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Aid to the Church in Need

GO REBUILD MY CHURCH

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PSALM148: Praise for Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Universal Glory the Lord! P raise Praise the Lord from the heavens,

praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host! 3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! 4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created. 6 And he established them for ever and ever; he fixed their bounds which cannot be passed.[a] 7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, 2

fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command! 9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! 10 Beasts and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! 11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! 12 Young men and maidens together, old men and children! 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven. 14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the Lord! 8

Aid to the Church in Need

CONTENTS PAGE Rejoice and be Glad..................................................... J F Declan Quinn.................................. 2 Answering God’s Call................................................... Fr Martin Barta.................................... 4 Canticle of the Sun........................................................ St Francis of Assisi..............................6 The Legend of St Francis and the Wolf................................................................................ 8 To Him be Glory for ever and ever...................... A Pope Francis refection................ 14 Give Praise to the Lord............................................... Pope Benedict XVI............................ 17 Called to spread God’s Love.................................... Democratic Republic of Congo... 22 Visible Signs of Love..................................................... Africa.................................................... 24 Sisters return.................................................................... Rwanda................................................ 25 A house close to Heaven........................................... Bolivia................................................... 26 ACN Annual Report 2014.......................................... Johannes Freiherr Heereman...... 27 The largest Diocese in the World......................... Johannes Freiherr Heereman...... 32

Editor: Jürgen Liminski. Publisher: Kirche in Not / Ostpriesterhilfe, Postfach 1209, 61452 Königstein, Germany. De licentia competentis auctoritatis ecclesiasticae. Printed in Ireland - ISSN 0252-2535. www.acn-intl.org

REJOICE AND BE GLAD A chairde,

urs is a world which is being continuously threatened by manmade disasters. Ultimately the threats facing mankind and the very Earth itself stem from the same source, the rejection of God’s Living Word, Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church as the mystical body of Christ has the divine mission to carry the Word of God through time and to spread the Joy of the Gospel to every person living in every part of the world. Especially in these darkening days when the sense of imminent planet-wide disaster is almost palpable, the world needs to hear the Christian message of Peace and Hope, of Truth and Charity. uch needs notwithstanding, for Christians around the world, but especially for those living in the greater Middle East, 2014 was a year of persecution and exodus. Moreover it saddens me to say that the current outlook for 2015 and beyond looks no better. With good reason one may ask:

• Why are Christians being so persecuted? • Why are Christian values being so rejected? • Why is the Catholic Church so despised?

here are no good reasons why this should be the case, for the facts are that: • Everywhere authentic Christians are peace-makers • Everywhere authentic Christian values defend the dignity of the whole person and every person from moment of conception to moment of natural death and • The Catholic Church is by far and away the world’s largest and most effective charity.

he simple truth is that Christ founded His One, True, Catholic and Apostolic Church ‘for the greater glory of God and the salvation of man’ and everywhere where idols / false Gods reign, lies flourish, vice triumphs, love is lost and humanity suffers. id to the Church in Need exists to respond to the ongoing and evolving needs of Christ’s Church. The Church needs its places for worship; its priests; its religious brothers and sisters; its

lay catechists; it needs effective means of transport, print and electronic evangelising / catechetical materials and subsistence support for its many thousands of labourers in the Lord’s vineyard. Thanks to your generosity and the gererosity of Aid to the Church in Need’s thousands of benefactors around the world we have been able to assist in these areas. Moreover during these extraordinary times, when the lives and livelihoods of local Christian communities throughout Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and the greater Middle East are being threatened by radical Islamist groups Aid to the Church in Need has been able to provide essential humanitarian aid. A summary report of our 2014 activities is provided herein. The full report can be accessed on our website. o dear friends, heartfelt thanks for the comfort your prayers and material supports you provide to all God’s people in need through His Church in Need. In which regard, you in turn can take great comfort from the fact that away from the glare of the world’s media, all over the world there are many millions of anonymous Christians who are praying for many more millions of other anonymous Christians who are suffering because of their faith. On top of that there are many thousands of others who contribute of their time and from their poverty towards providing the material supports needed to sustain the light of the Gospel in the darkest of places during the most difficult of times.

peaking of which there can be no denying that Christians today are living through dark days. Given this, what is God asking us to do? I suggest that today God is asking all of us to do what he has always asking of us since Pentecost. He is asking us to ‘Rejoice and be glad’ because this ‘is a day which the Lord has made.’ For Christians today is simply another day of grace in which we are invited by Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit to: • Give witness to the Hope that is within us, • Bring His Joy to the world and • Be His Light in the World.

Beir Beannacht

J F Declan Quinn Director, Aid to the Church in Need (Ire) PS. I failed to mention that everyone who prays for (and / or contributes materially to) God’s people in need through Aid to the Church in Need is automatically enrolled a . So don’t be shy, encourage a friend to become a by offering up a little prayer everyday ‘for the greater glory of God and the salvation of Humanity.’ Always remember that Prayer matters and Prayer works, Gb D. 3

ANSWERING GOD’S CALL Dear Friends,

esus says: ‘You did not choose me, but I choose you.’ So does God not respect our human freedom then? Certainly he does! It is an essential part of our freedom that we have the free will to be able to answer the call of God. This is how we arrive at our goal. God pours out his boundless grace and goodness over us.

o make the love of God available to all men, through the sacraments, is the very raison d’être of the priestly vocation. Through his ordination the priest is entrusted with the infinite treasure of the graces won for us by Jesus through his death on the Cross. In this treasure house of graces gained by our crucified Lord lies all blessing for the entire world.

