Aug-Sept 2012

The Magazine of the Missionary Society of St. Columban

August/September 2012

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Totally Worth It

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ecently I was reading about Cassie Bernall, one of the high school students who was killed on that terrible April morning in 1999 at Colombine High School. She had been not just a moody teenager, but one who had written about something it turned out that she shared with her killers: violent fantasies about murder and suicide. But by the grace of God she had turned her life around and on the eve of her last day on earth she wrote, “Honestly, I want to live completely for God. It’s hard and scary, but totally worth it.” The next day, one of the boys who had gone on a shooting rampage around the school asked her if she believed in God. She answered “yes” and they “blew her away.” A lifetime of grace, conversion, commitment and witness were tragically telescoped into a very few years.

Cassie’s story reminded me of another teenager called Patrick who wrote what has come to be known as St. Patrick’s Confession of Grace.

“I was then about sixteen years old…. I did not know God …and did not keep His commandments. …(God) had mercy on my youth and ignorance and watched over me before I knew Him…He kept me safe and comforted me as a father would In So Many WordS his son. And that then is why I cannot remain

By Fr. John Burger silent.” As we can see young Patrick’s life was also marked by the same four elements— grace, conversion, commitment and witness.

Mission life is a demanding discipline that teaches compassion, the capacity to understand human weakness. Columban Father Colm McKeating, after many years as a missionary has written: “The best missionaries are not the most accomplished or the most talented; they are not the ones that have the answers to problems. Rather, they are the ones who are aware of their need for others and thus allow people to get close to them. They have no agendas, no pretensions, but are true servants.”

Are today’s youth capable of this true servanthood? Whatever the century, it is a terrible mistake to underestimate the depth of the spirituality that teenagers are capable of. I firmly believe that God is still keeping our young people safe, comforting them and inspiring them to live completely for Him. One way to live completely for Him is, of course, the missionary vocation. I believe that the Lord and the world are ever in need of true servants, and that He is calling them. And I agree with Cassie, “Living completely for God is hard and scary but totally worth it.”

I believe that the Lord

and the world are ever in need of true servants, and that He is calling them.

Fr. John Burger serves on the Society’s general council in Hong Kong. www.columban.org

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Creatively Hopeful

An Emerging Catholic Church in Pakistan An interview by Columban Fr. Peter Woodruff with Fr. Pascal Robert OFM, Academic Dean, National Catholic Institute of Theology (NCIT), Karachi and Fr. Pervaiz Gulzar, professor of Spirituality, NCIT, Karachi

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Fr. Peter Woodruff: How do you see the future of the Catholic Church in Pakistan?

Fr. Pascal Robert: I am optimistic for a few reasons.

We are witnessing a steady transition from foreign to local leadership. In our local Church I feel that we are in a moment of vibrant faith, as witnessed by the existence of a ferment expressed in many theological and religious publications and the existence of numerous grassroots pastoral centers. Our being Christian is part of our identity and so to challenge our religion is to challenge our existence. We live and breathe our Christian faith.

Being a religious minority prompts us to become aware of who we are. We realize that we

cannot take for granted our being Christian. It is a fact of our lives that makes a significant difference.

The growth of Islamic fundamentalism does not derail us but rather makes us go back to the core of our faith. We feel challenged to be more conscious of our faith, to put in more time and effort to study and understand our faith.

All feel this challenge, even more so among lay men and women who live in the midst of society.

We priests live in a protected environment, but lay people live and work in a Muslim world, which is friendly and tolerant in nonreligious areas of life, but often fanatical in religious matters.

We Christians have to be able to explain our religion in a nonWWW.COLUMBAN.ORG

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“In many parts of Pakistan the Catholic Church has organized ministries to the poor without discrimination.” ~ Fr. Pervaiz Gulzar

“In our local Church I feel that we are in a moment of vibrant faith…” ~ Fr. Pascal Robert

offensive way. If we give offense intentionally or unintentionally, we run the risk of being taken to court and condemned on the basis of the “Blasphemy Law.” The Muslim majority is not at risk in this way.

What are some of the things being done by the local Church to strengthen the faith of lay Catholics?

Fr. Pervaiz Gulzar: The NCIT has taken three initiatives in this area. We run a three-year program in which lay Catholics in the Karachi area can enroll and obtain a “Certificate of Theological Studies.” Students study a variety of courses, such as Bible, dogmatic and moral theology, church history and catechesis. They attend four hours of class per week. Every two months we run a theological seminar on a topic of current interest. Seminarians who are in their final year of studies, with the help of one professor, prepare the seminar. Two to four hundred people attend. We have worked on topics such as the following: the treasure of the Church – WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG

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not constructing buildings and institutions, but building up the People of God; the importance of the Bible in lives of people immersed in Pakistani society; the role of liturgy in the growth of the Church; the call of the laity and the challenges of the faith for mission.

We run a refresher session twice a month for catechists from the Karachi diocese. This month the topic was, “The importance of dialogue with other religions according to Vatican II.” Of course, we focus on dialogue with Islam.

We have expressed openness to dialogue, but Muslims don’t take dialogue as complementary.

Rather they feel that it implies that whoever wants it is lacking something. (Ed. Note: Fr. Pascal is the spokesperson of the Catholic Church in Karachi in the area of Christian/Muslim dialogue.)

Another Karachi based organization, The Catholic Catechetical Center, is also active in the formation of laity, which is a top priority for the Archdiocese of Karachi.

How does the Pakistani Catholic Church contribute to the development of Pakistani society?

Fr. Pervaiz Gulzar: In many parts of Pakistan the Catholic Church has organized ministries to the poor without discrimination.

As a developing country with few nationally organized social welfare services, we have responded to the need by taking initiatives in a variety of fields, the most significant being schools, but also hospitals and medical centers, centers for skills training, homes for seniors and disabled, many projects for the improvement of agricultural methods, credit cooperatives, emergency relief especially in the time of floods and human rights commissions. The basic purpose of our welfare work is to empower people for life. For example, in the case of flood relief, we help flood victims get back on their feet. Other projects, such as schools, seek to empower people to better take on life’s challenges.

