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Families on the ball
As I am writing this column we have just celebrated the feast of the Baptism of Jesus. What happened right then with the Holy Spirit descending on him and the Father’s voice saying “This is my Son, my beloved” always touches me, and the readings during this time from the first letter of John on the theme “God is love” developed this too. Read more…
Big changes for The Southern Cross
Sample of The Southern Cross’ weekly e-mail newsletter
As this wonderful newspaper heads towards its 90th anniversary in October, it faces enormous challenges. Yet whatever is thrown at it by a fickle and sometimes frail media industry, The Southern Cross will prosper. It has a history of surviving tough times. In its 90 years it has withstood economic recessions and political upheavals, not to mention a world war. And it has never once missed an issue.
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Art for faith’s sake
By John Cowan
Many people say that religious art needs some serious updating — and the president of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture agrees with them. Archbishop Gianfrancisco Ravosi claims that the marriage — “once made in heaven” — between art and the Church has long been “on the skids”.
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Nail on the head
Fr Kevin Reynolds, Pretoria:
As usual, your editorial ”The preaching problem” (January 13-19) hit the nail on the head. It naturally reminded me of several lessons taught by our professor of homelitics, Fr Frank Doyle OFM, at St John Vianney Seminary in the ‘60s.
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January 27 to February 2, 2010
Headlines
» Matric: Catholic schools shine
» Bishops’ letter to the youth
» SA Catholics step up to help Haiti
» Cape Town archbishop installation plan explained
» The day that changed SA forever
The great transition
Twenty years ago on February 2, President FW de Klerk formally pronounced the death of the apartheid system with his dramatic speech to parliament in which he unbanned the African National Congress and other proscribed movements and individuals. More even than the iconic 1994 elections, this was the most consequential moment in South Africa’s modern history.
Nine days later, Nelson Mandela was released from imprisonment after 27 years in captivity, ushering in a slow — and, alas, often violent — interregnum between white rule and the general franchise.
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The Mass of the Rubber Bullet
The press dubbed it “the Mass of the rubber bullet”, preceded by all of Southern Africa’s mitred bishops in illegal procession through the streets of Sebokeng in the Vaal Triangle. On its 25 anniversary, PATRICK NOONAN OFM recalls a remarkable day in the life of the local Church.
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Why we baptise infants
Many years ago when my first child was born, I was told by my parish priest that I would commit a mortal sin if I did not have him baptised within two weeks of birth. Today the Church refuses to baptise a child if the parents do not attend church regularly. We were also taught that unbaptised souls can not enter heaven (even if limbo has finally departed from our theology). Where do we stand today?
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Don’t blame advertising for your kids
All over the world, advertising stands accused of turning children into moneygrubbing, materialistic little monsters. Scores of pressure groups, do-gooders and myriad moral custodians of our society all point with conviction at ads for iPods, cellphones, designer jeans, Big Macs and Nike running shoes and scream: “Guilty, off with their heads!”
And canny politicians, quick to spot opportunities for vote-catching by the bushel, can’t wait to roll out the chopping block and wield the axe by passing legislation limiting, restricting or banning advertising altogether. Sweden, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Quebec, among many others, have outlawed advertising to kids.
Kicking up dust, wrestling with myself
In the dying days of 2009, I ventured to make a few resolutions for the New Year. Isn’t the birthday of Jesus Christ and the start of another year quite a fitting time to try to cross some bridges in personal life?
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