202209 by The Southern Cross

The Catholic Magazine for Southern Africa September 2022 R30 (incl VAT in SA) Est 1920 RADIO’S AKANI MALOBOLA ON HIS LIFE AND FAITH A JOURNEY WITH AUTISM TO THE SACRAMENTS WHY ARE THERE RELICS IN ALTARS? THE SEVEN SORROWS OF MARY HOW A CHURCH’S INTERIOR IS DESIGNED We r e m e m b e r M o t h e r Te r e s a

FeedYour Soul Faith, Hope and Knowledge you can trust S o u t h e r n C r o s s The Catholic Magazine for Southern Africa THE CATHOLIC MAGAZINE FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA WWW.DIGITAL.SCROSS.CO.ZA/SUBSCRIBE EASY PAYMENT & RENEWAL ONLINEADMIN@SCROSS.CO.ZA T he Est 1920 DIRECT DEPOSIT Name: The NewspaperCatholic Bank: Std Bank, Thibault Square, Branch code: 020909 Account No: 07 153 43 42 Please use your surname as the beneﬁciary reference and email deposit slip to admin@scross.co.za SUBSCRIPTION PRICES PRINT COMBODIGITAL& 12 MONTHS 6 MONTHS 3 MONTHS R480 R270 R140 PRINTONLY 12 MONTHS 6 MONTHS 3 MONTHS R480 R270 R140 ONLYDIGITAL 12 MONTHS 6 MONTHS 3 MONTHS R300 R170 R90

T h e p u b l i c ’s u n d e rsta n d i n g o f a u t i s m h a s co m e a l o n g way s i n c e t h at co n d i t i o n wa s h i g h l i g hte d i n t h e 1 9 8 8 f i l m Rain Man I h ave a f r i e n d i n L o n d o n w h o s e l i tt l e s o n i s a u t i st i c . H e w r i te s a b o u t h i s ex p e r i e n c e s a l m o st d a i l y o n Fa c e b o o k , sto r i e s t h at o f te n a m u s e b u t a l ways m ove t h e re a d e r E n co u ra g i n g l y, m o st m e m b e rs o f t h e p u b l i c a re to l e ra nt o f t h e b oy ’s q u i r ks a n d eve n h i s ta nt r u m s , s o m et i m e s w i t h a h e a r t wa r m i n g swe et n e s s I t s h ows a h e i g hte n e d awa re n e s s o f a u t i s m . I wo n d e r h ow fa r S o u t h A f r i ca i s i n t h at re ga rd T h i s m o nt h , a m o t h e r o f t wo a u t i s t i c s o n s s h a re s h e r ex p e r i e n c e S h e w r i te s a b o u t h ow p e o p l e o f fa i t h h ave i m p a c te d o n h e r fa m i l y ’s l i fe , to t h e p o i nt t h at h e r s o n s re c e i ve d t h e s a c ra m e nt o f C o nf i r m at i o n I t i s a to u c h i n g sto r y, a n d o n e t h at n o d o u bt w i l l g i ve h o p e to m a ny fa m i l i e s l i v i n g w i t h a u t i s m O n p a ge 1 0 we co nt i n u e o u r i nte r v i e w w i t h B i s h o p s i t h e m b e l e s i p u ka , p re s i d e nt o f t h e S o u t h e r n A f r i ca n C at h o l i c B i s h o p s ’ C o n fe re n c e I n t h i s m o nt h ’s i n sta l m e nt , B i s h o p S i p u ka s p e a ks a b o u t t h e va r i o u s m e a n s o f C at h o l i c m e d i a H e r i g ht l y n o te s t h at p r i nt m e d i a i s d e c l i n i n g H o we ve r, we w r i te i t o ff at o u r p e r i l I t i s t h e o n l y ta n g i b l e m e a n s o f C at h o l i c m e d i a we h ave A C at h o l i c m a ga z i n e o r n e ws p a p e r o n t h e p ro ve r b i a l co ffe e ta b l e i s a v i s i b l e s i g n t h at t h i s i s a C at h o l i c h o m e w h e re t h e fa i t h i s b e i n g l i ve d . B i s h o p S i p u ka n o te s t h at ra d i o i s a n effe c t i ve m e a n s o f s o c i a l co m m u n i ca t i o n S a d l y t h e b ro a d ca st i n g a u t h o r i t i e s c h o s e to l i m i t t h e C at h o l i c C h u rc h ’s a b i l i t y to u s e t h at m e a n s b y re st r i c t i n g R a d i o Ve r i ta s to G a u te n g o n l y At l e a st i t i s n o w e a sy to st re a m t h e stat i o n ’s co nte nt , to a ny w h e re i n t h e wo r l d B i s h o p S i p u ka i s r i g h t t h a t t h e C h u rc h m u s t u s e d i g i ta l m e d i a m o re e f fe c t i v e l y We h av e a g o o d C a t h o l i c p re s e n c e a l re a d y i n T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s ’ d i g i ta l p l a t fo r m s : o u r w e b s i t e , w i t h i t s i nva l u a b l e a n d va s t a rc h i v e , a n d o u r s o c i a l m e d i a c h a n n e l s c a r r y n e w c o n t e n t s e v e ra l t i m e s a d ay. T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s i s n o t o n l y a m o n t h l y m a ga z i n e b u t a l s o a d a i l y d i g i ta l p o r ta l T h e s a m e n u m b e r o f p e o p l e m a n a g e t h e d i g i ta l s i d e a s p ro d u c e t h i s m a ga z i n e A n d i t i s t h e i n c o m e f ro m t h e m a ga z i n e t h a t s u s ta i n s o u r d i g i ta l p re s e n c e . L o s e t h e m a ga z i n e , a n d w e ’ l l l o s e S o u t h A f r i c a ’s p re m i e r C a t h o l i c I n t e r n e t p re s e n c e T h i s i s o n e m o re g o o d re a s o n t o e n e r g e t i c a l l y s u p p o r t T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s ! T h a n k y o u fo r s u p p o r t i n g a n d re a d i n g T h e S o u t h e r n C r o s s P l e a s e t e l l yo u r f r i e n d s a

The late atheist activist Christopher Hitchens wrote a particularly damning book about her, which critics of the Church love to cite It included some truths, some half truths, some distor tions, some uncharitable conclusions, and some accusations which don’t corre spond with reality It was a hatchet job B u t h ow m a ny o f t h o s e w h o g l e e f u l l y refe r to H i tc h e n s ’ p o l e m i c h ave eve r to u c h e d a l e p e r, c l e a n e d p u s o u t o f o p e n s o re s , h e l d t h e h a n d s o f t h e d y i n g , o r d e d i cate d t h e i r l i ve s to l ett i n g t h e re j e c te d d i e i n d i g n i t y ? T h at ’s h ow we re m e m b e r M o t h e r Te re s a , eve n if t h e re we re a re a s t h at m i g ht m e r i t rev i ew i n t h e q u a l i t y o f p a l l i at i ve ca re s h e o ffe re d

b o u t yo u r m o n t h l y C a t h o l i c m a ga z i n e , a s a fav o u r t o u s , a n d a s a fav o u r t o t h e m G o d b l e s s , Günther simmermacher (Editor) Welcome The slander of a saintPO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000 Tel: 083 233 1956 www.scross.co.za L E A D E R S H I P T E A M: Editor: Günther Simmermacher editor@scross co za Business Manager: Pamela Davids admin@scross co za Digital Editor: Claire Allen c allen@scross co za Features Writer: Daluxolo Moloantoa daluxolo@scross co za Advisory Editor: Michael Shackleton ADVERTISING: advertising@scross co za SUBSCRIPTIONS: subscriptions@scross co za A n n uA l s u B s c r i p t i o n s: Print & Digital: R480 (SA); Digital only: R300; Print only: R480 (SA) Subscribe at www scross co za/subscribe BOARD OF DIRECTORS: R Shields (chair), Bishop S Sipuka, Bishop S David OMI (alt), S Duval, E Jackson, B Jordan, C Mathieson, N Mpushe, Fr H O’Connor, R Perrier, D Shikwambana, G Stubbs Become an Associate and help t h E s o u t h E r n c r o s s survive: www.scross.co.za/ associates campaign/ Advertising ratecard is available from advertising@scross.co.za or download at www.scross.co.za/advertising All content is copyrighted. Unauthorised reproduction in any form or distribution is forbidden. The Southern Cross is published by the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Co Ltd (Reg No: 1920/002058/06) S o u t h e r n C r o s s Th e The Catholic Magazine for Southern Africa Published Monthly Est 1920 @thesoutherncross @scrossZA /ScrossZA

Dear Reader, A FA M I L I A R FA C E G R A C E S T H I S m o nt h ’s cove r, a fa c e w h i c h eve n M i l l e n n i a l C at h o l i c s s h o u l d re co g n i s e O n S e pte m b e r 5 we m a r k t h e 2 5 t h a n n i ve rs a r y o f M o t h e r te re s a p a s s i n g f ro m t h i s l i fe i nto t h e n ex t . I n t h i s i s s u e we te l l t h e sto r y o f h e r l i fe , w h i l e Syd n ey D u va l l o o ks b a c k o n d r i v i n g t h e l i v i n g s a i nt a ro u n d C a p e Tow n d u r i n g h e r 1 9 8 8 v i s i t to S o u t h A f r i ca . O n p a ge 2 1 a c l o s e f r i e n d o f S t Te re s a ’s s p e a ks a b o u t h e r co m p l i cate d i nte r i o r l i fe , a sto r y t h at m ay g i ve u s h o p e a n d co mfo r t w h e n eve r we m i g ht ex p e r i e n c e a “d a r k n i g ht o f t h e s o u l ” . I n t h e c e nt re s p re a d o f t h i s i s s u e , yo u ’ l l f i n d a n att ra c t i ve p o ste r o f t h e s a i nt We Catholics regard Mother Teresa as a saint, but there are people who accuse her of all sorts of ghoulishness

The life of Mother Teresa Contents AUGUST 2022 17 A family’s life with autism 14 How a Catholic church is designed 8 The faith of radio’s Akani Malobola 12 8 How a Church Is Designed An expert interior designer explains what goes into building and outfitting a Catholic church 10 Interview With SACBC President Bishop Sithembele Sipuka on finances, Church media, the effect of Covid, ecumenism, and more 12 Radio Man’s Journey of Faith and Love We interview radio personality Akani Malobola of LM Radio and previously Radio Veritas 14 A Family’s Life With Autism A mother reflects on her family’s journey with two autistic sons to the sacrament of Confirmation 16 When Mother Teresa Came to SA Sydney Duval recalls his experience of driving Mother Teresa around Cape Town in 1988 21 The interior life of St Teresa of Kolkata A close friend of Mother Teresa’s explains the saint’s struggles with her faith, and how she fought back 23 Do You Really Know Jesus? Fr Ralph de Hahn explains what a relationship with Jesus Christ means 24 The Devotion to Our Lady’s Sorrows Michael Ogunu explains the history of the devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady, and its benefits 27 Why There Is Dancing at Mass Fr Jean Baptiste Mpuni OMI praises dance at Mass, but also warns that not everything goes EVERY MONTH 5 FROM OUR VAULTS The Southern Cross 37 years ago 6 YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED Our team of experts replies on questions about relics in altars, unsainted popes, bells during Consecration, and the timing of announcements at Mass 17 SAINT OF THE MONTH The life of St Teresa of Kolkata with pull out poster 26 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Have your say! 28 RAYMOND PERRIER What homeless people say about church 29 FR RON ROLHEISER OMI Do we have guardian angels? 30 PRAY WITH THE POPE Fr Chris Chatteris SJ reflects on the pope’s prayer intention for August, on the death penalty 31 PRAYER CORNER Your illustrated prayers, to cut out and collect 32 TWO PAGES OF PUZZLES Two Crosswords, Wordsearch, Dropped Letters, Catholic Trivia Quiz, and Anagram Challenge 34 COOKING WITH SAINTS Grazia Barletta tries out recipes inspired by saints. This month: Chickpea Curry for Mother Teresa 36 ...AND FINALLY History in Colour, Inspiring Quotes on Social Justice, and a Last Laugh Did you know? In our digital edition, lall inks to websites are Jlive ust click, and the osite pens in your browser! TRY IT!

• United Democratic Front activist Trevor Manuel is detained by police and is subse quently banned until 1990 [the ban of the future finance minister was lifted in 1986].

• In anticipation of a national day of prayer on October 9, the National Party government outlaws gatherings and meetings.

FROM OUR VAULTS 37 Years Ago: 22 September 1985

A large group of students of St John Vianney Seminar y marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against apartheid. (For more, see back page )

• Sri Lanka score their first ever test cricket victory, by 149 runs against India

Speaking to international reporters from his hos pital bed after an operation, Archbishop Stephen Naidoo of Cape Town has called for the abolition of apartheid, a constitutional convention, an end to the state of emergency, a free flow of informa tion, and the release or charging of detainees

Judging on an application by Archbishop Denis Hurley and Carmel Rickard, a Durban court orders the release from detention of Paddy Kearney, director of the Diakonia Council of Churches Famine now under ‘control’

• An 8 1 earthquake in Mexico City kills about 10 000 and leaves 250 000 homeless, and places the country’s hosting of the 1986 FIFA World Cup in jeopardy

• TV series MacGyver, starring Richard Dean Anderson, debuts in the United States X o e o h o w e f r o m 2 0 0 8 2 0 . ]

• US President Ronald Reagan yields to pressure and orders economic sanctions against South Africa

Court orders detainee’s release

The Southern Cross 5 Archbishop: Scrap apartheid!

The Ethiopian famine is now under control, according to Mother Teresa, but transporting supplies to relief camps remains a problem Her Missionaries of Charity run six homes for the poor in Ethiopia.

• The wreck of the RMS Titanic is located by a joint American French expedition.

Nuns arrested and jailed Dominican Sisters Aine Hardiman and Mar y Feargal Cassidy were among 27 ministers of religion and church workers arrested in Athlone, Cape Town, for attending an “illegal gathering”.

Seminarians march in Pretoria

The nuns spent six days in Pollsmoor prison before they were released on R100 bail

T e d d y K u m a l o , 3 1 , w i l l b e o r d a i n e d a d e a c o n o n O c t o b e r 1 0 i n L y d e n b u r g W i t b a n k b y B i s h o p M o g a l e P a u l N k u m i s h e H e w i l l b e o r d a i n e d t o t h e p r i e s t h o o d i n 1 9 8 6 . [ B i s h o p K u m a l o i s n o w t h e b i s h o p o f W i t b a n k h i m s e l f , h a v i n g p r e v i o u s l y s e r v e d a s b i s h o p o f E s

T h r e e r e g u l a r c o l u m n i s t s i n t h e i s s u e o f S e p t e m b e r 2 2 , 1 9 8 5 , w e r e ( f r o m l e f t ) N o e l B r u y n s ( a d v i s i n g y o u t h g r o u p s t o u n d e r t a k e f u n b o n d i n g e v e n t s ) , H e a t h e r B o y d ( r e v i e w i n g T V ’ s S t E l s e w h e r e ) , a n d O w e n W i l l i a m s ( o n a c h a n g e o f p r i e s t s i n t h e F r e n c h v i l l a g e o f V i l l e v e y r a c , w h e r e h e l i v e d a t t h e t i m e ) E t h n é S t e v e n s ( n o t p i c t u r e d ) w r o t e t h e c h i l d r e n ’ s c o l u m n .

What else made news in September 1985:

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

T o m b s i n t h e c a t a c o m b s o f S t D o m i t i l l a i n R o m e . T h e o r i g i n o f p l a c i n g r e l i c s i n a l t a r s g o e s b a c k t o M a s s e s i n t h e c a t a c o m b s o f a n c i e n t R o m e h o t o : J o s é L u z B e r n a r d e s R i b e i r o / C C B Y S A 4 0

Q D o a l t a r s c o n t a i n r e l i c s o f s a i n t s ? H o w d o e s a p a r i s h g e t t h e s e r e l i c s ? A n d w h i c h s a i n t s d o t h e y u s e ? I N T H I S 2 1 S T C E N T U R Y , N O T A L L a l t a r s c o n t a i n r e l i c s o f s a i n t s , b u t i n t h e p a s t t h e y d i d R a t h e r , t h e y c o n t a i n e d t h e r e l i c o f a t l e a s t o n e m a r t y r a n d o n e o t h e r s a i n t T h e c l o s e a s s o c i a t i o n b e t w e e n t h e d e a t h o f C h r i s t a n d t h e d e a t h o f m a r t y r s f o r h i s s a k e w a s m e a n i n g f u l l y e x p r e s s e d w h e n M a s s w o u l d b e c e l e b r a t e d i n t h e c a t a c o m b s o f R o m e H e r e C h r i s t i a n s h i d f r o m t h e i r p e r s e c u t o r s a n d s h a r e d s p a c e w i t h t h e m a r t y r s ’ t o m b s , w h i c h s e r v e d a s a l t a r s f o r t h e l i t u r g y F r o m t h a t t i m e o n , t h e C h u r c h b e g a n t o p u t m a r t y r s ’ r e m a i n s i n t o c h u r c h a l t a r s , a n d t h a t e v e n t u a l l y b e c a m e t h e n o r m . A l t a r s s u c h a s t h o s e i n m o s t p a r i s h c h u r c h e s w e r e m a d e o f s t o n e , u n m o v e a b l e a n d f i x e d t o t h e f l o o r . T h e l o c a l b i s h o p w o u l d c o n s e c r a t e t h e m f o r l i t u r g i c a l u s e o n l y A t t h e s a m e t i m e h e w o u l d e n s u r e t h a t t h e p r e s c r i b e d r e l i c s w e r e f i r m l y h o u s e d i n p o s i t i o n T h a t w a s t h e u s u a l p r a c t i c e u n t i l t h e S e c o n d V a t i c a n C o u n c i l ( 1 9 6 2 6 5 ) , a f t e r w h i c h t h e C h u r c h b e g a n t o s t r e s s t h a t t h e M a s s i s n o t o n l y t h e E u c h a r i s t i c s a c r i f i c e b u t a l s o t h e E u c h a r i s t i c m e a l T h i s s h i f t i s e v i d e n t i n t h e r i t e b e f o r e C o m m u n i o n T h e p r i e s t s h o w s u s t h e s a c r e d h o s t a s t h e s a c r i f i c e d L a m b o f G o d w h o n o t o n l y t a k e s a w a y t h e s i n s o f t h e w o r l d b u t a l s o c a l l s u s t o h i s s u p p e r F a c i n g t h e p e o p l e a c r o s s t h e a l t a r , t h e p r i e s t d r a w s o u r a t t e n t i o n t o t h e a l t a r a s t h e t a b l e a t w h i c h w e s h a r e t h e B r e a d o f L i f e T h e v a l u e o f h a v i n g s a c r e d r e l i c s i n a n u n m o v e a b l e a l t a r h a s n o t b e e n a b a n d o n e d b u t t o d a y b o t h c a n o n l a w a n d t h e R i t e o f D e d i c a t i o n o f a n A l t a r m a k e t h e p l a c i n g o f r e l i c s a n o p t i o n r a t h e r t h a n a n o b l i g a t i o n A l t a r r e l i c s a r e o b t a i n e d f r o m t h e V a t i c a n ’ s C o n g r e g a t i o n f o r t h e C a u s e s o f S a i n t s , w h i c h a u t h e n t i c a t e s t h e m a s g e n u i n e T h e r e l i c s m a y b e o f a n y p a r t i c u l a r s a i n t o r m a r t y r , b u t i t i s a l w a y s f i t t i n g t h a t t h e y a r e , i f p o s s i b l e , o f t h e s a i n t t o w h i c h t h e p l a c e o f w o r s h i p i s d e d i c a t e d . (Michael Shackleton) Subject line: Q&A

Your Questions answered Must there be saints’ relics in an altar?

