VOL. 148 (CXLVIII) NO. 37 kOLkata SEPtEMBER 21 - 27, 2012 Rs. 5/-

Anglican Cathedral becomes Catholic

T h e P o p e ’ s invi-tation to the Anglicans to join Catholi-cism is begin-

ning to bear fruit, and a proof is Orlando’s Cathedral. >> p. 07

Centre-spread : Pope’s Visit to Lebanon

The Three day visit of Pope t o L e b a n o n was significant in the life of

Church in Mideast. Capturing the spirit of the visit. >> p. 09

Idinthakari cries for Justicecries for life!

Fight against m i g h t y p o w e r s , p o l i c e b r u t a l i t y ,

calculated murders... the struggle goes on. >> p. 10

You may Kiss the Cross now

A n o v e l custom in a Croatian town helps couples to be

faithful to each other - no divorce or separation... >> p. 12

Editorial : Riders to the Sea

What makes the fight for survival of the people mean-ingful? >> p. 04

INSIDE>>>

News Capsules

In a rare public moment out of character, actor Stephen Colbert told students at the Jesuit Fordham University on Friday that he loves the Roman Catholic Church no matter its human flaws.

The host of “The Colbert Report” talked about his faith in a discussion on humor and spirituality. “I love my church – warts and all,” he said, before an audience of about 3,000 cheering students

I love my Church, says TV anchor

Church condemns anti-Islam movie

Church leaders in Faisalabad at the weekend added their voices to those of enraged Muslims in condemning an anti-Islamic film which has sparked a wave of violence across the Muslim world.

The Diocesan Commission for Interfaith Dialogue issued a statement on Saturday, expre-ssing outrage over the contro-versial movie – Innocence of Muslims.

Protesting Sri Lankan President’s visit

A man set himself on fire in Tamil Nadu to protest a scheduled visit of Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse to India later this week.

The condition of Vijayraj, an auto-driver, is stated to be critical.

Political parties in the state too have described the Sri Lankan president’s visit as “unaccep-table.” Earlier this month, a group of 184 Christian pilgrims from Sri Lanka were attacked in Tamil

TIME’s Vatican II reporter tells ‘inside’ stories of the Council

Kolkata, Sept. 15 : To get to know the dynamics and the content of discussions during the Second Vatican Council, the press-persons had to divice their own mechanism, said TIME magazine’s reporter for the Council.

Robert Blair Kaiser was addressing a motley group of Christians and people of other faiths at St Xavier’s College, Kolkata, Sept. 15, on ‘Steps to a Church of the people for the people’.

Kaiser highlighted the importance of this council in relation to other councils in the history of the Church.

Since the procedings of the Council was out of bounds for the press, we had to befriend bishops and cardinals to extract news about the deliberations in the aula, Kaiser revealed.

Sometimes Kaiser invited American and Indian bishops to his house for dinner, and they ended up discussing about the deliberations.

During the later part of the council, there were about

By Julian S Das 70 people joining for Sunday dinner at his house in Rome, which included over 30 bishops attending the council, he said.

The Vatican Council II has presented us two images - the people of God and pilgrim Church, which gives a modest view of the Church, said the Jesuit-turned journalist.

Looking at the impact the Council has on the life of the Church, he pointed out that the church has not changed much after the council, with such papal encyclicals as Humanae Vitae, which went against the general trends which were corroborated by the Church at the initial stage.

In an effort to assert the papal authority, the Pope had gone against Vatican appointed Family Planning Com-mission’s proposals, he pointed out.

I n t h e l i g h t o f t h e recommendations of the Council to form people-oriented Church, Kaiser said, “We need more accountable Church and bishops, and we do not need top-down Church anymore.”

Responding to the obser-

vations of Kaiser, Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Calcutta pointed out that the Council’s deliberations were built on the four pillars - on liturgy, divine revelation, Lumen Gentium and Gaudium est spes, and all other declarations were built around them.

One of the outcomes of the council was a quest for deeper understanding of herself, and others, especially the poor, which is still going on, the prelate observed.

Kaiser arrived at Kolkata from the USA on Sept. 14.

He is on a ‘lecture tour’ in India, on the fiftieth anniver-sary of the beginning of Vatican Council II, coordinated by Jesuit Father Gaston Roberge, in collaboration with Signis India.

Jesuit Father Gaston Roberge addressing the gathering, while Sunil Lucas, Fr Dominic Savio, Archbishiop Thomas D’Souza and Robert Kaiser look on.

Dengue Claims a Catholic girl

An 18 year old Catholic g i r l d i e d o f d e n g u e i n Kolkata, e v e n a s t h e

casualties in the city due to the killer-disease is on the rise.

Ruby Lucy Roy died of dengue, Sept. 5, two days after it was diagnosed.

A student of Auxilium School in the city, Ruby was initially admitted in a private nursing home, and later shifted to government-run Nilratan Sarkar Hospital, When her situation became critical, she was put on ventilator at Mission of Mercy Hospital, where she died.

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Please note:

The Catechetical Com-mission of the Archdiocese of Calcutta, headed by Fr Dominic Gomes and team members, Salesian Fr Anthony, Loreto Sr Bernadette, Pamela Rayan, Lillian Gomes and Sandra Singh conducted a Seminar on the theme, “Come, Ignite your Faith” on Sept. 9, at St Anthony’s School, Kolkata.

Fo r t y- o n e Ca t e c h i s m teachers from various Schools and Parishes attended the

training program. A PowerPoint presen-tation

on prayer service leading to how tradition, the Word of God, are linked together with the teachings of the Church, believed and lived by everyone to guard their faith.

Pamela brought out the simple aspects of faith and how we can enhance it in our lives.

Lillian presented a lively l e a r n i n g e x p e r i e n c e o n techniques and methods, on how faith handed down must be embedded through

the senses in order to make memorizing and living out the same easier.

Sa n d r a Si n g h s h a re d testimonies showing how staying close to the sacraments and persistent faith can be the driving force leading to miracles and how verbalizing the word of God with conviction into situations makes the impossible possible.

Fr Dominic Gomes opened the eyes of participants to understand what faith is and aroused their desire to grow more in it, citing Porta Fide (Door of Faith).

Us i n g a P o w e r P o i n t presentation he brought alive the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) into Classrooms, Parishes and Homes. He also showed how this can create a deep love and passion for our faith.

Fr Anthony spoke on how the media can play a vital role in teaching Catechism. The Seminar came to a close with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

Catechists learn to share faith

By Sandra Singh

Participants at the Catechetical Seminar on Sept. 9

Kolkata: The Governor of West Bengal had released a book on economics authored by the principal of a Jesuit college in the City of Joy.

T h e G o v e r n o r, M . K . Narayanan released the book, Disinvestment in India - Trends, Problems and Prospects, by Jesuit Father Felix Raj on Sept. 11, at the St Xavier’s College auditorium.

Fr Felix is the principal of Jesuit-run St Xavier’s College in Kolkata, and teacher of economics in the college.

Cal l ing the book “an extremely well conceived and a technically near perfect t re a t i s e ” , t h e G ov e r n o r suggested, “despite not being an easy read, the book should be made an essential read for under-graduate and post-graduate students of economics”.

He handed over the first copy of the book to Fr Jeyaraj Vel lusamy, Provincial of Calcutta Jesuit Province.

In a l ighter vein, the governor added : “I thought Principals never wrote books; they made students read them”.

He described Father Felix Raj as a thorough acade-mician and an able administrator”, and hoped the Jesuit priest’s contri-bution will help the nation and the policy makers.

T h e b o o k i s b a s e d on Fr Felix’s research on dis investment in public sector enterprises in India. “Disinvestment has been a b u r n i n g i s s u e i n o u r country over the past three decades,” said Father Felix. “As an economist, I was very interested in the process.”

T h e b o o k t a k e s i n t o

account the author’s research over three years and looks at the trends, problems and prospects of the divestment process in India over the last three decades.

I n h i s i n t r o d u c t o r y chapter, Father Felix redefines development in terms of liberalization, and goes a step forward from Amartya Sen’s definition of development a s f r e e d o m . F o r h i m “development is a continuous process of creation, a never ending process, a permanent cultural revolution, in other words, a praxis”.

He descr ibed how he has completed the study by undertaking 15 Public sector enterprises those went for strategic partners and having a comparative data supported analysis of disinvestment of a profit making and of a loss making enterprise.

The 458-pager is dedicated to the author’s father, late S.A. Susai, who had been a teacher for 45 years at St. Michael’s School, Sengudi in Tamil Nadu.

Author Fr Felix Raj, Governor K. R. Narayanan, Jesuit Provincial Fr Jeyaraj Veluswamy.

By Koushik Hati

Governor releases Jesuit Economist’s book

Kaiserograph?

No, if you look for the word in the dictionary, either printed or digitial or virtual, you would be disappointed not finding an entry.

This is the word coined by Jesuit Father Gaston Roberge to honor and falicitate TIME’s reporter at Vatican Council II, and who was present in Kolkata to speak on the Council and its impact on the Church.

A film scholar, Fr Roberge took this idea from the French film scholar and theoretician Andre Bazin, whose students coined the word ‘Bazinograph’ i n r e c o g n i t i o n f o r t h e volumninous writing that he had left behind.

Fr Roberge said that given the prolific writings that Robert Blair Kaiser had done, it is fitting to honor him with this word.