The sense of being altogether overwhelmed by this goodness, of being personally called by name, this is the most intimate mystery of every vocation. Each person is called by God in a unique manner, without having And yet, in the power in any way merited of the Blessed Euchathis, and often indeed Each person rist, the priest himself despite all our sinfulis called by God must also through his ness. Just how true this is shown most clearly in a unique manner own personal sacrifice make a gift of his own in the vocation to the life. Whereas in many priesthood. countries the fascination of becoming a hen people fall in love, it is often priest appears to be becoming lost, in many the external attraction that plays a other countries the seminaries are full, and great role, and we take for granted new ones are even having to be built. that we will have the necessary qualities ltimately, however, it comes down for our chosen vocation. But with the not to the number, but to the holivocation to the priesthood there are no ness of the priest. In 1902 Jesus preconditions. Even the subsequent fruitfulness of the priestly mission depends spoke to the French mystic and Servant of not upon human talents but utterly and God Sister Louise M. Claret de la Touche: ‘Nineteen centuries ago, twelve men entirely on the merits of Christ. changed the world; they were not merely

men, but they were priests. Now, once more twelve priests could change the world… but they must be holy.’

et who would dare to say ‘Yes’ to God’s call when the seemingly impossible is being demanded of him? For despite the noble dignity of his calling, the priest remains merely a weak man. That is why he needs help – as the Pallottine Father, Blessed Franz Reinisch humbly acknowledges: ‘Precisely as a priest, I am conscious of my utter helplessness and poverty. Before the all too human side can be entirely stripped away and the true priestly essence come through in crystal clarity, a great deal of struggle and sacrifice is needed – but what is needed still more is many helpers in the background, who will pray and make sacrifices for the sake of holy priests.’

ear Friends, I urge you with all my heart to be these helpers, who pray and make sacrifices for the sanctification of priests throughout the world. You may be certain that God will thank you by pouring a rich flood of graces over you and your families!

My grateful blessing on you all,

Father Martin M. Barta, Spiritual Assistant 5

CANTICLE OF THE SUN† ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI

ost high, all powerful, all good Lord! All praise is Yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing.

To You, alone, Most High, do they belong. No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your name. Be praised, my Lord, through all Your creatures, especially through my lord Brother Sun, who brings the day; and You give light through him. And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of You, Most High, he bears the likeness.

† Also known as the ‘Canticle of the Creatures’.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the heavens You have made them bright, precious and beautiful. Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air, and clouds and storms, and all the weather, through which You give Your creatures sustenance. Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Water; she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure. Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire, through whom You brighten the night. He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong.

Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth, who feeds us and rules us, and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs. e praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of You; through those who endure sickness and trial.

Happy those who endure in peace, for by You, Most High, they will be crowned.

e praised, my Lord, through our sister Bodily Death, from whose embrace no living person can escape.

Woe to those who die in mortal sin! Happy those she finds doing Your most holy will. The second death can do no harm to them. Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks, and serve Him with great humility.

AMEN

THE LEGEND OF SAINT FRANCIS AND THE WOLF - Learning to make peace in our lives

n Italy the town of Gubbio had a great problem. A wolf was eating their livestock, and attacking the people. Nothing the townspeople did protected them from the wolf. Never had they seen such a fierce predator. He killed a shepherd, then the shepherdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brother and father when they went out to deal with this menace. The next morning the town was abuzz with the story told by the shepherdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother and sisters.

ate in the night the only survivor of the encounter struggled into the anxious town and collapsed. After he was revived, he told his tale of their fight with the fierce and powerful wolf. As the story rushed through town the wolf grew larger and more ferocious. Fear was in the eyes of everyone in Gubbio. Children were kept close by, weapons at the ready and the defences of the town raised.

The mayor of Gubbio announced he would send three of his best guards to find and slay the wolf that very afternoon. At dusk the townspeople could hear shouts and clashing of metal from the woods. Then it was quiet. The guards had met the wolf.

The mayor consulted with his advisors and decided to see if Francis of Assisi could help them. They had heard that he could talk to animals and that God talked to him.

essengers were sent to find Francis and ask for his help. They told him of the tragic attacks of the wolf and how the frightened people were almost in a state of siege. They thought Francis was the only one who would be able to help them. They begged the simple Holy man to help and implored him to come with them right away. Francis was moved by their plight and said they could leave in the morning.

awn found them walking down the hill from Assisi on their way to Gubbio. In time they arrived at the woods near the town. The messen-

gers pointed to where the wolf had slain the two guards not far from the road. They stayed in a tighter group as they hurried the rest of the way, watching out for the wolf. The gate to the town was opened as they arrived and was quickly closed behind them. The entire town followed Francis to the town square where the Mayor eagerly met them. They went into the town hall to eat and discuss what Francis would do with the wolf.

he mayor wondered what Francis would do. He hated the wolf and he wanted Francis to strike the wolf dead or send him to the town of Spoletto, their old enemy. Either would satisfy a need for revenge and stop the attacks.

Francis listened as the mayor described what had happened to their peaceful town. He had much empathy for the families of the victims and wanted to meet the wolf and hear his story, too. Francis stated that the next morning he would go the woods where the guards had been killed to see if he could find the wolf. That night he prayed for the wisdom to find a solution that would benefit everyone.

arly the next morning, Francis was accompanied by the townspeople to the gates of Gubbio. They wished him well and retreated to their homes, worried that Francis would share the fate of the shepherds and guards. Francis walked on to the woods, ready to engage the wolf. As he neared the first stand of trees, the wolf appeared and

Palazzo dei Consoli, Gubbio, Italy.

began to stalk Francis. His slow, deliberate steps, the walk of a predator, announced his intention. He drew nearer and nearer, closing in a circle around the holy man from Assisi.

