N i g e r i a , w e e k l y o r m o r e f r e q u e n t M a s s a t t e n d a n c e i s h i g h e s t a m o n g a d u l t s e l f - i d e n t i f i e d C a t h o l i c s

i n K e n y a ( 7 3 % ) a n d L e b a n o n ( 6 9 % ) .

O t h e r c o u n t r i e s i n t h e s t u d y w i t h

M a s s a t t e n d a n c e o f o v e r 5 0 % a r e t h e

P h i l i p p i n e s , P o l a n d , C o l o m b i a a n d

E c u a d o r S o m e c o u n t r i e s w i t h l a r g e

C a t h o l i c p o p u l a t i o n s , s u c h a s t h e

D e m o c r a t i c R e p u b l i c o f C o n g o , f a l l o u t s i d e t h e s t u d y ’s s a m p l e s

T h e s t u d y w a s p u b l i s h e d b y t h e

C e n t e r f o r A p p l i e d R e s e a rc h i n t h e

A p o s t o l a t e ( C A R A ) o f t h e J e s u i t

G e o r g e t o w n U n i v e r s i t y i n Wa s h i n gt o n , D C . I t i s b a s e d o n t h e r e s u l t s f r o m t h e l a t e s t c y c l e o f t h e Wo r l d Va l u e s S u r v e y, w h i c h h a s s t u d i e d t r e n d s i n v a l u e s i n a l m o s t 1 0 0 c o u n t r i e s s i n c e 1 9 8 1

O f N i g e r i a ’s p o p u l a t i o n o f a r o u n d

2 1 3 m i l l i o n , 3 2 , 5 m i l l i o n , o r a b o u t 1 5 % , a r e C a t h o l i c s C a r d i n a l P e t e r E b e r e O k p a l e k e , 5 9 , o f t h e s o u t h e r n N i g e r i a n d i o c e s e o f E k w u l o b i a , s e e s t h r e e k e y f a c t o r s b e h i n d t h e a c t i v e p a r t i c i p a t i o n o f C a t h o l i c s i n N i g e r i a

I n a n i n t e r v i e w w i t h t h e C a t h o l i c N e w s A g e n c y, C a r d i n a l O k p a l e k e s a i d t h a t h e b e l i e v e s N i g e r i a ’s t r a d i t i o n a l w o r l d v i e w, t h e r o l e o f t h e f a m i l y, a n d a s e n s e o f c o m m u n i t y w i t h i n p a r i s h e s h a v e k e p t N i g e r i a n s c l o s e t o t h e s a c r a m e n t s f o r g e n e r a t i o n a f t e r g e n e r a t i o n

A w a r e o f G o d ’ s p r e s e n c e

Nigerian society as a whole has “a traditional worldview” that recognises the presence of God in life and society, according to Cardinal Okpaleke. Nigerians have not lost sight of how the spiritual world imbues ever yday life.

“There is a general awareness of the role of the divine in human life. It is this awareness that translates into Mass attendance for Catholics, who come to Mass to encounter Christ in the Eucharist,” the cardinal said

He noted that high Mass attendance “cuts across income brackets” with the poor and the rich, the uneducated and the educated all drawn to the sacraments by a shared desire for God

In other parts of the world where secularisation has atrophied a culture’s sense of the divine, the Church can benefit by emphasising how it is a “gateway” that fulfils the “inner hunger in the human being to relate to the divine”, he said

Family as domestic church

In Nigeria, he noted, there is a strong sense that the family is “the domestic church”, a term used by early Church Fathers and emphasised by Pope John Paul II in his apostolic

The world’s highest rate of Mass attendance is in Nigeria The nation’s youngest cardinal told courtney Mares some of the secrets behind his country ’s vibrant sacramental life.

How the God of Mercy calls us

RE S P O N D I N G T O G O D ’ S

C A L L t o a v o c a t i o n i s a r e a l i s a t i o n o f G o d ’s l o v e a n d m e rc y C o m p a r a b l e t o t h e p a r a b l e o f t h e M e rc i f u l F a t h e r, i n w h i c h t h e p r o d i g a l s o n r e a l i s e s h o w e a s y i t w o u l d b e i f h e r e t u r n s t o h i s f a t h e r e v e n i f j u s t a s a s e r v a n t ( L u k e 1 5 : 1 7 - 1 8 )

W h e n w e b e c o m e c o g n i z a n t o f t h e p r e s e n c e o f G o d i n o u r s i n f u ln e s s , t h e h u m a n d i s p o s i t i o n t e n d s t o t r y a n d f i n d w a y s t o e a r n t h i s m e r c y, a s i f G o d l o o k s a t u s w i t h a c o n d i t i o n L i k e t h e p r o d i g a l s o n , w e a t t e m p t t o d e g r a d e o r p u n i s h o u rs e l v e s t o i n f i l t r a t e G o d ’s m e r c y

B u t t h e L o r d d o e s n o t s e t a c o nd i t i o n f o r u s t o e x p e r i e n c e h i s l o v e a n d m e r c y G o d ’s l o v e i s a n u n r e -

exhortation Familiaris Consortio (1981)

The family is viewed as the primar y place where the “faith is handed over to the next generation,”

Cardinal Okpaleke explained

The cardinal noted that while the family is “facing a lot of pressure because of the socio-economic and cultural situation in Nigeria”, most families have held out against this pressure, drawing “from the faith to surmount the challenges thrown at them”

He recommends that Catholics around the world “pay pastoral attention to the family as the domestic church because that is where ever yone’s faith experience is formed”

S e n s e o f c o m m u n i t y

C a t h o l i c p a r i s h e s a n d d i o c e s e s i n N i g e r i a p r o v i d e p e o p l e w i t h a s t r o n g s e n s e o f “ c o m m u n i t y a n d b e l o n g i n g . L a r g e l y, p e o p l e f e e l a s e n s e o f c o mm u n i t y i n t h e C h u rc h , ” C a r d i n a l O k p a l e k e s a i d

H e s a i d h e t h a t h a d e x p e r i e n c e d t h i s f i r s t h a n d i n h i s o w n d i o c e s e , w h i c h i s o n l y t h r e e y e a r s o l d , w h e r e d i o c e s a n d i s c u s s i o n s o n t h e S y n o d o n S y n o d a l i t y f e l t l i k e “ t r a d i t i o n a l

s t r i c t e d g i f t t o u s , a n d i t i s o u r c h o i c e t o e x p e r i e n c e i t ( “ C o m i n g t o h i s s e n s e s h e t h o u g h t ” , L u k e 1 5 : 1 7 ) . B e i n g c a l l e d a n d r e s p o n d i n g t o r e l i g i o u s l i f e i s p a r t a k i n g i n a j o u r n e y o f a c c e p t i n g G o d ’s l o v e a n d m e r c y We c o m e t o t h i s l i f e a s w e a r e , w i t h o u r s t r e n g t h s a n d g o o d n e s s , b r o k e nn e s s a n d f l a w s a n d t h e L o r d t h e M e r c i f u l F a t h e r i n J e s u s ’ p a r a b l e s e e s u s f r o m a d i s t a n c e a n d i s f i l l e d w i t h c o m p a s s i o n H e r u n s t o w a r d s

s e s s i o n s i n v i l l a g e s q u a r e s w h e r e m a t t e r s o f i n t e r e s t t o t h e c o m m u n i t y w e r e d i s c u s s e d ”

Wi t h t h e c r e a t i o n o f t h e d i o c e s e i n 2 0 2 0 a m i d t h e C o v i d - 1 9 p a nd e m i c a n d t h e e c o n o m i c c h a l l e n g e s t h a t f o l l o w e d t h e c a r d i n a l h a s b e e n t o u c h e d b y h o w l o c a l C a t h o l i c s h a v e “ m a d e a n d c o n t i n u e t o h a p p i l y m a k e s a c r i f i c e s f o r t h e g r o w t h o f o u r d i o c e s e ”