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Page 3*The HeraldSEPTEMbER 21 - 27, 2012

CHURCH IN INDIA

PROF. J. SUNIL SARKAR (Senior Advocate)

INTERNATIONAL LAW (on CTBT- Nuclear Weapons)

LEARN LAW EASILY (NO.45)

Qs.351 What is CTBT and its effects?Ans. Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (on Nuclear Weapons), ended in 2010 at Prague . It has not yet come into force, as 38 States including India, have not “ratified” it although 179 States signed it. Qs.352. Who first proposed to ban the testing of Nuclear Weapons?Ans. In 1954, the then Indian Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, followed by

President Eisenhower in 1958 and Chairman Krushchev in 1963 proposed the ban on testing of Nuclear Weapons. Qs.353. Why is CTBT yet disputable?Ans. Because of USA and Russia. Out of 2080 nuclear tests so far, USA conducted 1054 and Russia (including former Soviet Union) conducted 715, while India conducted only 6. France, UK, China, South Korea and Pakistan had their own shares of testing either underwater or outer-space or in the no-man’s-island-atmosphere. Hence CTBT for non-proliferation of nuclear materials, has been dismissed as hypocrisy .Qs.354. Why then is CTBT being tried at all?Ans. The UN is endeavouring to convert the world-military-spending into economic and social expenditure, which is often described as “turning guns into bread”.Qs. 355. When was the first nuclear weapon used in warfare?Ans. On August 6 and 9, 1945 over Hiroshima and Nagasaki respectively, in the form of atom bombs developed by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer at Manhattan Project of the USA . Thereafter on August 12, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced the surrender of Japan, with over a lakh corpse.Qs.356. When can the next nuclear war take place?Ans. Possibly never. Nuclear weapons are preserved for “balance of power” through “balance of terror”, as these weapons are scrambled for deterrence rather than aggression. Qs.357. What is WMD?Ans. Weapons of Mass Destruction including biological and chemical weapons, which is now the aim of North Korea since the year 2006, finding a loophole in the Treaty of CTBT. The fall of Soviet Union and the liberalization of China left North Korea economically and politically isolated, and so it is now trying to gamble with its fourth largest standing-army in the world.Qs.358. In what way the UN is still trying to have CTBT enforced?Ans. Through PTBT (Partial Test Ban Treaty) with 30% reduction on SORT (Strategic Offensive Reduction Treaty) and 74% on START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), to satisfy both the old and new Nuclear Clubs.All the above Treatises allow preservation of existing weapons for Power-Testing, concerning only Peace and Environmental aspects. Qs. 359. What are the present Nuclear-Ethics?Ans. a) Use it for construction and not destruction, (b) for self-defence, (c) to reduce the risk of war, and (d) innocence must not be harmed.Qs 360. What is Contempt, Defamation & PIL cases related to Mamata Bannerjee’s statement in the W.B. Assembly? (EXTRA)Ans. Irrelevant. That 20% of the Judges take bribe is an “open secret”, indirectly confirmed by Chief Justice Barucha of Supreme Court of India, in one of his speeches in 2001. Renowned authors have commented on Judiciary-Corruption in several of their treaties, the most glaring one being – “The Godfather” by Mario Puso.

Mob: 9831963988 Email: jssarkartm@vsnl.net Website: www.jssliptm.com

Facebook: profjssarkar@gmail.com Twitter : profjs_sarkar

Mangalore: Nearly 1,500 secular thinkers and teachers have condemned what they alleged was the gradual process of saffronization of school textbooks in Karnataka.

The participants from all major religions in India attended a day-long seminar S e p t 1 6 o n t h e t h e m e “saffronization of text books and subalter n voice” in Mangalore.

“Even though we are helpless with regard to the teaching of the saffronized text books in the schools we feel very sad to do that,” said Rosy D’Souza, a teacher and a participant at the seminar.

She said that saffroni-sation is a gradual poison that makes Hindu children feel superior and Muslim and Christian children inferior.

The state is ruled by pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party.

T h e s t a t e e d u c a t i o n department introduced the new history and social science text books for 5th and 8th grades.

Next year, the books will be introduced in other classes too.

Father J . B. Crasta, a Catholic priest, said that the new textbooks teach children t h a t c h u rc h e s i n In d i a , especially in Karnataka, were built by the British.

“It is we who have built the churches as expression of our faith. The textbooks are turning the very history,” the priest said.

Indudara Honnapura, a journalist, said that instead of curing the untouchability, which is the biggest cancer of Hinduism, the state govern-ment is making children the victims of their experimen-tation of saffronizing the

textbooks.Mohammad Ilias Thumbe,

state president of the Popular Front of India, said the politics and the administration are a lready saf fronized and now it is entering the school campus.

“We should burn all the text books which brand certain religious minority as terrorists and certain minority as intruders into India from the west and prepare totally secular new text books,” said Thumbe.

The seminar was organised by 45 secular associations belonging to different religions in Mangalore.

www.ucanindia.in

All faith people condemn saffronization of text books

By Francis Rodrigues

The southern zone of

West Bengal & Sikkim Region

comprising of four dioceses

had an Eucharistic cele-bration

at Mother’s Tomb on Sept 15,

organized by Regional Youth

Director Fr Gregory Monteiro.

Some 25 youth were present

to express their respect to

Blessed Teresa of Kolkata.

Regional youth at Mother’s Tomb

By Fr Gnana PeppinFred Marshall Schwartz

spoke to the youth on Morality

in thought, words and actions.

Frs Indrajit Sardar and Gnana

Peppin celebrated the Holy

Eucharist.

It was followed by a visit to

Sishu Bhavan, children’s home

of the Missionaries of Charity

sisters, a little away from

Mother House in Kolkata.

Ahmedabad: A group of concerned citizens of Gujarat has expressed dismay over the state-sponsored advertise-ments against the federal government.

“The frequent adver-tisements both in electronic and pr int media by the state (as part of its political campaign) against the Central Gover nment is l ikely to generate a culture of violence,” said a press statement.

T h e a d v e r t i s e m e n t s claim injustice by the federal government in allocating natural gas at higher prices to Gujarat, in comparison to Delhi and Mumbai.

The advertisements, which portray the alleged injustice as a “slap” to the state, came just as the assembly elections campaign was gathering momentum.

The assembly elections in the state are due later this year.

www.ucanews.in

Ads against Centerbothers citizens

Page 4 SEPTEMbER 21 - 27, 2012The Herald*EDITORIAL

Vol. CXXXXV No. • KOLKATA • January 16 - 22, 2009Vol. 148 (CXLVIII) No. 37 • KOLKATA • SEPTEMBER 21 - 27, 2012

Riders to the SeaIdinthakarai in Tamil Nadu

is once again in the news; the voice of the fisher folks adjoining the nuclear reactor had fallen on deaf ears of the Supreme Court, which had refused to give a stay order to load fuel to the reactor was in preparatory stage.

Most of the protesters are unlettered voiceless men and women, who feel their life could be ruined if something unto-ward were to happen in the reactor, not to mention the adverse effects the reactor could have in their environs, especially in the sea which had been providing bread and butter for them for generations.

Police forces, especially the notorious Rapid Action Force, had been deployed to smother the voices of protest of this peaceful movement. Govern-ment is determined to go ahead with the loading of fuels, so that the first part of electricity g e n e r a t i o n could begin.

The Atomic Energy Regula-tory Board in A u g u s t h a d given clearance to load fuel into one of the two reactors, and the Madras High Court had reiterated the decision. But all that the protestors plead with the government is that all safety measures are completed before the power generation process begins. Questions have been raised by the protestors about the government not completing the safety steps.

There are two important issues that are operative in the Kudankulam protests : one, the high-handedness of the government to take the interests and lives of innocent people for granted in the name of greater national interests, in this case providing electricity to power-starved Tamil Nadu and other parts of the country, and two, the voice of the hapless men and women claiming justice through peaceful protests being branded as anti-nationals and anti-developmental agents and subjected to torture and violence.

It is not the first time that a handful of muscled and moneyed people, holding the

India needs development, but it

cannot bring prosperity to the nation, if it is

wrought by bloodshed of innocent men and

women.

government as ransom, to fulfill their selfish motives, dare to topple the democratic procedures, silencing the cry of the poor, forcefully disre-garding the safety and wellbeing of the people. We had seen this happening in the case of the people involved with Narmada Banchao Andolan, spear-headed by Medha Patkar, Koel Karo movement in Jharkhand, protesting against the Koel-Karo Hydel Power plant.

In each of these move-ments, the government had taken the role of going ahead with the mega projects disre-garding adequate compen-sation packages to those who would lose their ancestral homes, livelihood, and hope of a better future. It is interesting to notice that in most of the people’s movements, which is a-political, and non-religious, taking the path of Gandhian

non-violent protests.

T h e government h a s t h e mechanism a n d s t r u c t u re s t o t h w a r t the voices of the people’s c r y i n g f o r

help, and it is thanks to a handful of committed men and women, their cry might not go in vain; at least part of their rightful demands might find realization.

India needs development, but no development can bring prosperity to the nation, if development is wrought by bloodshed of innocent men and women. The people who had voted the political leaders and who wield unlimited and uncontrolled power should also have the power to dethrone them when the leaders turn deaf ears to their cry for help.

If public opinion is created to protect and safeguard the interests of the less fortunate masses, who plead for justice, can any citizen with good conscience refuse to listen to their cry? What is today Kudankulam may tomorrow be Baruipur? Can we hear the cry of the people standing at knee and neck deep water fall into our ears? Do we feel their heart-beats drumming on our ear-drums?

Letter To The Editor

Clergy-Laity divide

I am not a scholar or theologian. I do not pretend to refute the main argument of the author. In fact I agree with the main thesis

Yet as reading it, especially the passage where Haag quotes Haring to say, “The Church of the first three centuries did not know...... either the concept or the reality of a clergy”, I could not help thinking of the great Ignatius of Antioch, who wrote (and died a martyr) early in the second century. In his letters to the Churches of Trallia, Magnesia and Philadelphia, he urges them to follow the bishops and the presbytery. He names two of the bishops and presbyters (priests}. He himself was very conscious of his authority as bishop of Antioch and that of Polycarp as bishop of Smyrna.

The author of the article does not seem aware of the great Blessed John Henry Newman and his work on development. No one will deny Newman’s scholarship and integrity. He was surely aware of the history of the early Church and of errors in Catholicism. Yet though he was an eminent Anglican and would probably have become a bishop, leaving all these he converted to Catholicism.

Fr R. H. LesserUdaipur

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Holy Cross Feast was celebrated at Thakurnagar on Sept 16 with great fanfare. Parish priest Fr Michael Adesar, has visited all the families of the parish, within four months of his arrival and had helped them to have a meaningful celebration of the parish feast.

People from three sub-centers assembled for a concelebrated Eucharist on the feast day.

Dean of North 24 Parganas Fr Anthony Rodrick, was the main Celebrant, who exhorted the people saying, “Jesus rules the world from the Cross. May the cross of Christ be our pride that we may boast in it. This will inspire us to carry our daily crosses and follow Him.”

The youth organized a short cultural programme. Diocesan Youth Director Fr Gnana Peppin had prepared the youth and the Children on the eve of the Feast with some video presentations.

Thakurnagar celebrates parish feast

By Fr Gnana Peppin

Tirunelveli: The anti-nuke protesters brought water from the sea and cleaned the church in Idinthakarai village in Tamil Nadu that was desecrated by the police.

The protesters suspended their agitation against the Koodankulam nuclear power plant for a day on Saturday.

They had launched a water

protest by jumping into the sea, just 500 metres away from the nuclear facility, and forming a human chain to protest fueling of uranium in one of the reactors of the plant.

The protesters claimed that the police entered the St. Lourdes Church in the village and desecrated the church and the statue of Mother Mary.

After the cleaning was completed, special adoration was conducted in the church,

The protesters refused to accept the body of A. Sahayaraj, who died Friday after sustaining head injury during the ‘jal satyagraha’ (non-violent water protest).

Even as the police filed a case of suspicious death, the protesters alleged that the victim, scared by an Indian Coast Guard aircraft flying at low-level, fell on a granite boulder and died.

