The Catholic Ethos

Dear Reader,

Welcome to this bumper issue, in which we shine a special focus on Catholic education — and much more.

Almost 500 years ago, the French philosopher Rabelais said: “A child is not a vase to be filled, but a fire to be lit.” This adage should guide a good education: to impart facts, yes, but more than that, to form minds that hunger for knowledge and understanding, which then may be applied with ethics and empathy for the benefit of society.

Catholic schools strive to form more than simply vessels of facts. Of course, they must guide their learners to meet the academic requirements set by the state, but our schools also seek to impart Gospel values that will, hopefully, produce ethical and empathetic members of society.

I was reminded of the benefits of a good Catholic education recently. A friend, raised in the faith but now a staunch atheist, in a eulogy noted that his late friend was not unscrupulous, egotistical or driven to “succeed” at any human, social or environmental cost. “You were bound by the basic ethical sense instilled in us” at their Catholic college, he said. A good Catholic education might not prevent a person’s loss of faith, but the Gospel values it imparts remain embedded in its alumni.

As we look at the photos of academic high achievers in the adverts placed by Catholic schools in this issue, we hope that these young people, and all those who have benefitted from a Catholic education, will emerge into adulthood as people who shall live by the values of the Gospel, whether they are Catholic or not.

The photographs of the talented Sheldon Reddiar have appeared on several covers of The Southern Cross and illustrated many of our articles — including the selection that goes with our coverage of the installation of Cardinal Stephen Brislin as the new archbishop of Johannesburg on page 8. Readers will now be able to put a face to the photographer’s byline, and read about Sheldon’s faith journey and his work as a teacher at St David’s Marist College in Johannesburg, which places on him the responsibility of instilling the Catholic ethos in his students.

Our Catholic schools do have a fine record of leading the way with great innovations. Holy Rosary School, also in Johannesburg, provides our cover story this month with their “digital detox” campaign. In two stages of the campaign, students surrendered their smartphones in exchange for “dumb phones” (these are cellphones which we would have considered pretty smart 25 years ago!). On page 14, you can read how that went. The upshot is: the use of digital devices by children and teenagers needs to be controlled, for their own wellbeing.

Still on the theme of education, we visit the Kwa Thintwa School for the Deaf in KwaZulu-Natal. The school has done great work over the past 40 years, and, as our story explains, it all started with a boy touching an archbishop’s garment. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit’s great work begins with tiny moments.

It is intriguing to know that one of the Church’s great modern mystics was born in Pretoria. We tell the story of Sr Mary of the Trinity on page 12, and include one of her profound prayers in our monthly “Prayer Corner.”

We also continue our coverage of Jubilee events. Fr Kelvin Banda OP reflects on the Jubilee of Mercy (March 28-30), while Bishop José Luis Ponce de León marks the Jubilee of Volunteers (March 8-9) by paying tribute to the selfless people who give of themselves to help those in need.

Lent begins on March 5 — hence the purple trimmings on our cover — and two articles in this issue will, we hope, offer us spiritual food for the journey to the Lord crucified and risen. Fr Enrico Parry encourages us to stand up again when we fall in our Lenten resolutions, while Sr Colleen Gibson suggests that this Lent, we consciously take on the virtue of loving others. And indeed, what a counterwitness this is in a world where hatred for others is so rampant, and in some countries even  government policy.

Thank you for reading The Southern Cross, and please tell your friends about your monthly Catholic magazine. And may your Lenten journey be holy and fruitful.

God bless,
Günther Simmermacher
(Editor)