H e i s n o w w o r k i n g t o e s t a b l i s h a d i o c e s a n r e t r e a t c e n t r e t h a t c a n a l s o s e r v e a s a h u b f o r o n g o i n g f o r m a t i o n f o r p r i e s t s a n d l a y C a t h o l i c s

“ T h e c r e a t i o n o f t h e d i o c e s e u n l e a s h e d s o m u c h j o y a n d e n e r g y i n b o t h t h e p r i e s t s a n d t h e l a y f a i t h f u l . T h e n e w d i o c e s e w a s t a k e n u p b y a l l a s t h e i r p r o j e c t , ” h e s a i d

L e s s o n s f o r t h e w o r l d

Cardinal Okpaleke sees in Nigeria’s high Mass attendance as both

u s , t o e m b r a c e a n d k i s s u s w i t h h i s u n f a t h o m a b l e l o v e ( L u k e 1 5 : 2 0 ) I t i s t h i s l o v e t h a t f o r m s u s t o b e c o m e t r u e a n d j o y f u l s e r v a n t s o f G o d T h e l o v e w e , a s r e l i g i o u s , r e c e i v e f r o m t h e L o r d i s o u r m i s s i o n W h e n w e r e s p o n d w i l l i n g l y t o G o d ’s c a l l , o u r l i f e b e c o m e s a c e l eb r a t i o n a n d o n e o f r e j o i c i n g , f o r w e h a v e c o m e t o l i f e a g a i n ( L u k e 1 5 : 3 2 )

Sr Margaret Mary Makuwerere is a Ursuline Sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Libode in Mthatha.

“something to cheer” and a challenge to work to preser ve “this invaluable gift from God”

He acknowledged that the vibrant faith in Nigeria is in part the fruit of missionaries who brought the Gospel to the countr y.

“There was a time when the percentage of Mass attendance in some parts of the world was almost 100% This has changed in many places,” he said “It is therefore important for the Church in these areas to reflect on what caused the shift in worldview that resulted in the drop in Mass attendance.”

Today Nigeria sends priests to ser ve the Church in Europe and the United States In the US, for example, the number of priests has dropped by 70% from 1970 to 2020

Cardinal Okpaleke, who received the red hat from Pope Francis in August 2022, underlined the important role of the family and of parish communities in cultivating a living faith.

“ T h e C h u rc h a s a c o m m u n i t y h a s a l s o t o s t r i v e t o e m b o d y t h e y e a r n i n g o f h u m a n b e i n g s f o r l o v e , c o m m un i t y, a n d b e l o n g i n g n e s s i n o r d e r t o e f f e c t i v e l y p r o c l a i m J e s u s , ” h e s a i d

As we pray for vocations at this time of the year, Sr Margaret Mary Makuwerere Su reflects on how we find God’s call in the Gospel of Luke

‘There is an awareness of the role of the divine in human life’

Have a talk with God

Reviewed by Günther Simmermacher

PRAY THEN LISTEN: A heart-to-heart with God,

by Teresa O’Driscoll John Hunt Publishing, UK (2022). 123pp.

WE A L L H AV E O U R O W N w a y s o f p r a y i n g . S o m e people talk to God inform a l l y, e v e n w i t h o u t using words Others use formal prayers to communicate their concerns to the L o r d . G o d , o f c o u r s e , h e a r s a l l o u r p r a y e r s , a n d a n s w e r s t h e m a l l ( a n d sometimes the answer is “no”)

In this practical book, author Teresa O’Driscoll suggests that while formal prayers are a foundation of our faith life, these tend to be one-way communications. Our relationship with God can be deepened further, she writes, by having conversations with him we tell God what is on our minds and then we listen to his response.

Pray Then Listen is the result of one s u c h c o n v e r s a t i o n , O ’ D r i s c o l l s a y s , w h e n G o d t o l d h e r t o “ s h o w p e op l e h o w t o s p e a k t o m e s o t h a t I can respond” That instruction did not arrive by a booming voice from t h e h e a v e n s b u t t h r o u g h t h e a ut h o r ’s o p e n n e s s t o d i s c e r n w h a t God was telling her

T h i s b o o k , t h e n , i s i n t e n d e d a s a g u i d e t o e n h a n c i n g o u r t w o - w a y c o nv e r s a t i o n s w i t h G o d . I n s e v e n s e ct i o n s , O ’ D r i s c o l l t e a c h e s r e a d e r s s i m p l e m e t h o d s w h i c h c a n b e i n c o rp o r a t e d i n t o d a i l y l i f e , w i t h o u t m u c h i n v e s t m e n t o f t i m e H e r m e t h o d , w h i c h a d v o c a t e s t h e p r a c t i c e o f b r i e f m e d i t a t i o n , i s d e l i b e r a t e l y a d a p t a b l e .

R e a d e r s c a n a d j u s t t h e m a s s u i t s t h e i r n e e d s a n d c i rc u m s t a n c e s

O’Driscoll recounts personal experiences when prayer provided answers, s o m e t i m e s i n s t a n t l y a n d o f t e n i n u n -

e x p e c t e d w a y s L i s t e n i n g t o G o d r equires of us the humility to realise that our good ideas are not all ours.

G o d c a n t a l k t o u s i n d i f f e r e n t ways It can be by small or great miracles, or by a direct resolution of problems, or by indirectly guiding us to an a n s w e r t h r o u g h a f r i e n d , a p i e c e o f writing, a sign... Importantly, putting o u r t r o u b l e s a n d w o r r i e s i n t o G o d ’s hands can relieve us of those stresses “Thy will be done ”

Pray in the morning

O ’ D r i s c o l l r e c o m m e n d s b u i l d i n g e a c h d a y o n a f o u n d a t i o n o f p r a y e r, a n d g u i d e s t h e r e a d e r t o w a r d s e s t a bl i s h i n g t h a t g r o u n d w o r k I l i k e h e r morning “prayer of thankfulness”:

“Hello Lord. Thank you for the gift of a new day And thank you too that I can see and hear and touch, and for my other senses Please help me to use t h i s d a y w i s e l y. I a s k t h i s i n J e s u s ’ name. Amen.”

Her method is intended to lead to t h e i n v o l v e m e n t o f J e s u s i n o u r l i v e s

God in our prayers, for all we have and all we love

T h e b o o k i n c l u d e s m a n y s h o r t p r a y e r s f o r d i f f e r e n t s i t u a t i o n s a n d n e e d s T h e s e p r a y e r s c a n b e c o p i e d , a d a p t e d o r r e w o r k e d , a n d , o b v i o u s l y, we can add our own prayers to our personal repositor y.

Prayer in times of crisis

Readers may find helpful recourse in the section headed “When life gets challenging” in times of despair or illness (their own or that of others)

T h e a u t h o r o f f e r s o n e p a r t i c u l a r l y good piece of advice for such troub l e d t i m e s : R e s i s t t h e u r g e t o a s k “Why”, as that may get in the way o f d i s c e r n i n g t h e s p i r i t u a l h e l p Jesus is giving

t h r o u g h o u t t h e d a y B e i n g b u s y i s n o excuse: we can pray while performing o u r a b l u t i o n s , w h i l e c o m m u t i n g t o w o r k , w h i l e e x e rc i s i n g , o r w h i l e preparing our supper

O ’ D r i s c o l l s u g g e s t s t h a t w e e x e rc i s e o u r p r a y e r m u s c l e s i n a n y g i v e n situation throughout the day, such as when we see an ambulance, read about a c r i s i s , e n c o u n t e r a s e r v i c e p r o v i d e r, o r a r e c k l e s s d r i v e r We c a n a d d t o these How about praying for the telemarketer who disrupts our day? Importantly, we must always give thanks to

O ’ D r i s c o l l w r i t e s i n a n a t t r a ct i v e c o n v e r s a t i o n a l t o n e w h i c h t e s t if i e s t o a d e e p l o v e f o r t h e L o r d I n m o m e n t s w h e n o n e m a y f e e l a l i t t l e s e p a r a t e d f r o m G o d o r t o o j a d e d t o talk to him, books like these are a useful source of inspiration

P r a y T h e n L i s t e n c a n s e r v e a s a great companion as we seek to become c l o s e r t o t h e F a t h e r, t h e S o n a n d t h e Holy Spirit.