6 The Southern Cross Q I k n o w t h a t a l o t o f p o p e s i n t h e e a r l y y e a r s o f t h e C h u r c h w e r e s a i n t e d B u t w h o w a s t h e f i r s t p o p e n o t t o b e a s a i n t , a n d w h y ? T H E F I R S T 3 5 P O P E S , F R O M S T P e t e r t o S t J u l i u s I i n 3 5 2 , a r e l i s t e d a s s a i n t s T h e u n f o r t u n a t e p o p e t o b r e a k t h a t s e q u e n c e w a s L i b e r i u s , w h o r e i g n e d f r o m M a y 1 7 , 3 5 2 t o S e p t e m b e r 2 4 , 3 6 6 For most of those 14 years, Liberius was under pressure by the Roman Emperor Constantius II, who sympathised with the Arian heresy The emperor even exiled Liberius and installed a puppet pope, fellow Arian Felix II. But the Romans didn’t accept Felix, and after three years Constan tius allowed Liberius to return to Rome, planning to let him co rule with Felix Instead, the Romans wel comed Liberius and expelled Felix, who is now listed as an anti pope W h a t d i s q u a l i f i e d L i b e r i u s f r o m s a i n t h o o d ? P r e s u m a b l y r u m o u r s t h a t h e h a d y i e l d e d t o C o n s t a n t i u s o n s o m e p o i n t s o f A r i a n i s m i n o r d e r t o s e c u r e h i s r e l e a s e f r o m e x i l e . B u t t h e l e t t e r s c o n t a i n i n g t h e s e s u p p o s e d c o n c e s s i o n s m i g h t v e r y w e l l h a v e b e e n f o r g e r i e s . L i b e r i u s i s r e g a r d e d a s a s a i n t i n t h e E a s t e r n r i t e s a n d i n t h e O r t h o d o x C h u r c h T h e n e x t 1 3 p o p e s a r e l i s t e d a s s a i n t s , i n c l u d i n g G e l a s i u s I ( 4 9 2 4 9 6 ) , t h e l a s t A f r i c a n p o n t i f f H i s s u c c e s s o r , A n a s t a s i u s I I ( 4 9 6 4 9 8 ) , w a s n o t s a i n t e d . H i s a t t e m p t s a t c o n c i l i a t i o n w i t h t h e h e r e t i c P a t r i a r c h A c a c i u s o f C o n s t a n t i n o p l e a n d h i s f o l l o w e r s d i v i d e d t h e C h u r c h i n t o f a c t i o n s f o r a n d a g a i n s t t h i s e n d e a v o u r W h e n A n a s t a s i u s d i e d s u d d e n l y i n 4 9 8 , h e w a s s u c c e e d e d b y t h e a n t i c o n c i l i a t i o n P o p e S y m m a c h u s , a n d h i s r e p u t a t i o n t o o k a k n o c k , t o t h e p o i n t t h a t i n t h e M i d d l e A g e s a f t e r t h e s c h i s m w i t h t h e E a s t e r n C h u r c h A n a s t a s i u s w a s r a t h e r u n k i n d l y r e g a r d e d a s a “ t r a i t o r ” (Günther Simmermacher) Who was the ﬁrst pope not to be a saint?

InstituteCatholicofEducation to serveskills centres Called in faith schools Catholicand Educating today tomorrow for the common good. 9:40 AM

Q. Our parish priest insists on the announcements and parish notices being read immediately after the congre gation has received Holy Communion, before the Prayer after Communion. Is this correct?

T HIS IS A COMMON MISTAKE WHICH HAS become widespread across Southern Africa According to the Roman Missal and our own bishops’ Pastoral Introduction to the Order of Mass, the correct procedure is as follows: [i] the faithful receive Holy Communion while an appropriate song is sung, [ii] after Communion all pray quietly for a while, and another song may be sung if desired, [iii] all stand for the Prayer after Communion, bringing the liturgy of the Eucharist to a close, [iv] then begins the Concluding Rite which may include parish notices, a second collection, and so on, before the Final Blessing Sadly, many parishes have come to regard the Prayer after Communion as a “concluding prayer” of the Mass Given that many parishes spend a long time on the an nouncements and have several speakers coming forward at this time, they may feel the need for a “concluding prayer” If this is the case, perhaps one of the Solemn Blessings or Prayers over the People could be used? In this way we would maintain the shape of the liturgy of the Eucharist and avoid having someone shaking a col lection basket in your face when you are trying to make an act of thanksgiving after receiving Holy Communion! (Fr Thomas Plastow SJ)

The Southern Cross 7 When is the time to read parish notices? Must a bell ring during consecration? Q . A t M a s s i n m y p a r i s h , a n a l t a r s e r v e r o r e x t r a o r d i n a r y m i n i s t e r o f t h e E u c h a r i s t r i n g s a b e l l d u r i n g t h e c o n s e c r a t i o n B u t a t M a s s e s I h a v e a t t e n d e d i n o t h e r c h u r c h e s , t h e b e l l i s n ’ t r u n g . I s t h e r i n g i n g o f t h e b e l l d u r i n g c o n s e c r a t i o n o p t i o n a l ? T H E U S E O F A L T A R B E L L S d u r i n g M a s s i s n e i t h e r m a n d a t e d b y t h e C h u r c h n o r i s i t f o r b i d d e n , a s s o m e m i s t a k e n l y s e e m t o t h i n k I t i s a n o p t i o n b u t n o t a n o b l i g a t i o n , l e f t t o t h e d i s c r e t i o n o f t h e p r i e s t H e r e ’ s w h a t t h e G e n e r a l I n s t r u c t i o n o f t h e R o m a n M i s s a l s a y s : “ A l i t t l e b e f o r e t h e c o n s e c r a t i o n , i f a p p r o p r i a t e , a m i n i s t e r r i n g s a s m a l l b e l l a s a s i g n a l t o t h e f a i t h f u l T h e m i n i s t e r a l s o r i n g s t h e s m a l l b e l l a t e a c h e l e v a t i o n b y t h e p r i e s t , a c c o r d i n g t o l o c a l c u s t o m ” ( N o 1 5 0 ) T h e r i n g i n g o f b e l l s d u r i n g t h e c o n s e c r a t i o n h a s a l o n g h i s t o r y i n t h e C h u r c h , b e g i n n i n g a b o u t t h e 1 3 t h c e n t u r y . I n t h o s e d a y s , c h u r c h e s w e r e l a r g e , t h e p r i e s t f a c e d t h e a l t a r a n d M a s s w a s o f f e r e d i n L a t i n C h u r c h e s o f t e n h a d r a i s e d p l a t f o r m s i n f r o n t o f t h e a l t a r f o r t h e c h o i r , t h e r e s u l t b e i n g t h a t s o m e w o r s h i p p e r s c o u l d n o t s e e t h e a l t a r T h e r i n g i n g o f b e l l s s e r v e d t o d r a w t h e a t t e n t i o n o f t h e c o n g r e g a t i o n t o t h e f a c t t h a t t h e s a c r e d a c t o f t r a n s u b s t a n t i a t i o n w a s t a k i n g p l a c e A f t e r t h e l i t u r g i c a l r e f o r m s o f V a t i c a n I I w i t h t h e p r i e s t n o w f a c i n g t h e p e o p l e a n d t h e l a n g u a g e i n t h e v e r n a c u l a r m a n y p a r i s h e s d e c i d e d t o d i s c o n t i n u e t h e u s e o f a l t a r b e l l s . B e l l s d o , t h o u g h , a d d r e v e r e n c e a n d s o l e m n i t y t o a c e l e b r a t i o n ( N o t e t h a t b e l l s a r e r u n g a t t h e G l o r i a d u r i n g t h e E a s t e r V i g i l M a s s t o e x p r e s s t h e j o y o f t h e R e s u r r e c t i o n ) A l t a r b e l l s a r e c o m m o n l y u s e d i n t h e b a s i l i c a s o f R o m e I n t e r e s t i n g l y , i n 1 9 7 2 w h e n a s k e d t h e q u e s t i o n , “ I s a b e l l t o b e r u n g a t M a s s ? ” , t h e V a t i c a n ’ s C o n g r e g a t i o n f o r D i v i n e W o r s h i p a n d t h e S a c r a m e n t s g a v e t h i s r e p l y : “ F r o m a l o n g a n d a t t e n t i v e c a t e c h e s i s a n d e d u c a t i o n i n l i t u r g y , a p a r t i c u l a r l i t u r g i c a l a s s e m b l y m a y b e a b l e t o t a k e p a r t i n t h e M a s s w i t h s u c h a t t e n t i o n a n d a w a r e n e s s t h a t i t h a s n o n e e d o f t h i s s i g n a l a t t h e c e n t r a l p a r t o f t h e M a s s T h i s m a y e a s i l y b e t h e c a s e , f o r e x a m p l e , w i t h r e l i g i o u s c o m m u n i t i e s o r w i t h p a r t i c u l a r o r s m a l l g r o u p s . “ T h e o p p o s i t e m a y b e p r e s u m e d i n a p a r i s h o r a p u b l i c c h u r c h , w h e r e t h e r e i s a d i f f e r e n t l e v e l o f l i t u r g i c a l a n d r e l i g i o u s e d u c a t i o n a n d w h e r e p e o p l e w h o a r e v i s i t o r s o r a r e n o t r e g u l a r c h u r c h g o e r s t a k e p a r t ” (Fr Kenneth Doyle)

8 The

“A new church needs to be archi tecturally pleasing, both the exterior and interior, but it must also express current modern trends,” Ror y told The Souther n Cross, noting that choices are always subject to strict budgets He has definite ideas of what a well designed church should be “One must want to enter and immediately feel the love, sanctuar y and compan ionship in the presence of God,” he said “I always aim for a large striking ‘statement’ behind the main altar. A large, attractive stained glass, with back lighting during evening sessions, or an inspiring, large crucifix.

A clear view “For the congregation, most of our Mass, or any type of ser vice, is spent looking at the priest and scripture readers in the sanctuar y and move ments on the altar The design must ensure that ever ybody has a clear view of that Furniture and flower arrange ments must be proportionate and pleasing to the eye,” he said An at tractive tabernacle is an obvious pre requisite inside the church. Moving outside, he said, “a por tico at the main entrance is absolutely necessar y for rainy days as well as for special events such as weddings and funerals, and also for occasions when the church is packed to capacity, such as Easter and Christmas Mass Any overflow of parishioners can be seated there ”

T HE DESIGN OF A CHURCH

H o w t o d e s i g n a n e w c h u r c h T h e i n t e r i o r a n d s a n c t u a r y o f t h e n e w c h u r c h o f O u r L a d y o f L o u r d e s i n R i v o n i a , J o h a n n e s b u r g I n t e r i o r d e s i g n e r R o r y S n e l l w a s a p p o i n t e d t o e x e c u t e t h e i n t e r i o r d e s i g n o f t h e c h u r c h , w h i c h w a s c o n s e c r a t e d i n 2 0 1 8 , b r i n g i n g t o a c l o s e a n e i g h t y e a r l o n g p r o j e c t

IS not just a matter of moving benches into the building and putting up statues A well designed church should allow for good sound and visuals as well as ef fective traffic flow and it must com municate the presence of God, according to Ror y Snell, the designer of the new church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Rivonia, Johannesburg Consecrated in 2018, the church can hold 800 people, including about 100 on a balcony, and even up to a thousand on special occasions Ror y is a highly qualified interior designer, not only of churches but of all kinds of structures, from glitzy casinos to domestic homes As an ac tive parishioner, he was involved in the project to build the Rivonia church from the start, including choosing suitable architects. The proj ect to build a new church, to replace the hall in which Mass used to be cel ebrated, began in 2010 under the leadership of Fr Peter Doherty and then pastoral council chairman George Skinner.

Obvious logistics must be well thought out For example, sufficient close and secure parking is a vital con sideration, as is accessibility for all of the congregation including the dis abled which “should also create a sense of welcome, warmth and sanctu ar y for all”, Ror y said He explained the difference be tween designing the interior of a pri vate home and a church “Domestic interior spaces are mostly smaller than a large church and have their own challenges to maximise the use of smaller limited space The interior de sign of a church requires a different approach “I use current modern trends for the church design and indi vidual taste for a domestic interior,” Ror y said. “It all becomes a challenge of pro portioning scale and the maximum use of traffic flow and bench arrange ment in a church Churches require a number of large focal points, and a suitably attractive and acoustically correct ceiling ” For the ceiling, both make aesthetics and acoustics are nec essar y. An attractive ceiling directs the Southern Cross For Rory Snell, career and faith intersected when he was tasked with designing the interior of a new church. He told Günther simmermacher what goes into designing a church.

R i v o n i a

For Rivonia’s new church, Ror y in corporated some elements from the old hall, which had been used for the parish’s liturgies for more than 50 years.

He noted that modern Catholic churches now tend to position the sac risty and vestry near the main entrance

• Try and make use of a qualified ar chitect and/or interior designer “You will save yourself a lot of frustration, and you will get what you want, if you give a comprehensive brief of your exact requirements A professional inte rior designer will actually save you money ”

Although Rory has furnished churches, casinos and hotels, he also designs private residences For those looking to revamp their homes, he has three tips:

From hall to church

• Select the best location you can afford. “You can build or upgrade it in stages as and when you can afford it ”

• Choose the style of architecture and finishes with which you are most comfortable. “After all, it is to be your ‘happy place’ There is a buyer for every home style, should you wish to sell ’” See also facebook.com/rorysnelldesign ’

The pulpit and the lectern, and the projector screens, must be visible from all angles and by everyone inside the church, Rory said

“The tabernacle was made by a ver y talented ironsmith, and the exte rior was finished in antique gold leaf by a paint specialist,” he said, adding that tabernacles found online were ei ther too expensive, too small or not suited to the church’s architecture Catholic know-how Being a parishioner and having a deep faith helped Ror y in designing the Rivonia church. “To know and have a love for all the components of a church of which there are many and how and where they should be placed, is a big advantage ” This came in useful with fairly obvious things, such as placement of holy water fonts at ever y entrance to the nave, to the less apparent, such as making maxi mum use of the inner pew bench and kneeler space Even the lighting is important, Rory noted “The inner space must have calming soft colours and light There has to be mood lighting, accent light ing, task lighting for scripture reading, and so on And as much natural light ing as possible!” Stained glass windows can help create attractive lighting as well “I persuaded the committee to allow me to commission two stained glass windows for the Rivonia church, which I got parishioners to donate ”

Tips for homeowners

There are many other considera tions in designing a church: from the flooring to the style and positioning of confessionals, he pointed out All of these components depend on the available budget, of course. While the basic principles of interior design are important, a church must have an air of holiness “I’m inspired by any church that exudes the presence of God, no matter how large or small the building is After all, Jesus performed the first Eucharist in a simple upper room on a modest table,” Rory said.

s c h u r c h o f O u r L a d y o f L o u r d e s i n 2 0 1 8 , j u s t b e f o r e i t w e n t i n t o u s e , a n d ( r i g h t ) t h e p a c k e d c h u r c h , w h i c h c a n h o l d 8 0 0 p e o p l e a n d u p t o 1 0 0 0 o n s p e c i a l d a y s B e l o w : T h e R i v o n i a c h u r c h ’ s e x t e r i o r , w i t h a p o r t i c o (All photos courtesy Rory Snell) C a l l M i c h a e l a t 0 8 3 7 0 4 5 0 6 3 o r e m a i l i n f o @ f o w l e r t r a v e l . c o . z a E x p e r t a d v i c e f o r a s m o o t h j o u r n e y ! G O I N G S O M E W H E R E ? FOWLER TRAVEL arranges all local or overseas holidays, local or international business trips, group tours all tailored to your particular personal needs, with personal service. Travel with Peace of Mind!

The Southern Cross 9 congregants towards heaven, hopefully inspiring a range of spiritual thoughts and emotions in parishioners This is something the builders of churches over the centuries knew be it the towering vaults of Gothic architecture, the mighty domes of the Renaissance, or the frescoes of the Baroque. And well thought out acoustics are absolutely essential for voice pro jection of the celebrant and readers, as well as for the music Here, accommo dation must be made for the different sounds of the choir and organ, and for guitars and other musical instruments

“Because of ver y stringent budget constraints, I opted to upgrade our old church’s crucifix, which I had recoloured and embellished by adding hand beaten steel ripples Existing statues were sanded and recoloured or revarnished by a paint specialist, to my specifications I had the old framed Stations of the Cross stripped and added new large inner mounts and new larger frames to make them look bolder and imposing,” Ror y ex plained.

The SACBC’s former secretar y gen eral, Sr Hermenegild Makoro CPS, is serving her second term on the Pontifi cal Council for Protection of Minors

The Catholic Church has a low public profile, and struggles to communicate internally as well. Are there any plans to remedy the situation?

d i

w e h a v e , l i k e

h e

r i

e r m e d i a a n d

f m

m m u

As a Church, we have not always priori tised social communications, particu larly at diocesan level and especially in smaller and rural dioceses We are Fr Phuthi would work with a team, he is still working alone This issue of resources and person nel is seen in the struggle to maintain o h c o c s channels, like Catholic newspapers and magazines and Catholic radio stations We should have more, but even those T S R a d i o r i s , a e a a closing down because of a lack of finan cial resources T h e o h e s s c a face of the media. We need to reimag i e o e s o e a c o n i c a s according to the need When commu nications technology began to outpace the paper world, the writing was on the wall I presume that, going for ward, the C h u rc h w i l l n e e d t o l o o k a t d i g i t a l t e c h n o l o g y f o r c o m m u n i c a t i n g w i t h t h e g r e a t m a j o r i t y o f y o u n g C a t h o l i c s i n S o u t h e r n A f r i c a . I t w s o e e o e

n g e r o f

One obvious problem area in the Souther n African Church is media, which has been on the margins of the bishops’ concern for the past 30 years.

m m u n i

i l l a l

d t

The bishops are sometimes criticised for not speaking out on various polit ical issues Why is that? We can sometimes be seen as being slow in responding to emerging issues. This is due to the conference's collegiality, which means that before issuing a state ment or taking action, one needs a con sensus of the bishops

u e i s t h e

n g i n g

IN OUR AUGUST ISSUE, BISHOP Sithembele Sipuka of Mthatha, presi dent of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), looked back at the history of the structure after its founding in 1947, and some of the SACBC’s present endeavours This is the second part of the interview, with the third running in October. There always is a lack of resources, but is the SACBC financially viable? In the recent past there have been ef forts to make the SACBC more finan cially viable In addition to the Lenten Appeal which continues to be a suc cess stor y, even though with Covid 19 its income has declined somewhat we embarked on raising R50 million a few years ago and has now reached that tar get Furthermore, to mutually support each other, the bishops have established a solidarity fund to which each diocese makes an annual contribution The scandal of abuse is still haunting the Church throughout the world What is the situation within the SACBC? Yes, we too in the SACBC region have unfortunately had cases of sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable people. The SACBC was among the first conferences to develop protocols and policies to deal with this terrible crime within its struc tures However, there is no doubt that more needs to be done, especially in ed ucating the laity and in the formation of seminarians and ongoing formation of priests and bishops, to ensure ac countability and that our churches are safe for children

a t i o n

t i o n

Furthermore, the media chooses what it wants to publicise so that even though we react to challenges, we are just ignored As members of the South African Council of Churches (SACC), we actively participate in the discussions, with ensuing statements and actions So in some situations requiring a response, we may seem to be absent as the Catholic Church, but we are present and loud through the SACC.

t a

e f u p 10 The Southern Cross 75 Years Southern A f rican Catholic Bishops’ Conference SACBC is present and loud I n t h e s e c o n d p a r t o f a w i d e - r a n g i n g i n t e r v i e w , S A C B C p r e s i d e n t B i s h o p S i t h e m b e l e S i p u k a t e l l s G ü n t h e r S i m m e r m a c h e r a b o u t t h e b i s h o p s ’ c o n f e r e n c e ’ s f i n a n c e s , m e d i a , t h e e f f e c t o f C o v i d , e c u m e n i s m a n d m o r e .

o u t h e r n C ro s s a n d

l w a y s i n d

In Eswatini, the Catholic Church is one of the founders of the Council of Swaziland Churches (CSC), together with the Anglican and Lutheran bish ops The building of the CSC is called “Mandlenkhosi”, remembering Bishop Zwane In Eswatini, the Church actively works with other Churches, particularly at this time of unrest. In other provinces, it has varying success, from fair such as Pretoria to zero, for example most parts of the Eastern Cape Part of the problem is that many church formations meet according to their leanings, like the Pentecostals, evangelicals, and mainline churches

The Southern Cross 11 c o m m u n i c a t i o n s s o t h a t t h e y i n c l u d e a l l c u l t u r a l l y, l i n g u i s t i c a l l y a n d e c o nomically diverse people of our Confer ence area. A major reason for not having re sources is that we are a minority Church beginning to wean itself from depend ency on overseas support Given the small numbers and the loss of institu tions we used to run, the Catholic Church is not so visible and attractive to the media, so most of its activities and statements are not publicised. This is slightly different in Eswatini, where the media is invited and attends most of the diocesan events, and quotes statements from such gatherings So part of remedying the situation in the rest of the Conference is to work for more people in the Church who can provide financial and human resources for communications . In many parts of Africa, laypeople run media and com munications centres In the SACBC, the tendency is to look to the bishops to provide; it will not work What we can do now is to train priests and religious media and commu nications experts to maximise what is available, namely the Internet and so cial media. This is beginning to take shape; a few dioceses have begun edu cating priests in media and communica tions. Hopefully, as they get more efficient, they will also get the laity in terested After he became president, Cyril Ramaphosa made it a point of meet ing with Christian leaders Is that di alogue still ongoing? After Nelson Mandela in the late 1990s, Cyril Ramaphosa was the only president who met us Catholic bishops When we met him three years ago, we had honest and constructive discussions with him He has also made a good effort to also meet with the SACC and other Church formations several times During the height of Covid, meetings between the president and Churches were ver y fre quent, and often with openness and lis tening on the part of the president

How are the Conference’s ecumenical and interfaith efforts going? We place a lot of importance on ecu menism As you know, it is part of our ecclesiology, highly considered by the Vatican, and it has a dicastery in Rome. We, too, have a full commission for ec umenism, whose leading bishop sits on the administration board of the SACBC.