eeing the wolf, Francis felt a connection. He made the sign of the cross and called the wolf to meet him in peace under the grace of the Lord. The wolf watched as Francis came closer. ‘Come Brother Wolf, I will not hurt you. Let us talk in peace.’ The wolf froze in mid step. The wolf struggled with doubt and uncertainty. Finally, understanding that Francis meant him no harm, the wolf walked to Francis and sat back on his haunches, ready to listen. Francis told the wolf that he had come from Gubbio and described what the townspeople were experiencing because of the wolf’s actions. He described the pain and resentment they held toward the wolf. ‘How did this come to happen?’ Francis asked the wolf. ‘Why did you kill the livestock and people?’

he wolf told Francis his story. He had been left behind by his pack because he was injured and couldn’t keep up. He could only catch prey that didn’t run fast, like sheep and goats. He really preferred to eat deer and rabbits, but, with his injured leg, that was out of the question. He explained to Francis that all he wanted was to eat when he was hungry.

rancis implored him to explain his actions. The wolf continued. The first shepherd he had killed was trying to protect his flock and the wolf had no choice but to fight back and kill him. That afternoon two more men came after him and instinct took over. He quickly killed them, leaving their bodies where they fell. The next day the three guards came hunting him. He was only defending himself when he fought them. Two were slain. As the third man was no longer a threat, he let him go. Francis could see that the wolf was only acting to fill his needs. He had made unfortunate choices that affected people of whom he knew nothing. Through Francis the wolf was able to feel the pain of the people in Gubbio and he felt remorse. He was sorry for the pain he had caused, but he needed to eat. What could he do?

ours passed as Francis prayed. The wolf watched closely, not fully understanding what was taking place, but sensing that Francis believed he felt remorse at having caused such pain. When Francis emerged from his contemplation, he quietly suggested an answer to the dilemma. It was a suggestion that could meet the needs of both the town and the wolf. He proposed to the wolf that the townspeople could feed him and, in return, the wolf would stop killing the people and their livestock. The wolf thought this would work well for him, but worried the people would

still want to kill him. Francis understood the wolf’s concern and assured him he would present the idea to the townspeople in such a way that he would be forgiven and welcomed into the town. He knew they could let go of their fear and hate if they saw the wolf ask for forgiveness and accede to a peaceful relationship. Francis extended his hand. The Wolf showed agreement by placing his paw in Francis’ hand. Saint Francis and the wolf walked back to Gubbio.

s they neared the gate, the citizens could not believe their eyes. Francis and the wolf continued to the town square, although the mayor and the entire town watched with hate and fear. The wolf had to keep his eyes on Francis to still his fear. Francis called out, ‘Come countrymen, the wolf will not hurt you. Let us talk in peace. I have spoken with the wolf and he apologizes for his actions and wants to make amends.’ Francis told them the wolf’s story. ‘He has the same needs as you and only wants to eat and not go hungry. Can the people of Gubbio feed him if he promises to never again take the lives of the people and their animals?

emember, Our Saviour taught forgiveness. He taught us to love our enemies.’

he citizens returned skeptical stares. Francis continued, ‘This will be your wolf. He can’t be killed or passed off to Spoletto or Perugia. He will serve the town as a defender as long as he will live.’

rancis asked the Mayor and Brother Wolf to declare a pact. The people would be safe from the wolf. The wolf would be safe from them. Everyone expressed joy that the shadow of fear had been lifted from their town.

The citizens of Gubbio asked Francis to talk privately with them, to help them understand his suggestion. The Mayor guaranteed no one would hurt the wolf while they conferred.

The wife of the shepherd, the man who was the first to fall, brought out food to feed Brother Wolf. She was crying in relief to have the burden of hate lifted from her spirit. Brother Wolf was humbled when he found his apology accepted. More food was brought out and soon everyone was eating together.

he people of Gubbio talked with each other for hours. Relatives of the dead were the hardest to convince. They harboured a hard place in their hearts for the wolf. Francis wept with them and touched them in a way that softened their hearts. Finally, after many tears, they found compassion for the wolf. At Francis’ suggestion, they addressed him as Brother Wolf.

Gubbio, Italy.

ord spread to other towns. Soon the people of Gubbio were proclaiming proudly that they had a special wolf, Brother Wolf. He lived another two years like that until he died, cared for by the generous and forgiving • town of Gubbio.

PSALM 146: Praise the Lord, oh my Soul the Lord! P raise Praise the Lord, O my soul!

I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have being. 3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no help. 4 When his breath departs he returns to his earth; on that very day his plans perish. 5 Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob,whose hope is in the Lord his God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith for ever; 2

who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; 8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the sojourners, he upholds the widow and the fatherless; but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. 10 The Lord will reign for ever, thy God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord! 7

TO HIM BE GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER - A Pope Francis Reflection1

t Paul reminds us that alone we cannot be Christians, loving God and our neighbour ‘without the power and grace of the Holy Spirit’. Paul has an experience with Jesus, an experience with the Lord, which leads him to leave everything, in order to receive Christ and to be found in Him. Paul saw Christ, met Christ, and fell in love with Christ and goes forth in this mystery. Thus, in his Letter to the Ephesians (3:14-21 see page 15), we read that act of adoration that Paul makes before God: Brethren, ‘I bow my knees before the Father’. This is his act of adoration to the Father, for which he then gives the reasons.

aul’s language in his letter to the Ephesians is timeless. It is a grandiose, expansive language: in which he speaks of the riches of His glory; he speaks of comprehending the breadth, the length, the height, the depth; to know the Christ who surpasses, the Christ who causes us to be filled with all fullness. It is indeed a timeless language, incapable of being understood in the sense of comprehending, because it is almost without a horizon. Paul adores this God who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, according to that power that He has even in time, for all generations, for ever and ever. It is an outright act of adoration, an experience before this God who is as a sea without shores, without limits, an immense ocean. And Paul’s heart, his soul, kneel before God.