For more see www.johnhuntpublish ing.com/circle-books/our-books/ pray-then-listen

O’Driscoll suggests we exercise our prayer muscles throughout the day

A martyr for justice

the martyrdom of a young woman who wanted to become a nun.

AC C O R D I N G T O T H E A F R I C A N Yo u t h S u r v e y o f 2 0 2 2 , i t i s e s t i m a t e d t h a t b y 2 0 3 0 , 4 2 % o f t h e w o r l d ’s y o u t h w i l l b e A f r i c a n . T h e s u r v e y o f y o u n g p e o p l e , a g e d 1 5 - 2 4 f r o m 1 5 c o u n t r i e s , f o u n d t h a t m o s t o f t h e c o n t i n e n t ’s y o u t h f e e l t h a t t h e i r c o u n t r i e s a r e g o i n g i n t h e w r o n g d i r e c t i o n . O n l y 3 2 % o f A f r i c a ’s y o u t h i n t e r v i e w e d f o r t h e s u r v e y a r e p o s i t i v e a b o u t t h e c o n t in e n t ’s p r o s p e c t s , w h i l e 5 2 % o f y o u t h w i s h t o m o v e a b r o a d w i t h i n t h e n e x t t h r e e y e a r s T h e s u r v e y a l s o f o u n d t h a t y o u n g p e o p l e i n A f r i c a a r e m o r e d e t e r m i n e d t o m a k e t h e c o n t i n e n t a b e t t e r p l a c e I t i s e s t i m a t e d t h a t 6 0 % o f A f r i c a ’s p o p u l a t i o n i s y o u n g e r t h a n 2 5 y e a r s A g l i m p s e i n t o t h e s p i r i t u a l i t y o f

A f r i c a ’s y o u t h i n m o d e r n t i m e s i s p r o v i d e d b y t h e s h o r t l i f e o f T h é r è s e D e c h a d e K a p a n g a l a B o r n i n K i n s h a s a , D e m o c r a t i c R e p u b l i c o f C o n g o ( D R C ) , T h é r è s e d i e d a t t h e a g e o f 2 4 i n 2 0 1 8 , a t S t F r a n c i s d e S a l e s p a r i s h i n K i n s h a s a S h e i s a l r e a d y r e g a r d e d b y m a n y a s a m a r t y r f o r j u s t i c e a n d p e a c e

W h e n J o s e p h K a b i l a ’s p r e s i d e n c y c a m e t o a n e n d a n d h e r e f u s e d t o h a n d o v e r p o w e r, C a t h o l i c c l e r g y a n d l a y p e o p l e i n K i n s h a s a w e r e a t t h e f o r e f r o n t o f t h o s e c a l l i n g f o r s o c i a l j u s t i c e a n d d e m o c r a t i c g o v e r n a n c e

T h é r è s e , w h o w a s t r a i n i n g t o b ec o m e a n u n , w a s a c t i v e i n t h e s t r u g g l e

f o r j u s t i c e a n d p e a c e O n J a n u a r y 2 1 , 2 0 1 8 , s h e p a r t i c i p a t e d i n a s o c i a l j u s t i c e p r o t e s t h e l d a f t e r M a s s a t S t F r a n c i s d e S a l e s , c a l l i n g f o r f r e e a n d f a i r e l e c t i o n s . T h i s p e a c e f u l p r o t e s t w a s v i o l e n t l y d i s p e r s e d b y t h e p o l i c e . T h é r è s e w a s k i l l e d b y t h e b u l l e t s f r o m a p o l i c e

t o l o v e o u r n e i g h b o u r a s h e h a s l o v e d u s

m a c h i n e g u n , f i r e d b y a c o p p o s i t i o n e d a t o p a n a r m o u r e d v e h i c l e

A s t h e b u l l e t s h i t , s h e w a s w i p i n g t h e e y e s o f a l i t t l e g i r l w h o h a d b e e n a f f e c t e d b y t h e t e a r g a s d i s c h a r g e d b y p o l i c e I t i s s a i d t h a t T h é r è s e ’s b o d y w a s t h e s h i e l d b e t w e e n t h e p o l i c e a n d t h e c h i l d T h é r è s e t o o k t h e f i g h t f o r j u s t i c e , p e a c e a n d d e m o c r a c y t o t h e s t r e e t s a n d s a c r i f i c e d h e r l i f e f o r i t

L ove f o r n e i g h b o u r

T h é r è s e , i n h e r y o u t h f u l n e s s , g r a s p e d t h e c o m p l e x i t i e s t h a t a c c o mp a n y d e m o c r a t i c g o v e r n a n c e i n A f r i c a a n d t h e w o r l d S h e u n d e r s t o o d t h e n e c e s s i t y a n d i m p o r t a n c e o f i n t e g r a t i n g h e r p e r s o n a l d e v o t i o n t o J e s u s C h r i s t i n t o t h e m a t t e r s t h a t a f f e c t s o c i e t y a s a w h o l e , a n d o f e x p r e s s i n g h e r l o v e f o r n e i g h b o u r A f t e r a l l , J e s u s i n s t r u c t e d u s

Thérèse grew up in a devout Catholic family Her uncle was Fr Joseph Musubao, who led the peaceful protest action at St Francis de Sales parish. Thérèse was an active member of her parish. She was a member of the choir and of the Legion of Mar y She took care of the maintenance of the grotto and loved to pray the rosar y there She always placed flowers at the statues of the Blessed Virgin Mar y Thérèse was known for her prayer fulness and her willingness to take care of others Her siblings affectionately referred to the firstborn in a family of six as “little mother”

C a l l s f o r c a n o n i s a t i o n

To the Congolese people who knew her, Thérèse was deemed “an angel among her people” A day after her death, a register was opened and many people expressed their desire to see her canonised, as does her family

Many people recognised her “ever yday holiness” and the context of what her life offered. Frs Musubao and André Bagaza SJ have published a book of prayers and meditations to seek Thérèse’s intercession

Colleen Constable writes from Gauteng. In June she will reflect on the life, death and legacy of a South African teenager

Because we can be of Value and Assistance to you.

Thérèse’s body was the shield between the police and the little girl

In the first in a series on the spirituality of Catholic youth in Africa, colleen constable recalls

Let’s discuss our Church’s Bible past

During my school days, long ago, and well thereafter, I understood that Bible study was not encouraged by the Catholic Church, and that the laity should be instructed in scriptures through their pastors All my schooling was at Catholic institutions, and I never even saw a bible, apart from the books used at Mass This near-fear was reinforced by the feeling I experienced when I saw a Gideon bible in a hotel room!

Things have changed. In the 1970s there was a sales campaign for Catholic bibles in my parish; I bought one from the late Fr John Brady OMI.

There seems to be a reluctance to discuss this history. Surely we should be open about our history and our beliefs, even when they are now superseded, as is evident in Pope Francis’ decree that the third Sunday in Ordinary Time is to be observed as an annual special day devoted to “the celebration, study and dissemination of the word of God”.

Cecil Cullen, Alberton

Heart language

Afew years ago my dad surprised me with a story I had not heard Apparently I was baptised in Latin, so strictly speaking my name is not Stephen Anthony but Stephanus Antonius It has a nice gladiatorial ring to it

I wonder what all the fuss is about having Mass in Latin; it seems to verge on obsession in some quarters, particularly when it is idolised to the point of its proponents separating themselves from the Church.