While our welfare ministries require a major commitment of personnel and resources, a constant and, in the long term, the most significant Catholic Church contribution to Pakistani society is our commitment to an ongoing “Dialogue for Harmony.”

Orchestrating this dialogue is a continuous creative task. The main protagonists of this dialogue are our lay people who live and work in a society that is far from harmonious. We do our best to equip and motivate them for this task that will continue to be unfinished business well beyond our lifetime. CM Fr. Peter Woodruff lives and works in Australia.

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The Dreams of a New Generation Pakistani Seminarians Speak to Columban Fr. Peter Woodruff Shahzad Arshad, Archdiocese of Karachi

I am from the city. I want to do higher studies in scripture. I was on a pastoral assignment in a parish for six months last year, and many parishioners spoke to me about the need for Bible courses. I also want to do home visiting, get to know them and allow them to get to know me. There are homes for orphan girls but not for orphan boys who often end up becoming lost in a world of gangs, drugs and violence. I want to do something about that.

Catholic. My family moved to Lahore ten years ago.

I also want to do further studies in scripture as there is a lack of scripture professors in Pakistan.

We also need more grassroots catechesis in the remote rural areas of our diocese as people need this to feel strengthened in their faith. I would also hope to interest lapsed Catholics in returning to the Church as they see how further formation is giving greater meaning and joy to their neighbors. I want to do something about providing education in rural areas.

Imtiaz Nishan, Archdiocese of Lahore

Tahir Sattar, Quepta Vicariate

I am from a mixed village of around 500 families in the Lahore area; about 40 families were Christian and 25 of those were

I am from Faisalabad, east of Lahore, but have volunteered for Quepta which needs more priests. Our vicariate has a recently

L–R: Shahzad Arshad, Imtiaz Nishan, Tahir Sattar, Aneel Khussam, and Waqar Victor.

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ordained Sri Lankan born bishop who belongs to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate and has been working in Pakistan for 30 years. I grew up in rural villages, but our family moved frequently as my father was a deacon working for the diocese.

I want to do a Master’s degree in Islamic Studies in order to equip myself better to deal with disputes with Muslims. I also want to do further studies in scripture in Punjab, and I would like to have as full an understanding as possible in order to deal with other religions.

I want to work for the education of our people who are neglected because of discrimination.

Aneel Khussam, Multan Diocese

I am from a Catholic village of 500 families.

I want to become a good pastor as there is a lack of priests in our diocese, and I want to help Catholics be strong in our faith. I want to be with people and catechize them. If the bishop allows me do higher studies, I will study spirituality.

Waqar Victor, Islamabad – Rawalpindi Diocese

I am glad to be from the dioceses of Taxila, where tradition maintains that St. Thomas preached. We have good relations with the Muslims who also have a strong devotion to St. Thomas as the village where he was staying at the time of a major earthquake was not destroyed. The Muslims refer to him as “Merciful Thomas” or “Karám Tomá.” I want to be a spiritual pastor, one who knows his sheep and is known by them. I want to be a missionary in another needy diocese in Pakistan. I also want to do higher studies in liturgy, if possible in Rome. Further I would like to work in catechesis. CM www.columban.org

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Training Spiritual Directors in China Signs of Growth

by Eamonn o’brien

“At the present, many religious communities and seminaries are all in need of qualified formators.

In response to these needs, I think you should continue this program in order to provide opportunities to more participants to receive such training.”

The above statement pretty much sums up the trend of the feedback from religious superiors and Bishops regarding our first three-year training course for spiritual directors that began in 2007 and concluded in 2009.

Therefore, the China Formation Committee of the Missionary Society of St. Columban in collaboration with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of China and the National Catholic Seminary initiated the second, three-year program for the training of spiritual directors in August 2011. The program will run until 2014.

There were 111 applicants for the program; 82 were women religious www.columban.org

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and 29 were diocesan priests. We would have liked to have some lay people, but the Church of China has not yet reached that stage since it began to function again more freely in the 1980s.

Providentially, a lay woman with whom I had not been in touch with for some years contacted me in mid-July full of zeal for mission and engaged in a great lay project.

She said that last year when she saw the brochure for the program, she thought to herself, “I will have the lay people in that course next time round, and I will consider it myself.”

The current program began with a one-year preparatory period, July 2010 to July 2011, for the 33 participants in their home locations. Following the preparatory period, they came to the National Seminary on August 2, 2011, for one month.

The program will have two more summer school sessions of

one month each and a supervised period of practice for eleven months after each summer school session until 2014. The supervised period will involve weekend meetings and supervision from the program staff.

The applicants have come from all over China: from Mongolia in the north to Henan in the south, from Gansu province in the west to Hangzhou in the east. The priests represent eleven dioceses, and more than half have been ordained within the last six years. There are 22 religious congregations represented that are working in twenty dioceses throughout China.

This training service arose from the requests of Bishops and religious superiors in the early 2000s who were very much aware of the lack of trained personnel to work in the formation areas for men and women in training for ministry. When we consulted the Bishops and superiors at the end of the program on whether we should continue, the feedback included the following words from one of the Bishops: “I have seen the changes in Father, very obvious; he is using his training to help seminarians and young priests, and the result is very good. I think you should continue this program because if the spiritual life of people is not nurtured it will die…. I also hope that the August/September 2012

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younger generation will receive this training to help to give quality to their personal lives and then they will make a great contribution to evangelization in China.”

Of the twelve male participants, five will contribute to work in formation centers. The seven others are working in pastoral situations, and they desire to be able to offer greater service to the faithful who are seeking guidance in prayer, relationship with God and evangelization.

Of the 21 religious Sisters, some are in transition in their posts while some hold formal posts in formation. Others are working by accompanying parishioners who are seeking more nourishment for their faith than has been given hitherto.

Each summer school session has a particular focus. The first year,

it is listening and attention skills, listening and attention to self, to God and to others. The second year will have the main emphasis of personal experience of God in prayer and life. The third year will continue to be personal experience of God in prayer and intensive training in the understanding of and art of spiritual direction and mission.

In addition to myself, the program has four resident staff, two priests and a Sister from mainland China who have studied overseas and have now returned on mission in China, and a Filipino-Chinese lay woman who gave up a career in the Philippines to work for evangelization in China where her grandparents were born. Without these people, the program in the Mandarin language could not run.