n this act of adoration, Paul tells us of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And what does Paul ask, for himself, for the Church — in this case the Church of Ephesia — and for all of us? Turning to the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, Paul asks first to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner 1 Edited and adapted from an L’Osservatore Romano report of Pope Francis’ homily as given on 23 October 2014. (Weekly ed. in English, n. 44, 31 October 2014.)

self. Beyond this he asks the Father that the Spirit come and strengthen us, give us might. He knows well that one cannot go forward without the Spirit’s might. Our might is weak. One cannot be a Christian without the grace of the Spirit. Indeed, it is precisely the Spirit who changes our heart, who enables us to go forward in virtue in order to fulfil the Commandments.

hen, Paul asks for another grace of God, but through Christ: that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, and thus be rooted and grounded in love. He basically asks for the presence of Christ, that he may make us grow in charity, but rooted in love, grounded in love. And also, he asks the Father for the ability to comprehend the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, which is beyond com-

prehension. But how can one understand what is beyond comprehension? Paul’s answer is clear: Through this act of adoration of that great immensity.

n the passage from the Letter to the Ephesians, Paul continues, speaking to the faithful about the Father: he began with the Father and ended with the Father. Thus, he speaks directly to the faithful about Him who in all things has the power to do. The Apostle affirms that the Father is able to do far more than all we ask or imagine. Even miracles, of course. But we cannot imagine what the Father can do by the power at work within us. Paul then ends this adoration with praise: ‘to Him be Glory forever and ever’.

...I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 14

Now to Him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, 21 to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. 2 20

Ephesians 3:14-212 (RSVCE).

efore us is the mystical experience of Paul, who teaches us the prayer of praise and the prayer of adoration. Thus, before our smallness, our selfish interests (so many!), Paul bursts out in this praise, in this act of adoration. And he asks the Father to send us the Spirit to give us the strength and power to go forward; that He enable us to comprehend the love of Christ and that Christ strengthen us in love. And he says to the Father: Thank you, because You are able to do what we do not even dare to imagine.

his is a beautiful prayer of Paul’s and with this interior life one can understand that Paul has given up everything in order to receive Christ and to be found in Christ. His words also apply to us today because it is good for us to think this way. It is good for us to praise God to enter into this expansive world of grandiosity, of generosity and of love. It does us good because in this way we are able to go forward in the great Commandment — the one Commandment that is the basis of all the others — which is love: • love God and love your neighbour.

PSALM 149: Sing to the Lord a new song the Lord! P raise Sing to the Lord a new song, his

praise in the assembly of the faithful! Let Israel be glad in his Maker, let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King! 3 Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with timbrel and lyre! 4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with victory. 2

Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their couches. 6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands, 7 to wreak vengeance on the nations and chastisement on the peoples, 8 to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron, 9 to execute on them the judgment written! This is glory for all his faithful ones. Praise the Lord! 5

GIVE PRAISE TO THE LORD by Pope Benedict XVI3

ur prayers are very often requests for help in a time of need. Moreover, this is normal for men and women because we need help, we need others, we need God. Thus it is normal for us to ask God something, to seek help from him; and we must bear in mind that the prayer the Lord taught us, the ‘Our Father’, is a prayer of petition.

With this prayer the Lord teaches us the priorities of our prayer and cleanses and purifies our desires and in this way he cleanses and purifies our hearts. Therefore even though it is in itself normal that we should ask for something in prayer, it should not be exclusively so. here is also cause for thanksgiving and if we pay a little attention we see that we receive very many good things from God. He is so good to us that it is right and necessary to say ‘thank you’. And our prayer should also be a prayer of praise: if our hearts are open in spite of all the problems we also see the beauty of his creation, the goodness that is revealed in his creation.

Therefore we must not only ask but also praise and give thanks, only in this way is our prayer complete. In his Letters St Paul does not only speak of prayer; he also refers to prayers and of course prayers of petition as well, but

prayers of praise and blessing for all that God has worked and continues to work in humanity’s history.

et us now reflect upon the First Chapter of the Letter to the Ephesians which begins, precisely, with a prayer which is a hymn of blessing, an expression of gratitude, of joy. St Paul blesses God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, because in him he has made us ‘know the mystery of his will’.

do not want to enter into philology here, but ‘Mystery’ in common language indicates what it is impossible to know, a reality we are unable to grasp with our own intellect. The hymn that opens the Letter to the Ephesians takes us by the hand and leads us toward a more profound meaning of this term and of the reality that it points out to us. ‘Mystery’, for believers, is not so much the unknown¸ rather it is the merciful will of God, His plan of love which was fully revealed in Jesus Christ and offers us the possibility ‘to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and the length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ.’5 The ‘unknown mystery’ of God is revealed, it is that God loves 3 Adapted from BENEDICT XVI GENERAL AUDIENCE Paul VI Audience Hall Wednesday, 20 June 2012. 4 Eph 1:9

us and has loved us from the beginning, from eternity. et us therefore reflect a little on this solemn and profound prayer. ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’6. St Paul uses the verb ‘euloghein’, which more often translates the Hebrew term ‘barak’; it is praising, glorifying and thanking God the Father as the source of the goods of salvation, like the One who ‘has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places’.