Language is important And I think scripture hints at what is appropriate On Pentecost we see the Apostles preaching (I imagine in Aramaic) and “everybody understood them in their own language”

(Acts 2:6) That’s how the Holy Spirit did

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We want some justifiable anger

Once upon a time, there was a man named Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a godly man who fought apartheid and was, in effect, the conscience of South Africa and its people, at least for those who actually had a conscience. Sadly he is no longer with us and in his absence we have silence

it; the Holy Spirit did not make them all suddenly understand Aramaic but translated it for them into their own language the language of the heart.

A few years ago, in a fairly remote province in the Philippines, I talked with a chap from the Isneg tribe who told me about a missionary who had spent years translating the New Testament into the Isneg language The people there speak English and Filipino, of course, and many were already Christians, but when this chap read scripture in his own language, he wept it moved him so deeply to hear it in the language of his heart

What is needed is to get back to basics, not so much with tradition but fully “orthodox” to the instructions left behind by Jesus: To preach the Gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons

Stephen Clarke, Manila, Philippines

Days of Obligation

My concern is that the Church still has days of obligation in order to keep us in line, so to speak Reports throughout the world show a decline in the number of Christians, let alone Catholics, attending church services. Wouldn’t it be prudent for the hierarchy to concentrate on keeping and increasing the number of faithful.

God, in his mercy, has given Man a choice May his will be done

John Bonelle, Randburg

Each week I visit a Catholic church and as I look at all the people listening to what the priest has to say, I wonder how many millions of people of all religions attend a service each week, desperate for a sign from their institution of choice a sign that says, yes, we the people of South Africa as a collective have the power to save our beautiful nation.

On the one hand, we have political parties, including the governing party which has been in power for almost 30 years and continues to use South Africa as its personal playground. On the other hand, we have the collective Church with millions and millions of followers.

These followers look up to their religion for guidance Without being partypolitical, surely the collective Church has a social, moral and ethical responsibility to speak directly to the hearts of their congregants and members

The faith bodies must ensure that, come the 2024 elections, the people of South Africa will do the right thing and vote honestly, with a clear conscience not because of free T-shirts or meal packs or because community leaders instruct them to vote for a political party

The collective Church has a great ethical responsibility to be heard loudly and clearly, using not only mainstream media but also all in-house channels, including social media, to call out the illegal and problematic actions and policies of politicians and their respective parties

Shout as loudly as possible and express actual anger at the unethical, illegal and questionable behaviour of parties and politicians

Justifiable anger is biblical Jesus got angry many times (Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-18; John 2:13-22) Jesus’ emotion was described as “zeal” for God’s house (John 2:17).

The collective Church’s silence in our time of need is challenging my faith Where are the Desmond Tutus of today?

Peter Tuerk, Johannesburg

The power of a mother’s prayer

PRAYING IS FOR THE TOUGH IT really is not as easy as “with God

I can scale any wall”, as the psalmist sings.

There was a mother whose teenage son drove her mad beyond imagining, as teenagers often do She went to a priest, as mothers often do, and listened with tears in her eyes as he related the story of another mother who had spent many years praying for her wayward son

That mother’s boy went from bad to worse as her prayers went unanswered The boy’s father decided to offer him a gap year after school to take him out of the bad environment he was in before going off to university in the big city The mother kept on praying, visiting holy places and gathering the advice of many holy priests and bishops.

The gap year saw the boy falling head over heels in love with a beautiful girl, and before you knew it, he had fathered a child, but he was too young to take her hand in marriage A bishop told the boy’s poor mother that a child for whom so many tears were shed can never stay lost She kept on praying

Prayers for unhappy son

Her son grew up and kind of made it in life, by our standards, earning good money since he was a bright boy, well, a bright man by now. Yet for all his learning and earning, he wasn’t a happy man And his mother kept up her prayers She also did what mothers sometimes do –she stopped cooking for him. And her prayers for him went unanswered.

The young man mocked her church ways and childlike faith, believing it was

not for him After his father’s death, he emigrated to the bright lights, escaping his nagging mother. Or so he thought. The old lady eventually caught up with him Slowly he developed doubts about his ways and beliefs. But only slowly. And his mother kept on praying

He began to realise how strong his mother’s faith was, how far advanced she was, way ahead of him in life and wisdom And because nothing in this life lasts forever, eventually the dam wall broke. He and his son as well as his best friend were baptised and received into the church one Easter Vigil

God’s own timing

And his mother knew that her prayers actually had never gone unanswered God just had his own schedule His timing wasn’t hers It always looked

so dark and lonely, as if God was slumbering and sleeping Yet she never stopped praying. She was Monica. Aunt Monica St Monica That boy of hers, a saint too by her prayers, was Augustine St Augustine.

And that first mother with the difficult teenager, who had been ready to throw in the towel, knew she had a new and certain inspiration in St Monica, a new ally in heaven Like Aaron and Hur keeping up Moses’ arms in prayer! For the Lord sleeps not nor slumbers When the Son of Man comes, he will find faith like St Monica’s, a mother’s faith

I, too, take courage and I can continue a little stronger, for our mothers are here with us

Fr Encrico Parry is a priest of the diocese of Oudtshoorn. This article first appeared on the Imbisa website

A bishop told the boy’s poor mother that a child for whom so many tears were shed can never stay lost.

She kept on praying...

Let sacred music touch our faith

AS IN ALL MOVEMENTS THAT bring together people from different perspectives, in ecumenism there is rightly a desire to find the things that ever yone can agree about.

But the danger of this is that you end up with something that no one can object to, even if no one really likes it Thus, ecumenical ser vices often fail to inspire because they end up being based on the lowest common denominator

Wouldn’t it be exciting, instead, if the aim was to find the highest common factor rejoicing in the elements that are the best from each of the traditions?

I c a n i m a g i n e a s e r v i c e h e l d i n a Russian Orthodox building with Greek O r t h o d o x i c o n s T h e E u c h a r i s t w o u l d be led by the Catholics, the readings delivered by the Anglicans, the preacher would be a Baptist and the prayers said b y a P r e s b y t e r i a n . T h e M e t h o d i s t s would organise the choral singing and the Lutherans the organ music Finally, t h e E v a n g e l i c a l s w o u l d s u p p l y t h e r efreshments after wards: cappuccinos all round!

I was recently involved in an experiment that came close to this The Durban Chamber Choir (of which I am a member) regularly sings unaccompanied Mass settings such as those written by Monteverdi or Victoria 500 years ago We also sing modern music, especially pieces composed by our conductor, Dr Christopher Cockburn

When he was in charge of music at Grahamstown cathedral, Dr Cockburn wrote a series of Mass settings that were premiered at a Eucharist during the National Arts Festival. His “Festival Mass Number 2” was originally sung by two choirs, the regular formal Cathedral choir and a community choir from the township

He had thus created a piece that connected with the two traditions of Western church music and African choral music Sometimes the two parts sang in ”call-and-response”, which in turns reminds us of monastic antiphonal singing (think about how choir stalls in old cathedrals are placed opposite each other, for the two parts of the choir)

Whether the Mass setting is from the 16th centur y or the 20th centur y, the full impact of such music is best heard in the liturgical context for which

it was written, rather than in a concert hall We were thus delighted when Fr James Ralston OMI, who has been a member of the choir, invited us recently to sing as part of the main Sunday morning Mass at Blessed Sacrament Church in Virginia, a northern suburb of Durban It was especially appropriate since this ver y recent Mass was being sung in a starkly modern, award-winning church which opened in 2005-06

Mass coming home

It felt, in some way, that the Mass was coming home since the words were sung in the traditional Latin. Dr Cockburn explained that, even though he originally wrote it for an Anglican Eucharist, he used Latin.

