LIMA (CNS): Twenty years ago, 12-year-old Canadian, Severn Cullis-Suzuki, stood before government officials from most of the world’s countries and pleaded for her future. Worried about pollution and overuse of natural resources on her finite planet, she begged, “If you don’t know how to fix it, please don’t break it.” 

Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-fai is the secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples. Hong Kong-born and 61-years-of-age, he is a theologian and was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to his current position on 23 December 2010.

A missionary career that began in Taiwan shortly after ordination in 1957 ended on the battle fields of Vietnam in September 1967 for Maryknoll priest, Father Vincent Capodanno, who also served for a few years on the staff of a school run by the missionary congregation in Hong Kong.

The fate of the sight impaired and self-taught legal advocate, Chen Guangcheng, and his family was under the spotlight as secretary for state of the United States of America (US), Hillary Clinton, was in Beijing in early May for the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

The month of May is special in many ways. There is International Worker’s Day (Labour Day) on May 1, which is also the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

There are Queens of the May in many cities, universities and other communities. They are crowned with flowers. There are colourful Maypole dancing traditions, along with other ancient customs.

The general election in the Republic of Korea saw the ruling conservative party take 152 seats out of a possible 300, emerging victorious in an election the opposition parties were expected to win.

A woman prays during Passion Sunday Mass in Santo Domingo,
the Dominican Republic. Photo: CNS/Reuters

Young Iraqi women attend an Easter Mass at a Chaldean Catholic church in
Amman, Jordan. Photo: CNS/Reuters

This is the oft-quoted saying of Mao Zedong, but I like to point out that the sky is vast and we are still learning about its dimensions, whereas we know the dimensions of our planet Earth, and women stand firmly on its soil.

I would like to add to Mao’s quote by saying holding up half the sky may not be possible for anyone, but we know that women can hold down their place on earth. 

SYDNEY (SE): A landmark birthday celebration for 90-year-old Father Paschal Chang brought the Chinese Catholic community of Sydney, Australia, together for a gala dinner in Chinatown on February 12, to honour the life of the priest who, over the past 58 years, has done so much to nurture the faith among them.

Born in Jinan, Shandong province, on 16 February 1922, Father Chang was sent to Rome for studies and ordained for the Franciscans on 29 March 1949.

Some scholars have pointed out that according to psychological analysis, success in life must have three attributes: acceptance, adaption and achievement.

These three words begin with letter A. One who is equipped with these three attributes can be regarded as having a life with three aces.

Here, we can apply these attributes of a faithful life to ourselves as Christians, or to our religious life as seminarians, religious sisters or clergy.