75 Years Southern A f rican Catholic Bishops’ Conference K h a n y a H o u s e , t h e S A C B C ’ s h e a d q u a r t e r s i n W a t e r k l o o f , P r e t o r i a

Two areas of the conference, namely KwaZulu Natal and Eswatini, are doing very well In KwaZulu Natal, Cardinal Wilfrid Napier is the chair of the KZN Council of Churches.

Some dialogue is happening on the top level, but only in a few dioceses is something happening. We succeeded in reviewing the guideline booklets, one for ecumenical dialogue and the other for interreligious dialogue.

As seen in KZN and Eswatini, ecu menism has a lot of relevance because a joint effort is needed to tackle some of the social challenges, like it was at the height of Covid 19, fighting poverty, and dealing with migrants and refugees Moreover, as I have said, it forms part of our ecclesiology The SACBC has led the way in em powering the laity and especially women by giving them concrete lead ership positions in the conference Has that approach filtered down the levels in the Church? Speaking for Mthatha, the diocese I head, and indeed for the most part of the Conference, the laity is playing its role in the Church and are allowed to do so With the universal synod, for in stance, in Mthatha lay people play a sig nificant role For example, the chairperson of the synodal process is a woman, and she is doing ver y well Sr Hermenegild is the administration and finance director of our diocese. Other dioceses have also appointed Sisters and lay people in key positions in the dio cese I am thinking of Aliwal and Pre toria, for example. So yes, I believe this has somehow filtered down to the diocesan level At the Conference level, we have es tablished a National Council of the Laity. Even though patriarchy continues in society, for the most part, it is not a felt thing in the Church because there are more women in church than men

Efforts are being made to encourage and support ecumenical structures in dioceses. There was a successful confer ence where delegates of most dioceses were present who were asked to be link persons with the department for im proved involvement of the local Church in such a dialogue Not much seems to have happened since. The department has not had much contact with them through a WhatsApp group which was formed to enhance this communication ver y few interact It would appear that most of the delegates are no longer functional. So at the grassroots level, ecumenism is not that visible This lack of visibility is not due to lack of trying by the Catholic bishops; it is due mainly to the lack of ap preciation of the value of ecumenism by other Churches This, however, is not the same in all areas of the conference

Next month: In Part 3 of the inter view, Bishop Sipuka speaks about the youth, evangelisation, the legacy of Covid, and the challenges facing the Church

Radio personality Akani Malobola had a revelation while attending World Youth Day in Rio, and he met his wife through Radio Veritas. He spoke to Daluxolo Moloantoa.

www.radioveritas.co.za Radio’s Akani Malobola: 12 The Southern Cross A k a n i M a l o b o l a w i t h t h e l a t e F r E m i l B l a s e r O P a t t h e 2 0 t h a n n i v e r s a r y c e l e b r a t i o n s o f R a d i o V e r i t a s i n 2 0 1 9

In 2014, Akani approached the late Radio Veritas founder, Fr Emil Blaser OP, with the idea of initiating a marketing department at Radio Veritas. His idea re ceived a nod from Fr Blaser, and Akani joined Radio Veritas as a marketing and communications coordinator. It was during this period when Fr Blaser and Radio Veritas station manager Khanya Litabe needed a presenter for the station’s “YouthWise” and “Chang ing Gears” programmes They proposed the idea for Akani taking up the posi tion He welcomed the idea of switching roles, and became a presenter on both programmes at the station From Radio Veritas, Akani’s career spun off to other roles, including stints in public relations and IT communica tions at several companies. Alongside this came the opportunity to create voice over advertisements for a number of well known South African brands “I’ve worked on advertising campaigns for local brands such as Ned bank, Nestlé, the Auditor General South Africa, and others. My most recent cam paign can be heard in store at Builder’s Warehouse hardwares nationwide ”

Tuned into his f a i t h

W ORLD YOUTH DAY 2013 came as a blessing in many ways for radio presenter Akani Malobola It was at the triennial international Catholic youth gathering in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where “as clear as day, God revealed his pur pose for my life”, he recalled It is a call ing which has taken him on a journey of self discover y, a wide ranging media ministr y, and a rewarding vocation through the sacrament of marriage.

Akani, who currently presents an evening show on LM Radio, was born on February 7, 1991, in Mamelodi, Pretoria, the younger of two brothers to a school principal father and a former municipality worker mother. He was baptised in the Presbyterian Church, but grew up in the Catholic Church “I became a Catholic when my mother made a return to her Catholic roots,” Akani said Among his earliest memories of being a Catholic is going to confession for the first time, in preparation for his First Holy Communion “A ver y signifi cant memor y I have is of the safe and welcoming space at my parish It was there where I felt encouraged to ask dif ficult questions about God, in order to get to know him better ” An early start in the media industry landed him an intern position at MTV Africa, a music television channel But his career took off after his pilgrimage to World Youth Day 2013. Acting on the revelation he received in Rio de Janeiro, he decided to become a part time radio presenter. Having submitted a demo tape recorded at Radio Veritas’ studios to the Christian radio station Impact Radio, he was roped into the team on a part time basis. Over five years, he honed and developed his skills in the radio industry “It was while I was with Impact Radio that I realised that God wanted me to spread his message on a full time basis through the medium,” he said Going on Radio Veritas

Radio is the medium which has pro vided Akani with the best memories in his career so far, especially his time at Radio Veritas. “A highlight of my time at there was our marketing and communi

Akani’s time at Radio Veritas, from 2014 19, also presented him with an other life changing moment It was through the radio station that he met his wife, Chantelle. “While I was a presenter for the ‘YouthWise’ and ‘Changing Gears’ programmes, I pro moted a Radio Veritas Leadership Camp. My future mother in law responded to the promotion, and it was at the camp where I met my Chantelle.”

The couple was married by Fr Patrick Dladla at Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Rivonia, Johannesburg Apart from praying together at home, the couple are active parishioners of their parish, St Thomas More church in Centurion.

cations campaign in preparation for the beatification of Bl Benedict Daswa I felt ver y privileged to be part of the team which created the station’s merchandis ing material for the cause. We sold T shirts, caps and candles as our contri bution to the cause,” he said “A second highlight was my time as the station’s official correspondent at World Youth Day 2016 in Krakow, Poland. Getting to report from the event and inter viewing priests, nuns, bishops, cardinals and young people from across the world was truly a life changing experience, in a similar way to my experience in Brazil three years ear lier,” he explained We d d i n

God blesses us to be a blessing to others C h n t e l l e o n t h e i r w e d d i n g d a y l a s t y e a r part of our apostolic work by joining our Associates campaign. sign up for a minimum contribution of r100 per month. tell us how you would like your contribution to be spent by

“ We a r e t h e h a n d s a n d t h e f e e t e n t r u s t e d t o t a k e c a r e o f h i s C h u rc h , s o t h a t a l l o f G o d ’s p e o p l e c a n e x p e r i e n c e h i s p r o v i s i o n s p i r i t u a l l y, e m o t i o n a l l y a n d m a t e r i a l l y T h e f u t u r e o f t h e C h u rc h i s d e p e n d e n t o n i t s s e l f s u f f i c i e n c y ”

g b e l l s w e r e r i n g i n g

A k a n i a n d h i s w i f e

“We keep our marriage grounded in Christ We also take part in various marriage enrichment ecumeni cal activities and seminars. It also helps that some of our closest friends are fellow Christians too,” said Akani, who attended his third World Youth Day in 2019, in Panama City, with Chantelle h e a l s o b e c a m e h i s p a r i s h ’s f a c i l i t a t o r f o r t h e P r e t o r i a a rc h d i o c e s a n s y n o d H e b e l i e v e s t h a t i t i s n e c e s s a r y t h a t p r o f e s s i o n a l C a t h o l i c s a r e s e e n t o b e g i v i n g b a c k t o t h e C h u rc h , a n d t o s o c i e t y i n g e n e r a l “ G o d b l e s s e s u s t o b e a b l e s s i n g t o o t h e r s , ” A k a n i s a i d .

choosing from these three membership options: • Yo u a re we l co m e to s e l e c t more than one option • Re c e i ve a f re e dig ital or pr int s ubs c r iption i f yo u co nt r i b u te R 2 0 0 o r m o re p e r m o nt h • A s a n A s s o c i ate , h oly M as s w i l l b e c e l e b rate d fo r yo u r i nte nt i o n s t w i c e a ye a r. • A s s o c i ate s w i l l re c e i ve re g ular update s o n t h e ca m p a i g n • sig n up online a n d s e l e c t R 1 2 0 0 , R 2 4 0 0 , R 3 0 0 0 o r R 5 0 0 0 a n n u a l co nt r i b u t i o n o r a ny a m o u nt v i a E F T c A r D i n A l o W E n M c c A n n A s s o c i At E SA’s ﬁrst Cardinal and twice Southern Cross editor securing the Future: Supporting the general running costs of The Southern Cross, including growing our digital footprint, and securing the title’s future. B l E s s E D B E n E D i c t D A s WA A s s o c i At E SA’s ﬁrst Blessed, a family father, teacher and catechist outreach: Providing free copies of our magazine to prisons, hospitals, seminaries, and distribution to the poor through Church agencies D o r ot h Y DAY A s s o c i At E Catholic newspaper publisher and social activist sociAl coMMunicAtions: For our journalists and contributors, to continue to spread the Gospel, social teachings, and Catholic local and worldwide news c A r D i n A l o W E n M c c A n n A s s o c i At E D o r o t h Y D AY A s s o c i At E B l E s s E D B E n E D i c t D A s WA A s s o c i At E sign up online www.digital.scross.co.za/associates-campaign or email admin@scross.co.za for details

A k a n i r e c e n t l y b e c a m e a p r e s e n t e r o n L M R a d i o , p r e s e n t i n g t h e “ S A G o l d ” m u s i c p r o g r a m m e o n w e e k d a y s f r o m 2 1 : 0 0 t o 2 3 : 0 0 I n s p i t e o f h i s b u s y s c h e d u l e , h e i s a l s o a p r o c l a i m e r a n d a m e m b e r o f t h e S t T h o m a s M o r e M e n ’s F o r u m R e c e n t l y

A journey with AUTISM F o r y e a r s a f a m i l y s t r u g g l e d w i t h t h e a u t i s m o f t h e i r s o n s . S a r a h P y o o s w r i t e s a b o u t t h a t j o u r n e y , a n d h o w i t e n d e d i n s p i r i t u a l j o y . S a r a h P y o o s w i t h h e r s o n s M i c h a e l ( l e f t ) a n d G e r a r d , a n d h u s b a n d G e r a l d From alienation to conﬁrmation: I m a d e a d e c i s i o n t o m o u r n n o m o r e A heartbreaking checklist

14 The Southern Cross

titled Mothers and Their Children: no eye contact; strange, fixative behaviours; lack of social skills; no concept of dan ger; not responding to their name; walking on toes; aggression; spinning objects; lack of speech yes to all I couldn’t breathe as the following words flew straight at me: a lifelong, irre versible, untreatable, permanent condi tion autism I wept Where would I even start being a mother? A week later, a psychologist’s words ripped out my heart: “Mother, save yourself all the pain, institutionalise him and don’t look back There is no cure for autism and the future is ver y, ver y bleak ” That was 26 years ago Those heartless words shook me to the core, but they also propelled me to choose to love As my husband Gerald and I drove home that rainy Friday afternoon, not a word was spoken, each of us weeping silently in our hearts. However, the words of Jim Sinclair, an adult living with autism, put me into action: “Grieve for us if you must, for your own lost dreams, but don’t mourn for us We are alive We are real, and we are here wait ing for you.” I made a conscious deci sion to mourn no more. Since the health department had failed the boys, we turned to our educa tion department Very little was available for children with autism at this time, and we battled to find placement for Gerard and Michael in the state schooling sys tem As door after door closed to Gerard, and the more Michael was exhibiting autistic symptoms, the closer I came to complete despair Yet, no matter how cold and indifferent the world seemed in

ROM A VERY YOUNG AGE I knew that there was something ver y special about that little light that shone continuously near the altar steps of Sacred Heart church in Mangete I was always curious about that light, especially how it kept shining in its simplicity yet magnificence all at once I was so drawn to it that I man aged to find the courage to run up the dusty hill that led me to it more often than I was allowed to It all fell into place for me the day our parish priest told me: “Sarah, you must love Jesus He is there waiting for you day and night Never pass by without stopping to say ‘hello’ to him.” That light came to represent love, hope, friendship Jesus. Little did I realise that these words, inextricably linked to my childhood simplicity, were to become the bedrock of my faith walk, a lamp unto my feet and a single thread of hope in my endeavour to raise my two boys with autism, and lead them to the sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation Gerard, named after St Gerard Ma jella, patron saint of expectant mothers, was a healthy, undemanding toddler. At around 18 months, something changed. The loving, bubbly, bouncing little boy became more and more detached He stopped responding to his name and at times seemed unaware of people around him. From singing nurser y rhymes and saying basic words to silence. We thought he was hearing impaired, but his hearing appeared to be per fectly normal No matter how hard we tried to en gage him, he just would not interact with us. It was his rejection of all our love that brought me to tears on many occasions Why wouldn’t my soft, cud dly baby respond? Poor Gerard was dragged, some times literally kicking and screaming, from specialist to specialist. No one could help In between the frenzy, Michael, my 4kg bundle of joy, made a quiet entr y into our world For a while, my nagging fear around Gerard’s unex plained condition dissipated in the joy of my newborn son Michael seemed far more interested in our world than Gerard was He would make eye contact, smile and laugh ap propriately, and take an interest in some of his toys. But Mike did not progress at the expected pace. He took too long to walk, and by two, he still had no speech I felt as if my heart had been ripped out of its socket “Oh please, God,” I cried, “not Mike too ” Despair engulfed me. It strangled all faith and hope. I cried like a baby over my babies, con sumed by fear as to how I, their mother, was to lead them to adulthood in a world which they neither cared for nor understood A heartbreaking checklist After many exhausting visits to an array of healthcare professionals, I started doing my own research about childhood medical disorders. I froze as I went through the checklist in a book

to Mass

The seed was a little notice posted by Holy Family Sisters in the parish’s Sunday bulletin I must admit, I didn’t have much hope that people would re spond When I walked into the first SPRED meeting, I could not believe my eyes, and it was hard not to be over come with emotion. We quickly intro duced ourselves to each other and SPRED was born. The first meeting was made up of “companions”, the name given to the people who accompany the group of “friends” on the road to re ceive the sacraments Companions, friends it didn’t get more beautiful

Initially it was relatively easy attend ing Sunday Mass with the boys They were toddlers and their strange behav iour was less noticeable Those cr y room days filled me with faint hope that maybe the professionals were wrong. Maybe, just maybe, by interacting with other children, the boys would snap out of their place But this was not to be After a while it became virtually im possible to continue taking the boys to church. Gerard especially became ver y anxious as we approached the church building The tall steeple, the high ceil ings and the clay coloured bricks might have added to his reluctance to enter Gerard, like many people with autism, struggled immensely with spatial and depth perceptions He is still incredibly war y of high buildings and finds stairs a menace

The seed is sown

That’s when Lungile entered our lives Family and friends rallied to sup port us, but it was Lungile who would make the biggest impact on our boys’ lives This angel landed on our doorstep by divine inter vention Lungile was patient, kind, consider ate, the childless daughter of a mother who died of alcoholism, sis ter to a mentally handicapped sibling, and adoptive mother to her sister’s son. She brought with her a peace we had yearned for, a calmness and patience. Lungile became my boys’ lifeline to our world She entered the mind of my sons and spoke with them there, the lan guage of love, the only language they could understand Through her body language, the tone in her voice, her de termination and constancy, she made them feel safe Lungi taught me acceptance. It took this woman, who had no formal educa tion, who had never given birth to a child of her own, to teach me valuable lessons in love and acceptance A few years later, after months of ill health, Lungi died Just like Nanny McPhee in the book Nurse Matilda, she had come for a purpose, and when her job was done, she disappeared Today, Mavis has taken Lungi’s place Because of Mavis we can enjoy a relatively normal life, knowing that our boys are well looked after, and well cared for. Eventually we managed to find a place for Gerard and Michael at a private school Michael received private tutoring, and from being totally non verbal at four years old, he began to speak, and contin ues to express himself very well

those moments, there were many angels just waiting to help us

Going to Mass

Going

As time went on, I knew a next step had to be taken. I just didn’t know what it was I was afraid to even think about the possibility of my boys receiving the sacraments of Communion and Confir mation But I knew that the Holy Spirit always completes what he starts. The seed is sown

And so, the Holy Trinity SPRED group was born. SPRED is an acronym for Special Religious Development, and its aim is to aid people with an intellec tual disability to participate fully in the liturgical life of the Church