I am particularly happy about this development as a sign of growth in the Church of China. During our first program, we drew the majority of the resident staff from outside China.

I conclude with an item of feedback from a participant of the first program regarding her experience: “It is very important to keep solidarity, integrity, opening of mind and acceptance of others, especially accepting oneself. To live the life of Jesus and to experience His existence, this is the only way to be His witness and to preach His Gospels.” CM Fr. Eamonn O’Brien lives and works in China.

First Profession Contemplative Monastery of the Sisters of St. Augustine

by Fr. Eamonn o’brien

“Chinese dishes are known for their many flavors,” said the 88year-old Bishop (ordained a Bishop at the ripe old age of 76) who conducted the first profession of Sr. Teresa Benedita in Shansi, China, on the feast of St. Monica. “Today,” he went on to say, “in the Church of our Province, a new flavor is being definitively added—that of contemplative life.”

I had celebrated the annual feast of St. Monica five times in the Philippines in the early 1970s.

The highlight was a joyful meeting 8

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Vows

between the Statue of St. Monica from my church with the Statue of St. Augustine from the neighboring parish and the colorful, music-filled return of Mother and Son to our parish for the Fiesta.

I never thought then that 40 years later, once again on the feast of St. Monica, I would be present

at the first profession in China for the new Contemplative Monastery of St. Augustine—the first such venture in China since liberation in 1949.

The experience in the Cathedral was very moving from watching the elderly Bishop arriving, assisted by two seminarians supporting each of www.columban.org

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Celebrating the profession!

his arms, to the moment when Sr. Benedita made her vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in the spirit of St. Augustine and the tradition of the Windesheim congregation with the other three members of her community at her side.

The Bishop was clear of mind and firm of voice although he was hardly able to walk, having spent twenty years in prison and ten in solitary confinement. He delighted in the new development in his diocese in which he played a significant role. At the beginning of the century, when approached

by Sr. Mary Niu, who felt called to develop the contemplative vocation in China, he agreed “without thinking,” but not impulsively, as he made clear to me. “When Sr. Mary told me her story and the dream of her contemplative vocation, my years in solitary confinement flashed to my memory, painful as they were; but now I saw the point of it all. It was a grace that allowed me to be open to recognize and understand her call to initiate a contemplative monastery, as that was the only thing left for me while in prison—contemplation.”

He had no doubt that this was the work of the Spirit, and “the flower which was opening was a contribution not only to the life of the Church in China, but to the Church throughout the world.” www.columban.org

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Fr. Eamonn and friends

And he went on to say, “this is another way of evangelization.”

He wanted no splits in life and encouraged the congregation also to blend prayer and work in their daily lives.

I was privileged to be there representing Cultural Exchange with China and the many people in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States who were supporting this development.

I was able to give the personal greetings of both Cardinal O’Brien of Scotland and Cardinal Murphy O’Connor, Westminster, five contemplative communities in the U.K., and those of many old age pensioners who had sent offerings taped to a letter with the prayer that God would bless this venture.

The local diocese was well represented: 22 of the 32 priests of the diocese were present (all ordained since 1989) as well as lay Catholics, Sisters, the parents of Sr. Benedita—who had come from Mongolia—plus some of the 100 people recently baptized. The music at the Mass was composed by a lay Catholic who had died earlier in the month. As we sang “Come Holy Spirit,” something within protested that there was a need, because the resurrection of the Catholic Church in that area was positive proof that the Holy Spirit had been doing her work in

the dark days when many people, including Sr. Mary, thought “we would never again see a Catholic Church open in our town.”

The profession had its culmination in a visit to the new monastery linked to a nursing home because of the situation in China. It’s moving to the final stages and hopefully will be able to be occupied soon. More space will allow the community to have others who wish to “come and see” stay with them and experience their lifestyle according to the rule of St. Augustine. It is Sr. Mary’s dream that the monastery will also be especially a place of rest, quiet and reflection on the deepest and truest values of the Chinese and Christian traditions which are currently being bombarded by the glitter and dream of “the good life” that is grounded on possessions. CM Fr. Eamonn O’Brien lives and works in China.

Ed. Note: The author deliberately did not mention places, nor provided full names, in this article to avoid drawing attention as the contemplative monastery project is a sensitive issue with the government, and we do not wish to do anything that would jeopardize its development.

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People I Have Met Their Road to God

by Fr. Sean conneely

W

e priests are often asked, “How did we get the call from God to the priesthood?” I think some people have the idea that God spoke directly or in a dream to us.

For most men of my generation, the vocation came through the family, or priests we knew, and it was part of the atmosphere in secondary schools at the time that a fair percentage of the guys tried out their vocation by going to the seminary.

In a country like Korea, which has a small percentage of Catholics, I often wondered how the call of God came to people—especially for those brought up in a nonChristian or one-parent Catholic family.

I had the opportunity some time back to appease my curiosity when 10

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I was part of an education program where members of a religious order shared the story of their spiritual life. The religious name I give is not their proper name in order to protect their anonymity.

Sr. Joseph

“I grew up in a Buddhist family and visited the temple often to get meaning in my life from the temple worship, but after coming home I often felt as if I had a hole in my heart and a cold wind blowing through it.” After her father’s untimely death, while she was in university, she felt a deep gloom come over her and felt life had no meaning for her. She studied Catholic doctrine and was baptized, the only Christian in her family. She described her next journey in very symbolic fashion.

After graduation she got a job in a good company. But as she said, “After baptism I felt my head full of knowledge, but my hands and legs had no desire to do anything spiritual.” So she went to China to study and work for a company and continued studying Chinese language and culture. But she said, “Study, school, company work left me so empty, at times I thought of dying and taking my own life.” To find meaning in life, she decided to return to her Buddhist roots by visiting a Tibetan Buddhist monastery and spending time there. She enjoyed her Buddhist prayer, meditation, and life in the monastery but something unexpected happened. “I was so impressed by the life style and worship of the monks that it became a ‘light’ for me to join a www.columban.org

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contemplative religious order. So I packed my bags, and came home to Korea and joined the monastery.

