Memories of my Grandmother
This year we mark for the first time the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which was established by Pope Francis in January and is to...
Category: Simmermacher
Church, Football and GOATS: Five Catholic Soccer Facts
On Sunday, July 11, football’s Euros Championship will conclude with the final between Italy and England in London, exactly a month after the tournament kicked off in...
Can Those Who Die by Suicide Go to Heaven?
By Günther Simmermacher – Question: The Church’s ancient teaching is that those who commit suicide cannot enter heaven, yet some spiritual writers, like Fr Ron Rolheiser, say...
Seminarians Speak: The Priests We Want to Be
The path to the priesthood is long — from the first discernment to ordination and then ministry. Five Johannesburg seminarians tell Günther Simmermacher about their vocation,...
Bishop Graham Rose: Musings …in a Strange Time
Reviewed by Günther Simmermacher MUSINGS…In A Strange Time, by Bishop Graham Rose. SA Catholic Online Books (2021). 114 pp. Bishop Graham Rose likes a good conversation, but the opportunities...
The Glow of Love at Home
Marriage is difficult, but with love, communication and faith, it is possible to overcome obstacles, writes Günther Simmermacher Many years ago there was a song in which the...
The Patron of the Impossible: St Rita of Cascia
At a time when domestic abuse is rife and people are losing hope, there is a saint for both situations. Günther Simmermacher looks at St Rita of...
St George ‘the Dragon-Slayer’ was a Real Person
St George slayed no dragons, but he certainly was a real person who was martyred 1700 years ago. Günther Simmermacher looks St George’s life. St George at...
Irish Missionaries in South Africa – Poverty, Chastity and (d)is-Obedience
A new documentary charts the experience of Irish missionaries under apartheid and afterwards. Günther Simmermacher watched the film — and recommends it. Missionaries from many countries...
Was St Joseph Chaste?
Question: I would like to know whether St Joseph was celibate during his marriage to Mary. Was the marriage never consummated? Answer: The Catholic Church holds that...
Father Cyril Axelrod: New Ways of Communicating God’s Love
Redemptorist Father Cyril Axelrod cannot hear nor see, but he always finds new ways of communicating God’s love. Günther Simmermacher looks at Fr Cyril’s 50 years as...
Long Haul: 20 Years as Southern Cross Editor
In February 2001, Günther Simmermacher became the editor of The Southern Cross. Here he reflects on the past 20 years, the present and the future. Sometimes you...