The Apostle thanks and praises, but he also reflects on the reasons that spur the human being to offer this praise, this thanksgiving, presenting the fundamental elements of the divine plan and its stages.

irst of all we must bless God the Father because, St Paul writes, ‘He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.’7 What makes us holy and blameless is love. God called us to existence, to holiness. And this choice even precedes the foundation of the world. We have always been in His plan and in His mind. With the Prophet Jeremiah we too can say that He knew us before He formed us in our mother’s womb8; and in knowing us He loved us. The vocation to holiness, that is, to communion with God belongs to an eternal design of this God, a design that extends through history and 18

includes all the men and women of the world, because it is a universal appeal. God excludes no one, his plan is solely of love. St John Chrysostom says: God himself ‘rendered us holy but then we must continue to be holy. A holy man is he who is a partaker of faith’.9

aul continues, ‘He destined us in love to be His sons through Jesus Christ’, to be incorporated in His Only-Begotten Son. The Apostle underlines the gratuitousness of this marvellous plan of God for humanity. God did not choose us because we are good, but because He is good. And antiquity had a phrase to say on goodness: bonum est diffusivum sui; goodness is communicated, it spreads. And thus, since God is goodness, He is the communication of goodness, He wishes to communicate; He creates because He wants to communicate His goodness to us and to make us good and holy. At the heart of the prayer of blessing, the Apostle illustrates the way in which the Father’s plan of salvation is brought about in Christ, in His beloved Son. He writes: ‘in Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.’10

he sacrifice of the Cross of Christ is the unique and unrepeatable event with which the Father showed His love for us in a luminous way, not only in words but in practice. 5 Eph 3:18-19 6 Eph 1:3 7 V.4 8 cf. Jer 1:5 9 Homilies on the Letter to the Ephesians, 1,1,4. 10 Eph 1:3

God is so real and His love is so real that He enters into history, He becomes a man to feel what it is, how it is to live in this created world, and He accepts the path of suffering of the Passion and even suffers death. God’s love is so real that He not only participate in our being but also in our suffering and our dying. The sacrifice of the Cross ensures that we become ‘God’s property’ because the Blood of Christ has redeemed us from sin, cleanses us from evil, removes us from the slavery of sin and death.

t Paul invites us to consider the depths of God’s love that transforms history, that transformed his very life from being a persecutor of Christians to being an unflagging apostle of the Gospel. Here once again the reassuring words of the Letter to the Romans resound: ‘If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also give us all things with Him?... For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things pre-

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. 5 He destined us in love[c] to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of His glorious grace which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished upon us. 9 For He has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of His will, according to His purpose which He set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite[d] all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth. 3

In Him, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. 11 11

Ephesians 1:3-14 (RSVCE).

sent, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’12 We must integrate this certainty — God is for us and no creature can separate us from Him because His love is stronger — in our being, in our awareness as Christians.

astly, the divine blessing ends with the mention of the Holy Spirit who has been poured out into our hearts; the Paraclete whom we have received as a promised seal: ‘who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.’13 Redemption is not yet finished — as we know — but will reach its fulfilment when those whom God has ransomed are totally saved. We are still on the path of redemption, whose essential reality has been given with the death and Resurrection of Jesus. We are on our way towards definitive redemption, towards the full liberation of God’s children. And the Holy Spirit is the certainty that God will bring His plan of salvation to completion, when He will bring back to Christ, the only head, of all ‘things in heaven and things on earth.’ 14

tion is also our journey, because God wants free creatures who freely say ‘yes’; but it is above all and first of all His journey. We are in His hands and to walk on the way disclosed by Him is now our freedom. Let us walk on this path of redemption, together with Christ and understand that redemption is brought about.

he vision which St Paul presents to us in this great prayer of blessing has led us to contemplate the action of the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity: • the Father who chose us before the creation of the world, who thought of us and created us; • the Son who redeemed us through His Blood and • the Holy Spirit, the pledge of our redemption and of our future glory. In constant prayer, in our daily relationship with God, let us learn, as St Paul did, to perceive ever more clearly the signs of His

t John Chrysostom comments on this point: ‘God has chosen us for faith and has impressed in us the seal of the inheritance of future glory.’ 15 We must accept that the journey of redemp-

12 Rom 8:31-32; 38-39 13 Eph 1:14 14 Eph 1:10 15 Homilies on the Letter to the Ephesians, 2, 11-14

St. Paul

plan and His action: in the beauty of the Creator that emerges from his creatures16, as St Francis of Assisi sings: ‘Laudato sie mi’ Signore, cum tutte le Tue creature’.17

t is important to be attentive to the beauty of creation and to see God’s face shining out in this beauty.

The saints showed clearly in their lives what God’s power can do in human weakness. And He can also do it in us. In the whole of the history of salvation, in which God has made himself close to us and patiently waits for us to take our time. He understands our infidelities, He encourages our commitment and guides us. We learn in prayer to see the signs of this merciful plan in the Church’s journey. Thus we may grow in the love of God, opening the door so that the Blessed Trinity may come and dwell within us, and thereby illuminate, warm and guide our lives. ‘If a man loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him,’ 18 Jesus said, promising the disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit who was to teach them all things.

t Irenaeus once said that in the Incarnation the Holy Spirit became accustomed to being in man. In prayer we must become accustomed to being with God. It is very important, that we learn to be with God and thereby see how beautiful it is to be with Him, who is the redemption.

ear friends, when prayer nourishes our spiritual lives we become capable of preserving what St Paul calls ‘the mystery of faith’ with a pure conscience. 19 Prayer as a way of ‘accustoming’ oneself to being with God brings into being men and women who are not motivated by selfishness, by the desire to possess or by the thirst for power, but by gratuitousness, by the desire to love, by the thirst to serve, in other words who are motivated by God; and only in this way is it possible to bring light to the darkness of the world. I would like to end this catechesis with the epilogue of the Letter to the Romans. With St Paul, let us too glorify God for he has expressed himself entirely to us in Jesus Christ and has given us the Consoler, the Spirit of Truth.

t Paul writes at the end of his Letter to the Romans: ‘to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed and through the prophetic writings is made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith — to the only wise God be glory for ever more through Jesus Christ! Amen.’ 20 • 16 17 18 20

cf. Eph 3:9 ff 263. Be praised my Lord with all your creatures. Jn 14:23 19 cf. 11 Tim 3:9 Rom 16:25-27