T h e y d e m a n d e d registration of a murder case against the pilot.

Source: thehindu.com

Protesters clean vandalized Church

Page 5*The HeraldSEPTEMbER 21 - 27, 2012

CHURCH IN INDIA

Mumbai: The 145-year-old Christian burial ground in Mumbai has found a place in the proposed heritage list of the city’s municipal corporation.

T h e 3 5 - a c r e S e w r e e C h r i s t i a n C e m e t e r y , established in 1867, is billed as the largest Christian burial ground in Asia.

The corporation’s l ist proposes to grade the burial ground, as II-B precinct, giving it protection from changes in its layout and usage laws.

“We have already lost a fourth of the cemetery’s original acreage to encroachments. Protection under heritage rules will thwart any attempts to grab cemetery land,” said Reverend Graham Engineer, a former member of the Sewree Cemetery trust.

Historian and archivist Benjamin Nasib said the burial ground was originally a horticultural garden.

Nasib’s 1995 study on the cemetery was published in the Indian Church History Review, a journal brought out by church history buffs.

After a petition from the Anglican, Scottish and Roman Catholic Churches for a large cemetery, the botanical park was shifted to Byculla to make way for a burial ground, he said.

The cemetery’s famous graves include that of F.W. Stevens, the architect of

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in the city.

The cemetery includes graves of people who died in the 1944 dock explosion, epidemics and attacks by wild animals.

Prominent members of the Christian community associated with the nationalist struggle, including Kaka Baptista, too are buried in the ground.

In one corner of the ground is a monument dedicated to Italian prisoners of war who died in Mumbai during the World War II.

Across the world, historic cemeteries are finding a place in the itinerary of tourists.

An international news magazine’s recent listing of attractions in the world’s great cities included Rome’s Non-Catholic Cemetery where poets

Shelley and Keats and buried, and Buenos Aires’s Chacarita Cemetery, which is the resting place of poets, painters and tango composers.

The Sewree cemetery, too, gets visitors, especially those on a mission to trace graves of ancestors.

Engineer said the burial ground is important to the Anglican Church as many missionaries and educators sent by the church are buried here.

“I was surprised when we had visitors from the UK, Canada, the US and Australia. We h a v e m e t i c u l o u s l y maintained records of burials and if the visitors have the names and probable dates of burial, we can track down the graves they are looking for,” said Engineer.

Source: dnaindia.com

Christian burial ground in proposed heritage list

New Delhi: Protests against the controversial American anti-Islam film spread in India with agitators targeting the US consulate in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

A crowd of 1,500 people from the Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam and a few other Muslim outfits targeted the mission yesterday.

They pelted it with stones, burnt the American flag and pictures of President Barack Obama and damaged CCTV cameras, a police booth and instruction boards for visitors.

Iron railings and paintings on the building’s compound wall were ruined.

In Jammu and Kashmir, authorities placed top separatist leaders under preventive detention to maintain law and order as protests against the film gained momentum in the valley yesterday.

Protests were held after Friday congregational prayers outside many mosques and shrines in the Valley against the movie Innocence of Muslims, uploaded on social networking site Youtube recently, officials said.

Shouting slogans against the filmmaker, hundreds of protesters took to streets in Maisuma, Budshah chowk, Court Road, Lal Chowk and Jamia Masjid areas, police said.

Meanwhile, the Imams (Muslim clerics) during sermons in

the mosques appealed to people not to indulge in vandalism of public property during their protest.

“It is our right to protest against this heinous act aimed at hurting the sentiments of the Muslims. However, we should not indulge in vandalism as we will causing harm to our own property. We shall remain peaceful,” said a priest at a mosque in Lal Chowk area.

Heeding to the advice of the clerics, the protesters dispersed peacefully.

Police said that barring a minor stone-pelting incident at Red Cross Road near Lal Chowk, the situation across the valley was peaceful.

Earlier in the day, police put the entire top brass of the separatist groups including chairmen of both faction of Hurriyat Conference - Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq- and chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Mohammad Yasin Malik in preventive detention to maintain law and order.

All political parties in Jammu and Kashmir have condemned the video.

The video, which was posted on youtube, shows Prophet Mohammed as a womanizer, buffoon, ruthless killer and child molester.

Islam forbids all depictions of Mohammed.The Hindu / oneindia / edition.cnn.com

Anti-Islam film: protests spread in India

Shillong : Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Fr Thomas Manjaly as “Expert” for the forthcoming XIII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the

theme “New Evangelization for transmission of Christian Faith” which will take place in the Vatican City from October 7-28.

Fr Ma n j a l y f r o m t h e Archdiocese of Shillong had served as the Chancellor of the Archdiocese. He has a Master’s degree in Sacred Scripture f ro m Po n t i f i c a l Bi b l i c a l Institute, Rome and Doctorate in Biblical Theology from Pontifical Urban University, Rome.

Over twenty-five years he has been teaching New Testament mainly at Oriens Theological College, Shil-long, where he has held the offices of Dean of Studies and Registrar, Librarian, Director Oriens

Publications. At the national level, he

was Secretary of the CBCI Commission for Clergy and Religious and CCBI Com-mission for Proclamation, and member of the CBCI C o m m i s s i o n f o r B i b l e , Catechetics and Liturgy and CCBI Doctrinal Commission.

Along with his teaching, he serves as the Chief Editor of Oriens Journal for Contextual Theology, Secretary of the Northeast India Regional Bible Commission and Deputy Secretary of the Northeast India Regional Bishops’ Council. Since 2009, he is also a member of the Pontifical Biblical Com-mission in Rome.

By Sr Lissy Maruthanakkuzhy

Shillong priest to be ‘expert’ at Synod of bishops

Page 6 SEPTEMbER 21 - 27, 2012The Herald*

By Ruma Ray

kNOW YOUR SCRIPtURE:

BIBLE StUDY

INTERNATIONAL

Seen as a curtain-raiser for the national elections in 2014, the election of the governor of Jakarta heads for its second round run-off on September 20.

It is a contest that has captivated the nation. But government ministers felt the need this week to appeal for a fair fight, as this campaign will possibly be remembered above all for its negativity.

T h e c a n d i d a t e s a r e incumbent governor Fauzi Bowo who pairs with Nachrowi Ramli and Joko Widodo, the mayor of Solo, Central Java, who pairs with Basuki Thahaja Purnama.

Purnama is a Chinese Christian who has endured a smear campaign in recent weeks and is routinely heckled at public events.

One of his main tormentors has been Rhoma Irama, a well known singer and preacher. In July, he delivered a stinging anti-Purnama sermon which led to him being investigated by the Jakarta Elections Supervisory Committee.

“I believe in the Qur’an. I just told the truth. It is my job to tell the truth to Muslims,” he told local media. There were some raised eyebrows when the committee ruled that Rhoma had caused no violation, as his sermon was given outside the campaign season.

But the attacks against the non-Muslim candidate did not stop there. Before last month’s Eid celebrations, copies of a pocket book Apa Kata Alquran tentang Memilih Pemimpin? - What Does The Qur’an Say About Choosing Leaders? – were widely distributed.

The book echoes the generally held Muslim clerics’ view that Muslims should not vote for Christian or Jewish leaders.

At the same time, a two-minute video titled Koboy Cina Pimpin Jakarta - Chinese-Indonesian Cowboy Leads Jakarta – was uploaded on YouTube.

T h e f o o t a g e a i m e d t o i n t i m i d a t e C h i n e s e -

Indonesians in the state capital.

“We, young people who save Jakarta, order all Chinese-Indonesians not to exercise their rights to vote in the second round of the gubernatorial election or….” said a man with a blurred-out face.

The video, which was later taken down, also included images of riots in 1998 when thousands rallied to oust former president Soeharto and targeted properties and business owned by Chinese Indonesians.

During the rioting, more than 1 ,500 people were reportedly killed and there were more than 80 cases of sexual assault against Chinese-Indonesian girls.

More recently, the Young

Jakartans Front blitzed Jakarta with posters which read “Qur’an orders: voting for Muslim leaders is an obligation, voting for non-Muslim leaders is prohibited.”

None of this stopped Purnama’s partnership with Widodo from winning 43 percent of the first ballot in July, indicating a level of popularity that will pose a serious threat to Governor Bowo in the next round.

R i d w a n S a i d i , w h o commentates on cultural issues, said religious and ethnic slurs will not affect voters.

“These attacks will generate public sympathy for Jokowi and Purnama,” he said in a television talk show.

www.ucanews.com

Christian candidate clocks up votes despite smears

By Ryan Dagur, Jakarta ( Part 3. Please read the Biblical Text

of Gen 27 along with this article to gain a proper understanding)

The actual high drama of Jacob deceiving the old and almost blind Issac is intensified by the expression of the doubt and amazement of Issac – But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?”… Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near, that I may feel you, my

son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.”… “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau” (27,20-22). But the the trick of the mother-son duo succeeds perhaps on the benefit of doubt He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him (27,23).

This particular segment of conversation ends with the decisive comment that it is because Issac failed to recognize Jacob masquerading as Esau, so he blessed him (v.23b). But there seems to be an apparent hitch that initiates in the very following verse where Issac again questions, And he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am” (27,24).

This apparent repetition is not to be seen as a conflation of two different sources of writing into the story as was thought to be earlier. But it is in reality a part of the same one literary piece which employs high degree of literary skill and technique.

The comment at the end so he blessed him v.23b is what is technically described as proleptic summary of what is to follow, that is, it summarizes in anticipation that which is to be narrated in details soon after. It is to say that because Issac did not recognize Jacob, he proceeded with the benediction ritual of identifying the person, And he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am” (27,24) before the actual conferring of the benediction, as explained in the last issue.

This ritual is then followed by the actual eating and drinking of the food and drink Then he said, “Bring it to me, that I may eat of my son’s game and bless you.” So he brought it to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank (27,25), in order to reinvigorate the father who is to hand over to his first-born the family heirloom through the exclusively reserved blessing.

The conferring of the blessing then follows in vv.27-29. The benediction ends Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you! (27,29b), reminding the reader of the blessing which YHWH conferred on ’Abrâhâm in Gen 12,2-3.

The family drama however heightens with the subsequent entry of the real first-born, Esau, on the heels of the departure of Jacob, without one meeting the other (vv.30-31). Despite Issac’s reaction to the deceit, he can but only affirm the irrevocability of the blessing, and I have blessed him? — yes, and blessed he shall be!” (27,33).

Esau’s bitter cry and appeal for a blessing only meets with the affirmation of the deceit by Jacob (27,34-35) followed by a play of words in Hebrew on the name of Jacob and deceit (both having the same root yqb) as well as the terms my first-born right and my blessing (both having common root brk) in v.36: Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob (yaqob)? For he deceived me (yaqYbeni) these two times. He took away my birthright (bYkorati); and look, now he has taken away my blessing (bikarati).”