My conversion experience in Tibet and my love of Christ in my bones is so deep I could never see myself waver in my vocation. Of course I still feel a lot of my faith is intellectual and rational knowledge, but my daily task is to get more into the heart and mind of Christ.”

Sr. Anna

After graduation in Korea, Sr. Anna’s family sent her to the U.S. for further studies. Upon completing two M.A. degrees and halfway through her doctorate in business administration she felt it was all so meaningless; she was empty inside and lost in life. On a family member’s advice she did a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. While there, she felt a deep inflow of the love of God in her life. After returning to the U.S., she quit her studies (much to the disgust of her family), came home, discerned her call in life and joined the monastery.

Sr. Mary

In a way similar to Sr. Anna, Sr. Mary was sent to the U.S. to do a Ph.D. study in philosophy.

During one summer vacation, while enjoying her studies and life in the U.S., she took a trip to Gethsemani monastery in Kentucky to visit the grave of Thomas Merton and pray the daily prayers with the monks.

“While there, something changed inside of me—I felt a strong pull towards the monastic life.” After finishing her studies, she came home and announced to her family her decision to join a monastic order of Sisters. Although her family was Catholic, they put up a lot of resistance. She looked after her ill mother for two and half years and prayed and discerned her call. www.columban.org

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“No matter what the opposition was, what happened in Gethsemani was so deep in my heart I could see no other path in life.” After her mother’s death, she joined the religious order.

a contemplative monastery. I hope and believe it is a witness to God’s presence and a condemnation of the horrors of war and a caring silent presence to those who suffer.”

Sr. Joan

Sr. Marie

Sr. Joan had a different background and grew up in a troubled family where she felt rejected and wounded by her mother. While working for a company she took time off to study theology. While studying, a friend brought her to a healing service on a regular basis. While attending those prayers and healing sessions she felt a load lifted from her heart, and the healing power of the Spirit like a balm soothing her deep set wounds. In order to share her spiritual and healing experience with others she felt her life as a religious Sister was the best way to share her grateful gifts.

Sr. Paschal

Sr. Paschal grew up in a Catholic family in Nagasaki, Japan.When the atomic bomb was dropped on the city, all of her family perished except for herself, her older sister and father. “There are no words to describe the atmosphere of the place after the explosion. The destruction of the whole place took only a minute —the death, burning, and suffering and pain of so many people. Daily life was changed. A deep silence grew over the whole city—awe, horror, more than fear and anger. It was a strange, inhuman feeling of helplessness, crying or moaning even didn’t have meaning. As I grew older I felt the silence within my soul was my call and answer to man’s inhumanity to man. So I sought out a life of deep silence in intimate relationship with God and others in

Sr. Marie shared her story in a humorous way with a group of us during lunch before she went off to minister to patients suffering from Hansen’s disease (leprosy) in China.

She grew up in a Catholic family, except for her father who had “no religion.” After she graduated from nursing school, her mother, a devout Catholic, had many choices of men lined up for her to marry.

She obediently met them all in the Korean custom of formal meeting, “Sun-Boda.” But her mind was set on a Franciscan order who cared for the sick. To the day she left home to join the convent, her mother was vehemently against the idea. Her father—a non-Christian—never said yes or no, but, as she put it, the day she left for the convent while her mother was objecting to her decision, “he blessed my path ahead by silently polishing my shoes. And he never before or after polished his own shoes or anyone else’s. It was a great gift, a great fatherly blessing to help me step on my way to a new life. It was like him walking and carrying me in my own shoes.” CM Fr. Sean Conneely lives and works in Seoul, South Korea.

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Seeing Life in a New Light Carrying Out His Mission

by Julia Tondo and Jacquelyn Truxaw

The following is a reflection by two teachers who use our Journey With Jesus Mission Education Program in their elementary school classrooms.

They joined our Mission Exposure Program to Peru in July 2011. Their encounter with Christ through their experience in Peru is alive in them today in their classrooms.

A

s we recall our footsteps with Christ in Lima, Peru, the following saying

by Columban Father Bernard (Bernie) Lane made a lasting impression:“Where there are people, there is a need.”

As educators at Good Shepherd Catholic School in San Diego, California, we teach our students the importance of being serviceoriented and community-minded participants. We encourage them to actively involve themselves in

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parish and school events, to have an awareness of local and global issues, and to volunteer for service learning projects. While our school-wide learning expectations are enriching the whole person, our Columban missionary exposure trip gained for us a new passion for and perspective about missionary work in our school community.

Being fully immersed into the Peruvian culture left an empowering imprint on our hearts, inspiring us to truly serve others. In addition, we learned how to build a church, realizing that it is the selflessness, faith, dedication, and harmony from the people rather than simply the physical structure.

Without the people, these sacred places would not exist.

The Peruvian people we met during our journey illuminated peace, openhearted joy, and a

very welcoming spirit. Visiting the churches in the presence of a Columban priest we were always welcomed with open arms and loving abrazos y besos, which means hugs and kisses in Spanish. The Peruvian families were graciously hospitable, feeding us physically and spiritually.

One particular family truly touched our hearts. They lived in a home with cement floors, an open “roof ” and no running water.

Despite the lack of these basic necessities, they had so much love for their family and friends, true devotion for Christ, and desire to understand our mission, despite the language barrier. We recall late nights sharing stories and laughing about our mission experiences thus far. The children were intrigued by our differences and wanted to share with us their toys, interests, www.columban.org

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and accomplishments in school.

A dirty, torn journal was the little boy’s proudest accomplishment in school. As teachers, it broke our hearts to see such lack of resources; yet, we were overjoyed by the exuberant spirit and enthusiasm he expressed for learning.

Human contact was truly treasured as we witnessed very different realities within the city of ten million people. We became acutely aware of the paradox of the most impoverished that live on the hills, where water and electricity are more costly. These Peruvians remain in an endless cycle of poverty, paying higher costs for basic needs, to sustain their families. We received a glimpse of the simple “necessities” we take for granted and realized the hardships they endure to live even the simplest life. Kids with two different shoes, yet waving and hugging us along the way, have instilled a sense of humility and gratitude for our blessings.

It was once again the people who expressed God’s love, helping to build the kingdom of God on Earth.