CALLED TO SPREAD GOD’S LOVE

t the Monsignor Cleire Seminary in Kasongo, Democratic Republic of Congo, the timetable is rigorous, they even work a full day on Saturdays. But they do so willingly, as the 29 seminarians here have been called to spread God’s love. But that is not a reason for pride. And the rector and spiritual director keep watch to ensure that the love for Christ is filled with understanding and humility. In this way the seminarians are being trained to spread God’s love. Their syllabus is onerus and includes psychology, ethics and moral theology.

hey are expected to acquire a good knowledge of African and classical philosophy, languages, methods

God is calling, many respond: A blessing on the new seminarians in Oradea

of communication and pedagogy as well as a basic grounding in Islam, comparative cultural analyses, sociology and media studies. Their days may be full – but first place is always given to adoration and their relationship to God, the Source of all love. And as for practical brotherly love, each one has his own duties within the community. Vincent Mateso and Michel Mulamba look after the garden. Theophile Mukaseba and André Kabobo are responsible for the electricity and water supply.

ther responsibilities include sport, the library, clean sanitary facilities, music and singing, the organisation of the work in the fields and the fish farm, liturgy and the sacristy, hair cutting and reception. Good shepherds need

good training in every field. In the seminary in Kasongo they get just that – thanks in no small part to you.

od calls men to spread His love regardless of their age. God calls whoever He wills whenever He wills. In the Greek Catholic seminary of Oradea in Romania among the students are a number of late vocations, including a psychologist, a musician and an economist. Many already have ‘a whole life behind them’, as the rector Anton Cioba writes. But they have all come ‘to God’s school in order to become his disciples’. They are all highly motivated and preparing themselves ‘humbly and diligently for the priesthood’. In all there are 104 men here who have ‘said yes to God’.

hey will help confront the ‘acute and growing secularisation in our society’, and so they will need plenty of knowledge, faith and hope. Perhaps these mature men, with years of experience behind them, will particularly be able to find new approaches to their pastoral and missionary work. Knowledge, training and the spiritual formation of the heart are things that Father Anton and his fellow academics can certainly empart. But the cost of training so many students soon leaves them financially empty-handed. We have promised him our help for the current academic year. Education is expensive, but it is an investment that repays its expense. In the major

seminary in Haiti there are no fewer than 282 seminarians who will later be called to preach and live love in this, one of the poorest countries in the world. In Hyderabad, in India, where the training of priests lasts a total of 13 years altogether, you are supporting 106 seminarians, while in the Central African Republic – where the recent civil war left deep wounds and saw churches and convents destroyed – we have promised our support so that the Saint Mark’s seminary in Bangui can make a new start. here is nothing this country needs more than true shepherds who can preach forgiveness and live Christian charity. In showing mercy and helping here, and elsewhere where these future pastors are being trained, you too • will help to spread God’s love.

285 seminarians - that’s how many you are supporting, here in Ivano- Frankivsk, Ukraine.

India, land of vocations; seminarians in Hyderabad. 23

VISIBLE SIGNS OF LOVE emographically speaking, Africa is the continent of the future. Here will be decided which religion will dominate the world. For in the next 40 years the population of Africa is predicted to double.

Father Bruno Ateba was appointed as Bishop of the diocese of Maroua-Mokolo in Cameroon, a Muslim friend said to him, ‘We have many large mosques to pray in, but you Catholics do not even have a cathedral in your diocese.’

The number of Christians will also double (according to the demographers’ calculations), however, the Muslims will increase by 170%. Of course, all these are merely human estimations. But what is undoubtedly true is the fact that the pagan peoples of the continent are also yearning for God, the creator of all life.

is words struck home, and they set Bishop Bruno thinking. He thought immediately of the 75,000 Catholics in his diocese, and also of the 300,000 or so others, who are well disposed and willing to embrace Christianity, but they need to see a visible sign that will point them to Heaven. Ever since then everywhere he has gone he has begged for support to build this sign. The Catholics of his diocese have already

This is where the Church can point the way – with visible signs. A year ago, when

Pointing the way to heaven: Bishop Bruno Ateba, and the beauty of northern Cameroon.

done a great deal themselves to raise funds, and have begun to build. Now they are halfway there, but they still need funds in order to complete the basic structure.

A solid future for the Church: foundations of the cathedral in Maroua-Mokolo.

he diocese lies right on the frontier with Nigeria, and the threat from the Islamic extremists is hampering the missionary work. The people need a visible sign to show that God is there. Your solidarity and generosity will help them to see this sign of love, not just in bricks and mortar, but in your kind hearts. •

SISTERS RETURN

n the heart of Rwanda – the ‘Land of a Thousand Hills’ – lies the Carmelite convent of Nyamirambo. The 20 Rwandan sisters who returned here after the genocide and civil war of 1994 now live ‘in constant prayer with and for the Church and all mankind’. The convent’s spiritual radiance has shone out drawing in the people of the region. Very quickly the chapel and the convent became too small and a pastoral centre became necessary, in order to sustain and accompany this ‘new Pentecost’. Over the years, thanks to your generosity and despite many difficulties, this centre has now at last become a real-

ity. The abbess, Sister Françoise Marie Aimée, and her fellow religious are delighted. ‘We thank you for the fidelity with which you have accompanied us over these years, for your patience and your support which have made it possible for us to move forward, trusting in the goodness of our Lord Jesus. May He reward you a hundredfold for what we owe to you – to all of you, the witnesses • to His Kingdom of Love.’ 25

A HOUSE CLOSE TO HEAVEN

he Doctor of the Church Saint Teresa of Avila, who was born 500 years ago, once said: ‘We should not build towers without foundations, for the Lord looks not so much on the magnitude of the work but rather on the love with which it was done.’

ou can’t get much higher than the little community of Our Lady of the Incarnation in the diocese of El Alto in Bolivia, which stands at an altitude of 12,500 feet (3800 m). Yet their ‘tower’ project is certainly built on a solid foundation, for this little community in the Andes has been longing and praying for years now for a chapel to serve the local mountain people, a place where the Sacrament of Love can find a worthy home, close to heaven and where the other sacraments can also be received.

