Vocations and Blessings

by Gunther Simmermacher · April 3, 2024

Dear Reader,

A popular item for sale in souvenir shops around the Vatican is a calendar of portraits of handsome young priests with charming smiles in their Roman collars. Disappointingly, tour guides will inform you, these men are in fact models, not ordained clergy.

But on page 16 this month, we read about a young Italian man who gave up a career in modelling to join the minor seminary with a view to becoming a priest. Perhaps one day, we may see an actual priest in those calendars, in the person of Edoardo Santini.

Edoardo’s story is one of several in this issue that relate to the subject of vocations, a topic we are asked to pray about in a special way on Vocations Sunday, this year on April 21.

Another story is that of Sr Belén de la Cruz, a Spanish nun who died in 2018 at the age of only 33 but has left a legacy which may inspire us. Might she become the St Thérèse of our age? One thing we certainly can take away from Sr Belén story is that the encloistered lifestyle of nuns still has relevance today.

The focus on Vocations Sunday is obviously on those who may hear the call to the priesthood or consecrated life. As our bishops heard at their plenary session in January, the drop in students for the priesthood is alarming.

Will the time come when occasions such as that in Klerksdorp diocese in January, when five priests were ordained at the same time, are a rarity? The situation in Southern Africa isn’t quite as alarming as it is in much of Europe. Nonetheless, we must ask ourselves: Where will our future priests come from?

As the number of clergy and religious diminishes, the laity will have to take on increasing responsibilities in the Church. There are all kinds of vocations available to lay Catholics. God has equipped all of us with talents which we can use to serve the Church and her mission. This can be in things as simple yet important as the upkeep of churches.

On page 10, we meet the radio broadcaster Ray White. He has made his career in secular radio, and has been inducted into that industry’s SA Hall of Fame. But he still finds time to get up early in the morning to occasionally guest-present on Radio Veritas’ “Matins” show. That, too, is a vocation — as indeed is the work of all at Radio Veritas. Remarkably, in Ray’s case that vocation is lived out even though he has yet to become a confirmed Catholic!

Our cover story this month concerns blessings, a seemingly simple matter and yet not well understood, as the reaction to the Vatican document Fiducia supplicans seems to suggest.

We hope to explain the meaning and implication of Fiducia, which covers more than the topic everybody has been arguing about: the nonliturgical blessing of couples in a same-sex union.

In a second article, Fr Dennis Ongansie discusses the pastoral implication of Fiducia, and argues that everybody — clergy, parishioners, the couples concerned — is in need of further catechesis on the meaning of blessing and being a community. That is true, of course, in all areas of Church life.

Most of this year’s Sunday Gospel readings are from the Evangelium of Mark, so it is a good time to feature that evangelist as our Saint of the Month — as always, with a pull-out poster.

How often don’t we hear the absurd argument that the Gospels cannot be trusted as authentic because they were written “too long” after the events they describe? Leaving aside all the other valid counterarguments to that fallacy, 30-40 years is not really a very long time.

In our money, 30 years ago is 1994, and 40 years ago 1984. It would take a brave historian to tell me that my memories of important events in 1994 or 1984 are not to be trusted because they took place “too long ago”. Imagine telling somebody who was in Soweto on June 16, 1976, that their accounts of that day are worthless to history because it happened 48 years ago. It would be regarded as irrational and arrogant. As is dismissing the writings of the evangelists.

Thank you for reading The Southern Cross, and please tell your friends about your monthly Catholic magazine.

God bless,
Günther Simmermacher
(Editor)