The Newsletter of Catholic Mission
Registered by Australia Post NAR 3547 5/93 Volume 16 No1
World Mission Month
Youth in Mission. Care for Creation. Care for Neighbour Welcome to the latest issue of Mission Today, celebrating October as World Mission Month and culminating in World Mission Day on Sunday 21 October. The theme for World Mission Month 2007 is Youth in Mission, Care for Creation, Care for Neighbour. Catholic Mission is celebrating the great work that so many are doing around the world to continue Jesus’ mission. We’re shining the spotlight on how many young people are involved in Jesus’ Mission, making a world of difference by proclaiming the Gospel with their daily lives in the streets and in schools, in urban and in rural areas. In this celebration we’re particularly highlighting a better future with regards to caring for creation and caring for our neighbour. Almost every challenge facing God’s creation today – pollution, deforestation, falling bio-diversity, global warming – all have their roots in social imbalance and lack
of care for each other. Where there is ecological degradation it is the poor and most vulnerable who suffer first and worst. Catholic Mission supports thousands of projects around the world, and in particular many projects that help Care for Creation. By helping people in communities we often help the environment as well. Recently in Aitape, Papua New Guinea, Catholic Mission helped install six solar panels for six Mission stations in remote areas. For these people this is the only way they can have electricity. continued overleaf
A Sudanese refugee who is caring for neighbour… When Augustino Dut was growing up in Sudan, it was very difficult. Augustino loved to study, but it was hard. “The school I attended had no classrooms. We sat outside under trees to have our lessons,” said Augustino. Later, the community built mud huts for the children to take their classes in, but they were burnt down in the war.
Imagine living in a country in which the average life expectancy is just 37 years. One in five of your friends and family members is HIV positive. Your children are at great risk of succumbing to malaria. Health and education services are grossly inadequate. Privatisation means it’s too expensive to grow your own food and unemployment is high. Where do you turn? Left: Catholic Mission supports healthcare for mothers and babies in Zambia continued overleaf
Right: Augustino Dut fled Sudan as a four-year-old boy. continued overleaf
Catholic Mission catholicmission.org.au 1800 257 296
Catholic Mission National Office: Level 5, 47 Neridah St Chatswood NSW 2067
World Mission Month continued World Mission Day is celebrated every year in every country wherever there are Christian communities committed to building a better world for all of God’s people. A world where everyone has all that they need to live a dignified and fulfilling life. Pope Benedict XVI asks in his address for World Mission Sunday that “the whole People of God reflect together on the urgency and the importance of the Church's missionary activity in our day”. This missionary endeavour he says “is still the first service which the Church owes to humanity today, to orient and evangelise cultural, social and ethic changes and to offer Christ's salvation to the men and women of our day humiliated and oppressed in many parts of the world because of endemic poverty, violence and systematic denial of human rights”.
There are many ways you can celebrate World Mission Month 2007. One of the simplest is wearing a sticker. “I care for creation” or “I care for my neighbour” stickers have been produced for this year for students or anyone else in the community who wants to proclaim their support for Catholic Mission and World Mission Month. There are also student worksheets, teachers notes and parish kits all available on the Catholic Mission website in the World Mission Day Portal. Visit www.catholicmission. org.au to download these resources, and read about the latest news and events for World Mission Month 2007.
