Giuliani leads among Catholic Republicans, poll finds
Washington, Jun. 23, 2007 (CINS /CWN) - American Catholics are somewhat more likely than other voters to support Rudy Giuliani in the Republican presidential primary, according to a survey commissioned by the Pew Forum for Religion & Public Life.
The Pew Forum found that among likely Democratic voters, Hillary Clinton gains the most support among self-identified Catholics. But the poll found few significant differences between Catholic and Protestant respondents in their judgments on the leading Democratic candidates.
Among the Republican contenders, Giuliani drew the highest level of support among Catholics*. Nearly half-- 49%-- of the Catholic voters said that they were likely to support the former New York mayor, while Giuliani commanded only 30% "likely" support among mainline Protestant respondents and 32% among Evangelical Protestants.
Giuliani easily outdistanced all of his Republican rivals among the Catholics surveyed, with Senator John McCain finishing a distant second with 27% saying there was a "good chance" they would vote for him.
Another 33% of the Catholics said that there was "some chance" that they would cast a primary ballot for Giuliani, giving him a total of 82% who might vote for the avowedly "pro-choice" candidate.
Only 15% of the Catholics surveyed said that there is "no chance" they would vote for Giuliani. Among both mainline Protestant and Evangelical respondents, that figure was 18%.
The Pew survey found that another Republican candidate, Mitt Romney, faces difficulties with Evangelical voters. Only 37% of the Evangelical respondents said that there was a "good" or "some" chance that they would support the former Massachusetts governor, who is a Mormon. By contrast, 48% of the mainline Protestants and 50% of the Catholics said there was a chance they would vote for Romney.
The Pew survey questioned registered voters who are likely to cast a ballot in next year's presidential primaries.
*- The Pew survey calculated results for "white, non-Hispanic Catholics" in the above results.
Catholic Nun Declared India's Best Teacher Dies Suddenly Before Receiving Award
Patna,India,June.22,2007,(CINS/SAR News) - Even as Notre Dame Sister Jayashree, principal of Patna’s Notre Dame Academy (NDA), was gasping for breath at around 11 am June 7, when the Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Professor Ashok Ganguly rang up to the school with the happy news that the CBSE had decided to confer on Sister Jayashree its 'Best Principal of 2007' national award.
But God works in unknown ways. Sister Jayashree did not live to receive the good news. She died of a massive heart attack, precipitated by acute asthma from which she had been suffering for a long time.
The news gripped the town with grief. Local newspapers flashed the sad news in the front page.
Local TV announced the time for bereavement for the public. Hundreds of students, parents, staff, clergy and religious and people from the town, including shopkeepers from the neighbourhood, flocked NDA to pay respects to their beloved principal. A massive crowd also gathered at the funeral Mass June 9, to bid farewell to an endearing principal.
In his condolence message, Bihar Chief Minister (CM) Nitish Kumar said Sister Jayashree would always be remembered for setting high standards of education and enforcing discipline. She was a popular figure among the students and parents.
“It is a matter of pride that she was adjudged the best principal by the Central Board for School Examination. Her death is a great loss to the education world,” he said.
The CM had directed Patna District Magistrate Dr. B. Rajendra to place a wreath on the body of Sister Jayashree on his behalf.
Among the dignitaries present at the funeral Mass held in NDA Julie Hall were Bihar Legislative Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary, Bihar Minority Commission Chairman Naushad Ahmad Khan, and Vice-Chairman Father Peter Arockiasamy, Archbishop Benedict J. Osta of Patna and Sisters of Notre Dame (SND) Provincial, Sister Shreeja Chittilappally.
Presiding over the funeral Mass, Archbishop Osta said Sister Jayashree was at the climax of life, educating children in this prestigious school. “We are happy that her meritorious service has been recognised by the CBSE authorities by declaring her as the ‘Best Teacher of 2007’.”