This was in part to connect with the ancient well-known Mass settings, but also to get around a very South African problem: at the time the congregation in Grahamstown cathedral was almost evenly divided between English, Afrikaans and Xhosa speakers. Latin was acceptable because it was no one’s home language!

were there, and we were singing in Latin in a ser vice that was predominately in Afrikaans. It’s just as well that we sing loudly, so we drowned out the sound of venerable Voortrekkers spinning in their graves! And yet, thanks to the thoughtful placing of the pieces in the ser vice by Dominees Armando Fraenkel and Theo Human, the fit was liturgically just right.

The High Anglican Eucharist is structurally ver y similar to a post-Vatican II Catholic Mass, and so the music fitted in perfectly in the Catholic church The one change was that the first two sections of music had to be swapped around, since in the Anglican liturgy the Gloria comes before the Kyrie The composer was very comfortable with this.

Latin in a NGK church

We expected a greater challenge the following week, when we were invited to sing the same work as part at the Dutch Reformed Church (the NGK) in Umhlanga. Bear in mind that for many members of the NGK the Roomse gevaar (the “Roman danger”) used to be on a par with the swar t gevaar (the “black danger”) and the rooi gevaar (the “red danger”, or communists).

There did not seem to be many blacks or communists in the congregation that morning, but I was one of a number of Catholics in the choir who

In both churches the choir seemed to do our job: to lead the minds and the hearts of the worshippers towards God.

It was very moving to hear so many positive comments from NGK members afterwards: not one of them was anxious that we had sung in Latin, or used texts from the Catholic Mass Instead they seemed delighted to enjoy the quality and traditions of another part of the Christian community and see how they integrated with their own.

In turn, I was deeply moved to witness their communion ser vice (nagmaal): the minister, wearing regular clothes, reciting the familiar words of Jesus from the Last Supper but in a very informal way, compared to the Catholic rite

That we could sing the Agnus Dei in both Catholic and Dutch Reformed contexts was interesting, given the very different theological understanding of communion by the respective denominations. But Dr Cockburn captured the reason why it worked He pointed out that the music expresses the responses

Our choir led the worshippers’ minds and hearts towards God

that are required during the service: penitence, praise, thanksgiving, acceptance.

He said: “All these ser vices have common elements, however differently they may be arranged and however different the language that surrounds them By expressing these common human responses, the music is able to highlight what we have in common, alongside those things that make us distinctive ”

Bland fare

I was pleased, and not surprised, that each week the congregations had reacted so well to music that was unfamiliar and challenging I think we often do parishioners a disser vice by giving them the same bland fare musically when in fact they are open to hearing something more inspiring.

We assume that our congregations are content with fast-food music every week, perhaps because it’s all they have known but given the chance to taste cordon bleu, they really appreciate it

The frequent excuse is that the parish has to rely on whoever comes forward to volunteer for the music ministr y. But why? Our cities, and some of our towns, have a number of musicians and singers who are highly skilled and for a small payment could lead excellent music in our parishes And yet, we are happy to spend more money on the flowers each week than we spend on the music!

Let’s show respect for God and for God’s people by offering them a high standard in all parts of our liturgy

A recording of the Durban Chamber Choir singing the Festival Mass and some other pieces will soon be available. If you would like to be kept informed about this, e-mail raymond@denishurleycentre org

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We must risk God’s mercy

SHORTLY AFTER MY ORDINATION, I found myself in a rectory with a saintly old priest He was over 80, nearly blind, but widely sought out and respected, especially as a confessor

One night, alone with him, I asked him this question: “If you had your priesthood to live over again, would you do anything differently?” From a man so full of integrity, I fully expected that there would be no regrets. His answer surprised me Yes, he said, he did have a regret, a major one:

“If I had my priesthood to do over again, I would be easier on people the next time I wouldn’t be so stingy with God’s mercy, with the sacraments, and with forgiveness You see, what was drilled into me in my formation was the phrase, ‘The truth will set you free,’ and I believed that it was my responsibility to challenge people to protect that That’s good, but I fear I’ve been too hard on people They have pain enough in their lives without me and the Church laying further burdens on them I should have risked more God’s mercy!”

I was struck by this because less than a year before, as I took my final exams in the seminary, one of the priests who examined me gave me this warning: “Be careful, never let your feelings get in the way of truth and be too soft; that’s wrong Remember, tough as it is, only the truth sets people free!” Sound advice, it would seem, for a young priest beginning his ministry However, as every year goes by in my own ministry, I feel more inclined to the old priest’s advice We need to risk more God’s mercy Admittedly, the importance of truth may never be ignored, but we must risk letting the infinite, unbounded, unconditional, undeserved mercy of God flow freely The mercy of God is as accessible as the nearest water tap, and we, like Isaiah, must proclaim a mercy that has no price tag: “Come, come without money and without virtue, come everyone, drink freely of God’s mercy!”

P r o c l a i m i n g d i v i n e m e r c y

What holds us back? Why are we so hesitant in proclaiming God’s inexhaustible, prodigal, indiscriminate mercy?

Partly our motives are good, noble even We have a legitimate concern over some important things: truth, justice, orthodoxy, morality, proper public form, proper sacramental preparation, fear of scandal, and concern for the ecclesial community that needs to absorb and carry the effects of sin Love needs always to be

tempered by truth, even as truth must be moderated by love

However, sometimes our motives are less noble and our hesitancy arises out of timidity, fear, jealousy, and legalism the self-righteousness of the Pharisees or the hidden jealousy of the older brother of the prodigal son No cheap grace is to be dispensed on our watch!

Nevertheless, in doing this, we are misguided, less than good shepherds, out of tune with the God that Jesus proclaimed God’s mercy, as Jesus revealed it, embraces indiscriminately, the bad along with the good, the undeserving with the deserving, the uninitiated with the initiated One of the truly startling insights that Jesus gave us is that the mercy of God cannot not go out to everyone because it is always free, undeserved, unconditional, universal in embrace, reaching beyond all religion, custom, rubric, political correctness, mandatory programme, ideology, and even beyond sin itself

For our part then, especially those of us who are parents, ministers, teachers, catechists, and elders, we must risk proclaiming the prodigal character of God’s mercy We must not spend God’s mercy as if it were ours to spend, dole out God’s forgiveness as if it were a limited commodity, put conditions on God’s love as if God were a narrow tyrant or a political ideology, or cut off access to God as if we were the keepers of the heavenly gates We are not! If we link God’s mercy to our own assessment of things, we then link it to our own limits, wounds, and biases G o d ’s s e l f - a p p o i n t e d g u a r d s

It is interesting to note in the Gospels how the apostles, well-meaning of course, often tried to keep certain people away from Jesus, as if they weren’t worthy and were somehow an affront to his holiness and purity Repeatedly, they tried to send away children, prostitutes, tax collectors, known sinners and the uninitiated of all kinds, and always Jesus overruled their attempts with words to this effect: “Let them come! I want them to come to me ”

Little has changed We, well-intentioned persons with the same motives as the apostles, always try to keep certain individuals and groups away from God’s mercy as it is available in word, sacrament, and community. God doesn’t need (nor want) our protection. Jesus wanted every kind of person to come to him then and he wants them to come to him now God wants everyone, regardless of morality, orthodoxy, lack of preparation, age, or culture, to come to the unlimited waters of divine mercy

Every month Fr chris chatteris SJ reflects on Pope Francis’ prayer intention

The vocation of admin

Intention: We pray that Church movements and groups may rediscover their mission of evangelisation each day, placing their own charisms at the service of needs in the world.

TH E PA S T W E E K I H AV E B E E N l e a r n i n g h o w t o u s e a n a cc o u n t i n g s o f t w a r e p a c k a g e c a l l e d Q u i c k b o o k s o n l i n e I t has been, as they say, a steep learning cur ve, and I’m not yet convinced that t h e p r o g r a m m e d e s e r v e s t h e a d j e c t i v e “ q u i c k ” P e r h a p s o u r f o r e f a t h e r s a n d f o r e m o t h e r s d e a l t w i t h a c c o u n t i n g tasks more rapidly using old-fashioned ledgers!