Yours sincerely in Christ, Father Terence Bell
A Sudanese refugee who is caring for neighbour... continued For Augustino to have any chance in life and get an education he had to leave Sudan. He fled to Ethiopia when he was just four years old. He lived in a refugee camp for five years, then was sent to Uganda for two months and finally ended up in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. Augustino lived there for six years. Times were hard in Kakuma. It was so dry and dusty, everything was constantly covered in dust. “We ate a meal once a day if we were lucky,” said Augustino. It was during his time in Kakuma that Augustino felt a great need to help people in his community. He became a catechist and led prayers for people. Priests were not always available in the refugee camp, so lay people were called upon to help others fulfil their spiritual needs. Augustino applied for a refugee visa for Australia, and after a process that took two years, he finally boarded a plane and arrived in Sydney in September 2005. Augustino is a pillar of strength to many in the Sudanese community in western Sydney. He has three jobs and is studying two courses and supports his 72-year-old stepgrandmother and her three grandchildren. He is studying for a Bachelor of Education, specialising in helping people with disabilities. He also attends TAFE at night, learning interpreting and translating. He works at two of the local primary schools teaching Dinka (the native Sudanese language) to the Sudanese students and also teaches sport. He teaches choir singing to a Sudanese choir at a local Catholic church. Augustino has also started a drive safe program for refugees in the community, as most of the time, newly arrived refugees have never driven a car. It just gives them a bit of
information they will need before they begin driving lessons. He is also the Vice Chairperson for the Young Christian Workers Group Leaders team, which is run by young people for young people. They help refugees and migrants learn about the Industrial Relations laws in Australia, help them use local libraries and run computer classes. “When I see a need, if I can do something I can afford, I do it. Otherwise I feel pain,” said Augustino. Augustino’s goal is to become a teacher to help students with special needs and disabilities, and help the community. He is a great example of a youth in mission, helping people in his own community. Below: Augustino and some of his sport students from St Joachim’s Primary School, Lidcombe.
Drama heals the hurt Ruth Townley is a young Australian woman working with the Acholi people in northern Uganda as a youth worker with the Jesuit Refugee Service. She is in the town of Kitgum near the UgandaSudan border at Christ the King Parish working with ‘vulnerable youth’ homeless, former childsoldiers and those orphaned by AIDS. She does ‘storytelling drama’ with them to help them heal their hurt. Here is a story that Ruth shares from the people that she works with. Story about the Hunter – from the Acholi people of North Uganda Once upon a time there was a man who went hunting and found a very brave, ruthless animal called buffalo, which had produced its kid. The hunter
caught buffalo’s kid. By the time he caught the buffalo’s kid, the kid cried in a very loud and sharp sound. Then the mother buffalo came running to rescue its kid from the hunter. Immediately the hunter saw mother buffalo coming, the man ran very fast and climbed up the tree for protection. The mother buffalo came and stood under the tree waiting for the man who climbed on the tree. There was no way the man can
Thanks to St James On the Feast of St James and St Philip, the students of St James School, Kotara (near Newcastle in NSW), participated in a Mission awareness and fun day. The students from the Kindergarten class tell us about their day. “Our parents gave us money to buy tokens to raise money for Catholic Mission. We went to the unit and listened to a mission talk. Sandy told us about the poor people in Africa. They have to walk miles to get water and food. Some African mummies and daddies who can’t look after their babies give them away. She told us that we can help these poor people by giving them money or clothes. After the talk we went on a long walk to see how it was for the African people when they need to get water and food. We came back to school and had a yummy sausage sandwich. Later we used our tokens to play games. Some of the games were water bomb mayhem, choose a stick, what’s in a box, balloon stomp, bust a balloon and jokes. There was hair spraying, lucky dips, face painting, karaoke, ice cream and icy cups. We won lollies too. We put all our left over money on the words. The words said, “We are Co-Missionaries!” It was a fantastic day. We raised $1337 for Catholic Mission.” Right: Two students line up their coins at St James School, Kotara
come down for a long time. The man started making an alarm whereby very many people came to help him; they came and fought that animal tiredly till they killed it. The man came down from the tree and gave thanks to all those people who rescued him and his life from the dangerous buffalo. This teaches us that you should help another who is in danger. If you too are in danger you need to
call for help, don’t die hurriedly without calling for help. We can help our brothers and sisters in the developing world by giving generously to the World Mission Month appeal. Your money will help Catholic Mission answer these urgent calls for help. Above: Ruth Townley gathers with elders singing to celebrate creating their story of the Hunter.
Youth! Speak ‘07 During October, World Mission Month, four young people from overseas will be travelling throughout northern Australia as part of Youth! Speak ’07 – Youth Speak to Church. The aim of the forum is to broaden people’s understanding of mission, by hearing about what some are already doing. It also aims to inspire others to carry on the mission of Jesus to create a better society, a society that is more just, peaceful and humane.
