W NTER HEOLOGY Winter Living Theology
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Archdiocesan News A PUBLICATION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF CAPE TOWN • ISSUE NO 88 • APRIL-JUNE 2018 • FREE OF CHARGE This year’s Chrism Mass was held on Holy Thursday at Corpus Christi, Wynberg. The oils blessed at the Mass will be used by priests in the coming year for the celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism and the Sacrament of the Sick, and by the bishop for Confirmations and the ordination of priests and deacons PROUDLY CELEBRATING 200 YEARS OF CATHOLI C FAITH Archbishop Stephen Brislin, Archbishop of Cape Town and President of the Southern African SPECIAL Catholic Bishops’ Conference, invites all the faithful to join him and the bishops of our country in celebrating the closing Mass of the bi-centenary of the Catholic faith in Southern MASS Africa. This will take place at the Bellville Velodrome on 24 June at 2 pm. Speak to your parish 10 JUNE 2018 priest to get your free ticket. 8000 seats are available (5000 in the Velodrome itself and 3000 covered seats with live streaming). To symbolise the soli- darity of faith between By the time of reading this, those Religious. No ticket – no admission! Apart from seating reserved all of us, all Cathedrals wanting to attend the closing cel- All Priests, Deacons, Religious and for dignitaries and Religious, no and hopefully all par- ebration of the bi-centenary of presidents of sodalities and organi- priorty will be given to who sits ishes across the coun- our faith in Southern Africa, will sations are, of course, invited but where. Seating is first come first try will have a special have registered their intent with must get their tickets through their served, so please come early. Mass of Thanksgiving their parish. local parish. Doors open at 12.30 pm. at 12 noon on this day. Bells of churches Very soon your parish will receive To honour their role in build- The event will be streamed live. will be rung and the – or have already received – their ing our local church in Southern Please see our website www.adct. bi-centennial candle allotted number of tickets from the Africa, a special seating area will be org.za for the link. will be lit in each Chancery, which will give all who reserved for the Religious. No refreshments will be on Cathedral. have registered free entrance to Should you register and receive sale – or will be allowed – in the There will be a Mass this special event. Only the holders a ticket, and find later that you are Velodrome. Please bring your own at St Mary’s Cathedral of tickets will be able to gain access unable to attend, please inform bottled water, if needed. at 12 noon, should you to the Velodrome on this day – this your parish priest who will, in turn, Attending this Mass suffices for wish to attend. ARCHBISHOP BRISLIN WITH HIS TICKET includes all Bishops, Priests, and find someone to replace you. your Sunday obligation. TO THE BI-CENTENARY CLOSING MASS Winter Living Theology 26-28 JUNE 3-5 JULY 10-12 JULY 17-18 JULY JOHANNESBURG PORT ELIZABETH DURBAN CAPE TOWN This year, in keeping with the Southern African Center for Ethics Education. Catholic Bishops’ Conference 2016 Pastoral Letter: Winter Living Theology is brought to you by The Jesuit A Call to Overcome Racism and this year’s Lenten Institute South Africa, The Southern African Catholic theme, we are pleased to have Prof. Massingale who Bishops’ Conference Lenten Appeal (SACBC) and is an esteemed US scholar engaging particularly with Fordham University, New York. The series, now in issues surrounding Racial Justice and especially the W NTER its 12th year, seeks to bring international experts to response demanded of people of faith in confronting South Africa to lecture on an array of topics relevant 2018 racism in all its forms. to the contexts of the South African Church and Fr Massingale is a priest of the Archdiocese of wider South African society. HEOLOGY Milwaukee and holds the James and Nancy Buckman For more information, or to resister, please go Chair in Applied Ethics at Fordham University in New to www.jesuitinstitute.org.za/index.php/wlt2018/ York, where he is Professor of Theological and Social Ethics and is also Senior Ethics Fellow at the Fordham Fr Russell Pollitt SJ WLT2018-poster-outline_FINAL.indd 1 2018/04/03 10:03 ARCHDIOCESAN NEWS April-JuneVisit 2018the Archdiocese of Cape Town’s website on www.adct.org.za / Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/archdiocesecapetown 1 The year isn’t even half done and it has already been a rollercoaster! We are missing Sean in the Youth Office, but the From Chaplaincy Team have done a fantastic job