I belong to the Society of Jesus (the J e s u i t s ) w h o s e m i s s i o n i s t o “ f i n d G o d i n a l l t h i n g s ” , t o “ s a v e s o u l s ” , a n d a l l m a n n e r o f p e r m ut a t i o n s a n d c o m b i n a t i o n s o f t h e t w o Ye t , I f i n d m y s e l f t e mp o r a r i l y, I h o p e e n m e s h e d i n a n e t o f a d m i n O f c o u r s e , a d m i n c a n a n d s h o u l d b e a m e a n s o f s e r v i c e a n d l o v e o f G o d a n d n e i g h b o u r A w e l l - r u n p a r i s h o r s c h o o l o r h o s p i t a l o r r e l i g i o u s c o n g r eg a t i o n w i l l o b v i o u s l y s e r v e o t h e r s b e tt e r t h a n a b a d l y - r u n o n e . A n d y e t , w e d o s o o f t e n s t r u g g l e t o s t r i k e t h e c o r r e c t b a l a n c e b e t w e e n t h e a d m i n a n d t h e a c t u a l m i s s i o n o f a n o rg a n i s a t i o n We c a n g e t s o c a u g h t u p i n m e e t i n g s a b o u t o u r w o r k , w r i t i n g r ep o r t s a s s e s s i n g i t , a n d c r a f t i n g p r o p o sa l s f o r n e w t y p e s o f w o r k , t h a t w e n e v e r g e t o u t t h e r e a n d a c t u a l l y d o t h e w o r k T h e p r o b l e m h a s b e e n l a m -

p o o n e d b y t h e p h r a s e , “ To J e s u s t h r o u g h m e e t i n g s ”

H o w t h e n , i n t h e p o p e ’s w o r d s , t o “ r e d i s c o v e r o u r m i s s i o n o f e v a n g e l i s at i o n e a c h d a y, p l a c i n g o u r c h a r i s m s a t t h e s e r v i c e o f n e e d s i n t h e w o r l d ” ?

One thing that strikes me more and more from my new vantage point of an a d m i n i s t r a t o r, i s t h a t w e a b s o l u t e l y have to attract the right people.

I f w e h a v e m e m b e r s o f “ C h u rc h movements and groups” who are truly

ministration of the religious NGO he is w o r k i n g w i t h E v e r y t h i n g i s r e c o r d e d and reported back to the funders Part o f t h i s h a s t o d o w i t h t h e i m p o r t a n t v i r t u e o f a c c o u n t a b i l i t y, b u t a n o t h e r part of it is due to the fact that funders k n o w t h a t e v e n N G O s s u f f e r f r o m t h e tendency to become self-ser ving D i s a p p o i n t i n g s t o r i e s a b o u n d o f how apparently generous NGO workers e n d e d u p b e c o m i n g l a z y, i n t o x i c a t e d w i t h p o w e r, o r g e t t i n g t h e i r f i n g e r s i n t h e t i l l I n o n e c a s e , a f e w y e a r s b a c k , s e v e n y e a r s o f l o o t i n g b y a single individual caused the entire NGO to collapse and die

motivated by the charisms or the gifts of the Spirit, then their main focus will b e o n s e r v i c e T h e y w i l l g i v e p o s i t i v e e n e r g y a n d d i r e c t i o n t o t h e o r g a n i s ation They will understand that the org a n i s a t i o n i s a t t h e s e r v i c e o f o t h e r s , rather than to their own benefit They will need less administrative control.

T h e t h r e a t o f c o r r u p t i o n

This blessed state of affairs is more d i f f i c u l t t o a c h i e v e t h a n o n e w o u l d imagine. A young confrere was describi n g t o m e r e c e n t l y t h e e x t r a o r d i n a r i l y e l a b o r a t e s t r u c t u r e s b u i l t i n t o t h e a d -

So when we look at organisations like Eskom, we can see that t h e C h u rc h h a s t h e s a m e c h a ll e n g e n a m e l y t o a t t r a c t p e o p l e o f ver y high integrity who get it that what they are called to do is to ser ve God and t h e c o m m o n g o o d I t i s i n t h e s e a rc h for such people that the administration often needs to be strengthened, not in s e t t i n g u p f a n c y s y s t e m s t o c a t c h o u t members who lack integrity.

If we can seek out and find people o f i n t e g r i t y w h o h a v e a t r u e s e n s e o f vocation and an understanding of the c h a r i s m o f t h e g r o u p , t h e n w e w i l l b e h o m e a n d d r y We w i l l b e a b l e t o e ngage our energies more with the direct ser vice of the Gospel

The problem has been lampooned by the phrase, ‘To Jesus through meetings’

Lord, you invite us to follow you wholehear tedly, to le t go of any thing that hinders us. Give me the grace to follow you, to le t go of attitudes, past events, past hur ts, material comfor ts –any thing that does not allow me to follow you with all my hear t . Amen

by Fr Russell Pollitt SJ

Prayer Corner

Your prayers to cut out and collect

Social Media Prayer

prayer

Spirit of God, through the witness of our lives, standing in solidarity with all peoples, may we spread the warmth of your love, the light of your wisdom, and the fire of your justice, so that all may live in peace and security Amen

C hr ist has no online presence but yours. No blog, no Facebook page but yours. Yours are the tweets through which love touches the wor ld. Yours are the posts through which the Gospel is shared.

Yours are the updates through which hope is revealed.

C hr ist has no online presence but yours – no blog, no Facebook page but yours.

PRAYER OF HOPE FOR OUR TROUBLED WORLD

Father Almighty God, please let the whole world experience the calmness, love, peace and harmony that only You can give in times of war, trials and tribulations. only You are able. Amen

Prayer

May the Lord Jesus, the pure Word poured out from the hear t of the Father, help us to make our communication clear, open and hear tfelt.

May the Lord Jesus, the Word made flesh, help us listen to the beating of

hear ts, to rediscover ourselves as brothers and sisters, and to disarm the hostility that divides.

May the Lord Jesus, the Word of truth and love, help us speak the truth in charity, so that we may feel like protectors of one another

Anagram Challenge

Unscramble the clues below to work out which TITLES OF MARY hide in these words

Find these names from the Books of Acts in the puzzle above

DROPPED LETTERS: Place the missing letters to get modern Catholic spiritual writers

1. Sofia gets a hundred. What a failure (6)

4 They were aromatic for Jesus’ burial (6)

9 The time before Pentecost (13)

10 Gave it up for Lent? (7)

11. Life is changed, not … (Liturgy) (5)

12 Attempt to write (5)

14 Say something absolute (5)

18 Get a non-family member into the family (5)

19. How the Apostles were alert at the Ascension (5-2)

21 Regular writer to the newspaper (13)

22 Ethnic discrimination (6)

23 Believes in someone (6)

DoWn

1. Eats well at religious festivals (6)

2 Jurisdiction of the metropolitan (13)

3 A person like Doubting Thomas (5)

5. Giving off incense fumes (7)

6 Barrenness (13)

7 How the courting couple goes (6)

8 Airline employee who sounds biblical (5)

13. She performed in the Passion Play (7)

15 She could be a liturgical performer (6)

16 Scourges (5)

17 Pest is showing malice (6)

20. King Saul’s army commander (5)

For all solutions turn to page

AcroSS

2 Radio Veritas presenter Litabe (6)

5. Oblates’ Postnominal (3)

9 Fatima visionary (9)

10 Former nuncio to SA (5,5)

11 Holy, holy, holy (7)

12 Film of Bing Crosby as a priest (5,2,3)

14. Covered church porch or entrance (7)

15. John Paul II’s shooter (6,3,4)

16 Maiden of Orléans (4)

18 Surname of Archbishop Buti (8)

19 Southern Cross columnist (7,7)

22 Stop before heaven (9)

23. Call to priesthood, religious life (8)

24 Holy Family ’s hometown (8)

25 Mother Teresa’s baptismal name (5)

DoWn

1 Italian name for St Anthony ’s town (6)

2. Spiritual contemplative (6)

3 The holy book (5)

4 Scriptural book or rock band (7)

6 8th word of Apostles’ Creed (7)