Sherlyn Khong from Singapore is a Youth Mission Coordinator who takes young Singaporeans to the Philippines to work with people who live on the Payatas Dumpsite in Manila. Along with her group of young missionaries, she helps the poor and also aims to get other young people involved in mission. Paul Petrus is the first tertiary educated young man in his village in Papua New Guinea. He is a role model for the other youth in his community, most of whom did not complete secondary school prior to Paul’s achievement. Paul now works as a research officer with Non Government Organisations (NGOs). Working closely with mainly the majority rural people, he sees the real grass roots level issues that affect the development of their society. Paul’s work provides raw data for policy makers in the government and the NGOs, the foundation to make sustainable and real decisions for the good of his people. Marie Mondu, also from Papua New Guinea is a singer/songwriter as well as an educator for HIV/
Workplace giving for Catholic Mission In over 160 countries around the world Catholic Mission is providing essential services to those in real need - health, education, food, hygiene and nutrition, caring for children, building schools, orphanages, health clinics and churches, partnering local churches and communities with spiritual and pastoral care and fostering local church leadership. It does feel good to make a difference and workplace giving is a simple and powerful way to bring hope to many around the world. Your donations are taken from your salary before tax, which means that for every dollar you pledge it only costs you 55 cents (*if you’re taxed at the top marginal tax rate of 45%) Participating in Workplace Giving is a great way for businesses to show corporate social responsibility which sends positive signals to shareholders, employees and customers. If you are an employee you can make donations to Catholic Mission in an efficient and taxeffective manner, eliminating the need to collect receipts or wait until the end of the year to claim a tax refund. Workplace giving is a flexible way to donate to Catholic Mission; you can join, alter or withdraw at any time. Your donations are made from your pre-tax salary which reduces the amount of tax you have to pay without affecting the amount you give to Catholic Mission. This means that more money
reaches the people and communities that need it most. Your donations assist exploited and marginalised communities to reclaim their rightful participation and inclusion in the human family. Download the Catholic Mission Workplace Giving Form from Catholic Mission’s website and give it to your payroll department. No amount is too small to make a positive difference to the lives of vulnerable people all over the world. Catholic Mission is a registered Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) and registered on the Australian Business Register. If you’d like more information contact Catholic Mission on 1800 257 296 or download the Catholic Mission Workplace Giving form from the website at www. catholicmission.org.au
AIDS awareness and gender issues. Marie has a degree in Arts and Communications and works at the Melanesian Institute in Goroka, PNG. Ludivico Fatima Alves is an East Timorese young man who lives in a village in the mountains behind Dili. He works with the Christian Brothers ministry, meeting the health, education and grassroots development needs of six villages in the area. The Youth! Speak forum will operate as two separate tours, one going through inland Australia and one on the East Coast. The inland tour features Paul Petrus and Sherlyn Khong as the guest speakers and travels from Darwin to Alice Springs and then Brisbane, from 4-10 October. The coastal tour features Ludivico Fatima Alves and Marie Mondu and travels from Cairns to Warwick and then Casino, from 7-14 October. If you would like to attend the Youth! Speak forum, phone Catholic Mission on 1800 257 296.
Water Tanks & Churches Often, in remote communities all over the world Catholic Mission is asked to help fund or subsidise projects like rebuilding churches. In many areas these types of works serve many purposes – a church for the formation of the people, a community hall for gatherings and a tank for fresh drinking water. Surai is a small village in Papua New Guinea. The village is home to 100 people. When they rebuild the church, they will also install a water tank, providing fresh drinking water for the whole parish of 350 people. Currently, many of the locals walk a round trip of two hours to get fresh water. The water tank on the side of the church means this walk will only take five minutes. The church is currently in such disrepair that rebuilding is the only option. With the water tank on the side of the church this will help the community not only with their faith, but their health too – caring for neighbour and caring for creation.