49

RUMA RAY holds Licentiate in Sacred Scripture from Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, where exegetical research is done in the original languages of the Bible. Prior to the Licentiate, she completed her Bachelor of Theology from the Salesian Seminary, Kristu Jyoti College, Bangalore. She is actively engaged in taking up classes and giving seminars on the various Books of the Bible and on Catholic Theology.

Chinese Catholics say church was destroyed by arsonists

M e m b e r s o f t h e congregation in a small city in central China say their church may have been deliberately burned down at the end of last week.

The church had been the only building left in Caibang village near Xiantao City, Hubei province, after it held firm when developers paid off locals to move out last year to make way for new apartments.

A local Catholic layman who declined to be identified accused developers of burning down houses in the area when the inhabitants were out, forcing them to accept compensation so construction could go ahead.

“ N o b o d y s h o w s a n y concern about such an evil

practice,” she said.Father Zhang Wei, a young

priest of Hanyang diocese, reported the fire in his blog. He claimed that the developer did not offer compensation to the Church as promised, which would have allowed it to move to another site.

The wooden altar was burned to the ground while the roof was gutted by fire.

“Unless flammable liquids were sprinkled in the church, it would not have ignited easily,” he said.

He added that worshippers were forced to abandon the Church after Easter celebrations this year, when authorities cut off water and electricity supplies to the house.

www.ucanews.com

Page 7*The HeraldSEPTEMbER 21 - 27, 2012

SUNDaY REFLECtIONSSUNDaY REFLECtIONS

LITURGY

Twenty-Fifth Sunday: 23-Sept-2012

“To be great you must make yourselves least of all.”

Wisdom 2: 12, 17-20 James 3: 16- 4: 3 Mark 9: 30-37It’s been five years in the making, and on September 16 the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Orlando, Florida will become Catholic.

At a Mass of Reception a t 1 0 : 1 5 a . m . S u n d a y, September 16, the Cathedral of the Incarnation, which was formerly associated with the Anglican Church of America, will become the Parish of Incarnation—joining about twenty other former Anglican or Episcopal congregations to be accepted in the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, the personal ordina-riate established as a home for Anglican converts to Catholicism in the United States and Canada.

Mo n s i g n o r Je f f re y N . Steenson, a former Episcopal bishop who now leads the Personal Ordinariate, will confirm the parishioners as Catholic during the Sunday service.

Bishop John Noonan, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando, will participate in the liturgy, but the Parish of Incarnation will not become part of Orlando’s diocese. Carol Brinati, spokesperson for the Orlando Diocese, explained, “While we recognize them as part of the Catholic church, they have their own services. We share our beliefs, but everything else is separate.”

The impetus for many former Episcopalians and Anglicans who have sought entry into the Catholic Church has been the increasing liberalization of the Anglican Church—which has in recent years broken with tradition by ordaining women and gays as bishops and accepting homosexual marriage.

In July 1980, Pope John Paul II, responding to requests received from some priests and laity formerly or actually belonging to the Episcopal Church in the United States, had decided to make a special Pastoral Provision for their reception into full communion with the Catholic Church.

The Pastoral Provision provided a mechanism by which married, former priests coming from the Episcopal

Church could be ordained in the Catholic Church, and personal worship commu-nities could be created which would be allowed to retain elements of the Anglican liturgy.

And in November 2009, Pope Benedict XVI issued the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus, an unprecedented invitation for Anglicans to become Catholic in groups or as parishes.

Anglicanorum Coetibus

Anglican Cathedral in Orlando becomes Catholic

established the canonical structure for the personal ordinariates—which serve like dioceses, but which are national in scope. Currently three personal ordinariates have been established: the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter (serving the United States and Canada), the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham (in England and Wales), and the Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross (in Autralia).

www.patheos.com

by Kathy Schiffer

Today one of the games most people play is one-upmanship. Everyone seems to want to reach the top to show others that they have made it and that they are better than others. To prove that they are better than others, people go to great lengths to prove their superiority. Greatness is equated with strength and power. But often, it is the weak and insecure who display their power to hide their weakness. Jesus reveals that the least is the greatest in God’s eyes!

The first reading from the book of Wisdom reminds us that often the just man has to endure suffering not because he has done evil, not because he has sinned but precisely because He is walking the path of justice, the path of truth, the path of God. Because of his upright life others feel threatened, others feel uncomfortable, others feel guilty and challenged and so they retaliate, they hit out at the just person who stands for God and His values.

When I am in the presence of lawless persons, of people who live according to worldly standards, does my life confront them? If I am truly a person committed to God, I do not have to sit in judgment over people, I don’t have to necessarily point out their wrongdoing, my life itself, the way I live, the way I act, should speak loudly of the values I believe in. The silent witness of the prophet’s life spoke more loudly than his words!

In the Gospel we have a juxtaposition of two different situations, two value systems. As they come down the mountain, Jesus tells his disciples that he will have to suffer, he will be handed over to the mob and put to death. The disciples heard what Jesus related, but they do not understand, and do not want to understand what Jesus is speaking about.

In fact while Jesus is talking of being powerless in the face of suffering and death, they are talking of who is the greatest of all! Here we have a confrontation of values and life styles. For Jesus what mattered was real power: the power to submit to God’s will, the power to submit to others, not to exercise power but to be helpless and trust in His Father’s power rather than his own.

To drive the point home, Jesus says, “If you want to be first in God’s kingdom, you have to be ready to be servant of all.” In other words, if you want to be the greatest, then you have to be the least, the servant, the one who does not give orders but does what he is ordered. God’s ways are not our ways; God’s values are so different from ours: to be powerful, you have to be weak!

The disciples still do not understand the point that Jesus is trying to make. Jesus dramatizes His message. He takes a little child present, sets him in the centre of the group puts his arms around the child embracing the child and says to his disciples: “Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me, welcome not me but the one who sent me.”

What is the point Jesus is making through this enigmatic statement? Jesus in today’s Gospel once again affirms his readiness to give up all power, to submit to death itself, the ultimate loss of the power of life. In embracing the child, Jesus is embracing weakness, is affirming his choice of being on the side of the powerless, who believe not in their own strength but rely totally in the power of God. Are we ready to embrace weakness to experience His power in our lives?

Dr Charles Mayo, with his father and brother founded the world famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester. One time a group of European medical experts were guests of Dr Mayo at his home. According to the custom, the guests placed their shoes outside their bedrooms to be polished during the night. Dr Charles was the last to retire. As he went to his room he noticed the shoes. It was too late to wake up any of the servants. With a sigh he gathered up all the footwear, hauled them into the kitchen, and spent half the night polishing them.

Fr Jude Botelhojudebotelho@yahoo.co.in

Friday 21 September Saint Matthew, apostle and evangelist Ephesians 4:1-7.11-13; Matthew 9:9-13

Saturday 22 September 1 Corinthians 15:35-37.42-49; Luke 8:4-15

Sunday 23 September TWENTY FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME Wisdom 2:12.17-20; James 3:16 – 4:3; Mark 9:30-37

Monday 24 September Proverbs 3:27-34; Luke 8:16-18

Tuesday 25 September Proverbs 21:1-6.10-13; Luke 8:19-21

Wednesday 26 September Saints Cosmas and Damian, martyrs Proverbs 30:5-9; Luke 9:1-6

Thursday 27 September Saint Vincent de Paul, priest Ecclesiastes 1:2-11; Luke 9:7-9

Page 8 SEPTEMbER 21 - 27, 2012The Herald*POPE’S VISIT TO LEBANON

Vatican City, 15 September 2012 (VIS) - Yesterday evening in the Greek-Melkite Basilica of St. Paul in Harissa, Lebanon, Benedict XVI signed the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhort-ation of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops, “Ecclesia in Medio Oriente”.

The basilica forms part of a complex which includes a major seminary and a “house for writers” who study the sacred texts and translate documents of the Magist-erium into Arabic. Since 1909 it has also been the head-quarters of the Missionaries of St. Paul.

The Holy Father was received by His Beatitude Gregorios III Laham, Patriarch of Antioch o f t h e G r e e k - Me l k i t e s . Following the entrance chant in the Byzantine rite, the Pope paused to venerate the icons conserved inside the basilica. Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, then pronounced some words after which the ceremony continued with the initial chants in the Maronite rite.

Following the readings B e n e d i c t X V I d e l i v e re d greetings to the patriarchs and a group of Oriental and Latin bishops, to Orthodox, Muslim and Druze delegations, as well as to representatives of the world of culture and civil society, and the Greek-Melkite community.

“The happy coexistence of Islam and Christianity, two religions that have helped to shape great cultures”, he said, “is what makes for the originality of social, political and religious life in Lebanon. One can only rejoice in this circumstance, which must absolutely be encouraged. I entrust this wish to the religious leaders of your country”.

“Providentially, this event takes place on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a celebration originating in the East in 335, following the dedication of the Basilica of the Resurrection built over Golgotha and our Lord’s tomb by the Emperor Constantine the Great, whom you venerate as saint. A month from now we will celebrate the seventeen-hundredth anniversary of the appear-ance to Constan-

tine of the ‘Chi-Rho’, radiant in the symbolic night of his unbelief and accompanied by the words: ‘In this sign you will conquer!’”

“There is an inseparable bond between the cross and the resurrection which Christians must never forget. Without this bond, to exalt the cross would mean to justify suffering and death, seeing them merely as our inevitable fate. For Christians, to exalt the cross means to be united to the totality of God’s unconditional love for mankind. It means making an act of faith!

To e x a l t t h e c r o s s , against the backdrop of the resurrection, means to desire to experience and to show the totality of this love. It means making an act of love! To exalt the cross means to be a committed herald of fraternal and ecclesial communion, the source of authentic Christian witness. It means making an act of hope!

“In examining the present situation of the Church in the Middle East, the Synod Fathers reflected on the joys and struggles, the fears and hopes of Christ’s disciples in these lands. In this way, the entire Church was able to hear the troubled cry and see the desperate faces of many men and women who experience grave human and material difficulties, who live amid powerful tensions in fear and uncertainty, who desire to follow Christ - the One Who gives meaning to their existence - yet often find themselves prevented from doing so”.

“At the same time, the Church was able to admire all that is beautiful and noble in the Churches in these lands. How can we fail to thank God at every moment for all of you, dear Christians of the Middle East! How can we fail to praise Him for your courage and faith? How can we fail to

thank Him for the flame of His infinite love which you continue to keep alive and burning in these places which were the first to welcome His incarnate Son? How can we fail to praise and thank Him for your efforts to build ecclesial and fraternal communion, and for the human solidarity which you constantly show to all God’s children?

