Australian scholarship for African priest

Contents - Aug 2001 - Buy a copy now Editorial: The Assumption of Our Lady: 15 August - Michael Gilchrist Melbourne's new Archbishop receives Pallium from John Paul II - AD2000 Report News: The Church Around the World After 14 years: why does AD2000 continue? - Michael Gilchrist Denver Archdiocese: the future of Catholicism - David Scott US bishops implement papal teaching on Catholic universities - Charles E. Rice Appreciating the Mass: a successful new publication - Fr Robert Egar PP Australian scholarship for African priest Letters: Balanced presentation (letter) - Denis O'Leary Letters: BEC success stories (letter) - Errol P. Duke Letters: BECs not new (letter) - John Barich Letters: Radical feminists (letter) - Dr T.R. White Letters: Statement of Conclusions (letter) - Mark Power Letters: Orthodox seminary (letter) - Paul Chigwidden Letters: Finding more priests (letter) - Theo Silvas Letters: Evolution/Original Sin (letter) - John Schmid Letters: Vatican II 'ambiguities' (letter) - George F. Simpson Letters: Choosing life (letter) - Mark Whybrow Letters: St Thomas Aquinas (letter) - Valentine Gallagher Letters: Generous response (letter) - Fr Stephen B. Muchemwa Letters: Mass leaflet (letter) - Stephanie McClarty Letters: Correct statement (letter) - Elizabeth Carr Books: Genetic Turning Points, by James Peterson - Bill Muehlenberg (reviewer) Books: The Cross of Anzac, by Tom Johnstone - Mark Posa (reviewer) Books: Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God, by Scott Hahn - Catherine Sheehan (reviewer) Books: Learning to Pray, by Julie Keleman - Anthony Cappello (reviewer) Books: The DNA of God: Newly Discovered Secrets of the Shroud of Turin, Garza-Valdez - Anthony Cappello (reviewer) Books: The Christian Travellers' Guides: France, Britain, Italy, Germany - F.T. Long (reviewer) Events: Victorian Thomas More Winter School 2001 in Ballarat, 3 - 5 August 2001 Events: Cardinal Lustiger to visit Australia, 6 August 2001 Events: Second National Chesterton Conference, 30 Sept - 1 Oct 2001 Reflection: Clerical celibacy: Giving ourselves up completely to God and the people He loves - Fr Dennis W. Byrnes PP

The war-ravaged Kinshasa (Congo) may be very distant from Australia, but a number of Sydney Catholics are supporting the education of its clergy. They have awarded the chaplain of the Kinshasa Legion of Mary a $15,000 scholarship to study in Rome.

Father Philemon Muaba Diop will be studying Marian theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, sent by Cardinal Frederic Etsou, of Kinshasa. Knowing the poverty of the Catholic Church in the Congo, the Sydney-based Pontifical University of the Holy Cross Foundation is helping to support him.

Father Philemon comes from a family of nine and has been a priest for 15 years. His youngest brother was ordained three years ago.

Father Philemon teaches at the Kinshasa seminary, but the focus of his work is the Legion. "It is thanks to the Legion of Mary that Catholics captured by sects return to the Catholic Church," he told the secretary of the foundation, Mr Frank Casadesus, of Roseville, Sydney. "It is also thanks to the Legion of Mary that many families approach the sacraments and receive the sacrament of Christian initiation for their children."

The Legion, says Father Philemon, does a "titanic work" in drawing people to the Catholic Church.

Mr Casadesus says that the foundation hopes to sponsor more clergy from Third World countries to study in Rome. Anyone interested in learning more about the work of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross Foundation can ring him on +61 (02) 9746-6360.

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 14 No 7 (August 2001), p. 12