Nothing but the sky above: waiting for their chapel in the mountains. 26

ife is hard, here in the mountains; it is no place for great and showy works. But their dearest wish is to be able to share in Holy Mass each Sunday, to be able to confess, celebrate baptisms and weddings here, instead of having to make the laborious journey once a month, down to the church in the valley there. For the old people in particular, it is not even possible at times. There are 80 families here, with over 240 children. They need our help. We have promised them • to help.

ACN ANNUAL REPORT 2014

- A YEAR OF PERSECUTION AND EXODUS JOHANNES FREIHERR HEEREMAN

n 2014 ACN benefactors entrusted more than one hundred million Euros to our care. This in itself is reason enough for us to fall on our knees and thank God. Not because we have passed the one hundred million euros mark for the first time in our history. Nor because of the money itself, but because of the grace that God has bestowed on us all by moving your hearts to such generosity.

ou, the benefactors of ACN by your generous giving, have made possible all the projects we undertook during 2014 and which are outlined in this Annual Report. Deo gratias for God’s grace and your gifts.

our gifts were and are urgently needed – as the needs of our suffering Christian brethren are crying out to heaven. 2014 was a year of persecution and exodus. Rarely was the Cross more visible than in the fate of the refugees from Syria and Iraq. We have provided emergency aid for their survival. We have built schools so that they can stay. We have offered consolation. We have strengthened the priests and religious in their self-sacrificing lives and work on behalf of the poorest of the poor – and all by your help. (Continued on Page 28)

2014 REPORT INCOME Individual donations Mass Offerings Legacies Sales and tax relief Other donations/income Subtotal Net financial income Total income

€

72,042,332 10,752,857 19,007,727 3,576,804 280,727

67.9 % 10.1 % 17.9 % 3.4 % 0.3 %

Expenses in fulfilment of the Church’s mission - Projects in 145 countries 68,159,941 64.2 % - Project follow-up 2,178,992 2.1 % - Information, media and pastoral support 13,783,405 13.0 %

EXPENSES

€

105,660,447 99.6 %

Total mission related expenses 8 4,122,338 79.3 %

427,817

0.4 %

Fundraising Administration

10,826,135 6,754,739

106,088,264

100 %

Total expenses

17,580,874 16.6 %

Taken from reserves

4,385,052

10.2 % 6.4 % 4.1 %

(Continued from Page 27)

Our aid by region 2014

unlike Cain, thanks to you we have been able to say ‘We are our brother’s keeper’. Sadly, there is no likelihood that the murder and persecution of Christians in Africa and the Middle East will cease any time this year. The cries of the refugees are not growing any quieter; nor is the number of the projects any smaller. God’s grace and your gifts will continue to be needed. We can count on God – for he will not abandon his children. The rest is down to us. •

Full report available on acnireland.org

St. Mary Assyrian Church in the village of Tal Nasri damaged by ISIS, Syria.

Aid to the Church in Need

The world needs god’s word AnnUAl rePorT 2014

13% 18%

Africa 13%

Africa

29% 29%

18%

24%

Latin LatinAmerica America Asia Asia

24%

16% 16%

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe The Middle East

The Middle East

The 10 countries that received most aid 1 Ukraine 2 India 3 Iraq 4 D.R. Congo 5 Brazil 6 Syria 7 Philippines 8 Madagascar 9 Tanzania 10 Ethiopia

2014 5,124,211 4,949,670 4,664,145 2,874,460 2,445,697 1,942,451 1,891,284 1,270,409 1,226,537 1,202,149

Iraqi Christians refugees preparing for Easter.

2013 4,187,838 4,261,204 206,929 2,591,628 3,077,027 1,577,956 614,615 1,176,767 1,497,660 1,143,138

WHERE YOU HELPED - COUNTRIES/REGIONS

nce again, the largest proportion of our budget went to Africa. Most of our requests also come from here â&#x20AC;&#x201C; over one third, in fact, or 2,648 in total. This was likewise where most of our Mass offerings were sent, helping to support 10,694 priests.

n Eastern Europe some countries still have priority status, in particular Ukraine. We are helping every single seminarian here. Latin America remains the most populous Catholic continent. It is the source of numerous new Catholic communities, but at the same time the sects and the crisis of drug addiction are a growing menace. A great deal of investment is needed here, above all in catechesis. â&#x20AC;˘

he crisis in the Middle East was a major focus of our aid in 2014. Hundreds of thousands of Christians were forced to flee in Syria and Iraq. The cost of our emergency aid response increased by 5% and accounted for over 13% of the total budget in 2014. he percentage of aid for Asia also increased (18.7%), principally owing to the help for Church reconstruction projects in the Philippines, following the devastating Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful such storms ever recorded. Outside the Philippines, Christians in this region also suffer everything from religious oppression to outright persecution.

Saved from a terrible plight, now they can smile again: Iraqi refugee children in a school funded by you.

O I

Father Christudas R. celebrating the eucharist during holy mass, Kerala, India

WHERE YOU HELPED - PROJECTS

total of 5,614 projects were supported during 2014 in 145 different countries. This was almost 200 projects more than in the previous year. But sadly 1,223 projects had to be turned down.