For Michael, the length of time in a confined space proved too much; he would fidget and squirm and shriek at the top of his voice This kind of behav iour from a 10 year old didn’t go down well with some parishioners, under standably so. I cried silently in my heart thinking that there was no room big enough for my family in my spiritual home That light in Sacred Heart church which had once beckoned me, that had called my name, became a withering flame of despair. Our trips to Mass became less fre quent Eventually we gave up taking the boys to Mass completely I was deeply conflicted by this and yearned for a time when we could worship God as a family It felt like a betrayal of God’s love for me Hadn’t he always waited for me with open arms? Hadn’t I always run to him, drawn to the inexplicable pull of his light and love from the altar stairs? Many people offered comfort: “God understands, Sarah Your children are per fect, their souls unblemished It is us who need Our Lord more ” These sym pathetic answers did little to ease the trepidation in my heart My gut told me that I should be doing more Life changing retreat

The Southern Cross

15 A f t e r 1 5 y e a r s w e w e n t t o M a s s a s a f a m i l y Continued on page 22 Life-changing retreat

In 2011, Gerald and I attended an ACTS retreat The experience had a pro found effect on us We were filled with renewed hope and courage to listen to that still small voice which seemed to say: “Be not afraid, have no fear I go be fore you I have called you by your name and I love you Seek first the Kingdom of God and all the other things will be added unto you ”

Soon after this, we somehow plucked up the courage to take our boys to church, at Holy Trinity in Musgrave Road, Durban By now, Gerard was 20 and Michael 17. We decided to start in the side chapel at the Sunday evening Mass We felt this Mass would be per fect as our boys love music and would instantly feel at home Still, we were anxious I had visions of Gerard screech ing out during the consecration at the top of his voice or Michael running onto the altar to tr y to straighten Father’s vestments Through the grace of God, our first visit to church as a family in 15 years was better than we had ever imagined. The song in my heart that carried me through the week had to be “He makes all things beautiful in his time ” Feeling unburdened and free from the guilt that had plagued me for years, I mentioned in passing to the priest how anxious I had felt at the thought of bringing the boys to church “Sarah,” he said in his matter of fact tone, “your boys were angels I never heard a sound from the side chapel, apart from your singing.” I’m still not sure if he was just tr ying to be kind, but the ver y next week, the whole family had moved to the choir loft to join the folk group Being part of the band was most re warding for the boys. Of course, there would be good days and not so good days But above all, there was acceptance by a commu nity of fellow worshippers who em braced the diversity of my sons

Mother Teresa’s ‘driver’ recalls her 1988 SA visit Sydney Duval I n a m e s s a g e t o S o u t h e r n C r o s s r e a d e r s , M o t h e r T e r e s a c a l l e d o n t h e C a t h o l i c s o f S o u t h A f r i c a t o “ p r a y t o g e t h e r a n d t h e n d o s o m e t h i n g b e a u t i f u l f o r G o d ” F a m i l i e s s h o u l d b e c o n s e c r a t e d t o t h e S a c r e d H e a r t , a n d s h e e n c o u r a g e d a d o r a t i o n o f t h e B l e s s e d S a c r a m e n t She stood alone on the vast stage, a frail bird wrapped in a sari of white and blue

Washing dishes in Khayelitsha Mother Teresa was to be seen in various moods in the Cape as she responded to a press conference; walked through the shacks of Khayelitsha; talked to the Pallottine Sisters at St Joseph’s Home, Montana; got close and intimate with the Carmelites on Wynberg Hill; negotiated with Catholic Welfare & Development’s Peter Templeton for Srs Audrey, Pulpushpa, Concessa and Bethany and other Missionaries of Charity to set up a temporar y home in a sand bag house in Z Section, Khayelit sha; complied with Archbishop Naidoo’s putting her under obe dience; thrilled at the moment she met Archbishop Desmond Tutu at a mayoral reception that brought the two Nobel Laureates together; interacted with priests, religious and deacons at Mar y Help of Christians, Lansdowne; shared cordial greetings with chancer y staff And she chatted and washed dishes in the early hours at House 20 in Khayelitsha’s Z Section, as I waited to take her to the airport with Archbishop Naidoo Mother Teresa’s visit, always in the company of Margaret Cullis of Durban, was a journey of contrasts and actions that also created space for a variety of impressions of a remarkable personality I think especially of the night she spoke to some 10 000 people at the cavernous Good Hope Centre. She stood alone on the vast stage, a frail bird wrapped in a sari of white and blue, looking as though she had found the deck of a giant ship to break her flight across the ocean. She spoke, illuminated from without and within, in words of utter simplicity and with the conviction of one who had made her option for the poorest of the poor a profoundly lived reality, one which she embraced with a power ful singleminded ness She was to say, with words she repeated elsewhere: “We were not created for our colour, but to love and be loved My concern is for the poorest of the poor who need love, food, clothing, shelter, the compassion of Christ But this concern also extends to the many who are poor in spirit all over the world, even where there is wealth.”

Mother Teresa’s cr y from the heart

M o t h e r T e r e s a m e e t s e n c l o s e d C a r m e l i t e n u n s i n W y n b e r g , C a p e T o w n , i n 1 9 8 8 T h e f u t u r e s a i n t w a s s o b u s y o n h e r v i s i t t h a t s h e b a r e l y s a w t h e g r e a t s i g h t s o f t h e c o u n t r y Photo:

16 The Southern Cross

Mother Teresa visited South Africa In Cape Town, journalist sydney Duval was her driver. Here he remembers the saint of Kolkata.

HE LATE CARDINAL OWEN McCANN’S PERSONAL driver for many years was Leslie Goldsmith One day when the Cape Town chancer y staff was having a “get to know you” session, he introduced himself, to a burst of laughter from all present with the words: “My job is to drive the cardinal round the bend ” In the four days I drove Mother Teresa from venue to venue in Cape Town, from November 8 11, 1988, I quickly got the message that my job was to keep my car, and Mother Teresa, on the straight and narrow. There was to be no time for detours, distractions or small talk She hardly had time to look up to appreciate the grandeur of Table Mountain, except for a cursor y glance with a diffident remark to her host, Archbishop Stephen Naidoo: “Who would have thought that?”

In November 1988

Thinking back on these events almost 34 years ago, it seems to me that the lasting value of this brief but intense experience of Mother Teresa is to be found in the message she shared with Cape Town, the other places in South Africa she visited, and other parts of the world Hers was a challenge to men and women, rich and poor, and whole and broken, to reach out to each other, to build bridges between one another that to proclaim the Good News is “to do something beau tiful for God” Her message was not something new or aston ishing but a cr y of the heart to renew ourselves, again and again, by living out the parable of the Good Samaritan A few months after Mother Teresa visited South Africa, the bishops launched a new pastoral plan for Southern Africa under the title “A Community Ser ving Humanity” That hu manity includes the poorest of the poor whom St Teresa of Kolkata took to her heart and ser ved with heroic virtue one of the distinguishing signs of saintliness.

WHEN MOTHER TERESA was asked to define her self, she said: “By blood, I am Albanian. By citizen ship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun As to my calling, I belong to the world As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus ” On September 5, 1997, the diminutive nun died at the age of 87 By the time of her death, the Nobel peace laureate had long already been re garded as a living saint. In 2016, the Church formally declared her sainthood.

Mother Teresa was born as Anjezë (or Agnes) Gonxha Bojaxhiu on August 26, 1910, in Skopje today the capital of North Macedonia She was the youngest of Nikollë and Dranafile Bojaxhiu’s three children. Her father was an ethnic Alban ian businessman and politician in the Ot toman Empire who died under mysterious circumstances in 1919 Agnes was confirmed at the age of six in Skopje’s Jesuit church of the Sacred Heart, and already exhibited a deep faith Fascinated by stories about missionaries in Bengal, she started dreaming of being a religious Sister in India when she was 12 So when she turned 18, she left home to join the Loreto Sisters in Rathfarnham, Ireland She would never see her mother or sister again At the Loreto convent she re ceived the religious name Mary Teresa, after St Thérèse of Lisieux It was a good choice, because her middle name, Gonxhe, can be translated as “Little Flower”, the moniker by which the saint of Lisieux is widely known

Becoming a teacher

Sr Teresa’s idea was to learn English in Ireland, because that was the language of instruction in India, where she hoped to become a teacher. But she didn’t stay long in Ireland; within a few months, she was sent to India, arriving in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on January 6, 1929 Sr Teresa indeed did become a teacher, eventually being appointed the principal of St Mary’s School for Girls in 1944. She was a happy Loreto Sister who was admired for her prayerfulness, kind ness, hard work and organisational skills. Like her fellow Loreto Sisters, she was known as Mother after making her final profession in 1937. But for all her personal contentment, she was troubled by the brutal poverty she saw around her The answer to her questions about this came on September 10, 1946 That Tuesday she was taking the train ride from Calcutta to Darjeeling for her annual retreat Suddenly Mother Teresa received what she later would de scribe as her “call within a call”. She never revealed the details, but that day, Jesus’ thirst for love and for souls pene trated her heart, and gave rise to a new vocation On that train journey, Mother Teresa heard the call to establish a reli gious community dedicated to the serv ice of the poorest of the poor For almost two years Mother Teresa discerned that call until her superiors and the Vatican gave her permission to leave the Loreto Sisters and set up a founda tion, which she would call the Mission aries of Charity (MC) On August 17, 1948, she put on a sari, white with blue borders, and walked out of the Loreto convent into a new future Out on her own First, Mother Teresa did a course in medical care. On December 21, she ven tured into the slums of Calcutta for the first time Everywhere she looked, she saw a need. She washed the sores of sick children and cared for the ill and dying on the road Soon she was joined by her former students the beginnings of her reli gious foundation On October 7, 1950, the Missionaries of Charity were officially established, with the Vatican’s permis sion, in the archdiocese of Calcutta But those were hard times; for the first year, the Sisters had to beg and scrounge to survive and to offer their service to “the hungry, the naked, the homeless, the crippled, the blind, the lepers, all those people who feel unwanted, unloved, un cared for throughout society, people that have become a burden to the society and are shunned by everyone” Mother Teresa longed for the comforts of the convent, The Southern Cross 17

Saint of the Month: St Teresa of KOLKATA St Teresa at a glance N a m e a t b i r t h : A n j e z ë G o n x h e B o j a x h i u B o r n : A u g u s t 2 6 , 1 9 1 0 , i n Ü s k ü p , O t t o m a n E m p i r e ( p r e s e n t d a y S k o p j e , N o r t h M a c e d o n i a ) D i e d : S e p t e m b e r 5 , 1 9 9 7 , i n K o l k a t a , I n d i a B e a t i f i e d : 2 0 0 3 C a n o n i s e d : 2 0 1 6 F e a s t : S e p t e m b e r 5 P a t r o n a g e s : W o r l d Y o u t h D a y M o t h e r T e r e s a : A s a i n t i n h e r o w n l i f e t i m e O n S e pte m b e r 5 , t h e C h u rc h w i l l m a r k t h e 2 5 t h a n n i ve rs a r y o f M o t h e r Te re s a ’s d e at h . H e re we l o o k at t h e l i fe o f S t Te re s a o f Ko l kata . C l o c k w i s e f r o m t o p l e f t : A g n e s B o j a x h i u a s a t e e n a g e r i n S k o p j e ; a s a L o r e t o S i s t e r i n I n d i a ; r e c e i v i n g t h e N o b e l P e a c e P r i z e i n 1 9 7 9 ; w i t h h e r d i s t i n c t i v e s a r i i n 1 9 4 8 M o t h e r T e r e s a w i t h h e r f r i e n d P o p e J o h n P a u l I I .

S o u t h e r n C r o s s T h e S t T e r e s a o f K o l k a t a

‘ B e k i n d a n d m e r c i f u l . L e t n o o n e e v e r c o m e t o y o u w i t h o u t c o m i n g a w a y b e t t e r a n d h a p p i e r . ’

1 9 5 2 O

Pope John Paul II waived the usual waiting period governing sainthood causes and beati fied Mother Teresa in 2003 Pope Francis canon ised St Teresa of Kolkata on September 4, 2016, witnessed by a group of Southern Cross pilgrims Next Month: St Francis of Assisi e l i n e o f M ot h e r T e r e s a

1 9 1 9

1 9 2 9

0 1 6

2 6 a

1 9 3 7 M

C l o c k w i s e f r o m b o t t o m l e f t : N i k o l l ë a n d D r a n a f i l e B o j a x h i u • M o t h e r T e r e s a c o m f o r t s a n i l l m a n i n a h o s p i c e o f h e r o r d e r • P r i n c e s s D i a n a b o w s t o M o t h e r T e r e s a i n N e w Y o r k n J u n e 1 9 9 7 B o t h d i e d w i t h i n d a y s o f o n e a n o t h e r M o t h e r T e r e s a ’ s b o d y i s d r a p e d w i t h I n d i a ’ s f l a g a s m i l i t a r y p e r s o n n e l s t a n d u a r d i n s i d e S t T h o m a s ’ h u r c h i n K o l k a t a • o u t h e r n C r o s s a d v e r t f o r a p i l g r i m a g e t o t h e a n o n i s a t i o n o f S t T e r e s a o f K o l k a t a i n 2 . r n o n A u g u s t s A n j e zë G o n x h e B o j a x h i u i n S ko p j e , n o w i n o r t h M a c e d o n i a , t h e yo u n g e s t o f e t h n i c A l b a n i a n s N i ko l l ë a n d D ra n a f i l e B o j a x h i u . N i ko l l ë B o j a x h i u , a b u s i n e s s m a n a n d p o l i t i c i a n , d i e s i n a p o i s o n i n g . i n s t h e L o re t o S i s t e rs i n I re l a n d a n d ta ke s t h e re l i g i o u s n a m e Te re s a . M o v e s t o t h e L o re t o c o nv e n t i n C a l c u tta ( n o w Ko l ka ta ) a n d g o e s o n t o b e c o m e a t e a c h e r a ke s h e r f i n a l p ro fe s s i o n a s a L o re t o S i s t e r a n d , fo l l o w i n g h e r o rd e r ’s c u s t o m , i s c a l l e d M o t h e r B e c o m e s p r i n c i p a l o f t h e L o re t o S c h o o l fo r G i r l s i n Ko l ka ta Re c e i v e s a c a l l i n g t o s e r v e t h e p o o r 8 L e av e s t h e L o re t o S i s t e rs t o s ta r t a fo u n d a t i o n fo r t h e p o o r B e c o m e s a n I n d i a n c i t i ze n . s ta b l i s h e s M i s s i o n a r i e s o f C h a r i t y. p e n s h o m e fo r d y i n g d e s t i t u t e i n Ko l ka ta rd e r ’s f i rs t h o u s e o u t s i d e I n d i a o p e n s i n Ve n e z u e l a . B C d o c u m e n ta r y o n h e r t i t l e d , S o m e t h i n g B e a u t i f u l fo r G o d ,

1 9 6 9 B

20 The Southern Cross

Global fame

1 9 5 0 E

1 9 2 8 J o

A T i m

but she persevered And their work was noticed, even by India’s prime minister. In 1952, the Sisters opened their first hos pice in Calcutta, in an abandoned Hindu tem ple, and named it Kalighat There people received basic medical attention and the oppor tunity to die with dignity, in accordance with their faith More homes opened in the 1950s, and by 1962, Mother Teresa sent her Sisters to other parts of India. Pope Paul VI in 1965 encouraged her to go international by opening a house in Venezuela Soon foundations were established in Rome and Tanzania In the 1980s, she opened houses in almost every communist country, including Albania. In 1988, Mother Teresa came to South Africa, where her congre gation is now active in Cape Town, Johannes burg, Pretoria and Durban Mother Teresa also established foundations for religious Brothers and priests, and the Co Workers of Mother Teresa for the laity, with a chapter also active in South Africa.

1 9 4 4

1 9 4 6

1 9 4

1 9 6 5 O

i s s c re e n e d i n B r i ta i n . 1 9 7 9 Re c e i v e s t h e N o b e l Pe a c e P r i ze 1 9 8 8 V i s i t s va r i o u s c i t i e s i n S o u t h A f r i c a t o o p e n M i s s i o n a r i e s o f C h a r i t y h o u s e s 1 9 9 7 Pa s s e s l e a d e rs h i p o f o rd e r t o S r N i r m a l a J o s h i i n M a rc h . D i e s o n S e p t e m b e r 5 Re c e i v e s a s ta t e f u n e ra l i n Ko l ka ta 2 0 0 3 B e a t i f i e d b y Po p e J o h n Pa u l I I i n S t Pe t e r ’s S q u a re o n O c t o b e r 1 9 2 0 1 6 Canonised by Pope Francis in St Peter ’s Square on September 4.

In 1969, a BBC documentary titled Some thing Beautiful for God by journalist Malcolm Muggeridge until he met Mother Teresa an atheist made her better known in the West Mother Teresa became a global icon in 1979 when she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (she is the only Nobel laureate who is also a saint) With her raised profile, the little nun had to become wise to the ways of publicity, some thing for which she had a natural talent, too. She now was also an ambassador for peace, and she served that role with courage. For ex ample, during Israel’s siege of Beirut, Lebanon, in 1982, she rescued 37 children trapped in a hospital by negotiating a temporary ceasefire Mother Teresa fed the hungry in Ethiopia, cared for radiation victims at Chernobyl, and worked for earthquake victims in Armenia Her prominence also gave Mother Teresa a platform to voice her concerns on social issues, with abortion being a central concern What nobody, other than her confessor, knew was that for many decades, Mother Teresa faced a spiritual struggle: an interior experience of a deep, painful and abiding feeling of being separated from God. In March 1997, Mother Teresa handed the reins of her congregation to a successor, Sr Nir mala Joshi By now, her Sisters numbered nearly 4 000 members, with 610 foundations in 123 countries of the world. She then travelled to meet her friend Pope John Paul II one last time On September 5, Mother Teresa died. She re ceived a state funeral in India, and her body was buried in the mother house of the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata.