“’Ecclesia in Medio Oriente’ makes it possible to rethink the present in order to look to the future with the eyes of Christ. By its biblical and pastoral or ientation, i ts invitation to deeper spiritual and ecclesiological reflec-tion, its call for liturgical and catechetical renewal, and its summons to dialogue, the Exhortation points out a path for rediscovering what is essential: being a follower of Christ even in difficult and sometimes painful situations w h i c h m a y l e a d t o t h e temptation to ignore or to forget the exaltation of the cross.

It is here and now that we are called to celebrate

the victory of love over hate, forgiveness over revenge, service over domination, humility over pride, and unity over division. In the light of today’s Feast, and in view of a fruitful application of the Exhortation, I urge all of you to fear not, to stand firm in truth and in purity of faith.

This is the language of the cross, exalted and glorious ... capable of changing our sufferings into a declaration of love for God and mercy for our neighbour, ... of transforming those who suffer because of their faith and identity into

vessels of clay ready to be filled to overflowing by divine gifts more precious than gold. This is more than simply picturesque language: it is a pressing appeal to act concretely in a way which configures us ever more fully to Christ, in a way which helps the different Churches to reflect the beauty of the first community of believers”.

“’Ecclesia in Medio Oriente’ provides some elements that are helpful for a personal and communal examination of conscience, and an objective evaluation of the commitment and desire for holiness of each one of Christ’s disciples.

The Exhortation shows openness to authentic inter-religious dialogue based on faith in the one God, the Creator. It also seeks to contribute to an ecumenism ful l of human, spir i tual and charitable fervour, in evangelical truth and love”.

“The Exhortation as a whole is meant to help each of the Lord’s disciples to live fully and to pass on faithfully to others what he or she has become by Baptism: a child of light, sharing in God’s own light, a lamp newly lit amid the troubled darkness of this world, so that the light may shine in the darkness. The document seeks to help purify the faith from all that disfigures it, from everything that can obscure the splendour of Christ’s light. For communion is true fidelity to Christ, and Christian witness is the radiance of the paschal mystery which gives full meaning to the cross, exalted and glorious”.

“’Fear not, little flock’, and remember the promise made to Constantine: ‘In this sign you will conquer!” Churches of the Middle East, fear not, for the Lord is truly with you, to the close of the age! Fear not, because the universal Church walks at your side and is humanly and spiritually close to you! It is with this hope and this word of encouragement to be active heralds of the faith by your communion and witness. ... God grant that all the peoples of the Middle East may live in peace, fraternity and religious freedom! May God bless all of you!”

CHRISTIANS OF THE MIDDLE EAST! HOW CAN WE FAIL TO PRAISE GOD FOR YOUR COURAGE AND FAITH?

Emperor Constantine

Pope to Mideast Youth: Don’t Taste ‘bitter Sweetness’

of Emigration

By Kathleen Naab

BEIRUT, Lebanon, SEPT. 15, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Before a vast and enthusiastic crowd of young people this evening in Lebanon, Benedict XVI voiced a strong appeal to end the emigration of Christians from the Holy Land, opposing the trend that has decimated the native Christian population of the region and that is expected to continue to diminish it.

The Pope concluded his second day in Beirut with the youth encounter, offering his

own reflections after listening attentively to presentations given by a young woman and a young man.

The Holy Father began by telling the Lebanese youth -- and their guests from Syria, the Holy Land, and other places of the region -- that it is a “great honor” to live in the part of the world that “witnessed the birth of Jesus and the growth of Christianity.”

“It is also a summons to fidelity, to love of this region and, above all, to your calling to be witnesses and messengers of the joy of Christ.”

T h e Bi s h o p o f Ro m e acknowledged the many difficulties that plague the region, such that young people face instability and lack of security, as well as unemployment.

“But not even unemploy-ment and uncertainty should lead you to taste the bitter sweetness of emigration, which involves an uprooting and a separation for the sake of an uncertain future,” the Pope said. “You are meant to be protagonists of your country’s future and to take your place in society and in the Church.”

Page 9*The HeraldSEPTEMbER 21 - 27, 2012

POPE’S VISIT TO LEBANON

By JOHN L. ALLEN JRBeirut

It’s not often during a papal trip that a Catholic bishop and one of the pope’s official hosts actually corrects the boss, or at least strikes a slightly different note, but it happened Saturday night to Benedict XVI in Lebanon vis-à-vis the most important movement in this part of the world, the “Arab Spring.”

L a s t n i g h t , B e n e d i c t visited the headquarters of the Maronite church, by far the largest of the seven Catholic churches in the country, to celebrate a youth rally that drew an estimated 20,000 young Lebanese, mostly Catholics but with some Muslims in the crowd as well.

Prior to Benedict’s speech, the crowd heard from several figures, including Archbishop Georges Bou-Jaoude of Tripoli, a Maronite, who heads up the lay apostolate here. Bou-Jaoude’s brief welcome included a slightly different take on the Arab Spring than that offered by Benedict himself on Friday, in remarks to reporters aboard the papal

plane.Speaking about Lebanon’s

youth, the archbishop said: “They know they are called to rebuild their countr y together on a sound footing after long years of war lived in Lebanon for decades. It’s the same feeling of young people among our Arab neighbors after the upheavals facing their respective countries during the so-called ‘Arab Spring,’ who are hoping that this is really a spring.”

That’s a somewhat more skeptical note than the line offered by Benedict, who said

that “in itself the Arab Spring is a positive thing.”

“It’s a desire for greater democracy, for greater liberty, greater cooperation and a renewed Arab identity,” the pope also said, calling the movements in the Arab world “a very positive and healthy thing, also for us Christians.”

To be sure, Benedict went on to add that there’s a risk that the present push for liberty may forget tolerance of the other. Moreover, the pope has repeatedly stressed the importance of religious freedom and the need to build societies which respect minority rights throughout his three-day trip.

Further, i t ’s not as i f Bou-Jaoude were explicitly responding to Benedict’s comment. His welcome was prepared days in advance, well before he had any idea what the pope might say to reporters.

Still, Bou-Jaoude’s take on the Arab Spring inescapably came off as slightly less rosy.

Perhaps not accidentally, Bou-Jaoude is the archbishop of Tripoli, in Lebanon’s north, where on Friday Muslim

protestors smashed a Kentucky Fried Chicken and a Hardees, and later tried to storm a government building, leaving one person dead and several wounded. Tripoli has also been the scene of sectarian violence between Shi’ites and Alawites in recent months.

In reality, Bou-Jaoude’s caution probably comes closer to capturing the sentiments of many Christians across the Middle East, many of whom fear that the Arab Spring may turn into a Christian winter.

Recent history illustrates it’s not a hollow concern. In

Iraq after Saddam Hussein fell, in some ways it’s become open season on Christians. According to the Hammurabi Human Rights Organization in Ira q, some 900 Iraqi Christians were killed between 2003 and May 2012, while 200 were kidnapped, tortured and ultimately released for exorbitant ransoms. While t h e r e w e r e 1 . 5 m i l l i o n Christians in the country prior to the First Gulf War in 1991, today the high-end estimate is 450,000.

Many Christian leaders in places such as Egypt and Syria worry it may be their turn next – that the fall of a dictatorial regime will not usher in vibrant democracy, but rather chaos and a rising fundamentalist tide, with Christians bearing the brunt.

In the run-up to the papal visit to Lebanon, Fr. Rafic Greiche, spokesperson for the Catholic Coptic church in Egypt, stressed that the country’s Christians understand that many Muslims have been offended by the obscure American movie attacking Islam which has been cited as a pretext for the violence that’s spread across the region this week.

I n t h e s a m e b r e a t h , however, Greiche complained that the Muslim world rises up whenever anyone insults Muhammad, yet Christians in Egypt appear to be open season.

“After the fall of Mubarak, the Salafis and the Muslim Brotherhood have filled the newsstands and shops with newspapers, magazines, books that contain entire passages against Christians each week,” he said.

Magdi Cristiano Allam, an Egyptian-born convert to

Archbishop (gently) corrects pope on Arab Spring

Lebanon’s President Michel Suleiman welcoming the Pope in Beirut.

Christianity who’s a prominent Italian figure and member of the European parliament, recently said: “If we are to assess the ‘Arab Spring’ by its fruits, we must conclude that it is not a good tree,” claiming it has emboldened Islamic terrorism.

In Syria too, many Christian leaders worr y about the

benedict XVI Arrives in Lebanon as ‘Pilgrim of Peace’

By Junno Arocho

BEIRUT, Lebanon, SEPT. 14, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI landed this afternoon at Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut at the start of his three-day visit to Lebanon.

T h e Ho l y Fa t h e r w a s welcomed by several digni-taries including Lebanese President Michael Sleiman, His Beatitude Bechara Boutros Rai, patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, along with o t h e r m e m b e r s o f t h e government admini-stration and parliament.

The Pope greeted a l l present and began his journey to Lebanon with words of gratitude, as well as recalling President Sleiman’s visit to the Vatican in February of

last year where he took part in a blessing of a statue of St. Maron in the Vatican. “[St. Maron’s] silent presence at the side of St. Peter’s Basilica is a constant reminder of Lebanon in the very place where the Apostle Peter was laid to rest. It witnesses to a long spiritual heritage, confirming the Lebanese people’s veneration for the first of the Apostles and for his successors,” the Pope said.

The Holy Father a lso acknowledged that one of the main reasons for his trip is to participate in the “consigning of the postsynodal apostolic exhortation of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops, ‘Ecclesia in Medio Oriente.’”

aftermath should the Assad regime implode -- in part because some elements among the rebel forces have reportedly adopted the motto, “Christians to Lebanon, Alawites to the grave!”

Jesuit Fr Samir Khalil Samir, an Egyptian who teaches in Rome and Beirut, and whose views on Islam carry weight in the Vatican, recently declared that the Arab Spring is “no more,” claiming that it’s been hijacked by Islamist groups, including in his homeland.

In that sense, the slight but s igni f icant contrast b e t we e n t h e p a p a l l i n e and the archbishop’s – the verbal difference between “positive and healthy”, and “so-called” – perhaps captures the ambivalence that many Christians across the region presently feel.

Page 10 SEPTEMbER 21 - 27, 2012The Herald*CHURCH PHOTO FEATURE

In the past few years, the issue of making a Christian Property Board in the Country has picked up momentum. The Catholic hierarchy which holds major portion of Christian property has come in open to protest against the debate.

A few years ago the Commission for Minorities in Madhya Pradesh shot into controversy, when it came out with a proposal to bring

all Christian properties (gifted and leased) under the proposed board. It was welcomed by a few people.