Recycling is a key message in Port Elizabeth
The Young and Inspirational
There are no handouts in Missionvale, Port Elizabeth in South Africa. Instead, the people of the surrounding villages are asked to bring something to be recycled to then receive bread and soup powder in return. This not only increases their self worth, but assists with building a stronger sense of community, involvement and achievement. The latest project the villagers are working on is wood packing pallets. The men and women pull them apart and then make outdoor benches and tables out of them. Everything is reused – even the nails. This is a project that the people of Missionvale have only recently embarked upon, and are now looking for an outlet to sell them in order to make money. The project in Missionvale is run by the Little Company of Mary sisters. Sister Ethel with a group of trustees help make many things happen there. There is an HIV/AIDS clinic, school, recycling projects and assistance with food parcels to name a few. This is just one of the many projects that Catholic Mission supports around the world through their work of Partnering Local Churches and Communities. Below: Villagers pulling apart the packing pallets.
Most 24-year-olds would have been in the midst of high school back in 1999. In East Timor, 1999 was a year of disruption and catastrophe. The referendum for independence from Indonesia quickly spiraled into violent clashes with the pro-Indonesian militia. At 16 years of age, Ludivico Fatima Alves was caught in the middle of a national crisis. His life was disrupted, his spirit and courage were not. His family had to move away from home to hide, as the Militia were trying to kill them. In 2001, Comunidade Edmund Rice (CER) moved into the district and Ludivico learned English. “I realised that learning English was important for the future of Timor Leste,” said Ludivico. He began working with the CER in 2002 assisting with interpreting. He helped build community centres, train Timorese to run literacy groups and helped with pre-school groups. In 2004, he married Imelda Soares, who works with the pre-schools. They have one son, Samuel. He is a leader in his church community with the Catholic scout corps which has 40 members. They assist the Church, in particular at Easter and Christmas. He is very involved in the life of the local villagers and was a candidate for the position of village chefe (leader) in the election three years ago. He did not win, but came second. This year Ludivico joined the CNRT political party (National Council of Timorese Resistance led by Xanana Gusmao). Ludivico is one of four speakers who will be here in Australia to raise awareness for World Mission Month. People all over the world need our help, and we need more leaders like Ludivico. Be inspired, and help us help those who need it most. Above: Ludivico and his wife Imelda at a pre-school in Railaco Leten
Youth in Mission DVD Australian Catholics dig deep for those in need Catholic Mission has produced an educational DVD for World Mission Month 2007. “Youth in Mission: A world of difference” is an 11-minute documentary featuring three young people from diverse backgrounds who are missionaries in their local communities.
For the fifth consecutive year Catholic Mission raised more money than ever before. This is due to the generosity and compassion that Australians share for those people in real need. Total gross donations from all dioceses were up 6.6 per cent to a record $12.44 million in gross donations. Catholic Mission is the Church’s global mission aid agency, with three major works.
Israel works as a youth worker and choir leader in a squatter town of Johannesburg, South Africa. Daniella works in a women’s health program in the poor favelas of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and Chris works as an Aboriginal education consultant in Western Sydney. Each in their unique way is clearly involved in furthering Jesus’ mission daily in their local community. Copies of the DVD are available for schools, as a support for the student worksheets. There are a limited number available for parishes if required. For a copy of “Youth in Mission: A world of difference” phone 1800 257 296.
Partnering Local Churches and Communities (Society for the Propagation of the Faith), raising over $7 million. Fostering Local Church Leadership (Society of St Peter Apostle) raising $1.1 million, and Caring for Children (Children’s Mission) raising over $4.2 million up 21.5 per cent. World Mission Day in October 2006 contributed about $1.94 million to Partnering Local Churches and Communities, which was a 6.5 per cent increase on the previous year. More than $1.9 million was received in bequests representing an incredible increase of 161 per cent. “The Annual Report highlights the wonderful work that Catholic Mission does all over the world,” said Father Terry Bell, Catholic Mission National Director. “I thank everyone who has generously contributed with donations, and also with their time and prayers.” Catholic schoolchildren also gave up more than ever raising $471,000 so children less fortunate than them could have a better chance at life through the children first! program. Overall this represents an increase of 4.4 per cent on the previous year.
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