1 9 1 0 B o

F r S e b a s t i a n V a z h a k a l a w i t h M o t h e r T e r e s a , i n a p h o t o s i g n e d b y t h e s a i n t F o r m o r e t h a n 3 0 y e a r s , t h e p r i e s t , t h e f i r s t o f t h e M i s s i o n a r y P r i e s t s o f C h a r i t y , w a s a c l o s e f r i e n d o f t h e s a i n t

The Southern Cross 21 Mother Teresa’s interior life: VISIONS of JESUS DARK NIGHT of the SOUL E V E N H E R F R I E N D O F M O R E t h a n 3 0 y e a r s d i d n o t k n o w t h a t M o t h e r Te r e s a h a d v i s i o n s o f J e s u s b e f o r e f o r m i n g t h e M i s s i o n a r i e s o f C h a r i t y. I t w a s n ’t u n t i l a f t e r h e r d e a t h t h a t t h i s p a r t o f M o t h e r Te r e s a ’s s p i r i t u a l l i f e w a s u n c o v e r e d , f o r t h e v a s t m a j o r i t y o f p e o p l e . “ I t w a s a b i g d i s c o v e r y, ” M i s s i o n a r y P r i e s t s o f C h a r i t y F a t h e r S e b a s t i a n Va z h a k a l a s a i d 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. W h e n M o t h e r Te r e s a ’s c a u s e f o r c a n o n i s a t i o n w a s o p e n e d , j u s t t w o y e a r s a f t e r h e r d e a t h i n 1 9 9 7 , d o c u m e n t s w e r e f o u n d i n t h e a rc h i v e s o f t h e J e s u i t s i n C a l c u t t a , w i t h t h e s p i r i t u a l d i r e c t o r a n d a n o t h e r o f M o t h e r Te r e s a ’s c l o s e p r i e s t f r i e n d s , a n d i n t h e o f f i c e o f t h e b i s h o p , c o n t a i n i n g h e r a c c o u n t s o f t h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s s h e r e p o r t e d t o h a v e h a d w i t h J e s u s F r Va z h a k a l a , w h o c o f o u n d e d t h e c o n t e m p l a t i v e b r a n c h o f t h e M i s s i o n a r i e s o f C h a r i t y a l o n g s i d e M o t h e r Te r e s a , s a i d h e h a s a d o c u m e n t , h a n d w r i t t e n b y M o t h e r Te r e s a , w h e r e s h e d i s c u s s e s w h a t J e s u s s p o k e t o h e r d i r e c t l y d u r i n g t h e t i m e o f t h e l o c u t i o n s a n d v i s i o n s V i s i o n a t C o m m u n i o n D u r i n g a p e r i o d l a s t i n g f r o m S e p t e m b e r 1 0 , 1 9 4 6 , t o D e c e m b e r 3 , 1 9 4 7 , M o t h e r Te r e s a h a d o n g o i n g c o m m u n i c a t i o n w i t h J e s u s t h r o u g h w o r d s a n d v i s i o n s , F r Va z h a k a l a s a i d . T h i s a l l h a p p e n e d w h i l e s h e w a s a m i s s i o n a r y s i s t e r i n t h e I r i s h o r d e r o f t h e S i s t e r s o f L o r e t o , t e a c h i n g a t S t M a r y ’s s c h o o l i n C a l c u t t a M o t h e r Te r e s a w r o t e t h a t o n e d a y a t H o l y C o m m u n i o n , s h e h e a r d J e s u s s a y : “ I w a n t I n d i a n n u n s , v i c t i m s o f m y l o v e , w h o w o u l d b e M a r y a n d M a r t h a , w h o w o u l d b e s o u n i t e d t o m e a s t o r a d i a t e m y l o v e o n s o u l s ” I t w a s t h r o u g h t h e s e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s o f t h e E u c h a r i s t i c J e s u s t h a t M o t h e r Te r e s a r e c e i v e d h e r d i r e c t i o n s f o r f o r m i n g h e r c o n g r e g a t i o n o f t h e M i s s i o n a r i e s o f C h a r i t y. “ S h e w a s s o u n i t e d w i t h J e s u s , ” F r Va z h a k a l a e x p l a i n e d , “ t h a t s h e w a s a b l e t o r a d i a t e n o t h e r l o v e b u t J e s u s ’ l o v e t h r o u g h h e r, a n d w i t h a h u m a n e x p r e s s i o n ” J e s u s t o l d h e r w h a t s o r t o f n u n s h e w a n t e d h e r o r d e r t o b e f i l l e d w i t h : “ I w a n t f r e e n u n s c o v e r e d w i t h t h e p o v e r t y o f t h e C r o s s . I w a n t o b e d i e n t n u n s c o v e r e d w i t h t h e o b e d i e n c e o f t h e C r o s s I w a n t f u l l o f l o v e n u n s c o v e r e d w i t h t h e c h a r i t y o f t h e C r o s s ” A c c o r d i n g t o M o t h e r Te r e s a , J e s u s a s k e d h e r : “ Wo u l d y o u r e f u s e t o d o t h i s f o r m e ? ” I n 1 9 4 7 , J e s u s t o l d h e r : “ I c a n n o t g o a l o n e t o t h e p o o r p e o p l e , y o u c a r r y m e w i t h y o u i n t o t h e m ” A f t e r t h i s p e r i o d o f j o y a n d c o n s o l a t i o n , a r o u n d 1 9 4 9 , M o t h e r Te r e s a s t a r t e d t o e x p e r i e n c e a “ t e r r i b l e d a r k n e s s a n d d r y n e s s ” i n h e r s p i r i t u a l l i f e , s a i d F r Va z h a k a l a “ A n d i n t h e b e g i n n i n g s h e t h o u g h t i t w a s b e c a u s e o f h e r o w n s i n f u l n e s s , u n w o r t h i n e s s , h e r o w n w e a k n e s s ” M o t h e r Te r e s a ’s s p i r i t u a l d i r e c t o r a t t h e t i m e h e l p e d h e r t o u n d e r s t a n d t h a t t h i s s p i r i t u a l d r y n e s s w a s j u s t a n o t h e r w a y t h a t J e s u s w a n t e d h e r t o s h a r e i n t h e p o v e r t y o f t h e p o o r o f C a l c u t t a T h i s p e r i o d l a s t e d n e a r l y 5 0 y e a r s , u n t i l h e r d e a t h , a n d s h e f o u n d i t v e r y p a i n f u l B u t , F r Va z h a k a l a s h a r e d t h a t s h e s a i d : “ I f m y d a r k n e s s a n d d r y n e s s c a n b e a l i g h t t o s o m e s o u l , l e t m e b e t h e f i r s t o n e t o d o t h a t I f m y l i f e , i f m y s u f f e r i n g , i s g o i n g t o h e l p s o u l s t o b e s a v e d , t h e n I w i l l p r e f e r f r o m t h e c r e a t i o n o f t h e w o r l d t o t h e e n d o f t i m e t o s u f f e r a n d d i e . ” Q u e n c h i n g t h e t h i r s t P e o p l e a r o u n d t h e w o r l d k n o w a b o u t M o t h e r Te r e s a ’s v i s i b l e a c t s o f c h a r i t y f o r t h e p o o r a n d s i c k i n t h e s l u m s o f C a l c u t t a , b u t “ t h e i n t e r i o r l i f e o f M o t h e r i s n o t k n o w n t o p e o p l e ” , s a i d F r Va z h a k a l a M o t h e r Te r e s a ’s m o t t o , a n d t h e m o t t o o f h e r c o n g r e g a t i o n , w a s t h e w o r d s o f J e s u s , “ I t h i r s t . ” A n d t h a t t h e y c o u l d q u e n c h t h e t h i r s t o f J e s u s b y b r i n g i n g s o u l s t o h i m “ A n d i n e v e r y b r e a t h i n g , e a c h s i g h , e a c h a c t o f m i n d , s h a l l b e a n a c t o f l o v e d i v i n e T h a t w a s h e r d a i l y p r a y e r T h a t w a s w h a t w a s m o t i v a t i n g h e r a n d a l l t h e s a c r i f i c e s , e v e n u n t i l t h a t a g e o f 8 7 , a n d w i t h o u t r e s t i n g , ” t h e p r i e s t s a i d M o t h e r Te r e s a n e v e r r e s t e d f r o m h e r w o r k d u r i n g h e r l i f e o n e a r t h , a n d s h e c o n t i n u e s t o “ w o r k ” f o r s o u l s f r o m h e a v e n “ W h e n I d i e a n d g o h o m e t o G o d , I c a n b r i n g m o r e s o u l s t o G o d , ” s h e s a i d a t o n e p o i n t , F r Va z h a k a l a r e c a l l e d . S h e s a i d : “ I ’ m n o t g o i n g t o s l e e p i n h e a v e n , b u t I ’ m g o i n g t o w o r k h a r d e r i n a n o t h e r f o r m ”

‘When I die and go home to God, I can bring more souls to God’

After her death in 1997, many surprising things about Mother Teresa’s interior life came to light. Brockhaus spoke to a close friend of the saint.

hannah

Next, each companion gently led their friend to a small bowl of warm water with sweetly scented soap. Non verbal Gerard loved the feel of soap on his skin, lathering gently. It was comfort ing for him in a ver y peculiar way Then came the sharing of the Word The friends sat quietly and listened We shared a phrase with each other, both companions and friends As the com panions held the hands of the friends, they looked lovingly into their eyes and said: “My friend [friend’s name], Jesus wants to say to you today, he loves you ver y much ” The friends were beaming with delight. I will never forget Michael’s face it was as if he had seen, heard and touched Jesus all at once in this mo ment. His eyes danced with joy just like King David. I thought my heart would explode as I saw my son being completely im mersed in the immeasura ble love of Jesus We then all sang a beautiful song together to end this time Jesus was ever ywhere Then it was the Agape session Friends and com panions alike really loved this part Over juice and biscuits, the companions chatted casually about many things It became a time when we really shared with each other, from the heart. We listened and loved together. This was a special moment of grace It was strange how speaking in the com pany of our friends who could only listen and not respond, who accepted and never judged, who could only love and not condemn was most comfort ing for the companions For our friends, I would imagine, the feeling was mutual e m o v e d i n t o t h e c h u rc h t o f a m i l i a r i s e t h e m w i t h t h e s u r r o u n d i n g s T h e y w e r e r e a d y, c o m p l e t e l y r e a d y, t o r e c e i v e J e s u s O u r p r a c t i c e w e n t o f f w e l l O u r f r i e n d s w e r e v e r y e x c i t e d a n d c o u l d n ’t k e e p s t i l l I h a d t o p i n c h m y s e l f a f e w t i m e s a n d h o l d b a c k m y t e a r s a s F a t h e r h e l p e d u s t h r o u g h t h e p r a c t i c e . H e w a s g e

Confirmation Day

Confirmation Day T h e d a y f i n a l l y a r r i v e d f o r o u r d e a r f r i e n d s t o r e c e i v e t h e i r s a c r a m e n t s . O n e c o u l d f e e l t h e e x c i t e m e n t i n t h e a i r. T h e c o m p a n i o n s a c c o m p a n i e d t h e i r f r i e n d s e v e r y s t e p o f t h e w a y a s w

More technical requirements apply These can be found at www sacbcwine org za/canon law guidelines/ The SACBC Mass wine meets all these requirements

than that I was all too aware of how lonely the boys felt, how the only friends they really had were their par ents Now their companions would refer to them as “my friend” E v e r y c o m p a n i o n w a s a l l o c a t e d a s p e c i a l f r i e n d . T h e m e e t i n g r o o m w a s c h e e r f u l l y s e t u p , w i t h a b e a u t i f u l p o t o f f r e s h f l o w e r s r e s t i n g s o f t l y o n a w a r m l y c o l o u r e d t a b l e c l o t h . L i g h t m u s i c w a s p l a y i n g i n t h e b a c k g r o u n d a n d a s i n g l e c a n d l e c a s t l i g h t o n t h e a r r a n g e m e n t a r o u n d i t O n t h e i r f i r s t d a y, t h e b o y s w e r e w a r m l y g r e e t e d b y t h e i r c o

22 The Southern Cross T H E S O U T H E R N A F R I C A N C A T H O L I C B I S H O P S ’ C o n f e r e n c e ( S A C B C ) i s o f f e r i n g M a s s w i n e t h a t i s c e r t i f i e d i n a c c o r d a n c e w i t h u n i v e r s a l n o r m s a n d c a n o n l a w I n d o i n g s o , t h e b i s h o p s a r e m e e t i n g t h e m a

The folk group band led the singing, their joyful sounds ringing throughout the church Cardinal Wilfrid Napier called the group one by one to receive the sacraments. It was beautiful, pure, simple love, uniting with the love of Jesus. It had finally happened and our friends beamed with delight as they received their sacraments After Mass, we all met in the hall and shared in a great celebration The parish of Holy Trinity ser ved with love and kindness I don’t have enough words to express my gratitude to Our Lord Jesus I never thought I would ex perience such joy in my lifetime That light which I had witnessed many years ago was shining brighter than ever before. Thank you Jesus! n d a t e f r o m t h e H o l y S e e t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e b r e a d a n d w i n e u s e d f o r c o n s e c r a t i o n i n t h e i r d i o c e s e a r e g u a r a n t e e d t o c o n f o r m t o c a n o n i c a l r e q u i r e m e n t s W h i l e t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r t h i s r e s i d e s w i t h e a c h i n d i v i d u a l b i s h o p i n h i s d i o c e s e , “ t h e b i s h o p s h a v e f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e a g r e e d o n a c o m m o n w i n e t h a t m a y b e u s e d i n t h e w h o l e C o n f e r e n c e a r e a ” , a c c o r d i n g t o S A C B C p r e s i d e n t B i s h o p S i t h e m b e l e S i p u k a I n a 2 0 1 7 c i r c u l a r i s s u e d b y t h e V a t i c a n ’ s C o n g r e g a t i o n f o r t h e S a c r a m e n t s a n d W o r s h i p , t h e w i n e u s e d a t M a s s “ m u s t b e n a t u r a l , f r o m t h e f r u i t o f t h e g r a p e , p u r e a n d i n c o r r u p t , n o t m i x e d w i t h o t h e r s u b s t a n c e s ”

n t l e a n d r e a s s u r i n g

The church was packed that Sunday evening, September 22, 2019 All our family and friends and the community of Holy Trinity gathered to share with us our great joy The Mass started with the beautiful hymn “Bless the Lord, Oh My Soul”

T h e w i n e i s a p r e m i u m M u s c a d e l d e s s e r t w i n e p r o d u c e d b y L u t z v i l l e V i n e y a r d s o n t h e W e s t C o a s t W i n e R o u t e . S p e c i a l i s i n g i n M u s c a d e l w i n e s , m a i n l y f o r e x p o r t , L u t z v i l l e i s S o u t h A f r i c a ’ s l a r g e s t a c c r e d i t e d F a i r t r a d e w i n e r y , a n d r u n s r u r a l e d u c a t i o n , h e a l t h c a r e a n d w o r k e r e q u i t y s h a r e p r o g r a m m e s A case of six bottles sells for R304,80 and delivery is free, within four days of the order being placed. Order online from www.sacbcwine.org.za or email rob@sacbcwine org za

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

From alienation to conﬁrmation: A journey with autism Continued from page 15 M

T h e V a t i c a n w a r n e d : “ I t i s a l t o g e t h e r f o r b i d d e n u s e w i n e o f d o u b t f u l a u t h e n t i c i t y o r p r o v e n a n c e , r t h e C h u r c h r e q u i r e s c e r t a i n t y r e g a r d i n g t h e o n d i t i o n s n e c e s s a r y f o r t h e v a l i d i t y o f t h e s a c r a m e n t s ” T h e w i n e s h o u l d b e o f h i g h q u a l i t y

Bishops sell certified Mass wine online i c h a e l P y o o s a t a r e c e p t i o n f o l l o w i n g h i s c o n f i r m a t i o n . A t l e f t a r e F r F r a n c i s C i b a n e a n d C a r d i n a l W i l f r i d N a p i e r

Before Abraham was Jesus T h e m a n J e s u s d e c l a r e d p u b l i c l y who he really was: “I and the Father are O n e ; i t i s h e w h o s e n t m e B e f o r e A b r a h a m e v e r w a s , I a m . I a m L i v i n g B r e a d c o m e d o w n f r o m H e a v e n Yo u a r e o f t h i s w o r l d , I a m n o t o f t h i s w o r l d H e w h o s e e s m e s e e s m y F a t h e r a l s o ” B u t y o u ! D o y o u k n o w t h i s m a n n a m e d J e s u s t h i s l a y p r e a c h e r w h o w a l k e d o v e r m a n y m i l e s t o p r o c l a i m t h e m o s t s h a t t e r i n g t r u t h t h a t t h e K i n g d o m o f G o d h a d c o m e , a n d t h e n d a r e d t o c h a l l e n g e t h e t a b o o s a n d t e a c h i n g s o f t h e h i g h e s t J e w i s h a u t h o r i t i e s , w h i c h u l t i m a t e l y l e d t o h i s c r u e l d e a t h ? D o y o u k n o w t h a t m a n ? D o y o u k n o w j u s t h o w h u m a n h e w a s , s o c o m p a s s i o n a t e , s o l o v e a b l e , s o e a s i l y h u r t b y a n y o f f e n s i v e w o r d o r d e e d a g a i n s t truth and justice? In him we find a love t h a t c a n n e v e r b e f a t h o m e d , a p e a c e t h a t i s n e v e r u n d e r s t o o d , a l i g h t t h a t n e v e r d a r k e n s , a s i m p l i c i t y a n d b e a u t y t h a t c a n n e v e r b e m a r r e d , a n d a w i s d o m t h a t c a n n e v e r b e c h a l l e n g e d A r a d i c a l c o n v e r s i o n I s t h a t t h e m a n y o u k n o w ? I f n o t , t h e n y o u a n d I a r e s t i l l o n t h e w a y t o b e c o m i n g a C h r i s t i a n , f o r o u r f r a i l h u m a n i t y i s , i n f a c t , e v e r s t r i v i n g f o r h o l i n e s s t h e J e s u s w a y T h i s m u s t m e a n a p e r s o n a l r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h t h e L o r d which demands a steady yes, indeed, r a d i c a l c o n v e r s i o n , o n e w h i c h m u s t g o t o t h e d e e p r o o t s o f o u r b e i n g . N e v e r f o r g e t t h a t t h e s i n n e r i s a t the heart of Christianity However, our failures and stumbles are all part of this process, which is not an intellectual but a l o v i n g o n e . C h r i s t i a n c o n v e r s i o n i s n e v e r c o m p l e t e . We m e e t t h i s m a n

N L I N E S H O P a t w w w . c a t h o l i c b o o k s h o p . c o . z a For all your Catholic reading, gifts, repository items Chalices, pyxes, candles, incense and charcoal, and more Join our email mailing list for news of new stock! Millions of Christians profess to follow Jesus, but how many have a relationship with him? Fr Ralph de Hahn explains what such a relationship means. F ra i l /a s s i ste d ca re i n s h a re d o r s i n g l e ro o m s I n d e p e n d e nt ca re i n s i n g l e / d o u b l e ro o m s w i t h e n s u i te b at h ro o m s R ate s i n c l u d e m e a l s , l a u n d r y a n d 2 4 h o u r n u rs i n g . D a y C a r e a n d s h o r t sta y fa c i l i t i e s a l s o a v a i l a b l e . Retirement Home, Rivonia, Johannesburg Tel: 011 803 w1451 w w . l o u r d e s h o u s e . o r g

Fr Ralph de Hahn is a priest of the archdiocese of Cape Town. The Southern Cross 23 know Jesus? h e s i n n e r i s a t t h e h e a r t o f C h r i s t i a n i t y O Box Cape Town 8000 Tel 021 063 222 2724 sales@catholicbookshop co za address: The Grimley, 14 Tuin Plein (off Hope Street) Cape Town i s i t o u r n e w O

379

Do you really

I T I S A M A Z I N G J U S T H O W M A N Y m i l l i o n s p u b l i c l y p r o f e s s t o b e Christians but in fact scarcely have a r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h t h e p e r s o n o f J e s u s C h r i s t To l i v e a s a f o l l o w e r a n d d i s c i p l e o f J e s u s w i l l c o s t n o l e s s t h a n ever ything but it will offer far more than ever ything we know Membership of a Christian commu nity, even with daily worship, does not in itself make a person a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth The Father is central, but Jesus alone is the Way, the Truth and our very Life. We are speaking of a perpetual mystical union with this man, fully re alising that the high principles set by the Master are serious and uncompromising, and that our knowledge and relation ship with this man is private L e t u s h e a r w h a t t h e B i b l e r e v e a l s about this man Jesus, “the son of Mar y a n d J o s e p h , o f t h e h o u s e o f D a v i d ” . John the Baptist named him the “Lamb of God” Simeon saw him as “a sign of c o n t r a d i c t i o n ” T h e A rc h a n g e l G a b r i e l r e v e a l e d t o M a r y h e r c h i l d w o u l d b e “the Son of the Most High”. The previ ously doubting Thomas cried out: “My L o r d a n d m y G o d ! ” T h e A p o s t l e J o h n o p e n s h i s G o s p e l : “ T h e Wo r d o f G o d made flesh ” Peter, moved by the Spirit, p r o f e s s e d : “ Yo u a r e t h e C h r i s t , t h e son of the living God.” Paul, in his magnificent letters to the Corinthians, calls Jesus “the image of the unseen God”; to the Philippians he writes that Jesus’ state was divine; to the Ephesians he commends “a Power far above every sovereignty, authority or domination”.