We have changed our perspective—seeing life in a new light. Our approach to teaching has been forever impacted, discussing ways our students can be missionaries within themselves, their homes, families and communities. Interactions with the Peruvian people renewed our focus on respecting human dignity for all people—all created in God’s image.

“The Golden Rule” is evident in our classroom and was implemented as a first-day-of-school activity. We feel the need to teach our students that everyone has to respect the rights of others. Reflection has played an integral part in our classrooms, giving our students a deeper understanding of their roles in following Jesus’ mission. www.columban.org

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We feel it is important to begin serving the needs of our community by raising awareness and giving monetary support to needs outside our parish community. On May 11, 2012, Miss Tondo’s 2nd Annual Ukulele Benefit Concert was a form of solidarity with our brothers and sisters. The donations for this concert were given to the Missionary Society of St. Columban with the hope of creating better futures for those in need around the world.

We have been inspired and encouraged to carry out God’s mission as we are all part of one

community—the Catholic Church.

We both feel God has called us to Good Shepherd Catholic School to carry out His mission, use our missionary experience as a tool for helping our brothers and sisters in need, and continue to love and serve others as Jesus did. Simply, where God’s people live, there is a need to minister to them. CM If you would like to know more about our Mission Exposure Program, please visit our website at: www. columban.org/get-involved . We can also be reached at ccaoprograms@ columban.org or 301-565-4547. Find us on Facebook at “Columban Fathers.”

Julia and Jacquelyn on the mission exposure trip to Peru

Julia and Jacquelyn present the proceeds from the benefit concert to Ariel Presbitero, Columban lay mission coordinator.

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Spreading God’s Net A Diaconate Ordination

by Fr. Timothy mulroy

T

he contribution of spiders to our culture continues to go unrecognized and be undervalued! Even though we spend so much of our lives surfing the internet, we never pause to think that it was partially inspired by the spider’s humble web: after all the abbreviation www stands for World Wide Web! Shouldn’t we be grateful that spiders have not yet prosecuted anyone for copyright infringement? Besides, the term internet rests heavily on the concept of a net, and it doesn’t demand so much of our imagination to see the similarities in design between a fishing net and a spider’s web.

I was reflecting on such connections during Taaremon Matauea’s diaconate ordination Mass, especially at that moment when various gifts, including 14

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a fishing net, were brought to the altar in procession. Since Taaremon’s people come from Banaba, a tiny island located in the Pacific just south of the equator, they have relied heavily on fishing for their livelihood for centuries.

Taaremon himself is an experienced fisherman who – like those fishermen by the sea of Tiberius – has responded to Jesus’ invitation to leave his boats and nets on the shore in order to become a fisher of people.

During the procession of gifts the net was carried to the altar

by Marika Nabou, a native of Fiji who lives in Chicago, and Jorge Maldonado a native of Chile who spent some years as a missionary in Fiji, but also lives now in Chicago.

The lives of Marika and Jorge, as well as the net they carried, therefore, remind us of the way

of life of the people of the South Pacific, as well as the way of life of both migrants and missionaries, who – like Taaremon – strive to form a web of relationships and friendships among peoples of different cultures, languages and countries.

A significant part of Taaremon’s preparation for missionary life has been the two years he spent in Taiwan, where he strove to adapt himself to the culture, learn Mandarin Chinese and build friendships with the local people.

It seemed most appropriate, therefore, that after the net had been placed before the altar, Sr. Theresa Fang then came forward in procession with a Chinese lantern.

Sr. Theresa, a native of China, is a student at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, the same college where Taaremon studied theology.

The glowing lantern was a reminder that, as a Columban missionary, Taaremon is to carry within himself the light of Christ in order that he might be “a light to the nations.”

Of course, Taaremon already knows from his many expeditions on open seas that a fisherman’s lantern can be just as valuable a companion as his nets during long dark nights. Those fishermen who were among the first to follow Jesus also knew what it was like to spend long dark nights at sea, and so were pleasantly surprised one particular dawn to encounter the risen Lord on the shore preparing bread for their breakfast. In the hope that all of us would encounter that same risen Lord in the sharing of bread during the ordination Mass, Ariel Presbitero brought some to the altar to be blessed by Bishop John Manz. Ariel, a native of the Philippines, coordinates the Columban lay missionary program in the U.S. Prior to his work in www.columban.org

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…it doesn’t demand so much of our imagination to see the similarities in design between a fishing net and a spider’s web. the U.S., Ariel spent more than a decade as a lay missionary in Brazil and Peru. Ariel was joined in the procession by Jean Shiffer-Shea, who carried the wine. It was a particularly poignant moment for Jean as she also carried with her to the altar the precious memory of her brother, Columban Fr. Jim Shiffer, who died earlier this year.

Fr. Jim had spent a large part of his life as a Columban missionary in Fiji and had encouraged and supported Taaremon in his vocation.

Even though most of the congregation didn’t understand the words of the Fijian hymn

sung during this procession, its melody seemed to express its message that “we offer a sacrifice of bread and wine, together with our lives, we offer all to God.” Fr. Jim had offered his life to God; now Taaremon was offering his; and indeed the entire assembly was doing likewise, inspired by the voices of Monika Lewatikana and Sainiana Tamatawale, both lay missionaries from Fiji who are living and working in the Columban parish of Corpus Christi in Juarez, Mexico.

During that procession of gifts to the altar it felt, indeed, as if the church in Mexico, Fiji, the U.S.,

Women of Faith Facing Struggle with Determination

by Vida Hequilan

Let us give something to each person we meet: joy, courage, hope, assurance, or philosophy, wisdom, a vision for the future. Let us always give something. ~ Daisaku Ikeda

I Outside the ministry center

www.columban.org

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n my years with the aboriginal ministry in the mountains of Central Taiwan, I have had the pleasure of meeting two wonderful women who made a big impact in my life: Yada L. (Auntie L.) and Yaki D. (Grandmother D.). While some of us are driven by ambition to strive for bigger and better things, these two strive simply to survive.

Philippines, Brazil, Peru, Chile, China and Banaba was meshed together and offered to God. It was a moment to savor the realization that through Columban mission, God is gathering peoples of different countries into one big net by creating an extensive network of encounters among peoples of different countries.