The entire issue was placed in the background of selling of properties belonging to a few non-catholic Churches in some parts of the Country including Madhya Pradesh. The then Church leaders realized black hands of fundamental organizations to bring Christian community under their thumb. So when the issue reached its peaks the Catholic Church approached the Madhya Pradesh High Court and later Supreme Court to stop the efforts of the alleged RSS supported Minority Commission Member to recommend the State Government to make Christian Property Board like that of the State Waqf Board.

The case was later withdrawn from the Supreme Court due to the statement made by the Minister In-charge of Minority Welfare in the State Assembly that the Government had no plans to make any such body.

Meanwhile the Christian member in the State Minority Commission completed his term as member. The issue went into oblivion till he was reaching the end of his second term as member of the commission. This time he used his cards well by roping in one of the top Christian religious head through a close door meeting.

It is clear from their statements that the religious head had given green signal to prepare the draft. Some trusted sources say that the Commission Member has promised to keep off the Catholic Church out of the said act but how could there be two standards for Catholics and Non-Catholics in the same State under the same Constitution.

Isai Mahasangh, which spear-headed the protests in the state, had clarified that it is firm in its stand and it would not allow any attempt by the BJP led State Government to interfere in the administration of the Church properties.

Indian Law is very clear that all properties owned by individuals and societies are to be governed by rules and regulations existing the Country. If any person makes false documents to sell off the Church property, there are strict laws to stop them. Even if we agree with the Minority Commission to make a draft and hold discussions to reach a consensus before presenting the Bill, it will not be good for the Christian community because based on any Act wide interpretations and misinterpretations, use and misuse take place.

The laity is not in favor of any attempt by the Governments to interfere in the administration of Church property. The growing support from the laity has to be seen as the growing disappointment of the laity who look for a collaborative approach from the Church in its administration and use of wealth and property.

Church officials do not make any serious effort to come out with a better formula to make administrative reforms within the Church. It is the need of the hour to evolve a better system. In Europe and in some other continents the financial administration is done by the clergy and laity together but here spiritual and material administration are placed in the hands of one person. The laity when questions bad administration is termed a rebel and when a clergy questions, he is disobedient. ‘Whistle blowers’ are thrown out to be persecuted; the Indian Church is doing the same mistake as the European Church did years back. It is time the Church think of collaborative administrative system, for they are the people of God, whom the hierarchy is called to serve.

By Fr Anand Muttungal

Administering Church Property Idinthakarai cries for Justice,Cries for Right to Life

The cry of the fisher men and women of Indinthakarai had fallen on the deaf ears of the government, for whom the lives of these people are dispensable on the altar of greater common good! These people have dared to challenge the government for a better tomorrow not only for their children, but also for every Indian. Jesuit Fr Shailendra Boora captures the mood at the anti-nuclear agitation in Idinthakarai.

The pictures are self-explanatory - telling the tale of utter helplessness, fighting against mighty powers, police brutality, spiritual grit with which they support the cause. The Herald salutes the spirit of Idinthakarai.

Page 11*The HeraldSEPTEMbER 21 - 27, 2012

HARD TALK

Secrets of Living Long By Dr Shigeaki Hinohara

Energy comes from feeling good, not from eating well or sleeping a lot.We all remember how as children, when we were having fun, we often forgot to eat or sleep. I believe that we can keep that attitude as adults, too. It’s best not to tire the body with too many rules such as lunchtime and bedtime.

A l l p e o p l e w h o l i v e longregardless of nation-ality, race or gender share one thing in common: None are overweight … For breakfast I drink coffee, a glass of milk and some orange juice with a tablespoon of olive oil in it. Olive oil is great for the arteries and keeps my skin healthy.

Lunch is milk and a few cookies, or nothing when I am too busy to eat. I never get hungry because I focus on my work. Dinner is veggies, a bit of fish and rice, and, twice a week, 100 grams of lean meat.

Always plan ahead. My schedule book is already full until 2014, with lectures and my usual hospital work. In 2016 I’ll have some fun, though: I plan to attend the Tokyo Olympics!

There is no need to ever retire, but if one must, it should be a lot later than 65. The current retirement age was set at 65 half a century ago, when the average life-expectancy in Japan was 68 years and only 125 Japanese were over 100

At the age of 101, Shigeaki Hinohara is one of the world’s longest-serving physicians and educators. Hinohara’s magic touch is legendary: Since 1941 he has been healing patients at St. Luke’s International HospitalinTokyoand teaching at St. Luke’s College of Nursing. After World War II, he envisioned a world-class hospital and college springing from the ruins of Tokyo; thanks to his pioneering spirit and business savvy, the doctor turned these institutions into the nation’s top medical facility and nursing school.

Today he serves as chairman of the board of trustees at both organizations. Always willing to try new things, he has published around 150 books since his 75th birthday, including one “Living Long, Living Good” that has sold more than 1.2 million copies. As the founder of the New Elderly Movement, Hinohara encourages others to live a long and happy life, a quest in which no role model is better than the doctor himself. Dr Hinohara in Japantimes:

years old. Today, Japanese women live to be around 86 and men 80, and we have 36,000 centenarians in our country. In 20 years we will have about 50,000 people over the age of 100…

Share what you know. I give 150 lectures a year, some for 100 elementary-school children, others for 4,500 business people. I usually speak for 60 to 90 minutes, standing, to stay strong.

When a doctor recom-mends you take a test or have some surgery, ask whether the doctor would suggest that his or her spouse or children go through such a procedure. Contrary to popular belief, doctors can’t cure everyone. So why cause unnecessary pain with surgery I think music and animal therapy can help more than most doctors imagine.

To stay healthy, always take the stairs and carry your own stuff. I take two stairs at a time, to get my muscles moving.

My inspiration is Robert Browning’s poem “Abt Vogler.” My father used to read it to me. It encourages us to make big art, not small scribbles. It says to try to draw a circle so huge that there is no way we can finish it while we are alive. All we see is an arch; the rest is beyond our vision but it is there in the distance.

Pain is mysterious, and having fun is the best way to forget it. If a child has a toothache, and you start playing a game together, he or she immediately forgets the pain. Hospitals must cater to the basic need of patients: We all want to have fun. At St. Luke’s we have music and animal therapies, and art classes.

D o n ’ t b e c r a z y a b o u t amassing material things. Remember: You don’t know when your number is up, and you can’t take it with you to the next place.

Hospitals must be designed a n d p r e p a r e d f o r m a j o r disasters, and they must accept every patient who appears at their doors. We designed St.Luke’s so we can operate anywhere: in the basement, in the corridors, in the chapel. Most people thought I was crazy to prepare for a catastrophe, but on March 20, 1995, I

was unfortunately proven right when members of the Aum Shinrikyu religious cult launched a terrorist attack in the Tokyosubway. We accepted 740 victims and in two hours figured out that it was sarin gas that had hit them. Sadly we lost one person, but we saved 739 lives.

Science alone can’t cure or help people. Science lumps us all together, but illness is individual. Each person is unique, and diseases are connected to their hearts. To know the illness and help people, we need liberal and visual arts, not just medical ones.

Life is filled with incidents. On March 31, 1970, when I was 59 years old, I boarded the Yodogo, a flight from Tokyo to Fukuoka. It was a beautiful sunny morning, and as Mount Fujicame into sight, the plane was hijacked by the Japanese Co m m u n i s t L e a g u e - Re d Army Faction. I spent the next four days handcuffed to my seat in 40-degree heat. As a doctor, I looked at it all as an experiment and was amazed at how the body slowed down in a crisis.

Find a role model and aim to achieve even more than they could ever do. My father went to the United States in 1900 to study atDuke University in North Carolina. He was a pioneer and one of my heroes. Later I found a few more life guides, and when I am stuck, I ask myself how they would deal with the problem.

It’s wonderful to live long. Until one is 60 years old, it is easy to work for one’s family and to achieve one’s goals. But in our later years, we should strive to contribute to society. Since the age of 65, I have worked as a volunteer. I still put in 18 hours seven days a week and love every minute of it.Celebrating 100th Birthday in October 2011

Dharma is what the Buddha taught. It is the way of understanding and love - how to understand, how to love, how to make understanding and love into real things. Before the Buddha passed away, he said to his students, “Dear people, my physical body will not be here tomorrow, but my teaching body will always be here to help. You can consider it as your own teacher, a teacher who never leaves you.” That is the birth of Dharmakaya. The Dharma has a body also, the body of the teaching, or the body of the way. As you can see, the meaning of Dharmakaya is quite simple…it just means the teaching of the Buddha, the way to realise understanding and love.

Anything that can help you wake up has Buddha nature. When I am alone and a bird calls me, I return to myself, I breathe, and I smile, and sometimes it calls me once more. I smile and I say to the bird, “I hear already.” Not only sounds, but sights can remind you to return to your true self. In the morning when you open your window and see the light streaming in, you can recognise it as the voice of the Dharma, and it becomes part of the Dharmakaya. That is why people who are awake, see the manifestation of the Dharma in everything. A pebble, a bamboo tree, the cry of a baby, anything can be the voice of the Dharma calling. We should be able to practice like that.

One day a monk came to Tue Trung, the most illustrious teacher of Buddhism in Vietnam in the 13th century, a time when Buddhism was flourishing in Vietnam. The monk asked him, “What is the pure, immaculate Dharmakaya?” Tue Trung pointed to the excrement of a horse. This was an irreverent approach to Dharmakaya, because people were using the word immaculate to describe it…. Even though we say that it is immaculate, pure, that does not mean it is separate from things that are impure.

Reality, ultimate reality, is free from all adjectives, either pure or impure. So his response was to shake up the mind of the monk, for him to cleanse himself of all these adjectives in order to see into the nature of Dharmakaya. A teacher is also part of the Dharmakaya because she helps us be awake….

Dharmakaya is not just expressed in words, in sounds. It can express itself in just being. Sometimes, if we don’t do anything, we help more than if we do a lot. We call that non-action. It is like the calm person on a small boat in a storm. That person does not have to do much, just to be himself and the situation can change. That is also an aspect of Dharmakaya: not talking, not teaching, just being.

Times of India/Speaking Tree

Dharma, The buddha Way

By Thich Nhat Hanh

Page 12 SEPTEMbER 21 - 27, 2012The Herald*FOCUS

We l i v e i n a time that is very difficult on marriages. Due to our failures to properly prepare our young people f o r m a r r i a g e many enter the c o m m i t m e n t o f m a r r i a g e w i t h o u t c o m p l e t e understanding and sadly bring with them impediments that ultimately result in annulment.

In America many young couples have a tangible fear of ever getting married. With the divorce at 50% young folks today do not want to relieve the nightmare of divorce that they, themselves, have already endured as a child. Reflective of this, it is estimated that 60-75% of couples today live together before getting married. As a result (and ironically), many begin with higher odds for divorce by cohabitating before taking their vows.