J e s u s , t h e r e i s n o c o m p r o m i s e S o a g a i n , d o y o u k n o w t h i s m a n ? A r e y o u in the process of becoming a Christian? Ye s , a r e y o u h i s d i s c i p l e ?

465 5904 WhatsApp:

Street

Jesus, we listen to his teaching, we grow to love him, we then long to be his dis c i p l e T h a t i s n o t a n e a s y p i l g r i m a g e , which is why millions of Catholics have left the Church. The disciple John sug g e s t s : “ T h e y n e v e r r e a l l y b e l o n g e d o n this journey” (1 John 2:19) A l l t h i s d e m a n d s t h a t w e t a k e J e s u s s e r i o u s l y, t o g o n o t a n e a s y j o u r n e y b u t o n e g u i d e d b y t h e H o l y S p i r i t O n t h a t j o u r n e y w e e x p e r i e n c e t h e j o y o f b e i n g t r a n s f o r m e d i n t o C h r i s t J e s u s w h o a l o n e s h a r e d t h e n a t u r e o f b o t h m a n a n d G o d H o w w o u l d I r e a c t t o J e s u s t o d a y ? Wo u l d I h a v e t h e h e a r t o f J e s u s ? T h e u n c o n d i t i o n a l f o r g i v e n e s s o f a l l w h o hated and killed him? Would I embrace h i s p a r a b l e s , a n d b e t h e g e n t l e , p a t i e n t f a t h e r o f t h e p r o d i g a l s o n ? Wo u l d I l i v e k i n d l y a m o n g t h e w e e d s a n d t h e w h e a t ? Wo u l d I b e l i k e t h e S a m a r i t a n w h o d i d n ’t j u s t p a s s a f e l l o w m a n h u r t i n g o n t h e g r o u n d b u t a i d e d h i m ? Wo u l d I n o t h i d e m y l i g h t u n d e r a b u s h a n d n o t a l l o w t h e s e e d t o f a l l n o t o n r o c k s , b u t r a t h e r o n g o o d soil? Would I place God first, my neigh b o u r s e c o n d , a n d m y s e l f l a s t ? T h a t i s o u r s e l f e x a m i n a t i o n Wi t h

24 The Southern Cross T h e S e v e n S o r r o w s o f M a r y

3 I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work 4 I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls 5 I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at ever y instant of their lives 6 I will visibly help them at the moment of their death; they will see the face of their mother.

7. I have obtained from my divine Son that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and sorrows will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.

On September 15 the Church marks the solemnity of Our Lady of Sorrows.

I N THE MIDDLE AGES, CATHOLIC theology concentrated mostly on Christ’s passion At the side of the Man of Sorrows, however, was the Sorrowful Mother, sharing his suffer ing Devotion to the Crucified Christ and to Our Lady of Sorrows grew side by side On September 15, the day fol lowing the ancient feast of the Holy Cross, the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady are taken from Scripture events. The devotion has a long histor y, although it was not officially promulgated by the Church until the early 19th cen tur y Before Pope Pius VII’s formal ap proval, the Ser vite Order had permission in 1668 to celebrate the feast of the Seven Sorrows because the order was instrumental in popularis ing the Seven Sorrows devotion The purpose of the devotion of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady is to promote union with the sufferings of Christ through the special sorrows which Our Lady endured for the sake of her Son and our salvation The seven sorrows are: 1. Simeon’s prophecy (Lk 2:34 35) 2. The flight into Egypt (Mt 2:13 14) 3. The loss of the child Jesus in the temple (Lk 3:43 45) 4 The meeting of Jesus and Mar y on the Way of the Cross 5 The Crucifixion 6 The taking down of the body of Jesus from the Cross 7 The burial of Jesus B e c a u s e o f t h e s e S e v e n S o r r o w s , w h i c h p i e rc e d h e r m a t e r n a l h e a r t , t h e M o t h e r o f G o d i s o f t e n r e p r e s e n t e d e i t h e r a s s t a n d i n g b e n e a t h t h e C r o s s , o r a s h o l d i n g t h e l i f e l e s s b o d y o f J e s u s o n h e r l a p , h e r h e a r t t r a n s f i x e d b y s e v e n s w o r d s , a s f o r e t o l d i n t h e p r o p h e c y o f h o l y S i m e o n a t t h e P r e s e n t a t i o n i n t h e Te m p l e : “ A n d t h y o w n s o u l a s w o r d s h a l l p i e rc e ” ( L u k e 2 : 3 5 ) . S e v e n g r a c e s p r o m i s e d Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows consists essentially in recalling and meditating on each of the Seven Sor rows and saying the Hail Mar y prayer seven times, one after each sorrow re called and meditated upon The Blessed Virgin Mar y grants seven graces to the souls who honour her daily in that way The devotion was passed on by St Bridget The seven graces are: 1 I will grant peace to their families 2. They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.

St Bridget reported the Mother of God telling her: “I gaze upon the children of men to see whether any one feels compassion for me, and,

Prof Michael Ogunu explains the devotion and the graces we may obtain from it.

Devotion to the sorrows of Mar y is a source of great graces because it is so pleasing to our Divine Lord Many holy writers say that through her suf ferings, Mar y placed an obligation, as it were, upon her Son, which con strains him to grant her whatever she asks of him. As soon as we sympathise with the sorrows of his mother, we draw our Saviour to ourselves. “He is,” said St Bernard, “at the disposal of those who devoutly meditate on the sufferings of his Mother ” Bl Veronica of Binasco reported Our Lord telling her: “My daughter, the tears which you shed in compassion for my sufferings are pleasing to me, but bear in mind that on account of my excessive love for my mother, the tears you shed in compassion for her sufferings are still more precious ”

e s a w t h e b l o o d t r i c k l i n g f r o m h i s t h o r n c r o w n e d h e a d i

the eternal perdition of so many souls for whom her Son’s precious blood would be shed in vain She, the Queen of the Apostles, the Mother of the Church, saw passing before her eyes a vision of the heedlessness of humankind for sins forgiven, the re lapses into mortal sin, the cold indif ference, the disgust for divine things, the desecration of the holy sacra ments, the rejection and abuse of grace on the part of so many souls

C o n t a c t G a i l a t 0 7 6 3 5 2 3 8 0 9 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 h ave a p a r i s h p i l g r i m a ge ? R i g h t : O u r L a d y o f S o r r o w s w i t h t h e s e v e n s w o r d s p i e r c i n g h e r h e a r t F a c i n g p a g e t o p : A p i e t à o u t s i d e t h e b a s i l i c a o f N o t r e D a m e d e G a r d e i n M a r s e i l l e s , F r a n c e F a c i n g p a g e b o t t o m : M o s a i c d e p i c t i n g t h e p r e p a r a t i o n s f o r J e s u s ’ b u r i a l a b o v e t h e S t o n e o f U n c t i o n i n t h e c h u r c h o f t h e H o l y S e p u l c h r e i n J e r u s a l e m Photos: Günther Simmermacher (2) Angie Menes/Cathopic M a r y ’ s h e a r t w a s p i e r c e d b y t h e s w o r d o f c o m p a s s i o n f o r h e r D i v i n e S o n

O b l i g a t i o n o n t h e S o n

The Southern Cross 25 alas, I see but few! If many forget me, at least you, my daughter, do not forget me Consider how much I have suffered ”

The Church calls Mar y the Queen of Martyrs Although her body was not bruised by torturers, her heart was pierced by the sword of compassion for her Divine Son a sorrow suffi ciently great to inflict a thousandfold death. St Bernardine of Siena said the sorrow of Mar y was so great that if it had been equally divided among all men, they would have died immedi ately W h a t M a r y s a w Mar y was an eyewitness of the sufferings of her Di vine Son. She saw him bound to the pillar; she heard the lashing of the scourges; she saw his delicate flesh writhe and quiver under the lacerat ing blows. She was present at the “Ecce Homo” (“Behold the Man) scene, on the Way of the Cross to Gol gotha, and at the Crucifixion. And her anguish was further increased by the fact that she could offer no relief to her dear Son in his excruciating pains. A s s h e s o o s h n t o h i s e y e s , b u t s h e c o u l d n o t r e a c h h i s f a c e t o w i p e t h e d r o p s a w a y S h e s a w h i s l i p s p a rc h e d w i t h t h i r s t , p a l e a n d b l o o d l e s s , b u t w a s u n a b l e t o g i v e h i m a r e f r e s h i n g d r i n k ! H i s h e a d h a d n o p i l l o w t o r e s t u p o n , y e t s h e w a s p r e v e n t e d f r o m s u p p o r t i n g i t o r l e t t i n g i t r e p o s e u p o n h e r b o s o m . W h o c a n p o s s i b l y c o m p r e h e n d t h e a n g u i s h e n d u r e d b y h e r m o t h e r l y h e a r t d u r i n g t h o s e t h r e e e n d l e s s h o u r s o f d r e a d f u l h e l p l e s s n e s s ?

d b e n e a t h t h e C r o s s ,

Another source of Mar y’s unutter able grief was the ingratitude of hu manity for Our Lord’s Passion, and

There are, indeed, few devotions for which our Saviour has made greater promises than for this one, and there are few that are more pleas ing to him

Prof Michael Ogunu is the president and coordinator of the World Apostolate of Fatima in Africa. let us arrange your spiritual journey as a community!

Write to us

Br Gerald Loftus

o n g r a t u l a t i o n s t o R a y m o n d P e r r i e r f o r h i s a r t i c l e “ C a n w e t r u s t o u r l e a d e r s ? ” ( J u l y 2 0 2 2 ) I hope

For your Catholic news, every day:

pos sible repercussions will be pleased with Mr Perrier’s article, because she was asking why is the Church leadership so quiet T h e C a t h o l i c C h u rc h o f A rc h b i s h o p D e n i s H u r l e y ’s d a y s i s n o m o r e R e p u t a t i o n a l d a m a g e c o n t r o l i s p r e f e r r e d t o t h e R o y a l R

who

Church needs outspoken leaders I R S T I W O U L D L I K E T O E X T E N D m y c the is the Church’s voice?”) did not want to expose herself, ably to avoid o a d o f t h e C r o s s a s n a r r a t e d i n t h e I m i t a t i o n o f C h r i s t b o o k l e t T h a n k y o u , M r P e r r i e r, f o r y o u r s t r o n g f a i t h . Samuel Solomon OSF, Cape Town The wrong pages!

reli gious Sister writing in the Letters page of your June edi tion (“Where

c t P a m e l a

CF Christian Brother Gerald Loftus, former principal of CBC Green Point in Cape Town and CBC Boksburg, died in Dublin, Ireland, on June 19 Br Loftus also taught at CBC Kimberley and CBC Welkom One of 12 children, he is survived by his sisters Finola, Jean, Deirdre, Eileen, brothers Vincent and Martin SDB Br Loftus’ Requiem Mass was celebrated on June 24 in Baldoyle, County Dublin

presum

n t

26 The Southern Cross Letters Mass: Hold on to what has worked I N H I S L E T T E R , F R I T S R J I K E N B E R G a s k e d w h e t h e r t h e l i t u r g y n e e d s i m p r o v e m e n t o r c h a n g e ( J u l y 2 0 2 2 ) O v e r t h e l a s t f e w d e c a d e s , w e h a v e s e e n m a n y c h a n g e s i n C a t h o l i c c h u rc h e s a n d i n t h e l i t u r g y, s u c h a s t h e r e m o v a l o f t h e a l t a r r a i l , h a r d l y a n y s a c r e d a r t i n r e c e n t l y b u i l t c h u rc h e s , v e r y l i t t l e p r e a c h i n g o n t h e s a l v a t i o n o f s o u l s , a n d l a y p e o p l e g i v i n g w h a t a m o u n t s t o h o m i l i e s , t o n a m e a f e w T h e H o l y S a c r i f i c e o f t h e M a s s i s t h e r e p r e s e n t i n g o f C a l v a r y, t o d r a w o u r a t t e n t i o n t o t h e g r e a t s a c r i f i c e O u r L o r d m a d e f o r u s . We o u l d a t t e n d H o l y M a s s n o t f o r a “ f e e l o o d ” o r “ m e a l ” x p e r i e n c e , b u t a t h e r t o g i v e O u r o r d t h e r e v e r e n c e h e r i g h t l y d e s e r v e s G o d h i m s e l f g a v e d e t a i l e d i n s t r u c t i o n s f o r t h e b u i l d i n g o f t h e H o l y o f H o l i e s ( E x o d u s 2 6 , 2 7 ) , d i s t a n c i n g t h e l a i t y f r o m t h e p r i e s t s h e n c e t h e a l t a r r a i l i n C a t h o l i c c h u rc h e s a s a r e m i n d e r. H e a l s o g a v e t h e d e t a i l e d d e s i g n o f t h e p r i e s t l y v e s t m e n t s ( E x o d u s 2 8 ) , s e t t i n g t h e p r i e s t s a p a r t f r o m t h e l a i t y W h o a r e w e t o c h a n g e w h a t G o d h i m s e l f i n s t r u c t e d ? T h e p a r t i c i p a t i o n o f t h e l a i t y d u r i n g H o l y M a s s i s b y s t a n d i n g t o p r a y, s i t t i n g t o l i s t e n , a n d k n e e l i n g i n a d o r a t i o n . M a n y t r a d i t i o n s a n d p i o u s d e v o t i o n s h a n d e d d o w n t o u s b y t h e A p o s t l e s , C h u rc h F a t h e r s a n d p o p e s h a v e s t o o d t h e t e s t o f t i m e We s h o u l d l e a r n f r o m t h e p a s t a n d u s e w h a t h a s w o r k e d f o r c e n t u r i e s . Lynn Peterson, Cape Town How to find God D EEP WITHIN MYSELF THERE IS A voice which cries out: Do good and avoid evil This voice I believe is called the conscience. Conscience can be defined as, “that part of my mind that tells me whether my actions are right or wrong”, good or bad T hus my conscience is the voice of God which reminds me of what is right and wrong or good and bad, and which gives me a guilty feeling each time I do wrong, or satisfaction each time I do right A g o o d c o n s c i e n c e i s o n e w h i c h i s i n f o r m e d b y s e c u l a r a s w e l l a s r e l i g i o u s t e a c h i n g s T h i s i s w h y i t i s o f p a r a m o u n t i m p o r t a n c e t h a t I s e e k k n o w l e d g e o f G o d , t h r o u g h p r a y e r, r e a d i n g a n d s t u d y i n g i n o r d e r t o d e v e l o p a n i n f o r m e d c o n s c i e n c e W h e n e v e r I l i s t e n t o m y i n f o r m e d c o n s c i e n c e , I a m l i s t e n i n g t o t h e v o i c e o f G o d T h i s v o i c e d r a w s m e i n t o h a v i n g a d e e p r e l a t i o n s h i p w i t h G o d w h i c h c u l m i n a t e s i n m e a c t u a l l y f i n d i n g G o d w i t h i n . T h e j o u r n e y w i t h i n i s v e r y h a r d a n d d a n g e r o u s , y e t w i t h p e r s e v e r a n c e a n d d e d i c a t i o n , i t b r i n g s o u t t h e o n e t r u e r e a l i t y t h a t i n d e e d G o d d o e s e x i s t , f o r i t b r i n g s m e f a c e t o f a c e w i t h t h e t r u t h , f a c e t o f a c e w i t h G o d Therefore, in as much as science seeks to understand the myster y which is the universe, we should first and fore most seek to understand the myster y that is the inner workings of the mind, for here is where true discoveries can also be made, such as that God truly exists. Lionel Fynn, by e mail

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

n c e We a p o l o g i s e t o r e a d e r s w h o r e c e i v e d s u c h a c o p y. I f y o u a r e h a v e s u c h a c o p y a n d c o u l d n ’ t e x c h a n g e i t , p l e a s e c

t a d m i n @ s c r o s s . c o . z a f o r a r e p l a c e m e n t c o p y We welcome your letters, while reserving the right to edit them We may publish your letters on our website. Please include a postal address (not for publication) Letters should be no longer than 350 words Pseudonyms are acceptable only under special circumstances at the Editor’s discretion Send your letters to editor@scross co za Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reﬂect the views of the publication or those of the Catholic hierarchy

s c r o s s . c o . z a D o n ’ t m i s s a t h i n g ! J o i n u s o n F a c e b o o k : /ScrossZA

Fr Jean Baptiste Mpuni OMI serves in the archdiocese of Durban can a genuine way of worship

P h o t o L e s e K o s s o f f / C N S H A V E Y O U M I S S E D A N I S S U E ? N O P R O B L E M ! Back copies are available at R30 plus p&p from admin@scross.co.za 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 and more O r s u b s c r i b e : w w w . d i g i t a l . s c r o s s . c o . z a / s u b s c r i b e o r s u b s c r i p t i o n s @ s c r o s s . c o . z a

Pentecostal and charismatic styles of worshipping God could separate the celebration of Mass from its true meaning and originality

The Southern Cross 27 A PROFESSOR OF LITURGY AND anthropology at a Roman insti tute asserted in his lecture: “In some parts of the world, and especially in Africa, dancing during Mass becomes like a performance, a distur bance and just a noisy interruption.” He continued to say: “Many African people, including clergy, think that the liturgy of the Mass is just about playing drums, dancing and performing, instead of being an encounter with God ” I challenged the professor, arguing from my experience of dance in liturgy since my childhood in the DRC and in my ministry in South Africa the ex tent to which movement and dance en gages the community in celebration, raising body, mind and heart in praise and thanksgiving to God in the liturgy of the Eucharist For sub Saharan Africans in particular, dance is a natural part of life, culture and identity, and can not be dissociated from divine worship Being back home in Africa con firmed for me the beauty and the vibrancy of liturgies that incorporate meaningful cultural communication and expression, in song and rhythmic movements of dance that have noth ing to do with “performance”, but are genuine ways of prayer and worship. In many ways, the Western tradition has promoted an unfortunate separation between the sacred “disembodied” realm of relationship with God, and the secular realm of profane, sensual and passionate embodiment In most sub Sahara African cultures, dance is associated with “reli gious values” and is part of the liturgy. When the faithful dance during some parts of the Mass, it expresses their joy, their gratitude to God Dance also fosters their encounter with God and prepares them to joyfully listen to Jesus who is about to speak However, not any cultural dance can be introduced in the liturgy There should be a difference between the type of dances used in church and those per formed by local musicians or in cultural ceremonies It would be a disgrace to in troduce profane dance into our celebra tion of the Mass, for the sake of culture. However, the use of a proper and digni fied dance during Mass becomes an ex pression of “a communal prayer of adoration, praise, offering and supplica tion”. Whenever people sing and dance at Mass, it reinforces the communion be tween the Triumphant Church in heaven and the Pilgrim Church on earth For most Africans, it is not conceiv able to celebrate Sundays Masses without dancing It seems like Christ is not risen and is still in the tomb if they don’t move. But people must not have the idea that coming to Mass is to dance only The celebration of the Mass is above all about the worship or glorification of God and the sanctification of the people. Performance at the altar

The most important work required here is to give liturgical and theological meaning to those cultural values A priest or parish liturgical committee can not bring into the Mass whatever dance they find from their culture Today, priests and laity are called to worship God in liturgical celebration with a sense of creativity and in the cul tural context of the people Respectful and modest dance contributes to that However, the tendency of bringing into the liturgy

Some time ago I watched a video of a priest performing on the altar. He preached for only about four minutes the rest of his homily was just about dancing and jumping around the altar Even the faithful joined in, and started screaming My impression was that the celebration of the Mass had turned into a wild concert After the dancing, the whole congregation applauded the priest for his performance After seeing that video, I became deeply concerned about the manner in which we, as priests, un derstand and exercise the office of presid ing over the gathered assembly At Mass, a priest is not a performing dancer but the presider who acts in persona Christi