This web of relationships in Christ that seeks to embrace the entire globe, and which was celebrated in the procession of gifts during Taaremon’s ordination Mass, must surely make even the dexterous spider envious! CM Columban Fr. Tim Mulroy lives and works in the U.S.

Both of them have endured many struggles in life but have been able to live through them with courage, determination, and their undying faith in life.

Yada L. lives a very hard life: she works hard to provide for her family and looks after her cancer-stricken husband. She has three daughters, all of whom are married, and a son who still lives with in the family home. Even though her husband’s cancer is in remission, still, he is too weak to work, and so Yada L. is left with the responsibility of sustaining the family’s livelihood as the sole provider. Every day, she wakes up very early to work the farm; then she works in the ministry’s after-school program as one of its teachers. I sometimes wonder August/September 2012

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where she gets her energy to do all these things. I often refer to her as the “Super Woman,” because she makes everything look easy. She never complains nor blames God of her situation. She has the grace to see the beauty in life despite the difficulties.

In one of our sharing sessions, she told me that she never wanted to marry at an early age, because she wanted to study and earn a degree. But she eventually gave in to the mounting pressure, not just from her family, but from the tradition of her culture that women should marry to have a secure future. And so she got married at 18, and right away struggled to live as a wife, a mother, and as an extra hand on her husband’s farm.

Through the years she also had to deal with her husband’s drinking problem and the cultural demands placed on her as a woman.

Yaki D. is just one of the few elderly women in the village who still work in the mountains. Like Yada L., she also looks after a sick husband and provides for the two of them. She does everything now after her husband had an accident that took his leg. She works on the farm every single day and sells produce from their land, such as vegetables and fruits, to local tourists on weekends. Her determination is just unbelievable.

She never accepts any financial support from her children or relatives. Every time I see her, I never detect any sign of tiredness or sadness; she is an epitome of happiness and courage.

These women have lives of a real struggle. It is the kind of struggle that most of our women here are undergoing. In their culture, the demands of their role as a daughter, a mother, and a grandmother dictate that men should always take the front seat. Yet, as I listened to the stories of these two women, I 16

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Worshipping together

Busy at the center

heard strength, determination, and love for life.

Their choices have been limited, but they lived with those few choices and took time to celebrate the joys and successes they experienced along the way.

They never gave up on life, and their stories gave me the gift of courage and hope to be thankful for my life, and to be able to wake up every day with the determination to take on life, be it bad or good.

I learned a great life lesson from these two wonderful women, and that is to not let your struggles take you down. Instead, face life with determination and faith. CM Columban lay missionary Vida Hequilan lives and works in Taiwan.

www.columban.org

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i i i i i i i i i i

The Holy Quilters An Invitation to Mission

by Fr. robert J. clark

I

am asked from time to time to help out with Masses at Resurrection parish in Escondido, California. The Gospel one particular day spoke of how we show our love for God by caring for our families and those whom we see or hear of in need of help. Jesus summed up our task marvelously in chapter 25 of the Gospel of St. Mark....give food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, and cloth to the naked.

After Mass, a lady by the name of Dorothea approached me to ask if there was a need for clothing at our parish in northern Mexico in Ciudad Juarez right across from El Paso, Texas. Having visited there several times, I remembered how hard it is for many of the people arriving in search of work in the nearby factories. They have to stake out a little plot of earth and begin living in cardboard boxes. I also remembered how primitive the living conditions are and how Father Kevin Mullins, the Columban pastor of the local church, tries to help these folks with food baskets and other necessities. Dorothea then told me of a little group of women who made quilts and afghans for sale at parish fiestas. She offered to begin providing these materials for the people of Anapra where our Columban parish is located. She told me that, in fact, they had about 20 quilts and afghans ready to donate, each one carefully crafted by herself and two other women.

We immediately sent these to our www.columban.org

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house in El Paso for distribution to the needy in the parish.

In the past several months these ladies whom I call “the holy quilters” have sent over fifty articles to our mission. The amazing thing is that almost all these women are in their mid-eighties. They are an example of the many wonderful Catholic people who remain faithful to the Gospel and to the mission of the Church. They are a sterling example of how the call to mission can be answered at any age and in any need. Societies of priests and laity, like the Columban Fathers and associates, serve to remind the local churches of the importance of outreach and displays of generosity especially in those areas of the world where people are truly deprived of the very simplest of

necessities, such as decent food, clean water and a warm blanket for their children at night. We all need to remember how the love of God is illustrated by concern for those in need. We can all do something to help, and we ought not let age or any other obstacle be a barrier against kindness toward others. Jesus finished that story in Matthew Ch. 25 by indicating that the little acts of kindness and generosity we do to others, to the poor, the marginalized, the powerless, we do these same to Christ! That is the incredible meaning of the Incarnation, and it illustrates how intimately present God is among those He called “his little ones.” CM Fr. Robert Clark lives and works in California.

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Finding God A Journey by caitlin crotty

The following reflection was written by a former Columban Advocacy Intern, Fall 2007. Caitlin was one of the first interns in our program and among other gifts, brought an authenticity to her work. Her story echoes that of many people in their 20s who are coming to terms with their faith as an adult. For anyone who has asked the questions, “Who is God?” and “What do I believe?,” Caitlin’s story sings of a woman on a journey filled with hope.

W

hen my parents married in a Catholic church years ago, they agreed to raise their children as Catholics, like my father. As a result, I was baptized, went to Catholic school from kindergarten all the way through twelfth grade, and went to Mass every Sunday. I had religion class five days a week from the ages of five to seventeen.

I said grace before every meal and went to Reconciliation. But during my junior year of college, I stopped going to Church. Eventually, I stopped praying before I went to sleep. That was four years ago. Now my use of the Lord’s name, more often than not, is in vain.

I am not sure why my doubts about God, and Catholicism in particular, came on so strongly.

Most likely, it is because my life experiences and interactions have resulted in convictions that do not always align with the institution in which I was spiritually raised.

Regardless of the reason behind it, I believe I need to experience this separation so that some day, I do not know when, I will come

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to more fully believe—on my own terms and more completely.