7 London abbey or cathedral (11)

8. Popular hymn (2,2,4)

9. Cape Town archdiocesan patron (6,4,5)

10 Southern Cross Associates (8)

13 Tax collector apostle (7)

14 Priest ’s pulpit (4)

16 Devoutly follows doctrines (7)

17. Condition of our will (4)

20 First convent in Pretoria (6)

21 St Paul’s travel companion (8)

23 Paul VI’s surname (7)

The Catholic Trivia Quiz

1 To which order does Archbishop Zolile Mpambani of Bloemfontein belong?

a) Sacred Heart b) Ser vite c) Stigmatine

2 Which hymn includes the lines: “This is my stor y, this is my song/ Praising my Saviour all the day long”?

a) Blessed Assurance

b) How Great Thou Art

c) Our God Reigns

3 Who played Fr Mer rin in the hor ror movie The Exorcist?

a) Robert Duvall b) Gregor y Peck

c) Max von Sydow

4 Where did Zacchaeus climb on a sycamore tree to see Jesus?

a) Gerasa b) Jericho c) Shechem

5 What is the term for the vessel containing the consecrated host?

a) Pall b) Paten c) Pyx

6. How many buttons are there on a bishops’ cassock?

a) 12 b) 33 c) 40

7 Who is the patron saint of clowns?

a) Gabriel b) Genesius c) Giles

8. What was Bl Benedict Daswa’s Christian name before he conver ted to Catholicism?

a) Amos b) George c) Samuel

9 Since which centur y do we bless houses with water?

a) 2nd b) 7th c) 12th

10 Which sleuth did Catholic author

GK Chester ton create in his novels?

a) Brother Anselm

b) Father Brown

c) Sister Boniface

Clue19across

Clue2across

C o o k i n g w i t h Sa i n t s

E v e r y m o n t h i n h e r C a p e T o w n k i t c h e n , G R

B A R L E T T A p r e p a r e s a r e c i p e i n s p i r e d b y t h e s a i n t s , a n d s h a r e s i t w i t h o u r r e a d e r s i n t e x t a n d p h o t o s t a k e n e x c l u s i v e l y f o r T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s b y t h e c h e f h e r s e l f

O U R L A DY O F FAT I M A’ S PA S T É I S D E N ATA

ON M Ay 1 3 , 1 9 1 7 , M A R y f i rst a p p e a re d to t h re e s h e p h e rd c h i l d re n i n a f i e l d n e a r t h e n o r t h - w e ste r n Po r t u g u e s e to w n o f Fa t i m a I t wa s t h e f i rst o f s i x a p p a r i t i o n s by a b e a u t i f u l l a d y d re s s e d i n w h i te to L u c i a d o s S a nto s a n d t h e s i b l i n g s F ra n c i s co a n d J a c i nta M a r to T h e l a d y to l d t h e c h i l d re n t h at s h e wa s f ro m h e ave n , a n d re q u e ste d t h ey re c i te t h e ro s a r y eve r y d ay a n d ret u r n to t h e s a m e p l a c e eve r y m o nt h , at t h e s a m e t i m e fo r t h e fo ll o w i n g f i ve m o nt h s . O ve r t h e co u rs e o f t h at t i m e , s h e m a d e a l o v i n g b u t f i r m p l e a fo r re p a rat i o n , p e n a n c e , a n d re c i tat i o n o f t h e ro s a r y n o t o n l y fo r t h e s a l vat i o n o f s o u l s b u t a l s o fo r p e a c e i n t h e wo r l d O u r L a d y ca m e w i t h a m e s s a ge f ro m G o d fo r a l l h u m a n i t y a n d p ro m i s e d p e a c e i f h e r re q u e st s we re h e e d e d O n e o f t h e m o st s i g n i f i ca nt M a r i a n a p p a r i t i o n s , O u r L a d y o f Fat i m a i s ve n e rate d w i t h a fe a st d ay o n M ay 1 3

Fe a st d ays a re t ra d i t i o n a l l y c e l e b rate d w i t h M a s s e s , s p e c i a l p raye rs a n d fo o d a n d a p e r fe c t way to c e l e b rate t h e fe a st o f O u r L a d y o f Fat i m a i s w i t h t h e s e m o st d e l ic i o u s Po r t u g u e s e d e l i g ht s , Pa sté i s D e N ata ( Po r t u g u e s e fo r c re a m p a st r i e s )

T h e s e l i tt l e c u sta rd ta r t s we re f i rst m a d e

3 0 0 ye a rs a go b y m o n ks i n t h e J e ró n i m o s m o n a ste r y i n B e l é m , n e a r L i s b o n

p re paration: 6 5 min

Se r v ing s : 1 2

P r e pa r a t i o n :

1. Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tray

2. Put egg yolks, whole egg , sugar and cornflour in a pan and whisk together Gradually whisk in the cream and milk until smooth

3. Place the pan over medium heat and cook, stirring until the mix ture thickens and comes to a boil Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla ex tract

4 Transfer the custard to a bowl, cover the surface with cling film to prevent skin from forming and leave to cool Then preheat the oven to 200°C

5. Dust your work surface with a bit of flour. Using a rolling pin, roll the pastr y out to make a 45x30 cm rectangle Roll up lengthways to create a long sausage shape Cut the pastr y into 12 wheels, about 1-2cm thick

6 Roll each wheel lightly with the rolling pin to fit into the greased muffin tin, then press the pastr y circles into the tins and mould them to make thin cases Chill until needed

7. Once the custard has cooled slightly, pour it into each pastr y cup to three-quarters full

8 Bake at 200°C for 20-25 minutes or until the pastr y is golden brown and the custard shows brown spots

9 Allow the tarts to cool in the pan for five minutes, then let cool outside of the pan for another five minutes Optional: Dust with cinnamon or powdered sugar

10 Enjoy the Pastéis de Nata with a prayer to Our Lady of Fatima!

In g r e d i e n t s

2 eg g yolks and 1 whole eg g • 115g caster sugar • 2 tbsp cornflour

• 250ml cream • 150ml milk • 2tsp vanilla essence

• 300g rolled puff pastry (I use one sheet of puff pastry)

G ra z i a B a r l e tta i s a n a u t h o r, b o o k d e s i g n e r, a n d fo o d p h o to g ra p h e r & st y l i st S h e ca n b e co nta c te d at g ra z i a b a r l e tta 1 @ g m a i l c o m Fo l l o w h e r b l o g at w w w. m o m e nt s w i t h g ra z i a . c o m a n d co n n e c t w i t h G ra z i a o n Fa c e b o o k / I n sta g ra m : m o m e nt s w i t h g ra z i a

Solutions

Anagra g

1 Blessed Virgin Mary, 2 Our Lady of Fatima, 3 Mother of God, 4 Our Lady of Lourdes, 5 Immaculate Conception

Dropped Letters: Ron Rolheiser, Dorothy Day, Albert Nolan, Robert Barron, Thomas Merton, Flannery O’Connor, Scott Hahn

SouthernCrossword: ACROSS: 1 Fiasco, 4 Spices, 9 Ascensiontide, 10 Tobacco, 11 Ended, 12 Essay, 14 Utter, 18 Adopt, 19 Heads-up, 21

Correspondent, 22 Racism, 23 Trusts DOWN: 1 Feasts, 2 Archbishopric,3 Cynic, 5 Pungent, 6 Childlessness, 7 Steady, 8 Pilot, 13 Actress, 15 Dancer, 16 Whips, 17 Spites, 20 Abner