Fr Jean-Baptiste Mpuni OMI: Point of Liturgy Why we dance at Mass Dance

The General Instructions of the Roman Missal advises that when a priest celebrates the Eucharist, in persona Christi, he must serve God and the people with dignity and humility [and] convey to the faithful the living presence of Christ” As an ordained minister who incarnates the presence of Christ, the priest should make sure that the faithful benefit spiri tually and sacramentally from the Mass

There has been a remarkable im provement in the celebration of the Mass in Africa We can refer here to the “Africanisation”, or inculturation, of the liturgy Today we can celebrate Mass and sing in our own languages Many ef forts have been made, but more work has still to be done There is still a need for thorough study before we intro duce any cultural or traditional values into our liturgical celebration

One of the participants pointed out t h a t w h e n y o u a r e o n t h e s t r e e t s , y o u cannot cut your hair, you do not have n i c e c l o t h e s , y o u a r e n o t w e a r i n g p r o p e r s h o e s , y o u m i g h t n o t s h o w e r very often “So a visit to church, instead o f l i f t i n g y o u u p , i t j u s t b r i n g s y o u down because of the way other people l o o k a t y o u ” N o w o n d e r t h e y w e r e war y of going back to church

a d a p o s i t i v e e x p e 28 The Southern Cross Raymond Perrier on Faith & Society Is church a home for homeless? Personal and Digniﬁed 24 hour service 469 Voortrekker Rd, Maitland, Tel: 021 593 8820 48 Main Rd, Muizenberg, Tel: 021 788 3728 To n y Wy l l i e & C o . Catholic Funeral Home Member of the NFDA carol@wylliefunerals co za andrew@wylliefunerals co za admin@schreuderattorneys co za Because we can be of Value and Assistance to you. Tel: +27 (0) 11 514 0063 or 010 592 2321 Ground Floor, Coral House, 20 Peter Place, Lyme Park, Sandton S c u l p t u r e o f a n a n o n y m o u s h o m e l e s s p e r s o n i n C a p e r n a u m , H o l y L a n d , w h e r e J e s u s m i n i s t e r e d (Photo: Günther Simmermacher) ‘The work of the Church is to give people hope’

T h e i r b i g g e s t r e l u c t a n c e w a s t o wards the churches where they grew up ( r e g a r d l e s s o f d e n o m i n a t i o n o r l o c a tion) for fear of the gossip. “It’s not that I h a v e a p r o b l e m w i t h t h e m b u t t h e y have a problem with me.” Interestingly, t h e y f e l t t h a t , i n D u r b a n , i t w a s t h e churches run by and for foreigners that were most welcoming T h e y w e r e a s k e d t o d e s c r i b e t h e k i n d o f c h u rc h w h i c h t h e y w o u l d a t t e n d : “ O n e w h e r e t h e s e r m o n i s n o t about money but about God.” “A place w h e r e t h e y d o n o t j u d g e y o u ” “ A church where people take a personal in terest in me as long as they ask in the right way ” “A place that will boost my confidence.” “A church that sees that I have talents and gives me a chance to use them.” O n e m a n h a d h

L AST MONTH, I WROTE ABOUT the synodality discussions that I h o s t e d w i t h l e a d e r s o f o t h e r C h r i s t i a n d e n o m i n a t i o n s a n d other faiths. This month I want to look at people whom the Church should be ser ving but we often do not hear First, let me admit a failure. I had hoped to hear from two groups of peo p l e w h o , I f e a r e d , w e r e f e e l i n g n e g l e c t e d o r r e j e c t e d b y t h e C h u rc h : C a t h o l i c s w h o h a v e a d i s a b i l i t y ( e s p e c i a l l y t h e b l i n d a n d t h e d e a f ) , a n d Catholics who identify as members of t h e L G B T Q I c o m m u n i t y. B o t h a r e g r o u p s t h a t k n o w t h e D e n i s H u r l e y Centre in Durban, which I ser ve as di rector, and so I had hoped that an in vitation from us might encourage them to want to talk H o w e v e r, i n b o t h c a s e s t h e r e w a s a n a l m o s t c o m p l e t e l a c k o f i n t e r e s t i n e n g a g i n g P e r h a p s t h e y a r e a l r e a d y s o d i s i l l u s i o n e d b y t h e C h u rc h t h a t t h e y a s s u m e t h a t t h e r e i s n o t h i n g m o r e t o s a y I o n c e a s k e d a s e n i o r b i s h o p w h y there was no sign enabled Mass in any of the ten parishes in the city in his dio c e s e H i s w o r d s , w i t h o u t i r o n y, w e r e : “ We l l , a s f a r a s I c a n s e e , d e a f p e o p l e don’t come to Mass ” Exactly But one group that was keen to talk p e r h a p s b e c a u s e t h e y a r e a t t h e Denis Hurley Centre ever y day any way were homeless people What t h e y h a d t o s a y w a s a c h i l l i n g r e minder to all of us who call ourselves Christians, whether Catholic or not T h e i r w o r d s a r e a d i r e c t c h a l l e n g e t o how close we are to Pope Francis’ vision of being “the Church of the poor” T h e y c a m e f r o m a w i d e v a r i e t y o f Christian traditions, but none of them felt they would be welcome in church n o w “ I l a s t w e n t 2 0 y e a r s a g o I would not go again,” said one. Another shared: “I used to look for ward to Sun d a y s , b u t n o t a n y m o r e ” T h e i r m a i n c o n c e r n w a s t h e w a y i n w h i c h o t h e r churchgoers would treat them “It’s not what people say but the way they look at you Or they just ignore you, or they shift to the side if you sit next to them.” A s t h e y s h a r e d t h i s , I w a s t a k e n back to my own experience as a Jesuit n o v i c e , w a l k i n g f o r f o u r w e e k s a c r o s s s o u t h e r n G e r m a n y d i r t y, b e a r d e d a n d d a r k s k i n n e d I w a s h e l p e d b y s o m a n y p e o p l e o n t h e w a y b u t t h e only time I ever felt rejected was when I went into churches!

F o r t h o s e w h o h a d b e e n i n a church, it was not only the treatment b y o t h e r c h u rc h g o e r s t h a t t h e y f o u n d o f f p u t t i n g I t w a s a l s o f e l t t h a t s o m e denominations had lost touch with the basic truths, and “for them it is 120% about money”. One person specifically mentioned the appearance of QR codes on pews as a way of donating. “It shows t h a t a l l t h e y c a r e a b o u t i s t h e money ” Another described a church in which people went up to give in tiers, depending on how much they were donating. “Where does money fit into being at church?”

The parallels between their experi e n c e s a n d t h e p a r a b l e s i n S t L u k e ’s G o s p e l w e r e s t r i k i n g O n e p e r s o n r e called being told to sit on the back row (Luke 18:10); one homeless woman was l o o k e d d o w n o n b e c a u s e s h e w a s n o t w e a r i n g h i g h h e e l s ( 1 6 : 1 9 ) ; o n e m a n was scared to go to church because he h a d n o t h i n g t o p u t i n t h e c o l l e c t i o n (21:1 4) “ We d o n ’t f e e l t h a t w e a r e w e l come I feel like I don’t belong there i s t o o m u c h j u d g m e n t T h e y l o o k a t me as if I am in the wrong place it’s in their faces, their eyes.”

Wary of going to church

When asked if they would go into an empty church just to pray, most said no because they were worried about the security guards. “They assume that we a r e n o t t h e r e t o p r a y b u t h a v e s o m e o t h e r a g e n d a ” I n a n y c a s e , i t w a s a d d e d : “ T h e C h u rc h c a n b e a n y w h e r e as long as the message is good.”

The Southern Cross 29 r i e n c e o f c h u rc h w h e n a p a s t o r c a m e a n d s p o k e t o h i m : “ H e w a s n o t p r e a c h i n g a t m e , h e j u s t w a n t e d t o s i t a n d l i s t e n I f e l t a w e i g h t w a s l i f t e d o f f m y s h o u l d e r s ” T h e y a p p r e c i a t e d t h e e f f o r t s t h a t c h u rc h e s p u t i n t o p r o v i d i n g f o o d , c l o t h e s a n d o t h e r s e r v i c e s And they prefer the churches that do not make you pray in order to get food “But I don’t j u s t n e e d t o b e f e d p h y s i c a l l y ! A s a h u m a n I n e e d t o b e fed spiritually; if I am dead spiritually then I k n o w t h a t s o o n m y b o d y w i l l b e d e a d a s well ” I felt shamed That caused me to reflect on how well we s e r v e t h e m I w a s e s p e c i a l l y s h a m e d b y t h i s c o m m e n t : “ I k n o w t h e d o o r s a r e o p e n f o r e v e r y o n e , b u t p e r h a p s i f s o m e one invited me, I would feel more welcome ” Though the Denis Hur l e y C e n t r e i s r i g h t n e x t d o o r t o E m m a n u e l c a t h e d r a l , w e h a v e never thought about how we can h e l p h o m e l e s s p e o p l e f e e l t h a t they can go in and be treated like e v e r y o n e e l s e T h a t i s s o m e t h i n g that we and the Cathedral parish will now work on. The group had not heard these words of Pope Francis but was ver y t a k e n w h e n t h e y w e r e q u o t e d t o them: “The Church should be the place that welcomes ever yone and r e f u s e s n o o n e . ” O n e h o m e l e s s man used words that could also be words of Francis: “The work of the Church is to give people hope ” I n o w k n o w t h a t w e a t t h e D e n i s H u r l e y C e n t r e n e e d t o m a k e t h a t m o r e c l e a r l y t h e f o c u s o f o u r m i s s i o n . A n d , s i n c e e v e r y p a r i s h i s t h e C h u rc h a s s e m b l e d , w e c a n a l l t h i n k a b o u t h o w w e c a n g i v e p e o p l e h o p e .

M A R IA N E L L A Guest House, Simon’s Town Experience the peace and

Ron Rolheiser OMI

Do we have guardian angels?

of God and nature with us Fully equipped, with amazing sea views Secure parking, ideal for rest and relaxation Special rates for families, pensioners and clergy Malcolm or Wilma Salida + 27 82 784 5676 or mjsalida@gmail com

Who’s right? Perhaps it doesn’t matter since the reality is the same in either case God gives us revelation, guidance, protec tion, and strength and does so in ways that are “angelic”, that are beyond our normal conceptualisations

AS A CHILD, I WAS TAUGHT THAT I had a guardian angel, a real angel given me by God to accom pany me everywhere and protect me from danger. I remember a pious holy card given to me by my mother, showing a young boy playing dangerously close to the edge of a cliff and an angel protecting him there Most Catholics of my generation, I suspect, remember a pious prayer we prayed each day, asking for the guidance and protection of our guardian angel: “Angel of God, my guardian dear ” Do such personified spirits really exist, or are guardian angels simply creatures of our imagination created to be helpful in the religious development of children? Are we meant to outgrow our belief in them? Whether or not we are meant to out grow that belief, the fact is that today, for the most part, we have outgrown it Most adults, within all Christian denominations, either see the existence of guardian angels as pious fantasy or are simply indifferent to the idea Are we still meant to believe in guardian angels? If yes, in what exactly are we meant to believe? Are angels real per sonified beings or simply another word for God’s presence in our lives? Scripture scholars don’t give us a defin itive answer but rather suggest that the question can be answered either way In scripture, the word “angel” might be refer ring to a real personified spirit or it might be referring to a special presence of God in some situation Church tradition affirms more strongly that angels are real Here angels have a rich history and for the most part are taken to be real persons (albeit spirits) Christian iconography and music abound with an gels, and the Catholic Church has major feasts celebrating angels and guardian an gels The Fourth Lateran Council (taking place in 1215, long before the Protestant Reformation) stated that belief in guardian angels is implicit in scripture The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms that “from infancy to death human life is surrounded by their [guardian angels’] watchful care and intercession Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life.” Where does that leave us? Divided Con servative Christians generally assert the exis tence of angels as a dogmatic teaching Angels are real. Liberal Christians tend to doubt that or at least are agnostic about it For them, “angel” more likely refers to a special presence of God For example, they take the statement in the Gospels where the evangelist tells us that while Jesus was pray ing “an angel came and strengthened him” to mean that God’s grace came and strengthened him D i v i d e d o n a n g e l s

Those who believe that angels are real have a strong case Even if we just look at the origins and dimensions of physical cre ation (whatever scientific version of this you subscribe to), mystery immediately dwarfs our imaginative capacities It is all too huge to grasp! We know now that there are billions of universes (not just planets) and we know now that our planet Earth and we on this planet are the tiniest of minute specks inside the unthinkable magnitude of God’s creation If this is true and it is then this is hardly the time to be sceptical about the extent of God’s creation, believing that we, humans, are what is central and that there can be no personified realities beyond our own flesh and blood Such thinking is nar row, both from the point of view of faith and from the perspective of science itself However, the agnosticism of those who doubt the existence of angels is ultimately benign When scripture tells us that the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to an nounce her pregnancy and when it tells us that after Jesus had exhausted himself with struggle in Gethsemane, an angel came and strengthened him, it makes little dif ference whether this occurred via the modality of a personified spirit or via some other modality of God’s presence Either way, it was real Either way, it was a partic ularised, real entry of God into someone’s life So, do we have guardian angels? At birth or at baptism, does God assign a par ticular angel to journey with us throughout our lives, giving us invisible, heavenly guid ance and protection? Yes, we do have a guardian angel, irre spective of how we might imagine or con ceive of this God is closer to us than we are to ourselves and God’s solicitous love, guid ance and protection are with us always At the end of the day, it matters little whether this comes through a particular personified spirit (who has a name in heaven) or whether it comes simply through God’s lov ing omnipresence God’s presence is real and we are never alone, never without God’s love, guidance and protection beauty

return

Polls have consistently shown that if there was a referendum on the death p e n a l t y i n S o u t h A f r i c a , i t w o u l d g e t quite a large popular “yes” vote A sur v e y i n 2 0 1 2 f o u n d t h a t 7 6 % o f y o u n g S o u t h A f r i c a n s , b e t w e e n 1 8 a n d 3 4 years old, thought capital punishment should be reinstated And in 2019, some 0 0 0 0 0 S o u t h A f r i c a n s s i g n e d a p e t i tion the of the death the wake of the callous mur o g s u e n t , U y i n e n e b y a c o m p l e t e s t r a n g e r, a Cape Town T h e s e c a l l s a r i s e p r e c i s e l y b e c a u s e w e l i v e w i t h a g r e a t d e a l o f i n s e c u r i t y b e c a u s e o f t h e c r i m i n a l a n d p o l i t i c a l v i o l e n c e w h i c h w e n e v e r s e e m t o b e a b l e t o b r i n g u n d e r c o n t r o l T h e m u r d e r r a t e s i n N e w Z e a l a n d o r I c e l a n d a r e m i n u s c u l e c o m p a r e d t o o u r s a n d s o i t i s e a s y i n s u c h c o u n t r i e s t o o p p o s e t h e d e a t h p e n a l t y. H o w e v e r, i f w e a r e t o o p p o s e i t i n o u r o w n v i o l e n t s o c i e t y a n d I b e l i e v e w e s h o u l d , i f w e a r e t o h a v e a “ s e a m l e s s ” e t h i c o f l i f e i n w h i c h w e u p h o l d t h e r i g h t t o l i f e o f a l l h u m a n b e i n g s f r o m t h e u n b o r n o n w a r d s t h e n w e m u s t d i g d e e p s p i r i t u a l l y F o r, l e t ’s f a c e i t , w e a l l f e a r s h a r i n g t h e f a t e o f U y i n e n e M r w e t y a n a . T h e r e c e n t t a v e r n m a s s a c r e s a r e d e e p l y t e r r i f y i n g 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 rc h r u l e s o u t t h e d e a t h p e n a l t y c o m p l e t e l y I t t e a c h e s t h a t “ i n t h e l i g h t o f t h e G o s p e l t h e d e a t h p e n a l t y i s i n a d m i s s i b l e b e c a u s e i t i s a n a t t a c k o n t h e i n v i o l a b i l i t y a n d d i g n i t y o f t h e p e r s o n , a n d [ t h e C a t h o l i c C h u rc h ] w o r k s w i t h d e t e r m i n a t i o n f o r i t s a b o l i t i o n w o r l d w i d e ” ( 2 2 7 6 ) . T h e r e f o r e , w e n e e d t o p l a c e o u r f e a r s i n t h e h a n d s o f G o d ; w e m u s t r e s i g n o u r s e l v e s t o l i v i n g p r u d e n t l y a n d with a high level of security conscious n e s s b u t w i t h o u t ‘seamless’ ethic of life upholds the right to life of all human beings, from the unborn onwards pray that the death penalty, which attacks the dignity of the human person, may be legally abolished in every country.

postal worker, in

30 The Southern Cross SINCE 1976, SOME 75 COUNTRIES h a v e a b o l i s h e d t h e d e a t h p e n a l t y f o r a l l c r i m e s H e n c e , w e m i g h t b e l i e v e t h a t c a p i t a l p u n i s h m e n t i s s l o w l y b e i n g r o l l e d b a c k i n t h e w o r l d , a n d w e w o u l d g e n e r a l l y b e c o r r e c t H o w e v e r, i t ’s i n t e r e s t i n g t o n o t e t h a t t h e r e h a s r e c e n t l y b e e n a m o v e t o r e s t o r e i t i n t h e s e p a r a t i s t a r e a s o f e a s t e r n U k r a i n e W h a t t h i s s u g g e s t s i s t h a t t h e d e a t h p e n a l t y i s a l s o a f e a t u r e o f i n s e c u r e r e g i m e s H a r d l y a n y c o u n t r y e x c e p t R u s s i a r e c o g n i s e s t h i s b r e a k a w a y r e g i o n , a n d i t s f u t u r e a n d t h e f u t u r e o f t h e p r e s e n t r u l e r s i s b y n o m e a n s a s s u r e d I n d e e d , i f o n e l o o k s a t t h e c o u n t r i e s w h e r e t h e d e a t h p e n a l t y p e r s i s t s , w e s e e r e g i m e s w h i c h l o o k t e r r i f y i n g b u t b r i t t l e . A c c o r d i n g t o A m n e s t y I n t e r n a t i o n a l , N o r t h K o r e a , S a u d i A r a b i a , I r a n a n d S o m a l i a n o t o n l y h a v e t h e d e a t h p e n a l t y b u t a l s o c o n d u c t p u b l i c e x e c u t i o n s , p r e s u m a b l y t o i n s t i l e x e m p l a r y t e r r o r i n t h e p o p u l a c e I n s o m e s t a t e s , s u c h a s t h e U n i t e d K i n g d o m , c r i m e s a g a i n s t t h e s t a b i l i t y of the state, such as espionage and trea s o n , w e r e s t i l l p u n i s h a b l e b y d e a t h e v e n a f t e r m u r d e r w a s n o l o n g e r a c a p i t a l p u n i s h m e n t o f f e n c e We e x p e c t t h i s o f r u l e r s w h o t h i n k o r p r e t e n d t h a t t h e y a r e a n o i n t e d b y G o d o r h i s t o r y t o r u l e f o r l i f e , b u t I s o m e t i m e s w o n d e r w h e t h e r i t g o e s d e e p e r a n d w i d e r W h e n a s t a t e i s i n c h a o s a n d a s t r o n g l e a d e r c o m e s a l o n g and imposes order by force (Napoleon’s “ w h i f f o f g r a p e s h o t ” f i r e d i n t o t h e P a r i s m o b c o m e s t o m i n d ) , o r d i n a r y p e o p l e o f t e n w e l c o m e s u c h a d e v e l o p m e n t , a t l e a s t i n t h e s h o r t t e r m We a r e i n c l i n e d t o s a c r i f i c e m o s t o f o u r r i g h t s f o r t h e s a k e o f s t a b i l i t y a n d s e c u r i t y. We c a n n o t a b i d e a n a rc h y f o r l o n g C a p i t a l p u n i s h m e n t p o l l s

demanding

u n

l e t t i n g t h i s d e s t r o y o u r h o p e o r o u r p e a c e o f s o u l A

penalty in

T e n n e s s e e D e p a r t m e n t o f C o r r e c t i o n H a n d o u t v a R e u t e r s / C N S Every month Fr chris chatteris sJ reﬂects on Pope Francis’ prayer intention PRAY WITH THE POPE To kill the death penalty cApE toWn holiDAY AccoMMoDAtion Looking for reasonably priced accommodation over the December/January holiday period? Come to Kolbe House, set in a beautiful spacious gardens in Rondebosch, nestled just under Devil’s Peak Self catering, clean and peaceful, with spacious gardens Safe parking Close to all shops and public transport contact pat 021 685 7370 or 073 2632105 or e mail pat@kolbehouse.co.za www kolbehouse org za D e a t h c h a m b e r : A n e l e c t r i c c h a i r , s t i l l u s e d i n e x e c u t i o n s i n t h e U S t o o M u c h s t u F F ! t o o l i t t l E s pA c E ! Donate your unwanted goods clothing, furniture, books, toys, household textiles, bric a brac to our Cape Town charity shops to help vulnerable rural children! c a l l u s o n 0 2 1 6 8 5 2 8 1 0 w w w. r u ra l c h i l d . o rg . za We oﬀer a FrEE collection service!