I do not want my doubt to offend or my criticisms—which are not the subject of this reflection— to upset. What I would rather do is express that no matter how strong my doubts may be, I appreciate my time with the Columbans greatly.

It still influences me. It makes my understanding of Catholicism that much more nuanced. My time as a 19-year-old intern with the Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach (CCAO) still serves as a reminder of what I respect and love about Catholicism.

The people I worked with at the CCAO, and the people I visited with during my senior year of college, have dedicated their lives to working towards a more just and peaceful world through a variety of important issues—environmental justice, immigration, and peace and conflict resolution, among others. To me, the priests and lay workers of the Missionary Society of St. Columban are examples of what the Church is truly about — devotion to helping the helpless and a sincere calling to advocate for those individuals across the world who cannot speak for themselves.

They are living their faith in light of the teachings of Jesus Christ. And if there is one thing I have realized over the past few years, it is that this world needs more of Christ’s pure love, His respect for all human beings, and His peace.

I do not know where my spiritual journey will lead. Recently, I have felt that the moment is right for me to again more proactively

If there is one thing I have realized over the past few years, it is that this world needs more of Christ’s pure love, His respect for all human beings, and His peace. consider my faith. I will not limit my exploration of a religion or institution to that of the Catholic Church. But, because of certain close Catholic family members and friends and because of those I met through the Columbans, I will not exclude Catholicism, either. Four years after working for the Columbans, I am reminded of why I wanted to intern with them in the first place. To me, God is love and acceptance. I view faith as a source of encouragement and strength in the fight for social justice. This dedication to creating a more just, more loving world is what I experienced while interning at the CCAO. It is an aspect of Catholicism that I will carry with me for the rest of my life, no matter where, if ever, I find myself practicing again. CM Caitlin Crotty is a former intern with the Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach in Washington, D.C.

www.columban.org

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Columban Missionaries Invite You! WASHINGTON, D.C.

Internships • Advocate for just and sustainable legislation; • Analyze social justice issues through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching;

• Grow in your faith;

• Fall and Spring: 12 weeks / Summer: 8 weeks.

EL PASO, TEXAS

Mission Exposure Trips • Meet and hear stories from migrants and refugees; • Learn about human rights and sustainable living; • Pray and reflect on your experience; • 2012 Dates:

October 28– November 4

November 25– December 1 December 9– 15.

INTErNSHIPS • Collaborate with the local faith-based and human rights community; • Write engaging web material and social media content; • Support daily operations at the Columban Mission Center.

CHINA

AITECE, Association for International Teaching, Educational and Curriculum Exchange • Teach at a Chinese university for one year; • Live cross-cultural mission; • Discover a life unlike your own.

C O Lu m bA N

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C ENT Er fO r ADvOCACy A N D ccaoprograms@columban.org • 301-565-4547 www.columban.org/get-involved

OuTr EACH

6/29/12 1:22 PM

The Music of Language and Life The Drumbeat of the Heart

by Taaremon matauea

I

am a Columban seminarian from Fiji, a group of islands in the South Pacific sea.

Some people say Fiji is close to New Zealand and Australia, but I prefer to say that New Zealand and Australia are close to Fiji! I entered the Columban seminary in the capital, Suva, back in 2001 and, after spending four years studying there, went to Chicago, Illinois,

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to continue my training at the Columban International Seminary.

However, after studying there for two years, I was sent to Taiwan for a further two years in order to gain firsthand experience of living and working alongside experienced Columban missionaries.

Taiwan is an island close to mainland China, and while Mandarin is the official language,

other languages such as Taiwanese and the Hakka tribal language are also spoken there. However, since Mandarin is widely used throughout the island, this was the language that I set out to learn in order to be able to communicate with the local peoples as a Columban missionary. In fact, I spent most of my first year in Taiwan studying Mandarin, which I found particularly difficult because of its four tones. For instance, the word “ma� when spoken in one tone means mother, but when spoken in another tone means horse! During my first few months of language study I found it was next to impossible to distinguish these different tones when listening to people or when I myself tried to speak. It seemed that the harder I tried, the more frustrated I became, and so I lost all my initial enthusiasm. In fact I became so miserable that I thought seriously about leaving behind the mission in Taiwan and returning home. This seemed to me the only way out of my dilemma.

Around that time, during the celebration of the feast of St. Columban, I found myself singing and playing the guitar and the drum as a way of entertaining the many guests who had come to our home.

Among them was my Chinese language teacher, whose patience I had already come to greatly admire.

Toward the end of the evening she approached me and told me that a wave of inspiration had suddenly come upon her! I barely understood what she was trying to say, not just because of my inability to decipher the words she used, but also because she seemed to be telling me to bring my drums to the next class.

Without knowing what to expect, the next day I put my drums into my school bag along with my Chinese language books. However, www.columban.org

6/29/12 1:29 PM

I know now that one of the most valuable gifts that I can share with the people of Taiwan is my love for music—the music of the drums, the music of the Mandarin language, the music of life and of the heart. despite the extra weight, my bag felt lighter on my shoulders! In class the teacher had me play them and then drew my attention to the fact that I was already so familiar with the world of musical tones.

She then went on to encourage me to think of the different beats of the drums as corresponding to the four different tones of the Chinese language. From that moment things changed for me. I felt inspired by this simple yet creative approach and little by little my attitude became positive. When I reached the point where I began to enjoy learning the language, I found an even greater motivation within me to study hard and learn more. In fact, whenever I thought about the challenges of learning the language as a challenge to better understand and appreciate the music of the drums, a sense of excitement would well up inside me. Also, from that time on I began to enjoy learning Chinese songs with my teacher and friends at karaoke centers. When this happened I realized that I had fallen in love with learning the Mandarin language. www.columban.org

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As I learned the language, little by little, I began to have confidence to reach out to the local people and make new friends. Also, I started to help out a migrants workers’ center, where I sang Chinese songs during times of recreation and celebration. Those evenings of home-style entertainment helped us to relax and to become close to one another. The migrants enjoyed my musical talent, and I got to enjoy myself too! Furthermore, I also had a chance to share this joy with the youth of the parish where I helped out at weekends.

I found that through the music that we shared with one another we bonded together. At Christmas I was able to join the Chinese community in singing carols. They were so happy to have me join them in song using their own language.