Data now reveals that by the time couples do decide to marry, many have lost the mental and psychological ability to cross over from the mentality of living together t o m a k i n g t h e l i f e l o n g commitment necessary to get through the hard times of marriage.

Evidently some couples are taking steps and adopting new traditions in order to strengthen their marriages from the start. This new practice comes from Croatia where the cross is placed at the center of the wedding ceremony. In America the priest or minister traditionally says “You may kiss the bride” after vows are exchanged. In this new tradition, newlyweds instead hear, “you may kiss the cross.”

Sister Emmanuel explains this Croatian tradition:

Now let me tell you about a most beautiful tradition the Croatian people have for marriages.

In the town of Siroki-Brijeg, not one single divorce has been recorded among its 13,000 inhabitants. Not one single family has broken up in living memory.

Does Herzegovina enjoy a special favor from heaven?

Is there a magic formula that keeps the demon of division at bay?

The answer is very simple: For centuries (because of the pressure from the Turks and then the Communists) the people suffered cruelly as their Christian faith was always threatened. They knew through experience that salvation comes through the Cross of Christ.

It does not come from disarmament plans, from humanitarian aid or peace treaties, even if these things may bring limited benefits. The source of salvation is the Cross of Christ!

These people possess a wisdom that does not al low them to be duped over questions of life and death. That is why they have indissolubly linked marriage with the Cross of Christ. They have founded marriage, which brings forth human life, on the Cross, which brings forth divine life.

The Croatian marriage tradition is so beautiful that it is beginning to take hold in Europe and America!

When a young couple is preparing for marriage, they are not told that they have found the ideal partner. No! What does the priest say?

“You have found your cross. And it is a cross to be loved, to be carried, a cross not to be thrown away, but to be cherished.”

If the fiancés were told this in France (or America!), they would be struck dumb! But in Herzegovina, the Cross represents the greatest love and the crucifix is the treasure of the home.

When the bride and groom set off for the church, they bring a crucifix with them.

The priest blesses the crucifix, which takes on a central role dur ing the exchange of vows. The bride places her right hand on the crucifix and the groom places his hand over hers.

Thus the two hands are bound together on the

cross. The priest covers their hands with his stole as they proclaim their vows to be faithful, according to the rites of the Church.... the bride and groom do not then kiss each other, they rather kiss the cross.

They know that they are kissing the source of love. Anyone close enough to see their two hands joined over the cross understands clearly that if the husband abandons his wife or if the wife abandons her husband, they let go of the cross.. And if they abandon the cross, they have nothing left. They have lost everything for they have abandoned Jesus. They have lost Jesus.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds bring the crucifix back and give it a place of honor in their home. It becomes the focal point of family prayer, for the young couple believes deeply that the family is born of the Cross.

When a trouble arises, or if a conflict breaks out, it is before this cross that they will seek help. They will not go to a lawyer, they will not consult a fortune-teller or an astrologer, and they will not rely on a psychologist to solve the problem. No, they will go straight before their Jesus, before the cross.

They’ll get on their knees there and in front of Jesus; they will weep their tears and pour out their hearts, and above all exchange their forgiveness. They will not go to sleep with a heavy heart because they will have turned to their Jesus, the only One who has the power to save.... They know that Jesus is holding them in his arms and that there is nothing to be afraid of, and their fears melt away in their kiss to Jesus.

www.loveoffering.com

‘You may kiss the Cross’A new tradition in a Croatian town is keeping wedlock intact for years, thanks to the role that

the Cross plays in not only bonding, but also in retaining the marital bond between couples. No wonder the town has not experienced even a single divorce or separation in years!

United Kingdom: The Archdiocese of Liverpool has become the first diocese in England and Wales to commission lay people to preside at funerals.

Archbishop Patrick Kelly formally commissioned 22 lay ministers to celebrate funeral ceremonies in an effort to relieve pressure on priests who sometimes must celebrate

seven or more funeral Masses a week.

The move was announced through a brochure, “Planning a Catholic Funeral”, published recently by the archdiocese. The brochure described a funeral as the “community’s main celebration and prayer for the deceased”.

“This could be a funeral Mass but … it may be a funeral service led by a lay funeral minister or a deacon,” it said.

Vocations in Liverpool declined sharply in recent years, and the archdiocese projected that the number of priests will decline from 170 to 100 by 2015.

Lay ministers already preside at funerals in some parts of the world where no priest or deacon is available. The decision by Archbishop Kelly represents the first time such a step was authorised by the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

The archdiocese’s Council of Priests supported the

move after the archbishop consulted with its members and examined the 1990 Order of Christian Funerals.

The document calls for the lay ministers to preside at funerals when clergy are unavailable, Archbishop Kelly explained in an article in the Tablet.

The document, he said, also recommends that a Mass “be celebrated for the deceased at

the earliest convenient time”.“In some of our parishes

in the diocese priests are being asked to celebrate over 120 funerals each year,” Archbishop Kelly wrote.

“That does not neatly work out at two or three times a week,” he wrote. “Some weeks there can be six or seven.”

Archbishop Kelly said that the lay ministers – some of whom are drawn from the roster of Eucharistic ministers, catechists and religious sisters – would receive continuing support and training to ensure that the service they provide is “of the best quality” and was not seen by Catholics as “second-class”.

Source: Catholic Herald

Hard pressed diocese appoints lay ministers

for funeralsThe appointment of Catholic lay people

to preside at funerals could signal the start of a trend.

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Page 13*The HeraldSEPTEMbER 21 - 27, 2012

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Love of Natureby Sr bridget Chelladurai, SCC

SHORT STORY

Human beings form a part of cosmic unity, which includes the plant kingdom, animal king-dom and inanimate. Disturbance in any one necessarily affects the life of the other. In this unity, each one has a particular role to play.

Many years ago, humans and nature coexisted in harmony and kept the universe in perfect balance, but the picture is quite different today. We did not live in the technologically sophisticated world we do now. We needed to connect to nature on a much more personal level because it was integral to our very existence.

Humanity’s very survival depended on listening to and feeling our connection with nature. We relied on plants for our medicine, used stars to navigate and tilled the land using animals to plant our crops. Food chain begins with nature.

Human beings are the most selfish of the entire cosmos. They would do anything in order to satisfy their ego, selfishness and greed. According to the creation story in the Bible, human beings were the custodians of creation, but they turned out to be its destroyers. This has brought out imbalance in the cosmos resulting in tsunami, rapid change of weather, sea invading into land, flash floods, droughts, water scarcity, earthquakes, and other natural calamities.

In years past, almost everything people needed was tied to nature. These days, while nature is still present in our life, there is certain disconnect for people. This is especially true for those of us who live in suburban or urban environments. We have pills for our headaches, GPS units to navigate and we get our “crops” from the supermarket.

There are many benefits in “getting back to nature”. Researches have shown that being connected to nature decreases stress levels and stimulates healing. Newer research has even drawn the conclusion that it makes people wholesome!

A series of studies posted on the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin suggests that immersion in nature brings individuals closer to others, increases creative energy, whereas human-made environments make people more interested in selfish or self interested ends. When you immerse yourself into nature, you get a feeling of being part of the universe, of belonging to something “bigger”.

St Francis of Assisi was a role model, who appreciated nature by giving it honor and dignity, as equal to the human beings. He could call brother sun and sister moon and was able talk to the plants and flowers. Our master Jesus Himself was a great lover of nature. His teachings and preaching were often based on nature –the lilies of the field, the birds of the air, the crops in the field, the weather, the rain, the mountain, the sea, and the wind.

How can we bring about balance in nature?Gaze at the gorgeous sunrise, listen to the chirping of the

birds, and experience the cool breeze of the morn!Reduce the use of fan, air conditioners, instead have more

of ventilators.Plant more of flowering plants and fruit trees in the

backyard.Stop buying disposable cloths for cleaning. Instead get

some soft cotton cloths. These can be easily washed and then re-used over and over again

Avoid products with excess packaging; instead buy everything from spices to rice at bulk food stores.

Return your organic waste where it belongs: the soil! Rather than sending banana peels, grass clipping, etc. to the municipal dump, start a compost pit instead.Protect nature, and nature will protect you. Being eco-

friendly today calls for a new level of greener thinking — from what you choose at the grocery store to how you commute to work every day. Be a lover of nature, creating a healthy body and a healthy mind, to create a healthy society.

Love Trees! Love Animals! Love nature!

Out of PlaceParables for our Times

by Maxine Trottier

A little old lady answered a knock on the door one day; to be confronted by a well-dressed young man carrying a vacuum cleaner.

‘Good morning,’ said the young man. ‘If I could take a couple minutes of your time. I would like to demonstrate the very latest in high-powered vacuum cleaners...’

‘Go away!’ said the old lady. “I’m broke and haven’t got any money!” and she proceeded to close the door.

Quick as a flash, the young man wedged his foot in the door and pushed it wide open... “Don’t be too hasty!” he said. “Not until you have at least seen my demonstration.”

And with that, he emptied a bucket of horse dung onto her hallway carpet.

“Now, if this vacuum cleaner does not remove all traces of this horse manure from your carpet, Madam, I will personally eat the remainder.”

The old lady stepped back and said, “Well, let me get you a fork, ‘cause they cut off my electricity this morning for non payment.”

Early one morning, the sun rose over the tops of the mountains in Tibet. Pale light spilled across the valley and tinted the walls of an ancient monastery with soft rose. The monks who lived there had been up for many hours, chanting a n d p r a y i n g . N o w they went about their tasks and the sounds that fill busy mornings everywhere drifted into the thin, mountain air.

Tenzin stepped outside to sweep the stairs. A little dog followed him. There were other dogs in the monastery, but this one, Moon, had claimed the young monk as her own. She followed him down shadowy halls or lay close, as still as a small, stone lion, when he shut his eyes in prayer. At night, when Tenzin settled in his narrow bed, Moon curled around his feet. There in the monastery, life was filled with peace.

Like all the monastery dogs, Moon wandered the hillsides. With her heavy coat she did not mind the wind or cold. Her wide, flat feet carried her over the ground in winter. Tenzin would watch her climb higher and higher until finally she disappeared beyond the rise. He did not worry. She knew the mountain paths better than any other dog.

Each day passed, quiet and calm. Then one evening, as Tenzin sat thinking near the monastery door, he heard a sound. Moon heard it as well. She lifted her head and stared into the darkness. Slowly, two children walked out of the mist.

Tenzin had seen such children before, though few were this young. They tried to cross to the freedom that waited in Nepal. Hurrying through the night, they hoped to slip past soldiers who guarded the border.

“Are we there?” asked the girl who held tightly to a little boy’s hand. “Are we in Nepal?”