M r w e t y a n a ,

d e r o f a y

Intention: We

Amen Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often. Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without meaning and hope. Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light, and without You, I am in darkness. Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will. Stay with me, Lord, so that I can hear Your voice and follow you. Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You ever more, and to be always in Your company.

Memorare

Amen St Vincent de Paul

Remember, O most gracious V irgin Mar y, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O V irgin of V irgins, my Mother, to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petition, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.

STAY WITH ME, LORD Padre Pio prayer Amen Tender God, refuge the poor, You filled Vincent de Paul wi the strength of the apostles to work fo the salvation of the poor and the instruction of the clergy. May we who follow the example of his life, be driven by unceasing charity to continue the mission of Your Son in the world.

Do you have a favourite prayer? Please send to editor@scross.co.za

H e a v en l y Fa th e r, Yo u h a ve m a d e me , b e p l e as e d t o n e w-m a ke me . I am Yo u r w o rk , c o mp l e te m e; I am Yo ur h a rp , tu n e m e; I a m Yo u r c h i l d , t ea c h me . Amen FATHER , P LEASE MA KE ME NEW!

The Southern Cross 31

32 The Southern Cross ASSISI BRESCIA BRINDISI CASCIA CORLEONE CUPERTINO FLORENCE MONTE CASSINO NORCIA PADUA PALESTRINA RAVENNA SIENA TOLENTINO VITERBO I t a l y Wo r d S e a r c h Anagram Challenge Unscramble the clues below to work out which CATHOLIC AUTHORS hide in these words R A R E H A M E N E G G F L A K E D H U M O R T H E G E N T S R O C K E R R I N K J O L T E X P L O R E D P A E A N W E E N V Y L A U G H 1 2 3 4 5 6 Across 4. Proceeds from the parish bazaar (7) 8. Fruit right after the saintly man (6) 9. University town gets us papal (7) 10. Sound of the monks’ kitchen (6) 11 The Spanish char turns out to be Jewish (6) 12 Jesus found his disciples like this in Gethsemane (7) 18. Saint set on becoming the meanest (8) 20. Olympian god (6) 21 How Sara was, not being a mother (Gn 11) (6) 22. It enables one to join the congregation (7) 23. Your kind of saint? (6) 24. Does the organist jot it down? (7) DoWn 1. Admit you will receive a sacrament (7) 2. One who may have a passport (7) 3. Carr y on bravely above? (4,2) 5. See pages turn at the holy sprinkling (8) 6. Antlike member of religious group? (6) 7 He’ll do his rounds, of course (6) 13. Unaware of the truth (8) 14 Holding office, they may present a cheque (7) 15 Making reparation (7) 16. Resist a little work to take a position (6) 17 Rolf comes back in for a coin (6) 19. It may get into hot water if there’s no coffee (6) S o u t h e r n C r o s s w o r d For all solutions turn to page 34 DROPPED LETTERS: Place the missing letters to get the names of New Testament characters T R I N M A T H R O F T H E R N T U N T M U N S R I S Y P I L T A S L A T H A Z E O D E T O M O A N E E H I P M E H Y C B N IN UA S IH T C O R E E BE E , ,, , , , , Find the names of these Italian cities of saints in the puzzle above

1. Which order does Archbishop Emeritus William Slatter y belong to? a) Carmelite b) Dominican c) Franciscan 2. In which Ger man town was the first printed bible produced by Johannes Gutenberg? a) Frankfurt b) Koblenz c) Mainz 3. What was the name of Cain’s son? a) Enoch b) Jeremiah c) Nimrod 4 In which moder n day African countr y was the 2nd centur y Church Father Ter tullian bor n? a) Egypt b) Libya c) Tunisia 5 In which year was smoking banned inside St Peter’s basilica? a) 1680 b) 1750 c) 1920 6. Which of these Holy Land sites is fur thest from Nazareth? a) Bethany b) Cana c) Capernaum 7. Who is the patron saint of retreats? a) Ignatius Loyola b) Nicholas of Tolentino c) Thomas Aquinas 8 In which diocese was Bl Benedict Daswa beatified? a) Polokwane b) Tzaneen c) Witbank 9. Which star of the Transfor mer films is a practising Catholic? a) John Turturro b) Josh Duhamel c) Shia LaBeouf 10. Which of these is not one of the Seven Churches of Revelation? a) Antioch b) Ephesus c) Philadelphia 11 When the Polish priest Nicholas Coper nicus made the first calculation of the exact duration of the year, by how many seconds was he out? a) 28 b) 228 c) 2228 12. Which pope inaugurated Vatican Radio? a) Benedict XV b) Pius XI c) Pius XII The Southern Cross 33 Across 1. Classical composer and priest (7) 5 Country of Cardinal Peter Turkson (5) 6 Old Testament Book (8) 8 Church lectern (4) 10 Hymn ‘Blessed ’ (9) 11 Marian title Regina (5) 12. Birthplace of St Paul (6) 13 Birthplace of Mother Teresa (6) 15 Name of seven popes and a Pope (9) 17 Aramaic variation of Jesus (6) 18 US Catholic activist (7,3) 19. Biblical song (8) 20 Old Testament king (7) 21 Unction (Last Rites) (7) D o W n 1. Saint of Lisieux (7) 2 Patron of SA’s Catholic university (9) 3 Island of St John’s exile (6) 4 Bing Crosby as priest movie (5,2,3) 6 Contrary to dogma (9) 7. Catholic ﬁlm director Martin (8) 8 Diocese of Bishop Thulani Mbuyisa (7) 9 Reason for Noah’s Ark (5) 11 Last Catholic king of England (5,2) 12 Kingdom of Judah (6) 14 Surname of St Charbel (8) 15. Leo XIII’s encyclical ... Novarum (5) 16 Botswanan diocese (8) 18 Container for hosts (3) 21 Hebrew for ‘son of ’ (3) CODEWORD: Combine the letters in the shaded boxes to form the name of a PAPAL TITLE Quick Cr osswor d The Catholic Trivia Quiz Clue18across Clue8down Clue7down Q 8 : B l B e n e d i c t D a s w a Q 1 1 : C o p e r n i c u s

3. Add the tinned tomato and gently scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release any browned spices or onions stuck to the bottom

Dropped Letters: Philip, Martha, Zebedee, Simon the Tanner, Mary of Bethany, Cornelius the Centurion, Titus, Thomas Quick Crossword: ACROSS: 1 Vivaldi, 5 Ghana, 6 Proverbs, 8 Ambo, 10 Assurance, 11 Coeli, 12 Tarsus, 13 Skopje, 15 Alexander, 17 Yeshua, 18 Dorothy Day, 19 Canticle, 20 Solomon, 21 Extreme DOWN: 1 Therese, 2 Augustine, 3 Patmos, 4 Going My Way, 6 Heretical, 7 Scorsese, 8 Kokstad, 9 Flood, 11 James II, 12 Judaea, 14 Makhlouf, 15 Rerum, 16 Gaborone, 18 Pyx, 21 Ben CODEWORD: Pontifex Maximus Catholic Trivia Quiz: 1 c) Franciscan, 2 c) Mainz, 3 a) Enoch, 4 c) Tunisia (from Carthage), 5 a) 1680, 6 a) Bethany, 7 a) St Ignatius of Loyola, 8 b) Tzaneen, 9 b) Josh Duhamel, 10 a) Antioch, 11 a) 28 seconds, 12 b) Pius XI 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 I N G R E D I E N T S • 2 t b s p ve g o i l • 1 m e d i u m o n i o n , c h o p p e d • 3 c l o ve s ga r l i c , f i n e l y c h o p p e d • ¼ t s p p a p r i ka • 2 t b s p c u r r y p o wd e r 1 t s p c u m i n • 1 t i n c h o p p e d to m ato e s • 1 t i n co co n u t m i l k • 2 t i n s c h i c k p e a s , d ra i n e d • S a l t a n d p e p p e r to ta ste • N a a n b re a d a n d r i c e , to s e r ve ( o p t i o n a l )

Mother Teresa’s Chickpea Curry 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 G R A Z I A B A R L E T T A p r e p a r e s i n h e r C a p e T o w n k i t c h e n 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 T H I S M O N T H G R A Z I A C O O K E D : 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

1. In a large, heavy bottomed pot heat the oil over medium low heat Add the onion, garlic and paprika to the pot Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and golden Add a tablespoon of water at a time if the onions get dry

SOLUTIONS

2. Increase the heat to medium Add the curry powder and cumin and stir until toasted, about 1 minute

4 Pour in the coconut milk and add the chickpeas to the pot Stir and reduce to low heat Stirring occasionally, let simmer until the sauce is thickened and the chickpeas are slightly softened This should take about 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened

one person’s world “Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but be cause of who you are ” I love this quote When you do something for someone, it ’s out of the kindness of your heart, and it wants to expect nothing in return

“I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us, and we change things ” I was going through a really tough situation at one stage and I constantly prayed about it As time passed, it seemed to get better and I felt dif ferently about it. Looking back I realised this quote is very powerful and so true. For the feast of St Teresa of Kolkata on September 5 we honour her and her work with the poor in India, with this curry dish It is very easy to make and it ’s so tasty In fact, the flavour gets better after standing for a few days You can add chicken pieces or any other vegetables of choice, besides the chickpeas preparation: 60 min servings: 6 p r E pA r At i o n :

SouthernCrossword: ACROSS: 4 Takings, 8 Oliver, 9 Uppsala, 10 Friary, 11 Rachel, 12 Sleeping, 18 Nastiest, 20 Apollo, 21 Barren, 22 Doorway, 23 Patron, 24 Keynote DOWN: 1 Confess, 2 Citizen, 3 Bear up, 5 Asperges, 6 Insect, 7 Golfer, 13 Ignorant, 14 Bearers, 15 Atoning, 16 Oppose, 17 Florin, 19 Teabag

5 Season with salt and pepper to taste, and adjust other seasonings as necessary

6. Serve with basmati rice and/or with naan, and enjoy with the prayer to St Teresa!

•

34 The Southern Cross M O T H E R T E R E S A , O R St Teresa of Kolkata, was widely recog nised as a saint in her lifetime, inspiring many with her care of the poorest of the poor in India In 1979, she even received the Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian work She died in September 1997, was beatified in October 2003, and canonised in 2016 One of her quotes that resonates with me is: “Not all of us can do great things But we can do small things with great love ” There are other quotes of hers I love “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless ” We never know what people are going through, and kindness costs nothing You may think some one looks fine from the outside but inside they might be hurting or lonely or just going through a tough time There is no sacrifice in being kind and an act of kindness could mean the world to someone else “Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love ” A smile makes people feel more comfortable around you, and reflects your personality and feelings Nothing is more attractive to others than your smile A smile can be the beginning of a friendship which leads to love “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one ” We can all do this; it ’s not the amount we give that counts but that we try giving what we can We might not be able to change the world, but we can try to change

Anagram Challenge: 1 Grahame Greene, 2 Fred Khumalo, 3 GK Chesterton, 4 JRR Tolkien, 5 Alexander Pope, 6 Evelyn Waugh

S A I N T S O F I TA LY H O LY L A N D & C A I R O Led by Fr Russell Pollitt SJ 7-16 May 2023 w w w. f o w l e r t o u r s . c o . z a / s a i n t s A f t e r t h e l e g e n d a r y t o u r i n 2 0 1 5 , w e r e p e a t t h e S a i n t s o f I t a l y P i l g r i m a g e , t a k i n g u s t o R o m e , A s s i s i , F l o r e n c e , V e n i c e , P a d u a , S i e n a a n d o t h e r s i t e s o f t h e g r e a t s a i n t s . Led by Bishop Victor Phalana 31 August to 11 September 2023 w w w. f o w l e r t o u r s . c o . z a / s c - h o l y l a n d W a l k w h e r e J e s u s a n d O u r L a d y w a l k e d , p r a y a t t h e s a c r e d s h r i n e s o f t h e H o l y L a n d , a n d t o u r C a i r o , w i t h t h e P y r a m i d s , t h e H a n g i n g C h u r c h , a d i n n e r c r u i s e o n t h e N i l e , a n d m u c h m o r e . D a i l y l u n c h e s i n c l u d e d ! Contact Gail at info@fowlertours.co.za or 076 352-3809 Our pilgrimages are expertly arranged by S o u t h e r n C r o s s P i l g r i m a g e s Next month in The Southern Cross A preview of some of our top stories in the October issue Digital issue out on August 22 • Subscribe at digital.scross.co.za/subscribe The Story of the Rosary The Life of St TFrancis he Call to Priesthood With pull-out poster!

a s w a i t i n g t o b e a t t e n d e d t o, Fa t h e r w a s i m p r e s s e d t o s e e a p o l i c e m a n r e a d i n g t h e B i b l e . “ W h i c h b o o k a r e y o u r e a d i n g ? ” t h e G e n e s i s , t h e p o l i c e m a n r e p l

Final Words Great Quotes on S O C I A L J U S T I C E

7840 Email: sales@eskaycrushers

For

History in Colour A snapshot from the past, colourised exclusively for The Southern Cross Tel:

Sr Irmã Dulce Lopes Pontes (1914 92) ‘Since peace is inconceivable without justice, a culture of peace requires a culture of justice; and both must begin with a commitment to respect radically the basic demands of all relationships in which we live, to live non violently in the world and to care for the earth ’

Nelson Mandela (1918 2014) ‘Those who cannot see Christ in the poor are atheists indeed.’ Dorothy Day (1897 1980)

‘Freedom and rights belong to people not because they have already attained the truth, but in order that they might reach it.’ Archbishop Denis Hurley OMI (1915 2004) ‘The important thing is to do charity, not to talk about charity We must understand the work with very poor people as a God chosen mission.’

The biggest collection of Catholic jokes yet! 500 jokes with 60 cartoons by Conrad! ONLY R180 (plus R30 p&p) O rd e r f b

o o ks @ s c ro s s . co . za o r w w w. d i g i ta l . s c ro s s . co . za /c h u rc h - c h u c k l e s

O n S e p t e m b e r 4 , 1 9 8 5 , a g r o u p o f 3 2 s e m i n a r i a n s o f S t J o h n V i a n n e y S e m i n a r y m a r c h e d o n t h e U n i o n B u i l d i n g s i n P r e t o r i a t o p r o t e s t a g a i n s t a p a r t h e i d I t w a s o n l y t h e s e c o n d e v e r s u c c e s s f u l p r o t e s t m a r c h t o t h e s e a t o f g o v e r n m e n t , a f t e r t h e f a m o u s w o m e n ’ s m a r c h i n A u g u s t 1 9 5 6 T h e g r o u p , w h i c h m a r c h e d w i t h t h e p e r m i s s i o n o f s e m i n a r y r e c t o r F r ( l a t e r A r c h b i s h o p ) W i l l i a m S l a t t e r y O F M , h a n d e d i n a l e t t e r o f p r o t e s t , s i g n e d b y 4 1 s e m i n a r i a n s , t o t h e o f f i c e o f S t a t e P r e s i d e n t P W B o t h a S t a n d i n g o u t s i d e t h e U n i o n B u i l d i n g s , t h e s e m i n a r i a n s p r a y e d a n d s u n g h y m n s , i n c l u d i n g “ N k o s i S i k e l e l ' i A f r i k a ” . T h e m a r c h t o o k p o l i c e b y s u r p r i s e a n d h a d p a s s i n g t o u r i s t s w o n d e r i n g O n e p u z z l e d v i s i t o r t o t h e c o u n t r y w a s o v e r h e a r d a s k i n g : “ A r e t h e y f o r o r a g a i n s t t h e g o v e r n m e n t ? ” T h e g r o u p o f s e m i n a r i a n s i n c l u d e d f u t u r e B i s h o p s S i t h e m b e l e S i p u k a a n d V i c t o r P h a l a n a , a s w e l l a s f u t u r e p r o m i n e n t p r i e s t s s u c h a s F r s P e t e r J o h n P e a r s o n ( t h e g r o u p ’ s s p o k e s m a n ) , S t a n l e y K h o z a , M i c h a e l v a n H e e r d e n , M k h e s e n i X u l u , A u g u s t i n e K h a n y i l e O F M , L u c a s B a m b e z e l a O F M , S i y a b o n g a M f a y e l a , B r i a n G e l a n t , M p s e b e t s i M o k o e n a , P e t e r S w i t a l a , M l u l e k i M n y a k a a n d J o h n A t k i n s o n , a s w e l l a s D e a c o n M u l i m i s i N e k h u d z h i g a ( w h o d i e d i n J u n e t h i s y e a r ) , A r r i e W a t e r b o e r , D r A n d r e w J o h n s o n a n d t h e l a t e M r L e c h a m o c h a m o , a m o n g o t h e r s 017 826 0054/5 Cell: 082 904 co za all your Sand and Stone requirements in Piet Retief, Southern Mpumalanga T p o l i c e s t a t i o n t o h av e s o m e d o c u m e n t s c e r t i f i e d A s h e w i e d “ Ve r y g o o d , ” t h e p r i e s t s a i d . “ S o, w h o k i l l e d A b e l ? ” “ I d o n ’ t k n o w,” t h e c o p r e p l i e d “ B u t a s k t h e d e t e c t i v e o v e r t h e r e H e d e a l s w i t h m u r d e r c The last laugh

Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson (b 1948) ‘A person who lacks the verdancy of justice is dry, totally without tender goodness, totally without illuminating virtue ’ St Hildegard of Bingen (1098 1179) ‘Education, work, and access to healthcare for all are key elements for development and the just distribution of goods, for the attainment of social justice, for membership in society, and for free and responsible participation in political life.’ Pope Francis (b 1936) ‘Massive poverty and obscene inequality are such terrible scourges of our times times in which the world boasts breathtaking advances in science, technology, industry, and wealth accumulation that they have to rank alongside slavery and apartheid as social evils.’

a s e s . ” Buy the Church Chuckles book of Catholic jokes! email books@scross co za or go to www digital scross co za/church chuckles

ro m