Quick Crossword: ACROSS: 2 Khanya, 5 OMI, 9 Francisco, 10 Peter Wells, 11 Sanctus, Going My Way, 14 Portico, 15 Mehmet Ali Agca, 16 Joan, 18 Tlhagale, 19 Raymond Perrier, 22 Purgatory, 23 Vocation, 24 Nazareth, 25 Agnes

DOWN: 1 Padova, 2 Mystic, 3 Bible, 4 Genesis, 6 Creator, 7 Westminster, 8 He Is Lord, 9 Flight Into Egypt, 10 Campaign, 13 Matthew, 14 Ambo, 16 Adheres, 17 Free, 20 Loreto, 21 Barnabas, 23 Montini

Catholic Trivia Quiz: 1 a) Sacred Heart, 2 a) Blessed Assurance, 3 c) Max von Sydow, 4 b) Jericho, 5 c) Pyx, 6 b) 33, 7 b) Genesius, 8 c) Samuel, 9 a) 2nd, 10 b) Father Brown

Next month in The Souther n Cross

A P ilg r image to ROME & T H E HOLY LAND

Spiritual Director Mgr Simon Donnelly of Johannesburg, formerly based in the Vatican

Guided in the Holy Land by Gabriel Makhlouf

Expert guide and Catholic Knight of the Holy Sepulchre

Accompanied by Günther Simmermacher

Southern Cross editor and author of The Holy Land Trek

20 May to 1 June 2024

W h a t w e w i l l e x p e r i e n c e :

, s a i l o n t h e S e a o f G a l i l e e , r e n e w w e d d i n g v o w s a t C a n a a n d b a p t i s m a l v o w s a t t h e R i v e r J o rd a n , f l o a t i n t h e D e a d S e a a n d m u c h m o r e

T h e P i l g r i m a g e i n c l u d e s :

• All flights ex-Johannesburg

• Accommodation in selected 4-star hotels

• Daily breakfast and dinner

• Daily lunch in selected restaurants in the Holy Land

• Daily Mass in sacred shrines and churches

• Travel in air-conditioned luxury buses

• Expertly guided tours throughout

• All entrance fees as per itinerary

• Peparation material

• Visa assistance (where required)

Final Words

Great Quotes on OUR LADY

‘The world being unworthy to receive the son of God directly from the hands of the Father, he gave his son to Mary for the world to receive him from her ’

– St Augustine of Hippo (354-430)

‘As mariners are guided into port by the shining of a star, so Christians are guided to heaven by Mary ’

– St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

‘In trial or difficulty I have recourse to Mother Mary, whose glance alone is enough to dissipate every fear ’

– St Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897)

‘Mary is the mother who patiently and tenderly leads us to God, so that he may untie the knots in our soul ’ – Pope Francis (b 1936)

‘It is Our Lady who is working in me in these days, trying to awaken in me, bring out new worlds to light, draw me into her Christ who is the centre of all And she does this when I go to her.’

Fr Thomas Merton (1915-1968)

‘Turn your eyes incessantly to the Blessed Virgin; she, who is the Mother of Sorrows and also the Mother of Consolation, can understand you completely and help you.’

– Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)

‘Let us run to Mary, and, as her little children, cast ourselves into her arms with a perfect confidence.’

– St Francis de Sales (1567-1622)

‘If you ever feel distressed during your day, call upon our Lady, just say this simple prayer: Mary, Mother of Jesus, please be a mother to me now. I must admit, this prayer has never failed me.’

Bl Teresa of Kolkata (1910-97)

History in Colour

A snapshot from the past, colourised exclusively for The Southern Cross

S o u t h A f r i c a ’ s f i r s t f o u r b l a c k p r i e s t s i n a p h o t o g r a p h f i r s t p u b l i s h e d i n 1 9 2 4 A t t h e b a c k a r e F r s A n d r e a s M d o n t s w a N g i d i ( 1 8 8 1 - 1 9 5 1 ) , A l o i s M a j o n g a M n c a d i ( 1 8 7 7 - 1 9 3 3 ) a n d J u l i u s u M k o m a z i M b h e l e ( 1 8 7 9 - 1 9 5 6 ) S e a t e d i s t h e c o u n t r y ’ s f i r s t b l a c k p r i e s t , F r E d w a r d M ü l l e r K e c e M n g a n g a ( 1 8 7 2 - 1 9 4 1 ) F r M n g a n g a w a s s e n t t o s t u d y i n R o m e b y A b b o t F r a n z P f a n n e r h i m s e l f H e w a s o r d a i n e d t h e r e i n 1 8 9 8 a n d r e t u r n e d t o S o u t h A f r i c a , w h e r e h e w a s s e n t t o b e i n c h a r g e o f a b o a r d i n g s c h o o l i n E m o y e n i H e w o r k e d a l o n g s i d e h i s f r i e n d F r A l f r e d T h o m a s B r y a n t , a n E n g l i s h m a n w h o , l i k e A b b o t P f a n n e r , f i e r c e l y d e t e s t e d r a c i s m .

B u t s o o n F r B r y a n t s a w i n h i s f r i e n d n o t a b r o t h e r p r i e s t b u t a r i v a l . T h r o u g h r u t hl e s s i n t r i g u e , h e h a d F r M n g a n g a c o m m i t t e d t o a “ l u n a t i c a s y l u m ” , w h e r e t h e c l e a r l y s a n e p r i e s t w a s h e l d u n t i l 1 9 2 2 . N e i t h e r F r B r y a n t n o r B i s h o p H e n r i D e l a l l e , w h o w a s p a r t y t o t h e i n j u s t i c e , w e r e r e p e n t a n t a b o u t w h a t t h e y h a d d o n e t o F r M n g a n g a U n t i l h i s d e a t h i n o n A p r i l 7 , 1 9 4 5 , F r M n g a n g a w o r k e d f r u i tf u l l y i n v a r i o u s p l a c e s , m o s t l y a t M a r i a t h a l m i s s i o n , I x o p o , w h e r e h e e s t a b l i s h e d a c a t e c h e t i c a l s c h o o l F r M n c a d i w a s o r d a i n e d i n R o m e i n 1 9 0 3 , a n d F r s N g i d i a n d M b h e l e i n 1 9 0 7 , i n R o m e ’ s S t J o h n L a t e r a n b a s i l i c a A l l w e n t o n t o w o r k i n t h e Z u l u l a n d r e g i o n . F r s M n c a d i a n d M b h e l e h a d t o u n d e r g o v a r i o u s b a t t l e s w i t h b i s h o p s a n d f e l l o w p r i e s t s l e f t t h e a c t i v e p r i e s t h o o d f o r a w h i l e W h e n e w e n t t o s e r v e i n E s w a t i n i . t h e o n l y o n e o f t h e f o u r t o b e s p a r e d i n t e r p e r s o n a l c l a s h e s A n o f g o o d c h e e r , h e w o r k e d c l o s e l y w i t h t h e B e n e d i c t i n e s a t I n k a m a n a n g e s p e c i a l l y c o n c e r n e d w i t h t h e s o c i a l u p l i f t m e n t o f t h e c o m m u n i t i e s e m a r i a n n h i l l d i o c e s e o r g z a / f i r s t b l a c k p r i e s t s h t m l f o r m o r e )

e last laugh

eople in his congregation were paused and then continued in once drove in the countryside

o a farmer ’s house There was ing scene I had ever seen: a red a litter of ten little pigs. nd each of the piglets had a

r snout This and they are porcine ”

The priest paused as the congregation gasped Now nobody was asleep

“Shame on you” the priest said “A few minutes ago, I was telling you the truth, and you were falling asleep But when you hear the most outrageous lie, you are all wide awake!”

y the Church Chuckles book of Catholic jokes!

For all your Sand and Stone requirements in piet retief, Southern Mpumalanga

tel: 017 826 0054/5

cell: 082 904 7840

Email: sales@eskaycrushers co za