They were pleasantly surprised to have a foreigner sing with them in Mandarin.

When my two years of mission experience in Taiwan were completed, I returned to the Columban International Seminary in Chicago in order to

finish my seminary studies and then returned home. This month I will be ordained to the priesthood here in Fiji, after which I hope to go back to Taiwan. I know that I will have to continue learning the language. However, the next time it will be different, because I have already gained confidence from my mission experience as a seminarian.

I know now that one of the most valuable gifts that I can share with the people of Taiwan is my love for music—the music of the drums, the music of the Mandarin language, the music of life and of the heart. I can hear now the beat of the human heart in the beat of the drums. CM Columban seminarian Taaremon Matauea will be ordained in Fiji in August 2012.

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Mission is Never Ending To ensure that the work you have so generously supported over the years continues into the future, please consider making a legacy gift by including the Columban Fathers in your estate plans. When you do, you become a lifelong member of the Columban Fathers’ Legacy Society.

For information regarding membership in our Legacy Society, obtaining our legal title or for a handy booklet on how to prepare a will, contact Fr. Mike Dodd at: Columban Fathers P.O. Box 10 St. Columbans, NE 68056 phone: 402/291-1920 • fax: 402/291-4984 • toll-free: 877/299-1920 www.columban.org • plannedgiving@columban.org

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6/29/12 1:31 PM

Saying Yes

O

ne of my greatest joys as the director of the U.S. region is spending time with members of the Columban community, a community that includes ordained Columban priests and Sisters, lay missionaries, lay employees, volunteers and others. The Columban family is an extraordinarily diverse group, filled with people bringing many gifts and different perspectives.

While different, all of them responded with a resounding “yes” to the invitation to mission.

Fr. Michael Dodd is currently working in our planned giving office in St. Columbans, Nebraska, but his journey with the Columbans began in high school.

In 1954, a Columban missionary by name of Fr. Jack Byrne visited our school to talk about vocations to the Columban missions. All I had known previously about the Columbans was that my mother received a monthly copy of the Columban magazine which I rarely looked at mainly because it did not have a sports section. Fr. Byrne talked a lot about China, but as he was leaving the chapel something happened to one of his shoes. The sole had become separated from the rest of the shoe. He seemed quite embarrassed and many of the

From the Director

By Fr. Arturo Aguilar students were laughing and guffawing at his mishap. He bent down, tried to do something with the shoe, finally picked it up and hobbled out of the chapel. I offered to help, but he said no thanks and left. One year later another Columban, Fr. Jerome Halliden, also visited and talked to the students and I recalled the previous year’s incident.

I had the opportunity to talk with him on a one to one – even more time out of the study hall. I recalled the Fr. Byrne shoe incident and he said that he had heard him tell

The Columban family is an extraordinarily diverse group, filled with people bringing many gifts and different perspectives.

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the story. Several weeks later I got a letter from Fr. Jerome thanking me for coming to see him accompanied by a short note from Fr. Jack Byrne. Thus began my missionary journey with the Columban Fathers.

Originally from Australia, Columban Fr. Kevin Mullins was raised in a home where the family prayed for vocations around the dinner table.

Fr. Kevin’s family also received the Columban magazine, The Far East, which Fr. Kevin read as a boy. However, as much as he prayed for vocations for other young men, he had other plans. He was going to be a Quantas pilot. All of that changed in high school when he joined a youth group where he and the other boys, along with their fathers, would go fishing and hiking with local priests. It was on one of those outings that he met Columban Fr. Warren Kinne and learned more about the missionary priesthood. Wanting to spend his life living and working with the poor, Fr. Kevin joined the Columbans, and Quantas lost a potential pilot!

Now, Fr. Kevin lives and works among some of the most economically poor people in the world in the very violent and often dangerous area of Anapra, Mexico.

Like Fr. Mike and Fr. Kevin, Columban Sister Virgie Mozo also read the Columban magazine in her home in the Philippines. Her vocation was nurtured and encouraged by her maternal grandmother and her experience of donating food to the children of Vietnam during the war years.

Later she met two Columban Sisters who were authentically entering into the lives of the people, Sr. Virgie’s people, sharing their joys, their trials, their lives. It was then that Sr. Virgie decided to become a Columban Sister. She has worked in Chile and Pakistan and currently serves as the regional superior for the Sisters in the U.S. Fr. Mike, Fr. Kevin and Sr. Virgie are just three examples of the many people who responded to the Columban invitation to mission. All three were moved by the articles they read about missionaries crossing boundaries of culture and language to spread the Good News. Now, they too continue the story, sharing their gifts and talents, and I suspect, inspiring others as well.

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COLUMBAN FATHERS PO BOX 10 ST. COLUMBANS, NE 68056

Journey With Jesus!

Journey With Jesus is the supplementary Catholic mission education curriculum for grades preschool through eighth grade from the Columban Fathers.

Five lessons per grade containing: •

Opening and closing prayers

•

Video presentations (DVD)

•

Original songs on CD

•

Activities

•

At Home Connections

•

Posters

Journey With Jesus is available free on loan or for purchase. See the Columban Mission Education website (www.columban.org/ missioned) for more information and how to order the program.

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NON PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID COLUMBAN FATHERS

An Invitation Calls for a Response We are but clay, formed and fashioned by the hand of God.

That is to say, we are weak and vulnerable but with God’s grace we are capable of great generosity and idealism.

Is God calling you to spread the good news?

To a life of ministry among those who are less fortunate and more vulnerable than you are?

We invite you to join this new generation by becoming a Columban Father or Columban Sister.

If you are interested in the missionary priesthood, write or call…

If you are interested in becoming a Columban Sister, write or call…

Fr. Bill Morton National Vocation Director Columban Fathers St. Columbans, NE 68056 877-299-1920 Email: vocations@columban.org Website: www.columban.org

Sister Virginia Mozo National Vocation Director Columban Sisters 2546 Lake Road Silver Creek, NY 14136 626-458-1869 Email: virginiamozo@yahoo.com Websites: www.columbansisters.org www.columbansistersusa.com

Japan + Korea + Peru + Hong Kong + Philippines + Pakistan + Chile + Fiji + Taiwan + North America

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