Formation of priests and religious 11%

Religious formation of the laity 9%

Mass OďŹ&#x20AC;erings 15%

Pastoral Transport 8% Refugee and Emergency Aid 7% Media Apostolate 4% Support for religious sisters 3%

Construction 43%

Construction

Church under construction,Rutana, Burundi

Over 1,500 construction projects (churches, chapels, cathedrals and seminaries) were part-funded, mostly in regions where the number of believers is rapidly increasing. Mass Offerings

Holy Mass, San Lorenzo, Peru

Over 1.2 million Mass intentions supporting one in every nine priests (1:9) in ministry worldwide. 30

Formation of Priests and Religious

Formation for 14 seminarians from the diocese Telsiai , Lithuania

Worldwide one seminarian in twelve (1:12) is supported in whole or in part by ACN benefactors. Religious formation of the Laity

Lay youth training, Lebanon

Daughters of Our Lady Queen of the Holy Rosary, Indonesia

Pastoral transport

Media Apostolate

Toyota vehicle for pastoral work, Kasama, Zambia

Distribution of the Childs Bible, Ukraine

Nearly 500 cars and over 300 motorcycles provided to missionaries on the front line.

ACN’s Child’s Bible now available in 178 different languages with well over 50 Million copies produced since its introduction in 1979.

Refugee and Emergency Aid

Support for Religious Sisters

Support of Syrian refugees, Lebanon

A discalced Carmelite in the convent garden, Kiev, Ukraine

Over €6 million of support provided in emergency relief to persecuted Christians in the greater Middle East

Almost 10,000 religious sisters supported in their apostolate and in their formation.

THE LARGEST DIOCESE IN THE WORLD Dear Friends, am writing these lines to you from Irkutsk in Siberia, the largest diocese in the world and one of the poorest. There are just 39 priests and 63 religious here, in a region 30 times the size of Poland, working, step by little step, to heal the souls that have been so gravely wounded by communism. Sometimes their work involves travelling distances of over 300 km, two or three times a year along dirt tracks, in order to bring the Sacraments to a couple of elderly babushkas.

ishop Klimowicz tells us, ‘Without Aid to the Church in Need‘s benefactors we could not survive here. Our priests and sisters pray for them daily.’ And he continues, ‘When I arrived here, 12 years ago, there was scarcely a single family that was not a broken family. Today it is often the children who bring their parents to us, so

that they too can come to know God as the source of true love.’ Many people seek their idols among football players, Hollywood celebrities, or those in show business – stars whose main goal in life is to use their talents to become rich and famous. Among the faithful in Irkutsk you can find people whose goal in life is to renounce everything in order to satisfy the hunger of the faithful and soothe the thirst of those who long for something to put their hope in.

hese heroes and heroines of the faith deserve our prayers and our support. Thanks to your generosity, I was able to assure them of ACN’s help.

Johannes Freiherr Heereman, Executive President of ACN International

WHERE TO SEND YOUR CONTRIBUTION FOR THE CHURCH IN NEED Please use the Freepost envelope. Aid to the Church in Need, 151 St. Mobhi Road, Glasnevin, Dublin 9. (01) 837 7516. info@acnireland.org www.acnireland.org

IBAN IE32 BOFI 9005 7890 6993 28 BIC BOFI IE2D If you give by standing order, or have sent a donation recently, please accept our sincere thanks. This MIRROR is for your interest and information.

Registered Charity Numbers: (RoI) 9492 (NI) XR96620.

LENDING TO GOD Signs of divine Providence I am 80 years old. I have four children and 13 grandchildren. I enclose a donation for you and ask you to pray for their faith. When I read the Mirror, I suffer on account of the catastrophes in the world. Fortunately, the religious sisters are a sign of God’s loving providence for all these unfortunate ones. My father always used to say, ‘Whoever gives to the poor is lending to God.’ A benefactress from Canada Thanks be to God for all His gifts What am I doing for such a marvellous charity as yours? Donating a few miserable Euros from time to time? Saying a few feeble prayers – and sometimes distracted ones at that? Where would we be without the infinite mercy of our loving God and the generosity of so many of our brothers and sisters…! Whenever I read your reports, I feel sorry that I cannot give more. But there are so many needs around us – in the family, in the parish, in the helpless people all around us… And however much we love everyone, there are limits to what we can do. I give thanks to God for everything he sends me, regardless of whether it is something I like or something that I’m not so keen on. But I am also conscious that I sometimes tend to forget your needs. Please forgive me! I will try to remember and respond according to the priorities around me. A student from Haiti

PSALM 150: Praise for God’s Surpassing Greatness the Lord! P raise Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty firmament! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his exceeding greatness! 3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with timbrel and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! 5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! 2

TO READ BACK ISSUES OF THE MIRROR PLEASE VISIT ACNIRELAND.ORG

Aid to the Church in Need

Go rebuild my church

Strength amid Suffering The true measure of Humanity 15 - 4

15 - 3

Aid to the Church in Need

go rEbuild mY church

Go rEbuild my church

‘Big-Hearted’ Ecumenism and the New Evangelisation

Wake up the World 15 - 2

15 - 1

Stand firm in the faith, be strong. (1 Cor. 16:13) ‘EACH PERSON IS CALLED BY GOD IN A UNIQUE MANNER.’ ACN Spiritual Assistant

‘No vocation is born of itself or lives for itself. A vocation flows from the heart of God and blossoms in the good soil of faithful people, in the experience of fraternal love.’

A joyful ‘Yes’ to God – for life. Candidates for the priesthood at the Good Shepherd Seminary in Nigeria.

Message to the 51stWorld Day of Prayer for Spiritual Vocations, 11 May 2014.

Aid to the Church in Need 151 St. Mobhi Road, Dublin 9. 01 837 7516 info@acnireland.org www.acnireland.org

IBAN IE32 BOFI 9005 7890 6993 28 BIC BOFI IE2D