helping make sure that everything not only keeps going but keeps growing as well! RIGHT: I spent some time at the start of the year with NET the Ministries in Australia, with a group of 40 young people from around the world (including one from Cape Town!) as they pre- pared to spend a year as mission- HEART aries witnessing to the good news of Jesus all around Australia. BELOW: I had scarcely returned home when we had our Empower The recent Facebook “scandal” exercise our faculty of caution Youth Leaders’ Conference, has made many people con- and doubt as to a number of kindly hosted by the Italian Club. cerned about the protection “authoritative” statements that There were more than 120 leaders of their privacy and the misuse are made through social media. from 17 parishes. Guest speakers of information that, once on included Fr Peter-John Pearson Contrast this with the Word and Danilo Acquisto. the internet, is virtually impos- of God. While we might be sible to remove. Social media deceived and manipulated by has proved to be a powerful fake news, there is no deceit in and wonderful tool to connect people across generations and God. His message is one of love across continents. Not only for all people, of forgiveness and can it keep families and friends salvation. It unites all people, of connected, but it has become every class, nation, colour and a forum for sharing ideas, culture into the one family of concerns and information. It is God – he is the Creator of all simply amazing how much good people. It proclaims the value can be achieved through social and worth of each and every media. person, whether strong and healthy, elderly, a child in the But, of course, we have also womb, mentally or physically witnessed the dark side. Not challenged, rich or poor. God’s only has it been misused in Word is life-giving, creative and sharing private information filled with hope. of users, but thousands of “dummy” accounts have been It should be clear to us that set up by those who wish to while we use the tools available propagate their own ideas and to us to communicate, our hope manipulate populations for their and our life are to be found in own purposes. “Fake news” the truth of God’s Word. Midst spreads like wildfire on the the hustle and bustle of our internet and many otherwise lives, our constant texting and “normal”, sober people seem to sending messages, our almost- lose all inhibitions when post- obsession to share every detail ing statements on social media, of our lives with others, we sometimes slandering people or must always ensure that we demeaning them to the point of do not neglect our contact cyber bullying. Researchers tell and communication with God, ABOVE: Less than a month later we had our BELOW: The Youth Office partnered with the Vocations first Young Adults evening, and I spoke about Office to host a morning of prayer and reflection at Langa us that victims of cyber bullying through his Word. We need ‘deciding to love’ to a group of about 40 young parish. A number of priests also attended the day and Fr are twice as likely to commit the time and quiet to be able to adults from nine different parishes, hosted by Thomas Plastow preached at the Mass and Fr Ralph De suicide. read the Scriptures – together St Mary of the Angels, Parow. Hahn gave a very encouraging and inspiring talk. or alone – and to reflect on So while we benefit from social Exciting upcoming events will be God speaking to us. Without it media, especially in groups that the next Young Adults talk on 30 May we descend into superficiality keep families, friends or the hosted by Durbanville, and Youth and ultimately hopelessness. Day on 16 June. This year Youth Day Church together, for the rest will be at the Athlone Civic Centre we need a healthy suspicion to accommodate our large numbers. of what is said and posted. Later on in the year there will be Not only must we exercise another few young adults talks, a constraint and responsibility in + Stephen Brislin fundraising dance, a youth leader’s what we write, we must always Archbishop of Cape Town forum and our year-end Camp Testify from 14 – 17 December. Hope to see you all at one or more of our events! Peace and Blessings Fr Charles ABOVE: Most recently there was a meeting of the Catholic Youth Abortion Warning Network, attended by Catholic Welfare and Development, Schoenstatt, ‘The Pill’ can abort, undetected, soon after con- Life Teen, The Justice Desk, St Kizito’s Children’s Project, Life Teen, ception. A medical fact. See www.humanlife.org/ abortion_does_the_pill.php Archdiocesan News is a channel of communication and dialogue for the the Catholic Leadership Academy and the Catechetics Department.