“No. Not yet,” answered Tenzin, unable to tell them the journey was still long and dangerous. As Moon sniffed their legs, he led them inside.

The monks brought the children to the fire. Hot soup was served and the girl talked quietly as she ate.

Their mother had sent them away many days before.

“You must cross the mountains and leave Tibet,” she had said. “There you will be free.”

She dressed them in layers of heavy sweaters and put thick socks on their feet. She knew her children should leave in winter when the passes were not so carefully watched, but she feared they would be lost forever in the cruel storms and deep snow.

“You must keep this close to your heart,” said his mother. She folded the prayer flag and tucked it deep within his slope.

“You must not use the mountain road.”

“We know no other way,” the girl told him.

“Perhaps not, but Moon does,” answered Tenzin. He knelt down to stroke the long hair away from the little dog’s eyes, “Take them. Show them the path.”

Moon looked up into Tenzin’s face for a moment, then she started off toward the mountains.

He saw Moon’s small head turn to look back at him. Then they were gone.

Each day Tenzin scanned the hillsides, but he did not see Moon. He prayed and went to his studies. At night he slept

alone with an ache inhis heart where once peace had been.

Days became weeks. Summer turned into fall, and when winter came, the monastery was locked inits icy hold.

One chil ly, spring morning, a small shape walked s lowly down the slope. Tenzin raced forward to meet Moon. He g a t h e re d h e r u p

and carried her home to the monastery.

The monks rejoiced as they stroked and petted Moon. Her coat was dirty and matted and the pads of her feet were sore. As Tenzin scratched her ears and neck, he felt something. Beneath the dog’s long hair was a roll of cloth. Tenzin untied it and shook it loose.

“The prayer f lag,” he whispered in surprise.

With Moon and the monks following, he went outside. He carefully fastened the flag to a line so that it would catch the wind.

Late that night Tenzin lay in his bed. Moon was curled around his feet, quiet but watchful . Suddenly, she lifted her head, listening to something that only a dog might hear. It was a sound as sweet as the distant laughter of happy children, a sound as soft as a mother’s smile. The sound drifted away like smoke into the darkness. Little dog Moon lowered her head and closed her eyes. And wrapped in peace once more, she and Tenzin slept.

Little Dog Moon

Page 14 SEPTEMbER 21 - 27, 2012The Herald*COMMUNICATION

The Herald Reporter’s GuideBy Julian S Das

Sources of News ideas

In the previous part, we had pointed out that a news is something which is special, interesting, capturing an angle which is often missed out or overlooked. An ordinary, annual, or customary event does not qualify to be a news, unless the ‘reporter’ finds some-thing novel or innovative in the event.

In this section, we shall deal with where one could find ‘news’ which may of great interest and importance to the readers. In other words, we shall point out the primary sources of Church news, which The Herald would be happy to publish.

Important and interesting news can be found anywhere, and quite often they may be found in the most unlikely places, where we would often not expect to find a ‘churchy’ news. But first let us enumerate the most obvious sources of Church news.

In journalistic parlance, a report is often referred to a ‘story’, and the reporter is in fact the story-teller. Therefore one should not confuse here between a news story and a short or long stories!

Perhaps a ‘reporter’ can ask himself or herself this basic question : Does my family have a story, which the Christians in different parts of India would be interested in reading about or knowing about? The general tendency is to look for ‘stories’ out there, while we might have some very good stories from our families.

Some years ago, I had a wonderful story-idea for a feature from my family. My mother had been an illiterate all her life. She could barely manage signing her name. But as soon as she was elected the president of the Legion of Mary unit in the parish, she realized she had to read reports, and maybe invited to lead prayer for the group. Therefore at the age of 65 she began to read and write. And guess, who her tutor was! My father.

This would have made an interesting story for a Christian paper or magazine. The title of the story could have read something like this : Pious

Group makes 65 year old lady to learn reading and writing.

Often we take things for granted, and do not pay sufficient attention to what is going on around us. Perhaps now and then we could churn some very interesting news stories right from our homes, if only we know where to strike the chord!

Friends and family circles could also be good sources of news, which may interest readers. We might get some interesting news from friends and relatives during our casual talk or chat.

Imagine one of my friends casually telling me, ‘Do you know our parish priest is going to lead our football team against the CNI team?’ This is an interesting story, because priest leading a football team is not common, and the readers might be interested in knowing more about this interest, and how he began, and how many matches he won, whether he had won any cup or medal, etc.

A keen ‘reporter’ should attune his or her ears, to pick up from so much of talking that our friends do with us that which might have the potential to interest others.

Parish notice boards, or Church announcements can provide enough and more a v e n u e s f o r p i c k i n g u p events and news, which may have something novel and innovative.

If the priest announces at the end of the Sunday mass that five Jesuit brothers would be staying in five different families as part of their immersion experience, this announcement should tickle an eager reporter’s brains.

This could become an interesting news story about Jesuit training, why they chose such and such families, what is the purpose of the immersion experience; what

sort of families these brothers come from… all these infor-m a t i o n c a n g i v e s o m e i n t e r e s t i n g facts about the brothers.

P i o u s asso-ciations and different

groups that operate in the parish could give some veri-table news stories. For instance, St Vincent de Paul Society, which often helps the poor and the needy of the parish had decided to distribute coconut saplings instead of clothes to deserving families of the rural parish could be an interesting news.

Or if the Legion of Mary group distributes rosaries to all Catholic families of the parish, that could make news, as to what prompted them to undertake this novel method. Or if the parish council has decided to negotiate with the local panchayat about laying of the road leading to the Church, this could be interesting too.

Another important source of news could be the local television channels and local newspapers. The reporters of

the television and newspapers most often have their regular ‘beats’, and therefore get a lor of news, from our own parishes and Church institutions, which we might not be aware of.

It is a good idea to take cue from the television and local newspapers and choose different and interesting angles from the news idea.

Here is a novel way how Fr C M Paul had got an idea for a ‘news story’ (which he had posted in his blog) about the Herald editor giving free classes in News Reporting, after reading the first part of the series.

If the local paper had mentioned that one of the victims of dengue, who died in the recent past, is a Catholic girl, then a Christian reporter could collect more infor-mation about this small piece of information to provide a larger and human-interest story.

Some other sources of story ideas include, the Church-run institutions, schools, social centers, dispensaries, convents, religious houses, religious formation houses and more importantly the Arch/Bishop’s House.

It is important for an eager

‘reporter’ to keep in touch with them, collect all necessary information well in advance, so that they do not miss the important events. An updated contact list of all important persons who could provide interesting news should be with the reporter all the time.

(To be continued)

O Holy St.Jude, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke your special patronage in time of need to you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg to whom God has given such great power come to my assistance. Help me in my present urgent petition. In return I promise to make your name known and cause you to be invoked. Three Our Father, three Hail Mary and three Glory Be.

St.Jude pray for us and all who invoke your aid, Amen

NOVENA PRAYER TO ST. JUDE

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Page 15*The HeraldSEPTEMbER 21 - 27, 2012

THE HERALD CLASSIFIED

“CAB Auxilium regrets having unintentionally hurt sentiments of any parishioner on account of the article on CAB Auxilium Cricket Camp (Herald issue Apr 27- May 3, 2012). The camp will commence again after the monsoon is over. All CAB units are invited to join in.”

Francis Samson Correa (Advocate) LL.MIntellectual Property Rights and Information Technology

Supreme Court Bar Association, New Delhi (Life Member)International Council of Jurists, U.K. (Member)

International Association of Democratic Lawyers, U.S.A. (Member)LAWASIA, Australia (Member)

Asian Front of Human Rights, Kolkata (Member)Bar Association High Court, Calcutta (Member)

Alipore Bar Association, 24 Parganas South (Member)

Mob: +91 98310 79390, +91 93311 33339

CHAMBER3A, Garstin Place, 2nd Floor, (Behind Nicco House)Kolkata – 700 001, West Bengal (India)

Monday to Friday

With Best Wishes From:

Free Legal Advice for Christians

Charismatic Inner Healing RetreatsOpen exclusively to the Religious Women

From Monday 12th (5.00 pm) to Saturday 17th (8.00 am) November, 2012

From Monday 17th (5.00 pm) to Saturday 22nd (8.00 am) December, 2012

At Basilica Retreat House Bandel, Hooghly.

For Registration & Details:Director, mob 9836134421, 9433572948Email: jpchalil@gmail.comMSMI Sisters of Kulathuvayal Team, Mob. 9163581270

LEGAL ADVICEAT KOLKATA

St Teresa’s Church (Moulali)St Mary’s Church (Ripon

Street)Mahabirsthan (Siliguri)Call : S. De (Advocate)

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BRIDE WANTED

Seeking Christin R.C Girl, Graduate with the Age of 24 - 28, for a 30 Years Software Egg. Working abroad.

Ph. 033-25900873Mob: 9831267992

Page 16 SEPTEMbER 21 - 27, 2012The Herald*

Printed, Edited and Published by Julian S Das, on behalf of Associates Catholic Newspapers, W.B., from 10, Govt. Place East, Calcutta 700 069 and printed at The Statesman Commercial Press, 6, Munshigunge Road, Calcutta 700 023

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Join Us atSt. Augustine’s Day School

Kolkata 22294094Admission Starts for L.K.G.

(Morning And Day Session 2013-2014)Barrackpore 25928470Shyamnagar 25862464

Admission Starts for Nursery (Morning And Day Session 2013-2014)

S t J u d e ’ s S c h o o l , Kidderpore has a vacancy in the junior classes for qualified teachers. A walk-in interview for those interested at 3, Dr Sudhir Basu Rd, Kolkata - 23

An experienced M. Sc. (Maths) B. Ed. teacher, preferably lady, required immediately. Apply with credentials to Loreto House, 7 Middleton Row Kolkata - 71

Situation Vacant

Novena to Our Lady of FatimaAt Fatima Shrine, P. 63, Scheme 52, CIT Road, Kolkata 700 014

Flag Hoisting : 4 October, Thursday, 2012, at 5.45 pm

5th October To 13th October 2012 Theme : Faith-A Gift and a Challenge to share in the life of the Trinity By Rev. Fr. Joseph Ivel Mendanha, C.Ss.R

Every evening including Saturday and Sunday(Rosary, Holy mass, Novena, Homily and Benediction) 6.00 P.M.- Rosary 6.15 P.M. – Holy Mass 6.45 P.M. – Novena

Feast DaySunday 14th October Feast Day

6.00 A.M. Holy Mass (Bengali)7.15 A.M. Holy Mass (English)8.15 A.M. Holy Mass (Bengali)9.30 A.M. Holy Mass (English)4.00 P.M. Solemn Procession, followed by Holy Mass