In his funeral homily, Father Peter Arockiasamy, also principal of St. Michael’s School, said there was no parallel to her in her commitment to excellence, competence and discipline. She was extraordinary, because she “took life as an opportunity”, he added.
Sister Jayashree (57) was born July 11, 1950, into a traditional Syrian Catholic Kizhakepadath family at Edoor in northern Kerala.
Joining Patna's Notre Dame Sisters June 10, 1972, Jayashree had a regular training as a religious till 1981. She had a special training in school administration at St. Xavier’s University in Covington, USA, from 1999-2000.
Though assigned to many ministries, it was education that she put her best service in. She was a teacher for many years before she was made principal of NDA in 2001.
The qualities of the mind that distinguished Sister Jayashree from others were her tenacity and her determination to do whatever had to be done in a benign, truly professional manner, befitting of a teacher and principal, said Vice-principal Sister Joan Gaynor.
“She had set very high standards of discipline and performance, both for the staff and the students, and insisted on punctuality, neatness, and hard work in fulfillment of assignments and conduct of classes,” she said.
“Sister Jayashree collaborated generously with the CBSE in making the Notre Dame building and facilities available for all kinds of examinations, and for evaluation of papers. The CBSE award, is indeed, a recognition of her caliber and collaboration,” Sister Joan added.
“Our hearts ache when we realise she is no more with us. We miss her much. The school will miss her much more when it reopens late June,” SND Provincial Sister Shreeja told SAR News.
“Her sudden death is a great shock to the NDA family,” she added. Certainly during her leadership, the school had shown much social responsibility and social concern by educating the poor students, she said.
SAR News learnt that nearly 100 students are given free education in Julie School managed by the Notre Dame Sisters in the campus.
“She was always there to help us out with small things. The half a dozen pumps she helped install for our benefit was just one such gesture she was known for,” Patna’s English daily ‘Hindustan Times’ quoted Om Babu Agarwal, a hardware shop owner at Kurji suburban Patna.
At a memorial Mass on the 8th day of her death, Sister Shreeja said the NDA family would want to preserve her memory in a befitting manner. “We might plan setting up a memorial fund or scholarship in her memory. But this would be after discussing with the Parent Teachers' Association,” she told SAR News June 14.
Kenya Catholics Hold Special Prayers for Refugees, Call for Peace
Nairobi,Kenya,June.22,2007(CINS/CISA) -A special mass for refugees and other asylum seekers living in Kenya was celebrated on Sunday at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Riruta, Nairobi, ahead of the World Refugee Day.
The celebrant was retired Archbishop John Njenga of Mombasa, who called on national leaders and all the people to work for peace and to respond to the needs of refugees.
“We have to continue advocating for refugees, to [have] the value [for] human life,” he said in his homily, adding that service to the least in the community was service to God. “People get exiled because of our unforgiving nature and selfish ambitions.
Kenyans, he said, should be grateful for the relative peace in the country in spite of some hardships. He also praised the country for hosting refugees from DR Congo, Somalia, Rwanda, Burundi, Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia and Uganda.
The mass was organised by the Jesuit Refugees Service, Mapendo International, the Refugee Consortium of Kenya and the Nairobi office of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.
Refugees from the region presented dances, songs, poems and speeches to mark the day.
A female Rwandese refugee recounted how millions of people were constantly forced out of their countries because of political intolerance. She pointed out that many insidious conflicts witnessed across the world could have been averted if people learnt to exercise tolerance and restraint.
Refugees, she said, suffered greatly due to little attention from host countries, the international community and the inefficiency of organizations set up to serve them.
“It takes years to have your papers cleared for refugee status, even when they see that your life is in danger,” she said. Other refugees are unable to access much-needed humanitarian assistance. “We are in exile because we are seeking justice, peace and a safe place to rebuild our lives and a better future,” the woman added.
The Riruta parish Catholic Justice and Peace Commission representative, Mr Peter Kiama, asked Kenyans, especially Catholic faithful to assist refugees and asylum seekers and to advocate for their rights.