The Magazine of the Missionary Society of St. Columban
February 2016
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Volume 99 - Number 1 - February 2016
Columban Mission
o n t e n t s
Issue Theme – Making God’s Love Visible
Published By The Columban Fathers
A Different Pace of Life
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Columban Mission (Issn 0095-4438) is published eight times a year. A minimum donation of $10 a year is required to receive a subscription. Send address and other contact information changes by calling our toll-free number, by sending the information to our mailing address or by e-mailing us at MISSIONOFFICE@COLUMBAN.ORG. Mailing Address: Columban Mission PO Box 10 St. Columbans, NE 68056-0010 Toll-Free Phone: 877/299-1920 Website: WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG Copyright © 2016, The Columban Fathers (Legal Title)
Words Are Not Important 4 Archbishop Paul Zinghtung Grawng
An Appreciation
6 A Columban Gift to the Church of Myanmar
Educating Future Generations
7 A 25-Year Building Project
St. Patrick’s in Peru
9 From Seoul to the Sierra
Building Relationships Between Cultures
10 Kiribati
A Country About to Disappear
16 Heart-warming Encounters
Weary, Joyous and Grateful
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PUBLISHER REV. TIMOTHY MULROY, SSC DIRECTORUSA@COLUMBAN.ORG EDITOR KATE KENNY KKENNY@COLUMBAN.ORG EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS MARCI ANDERSON MANDERSON@COLUMBAN.ORG RHONDA FIRNHABER RFIRNHABER@COLUMBAN.ORG GRAPHIC DESIGNER KRISTIN ASHLEY EDITORIAL BOARD DAN EMINGER KATE KENNY REV. TIMOTHY MULROY, SSC JEFF NORTON GREG SIMON FR. RICHARD STEINHILBER, SSC SCOTT WRIGHT
20 Resurrection
Rising from the Ashes
22 A Present Day Good Samaritan
The Teacher Learns from the Student
Departments 3 In So Many Words 23 From the Director COLUMBAN MISSION FEB16.indd 2
The Missionary Society of St. Columban was founded in 1918 to proclaim and witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ. The Society seeks to establish the Catholic Church where the Gospel has not been preached, help local churches evangelize their laity, promote dialogue with other faiths, and foster among all baptized people an awareness of their missionary responsibility.
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Be an Encourager
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n elderly nun in a convent, who had been a marvelous principal in her time but was now incapacitated with severe arthritis, took time to send little notes to her former students, to the young people of her family and to many others who needed a kind word. Her words of encouragement, her little homemade cards, were sometimes funny, always uplifting. When you got one you smiled; you knew she was praying for you. Often it is the small gestures that work great changes over time. “We can do no great things,” Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “only small things with great love.” In doing these “small things” she touched the hearts of people all over the world, inspiring countless individuals to go that extra mile with generosity and care. Goodness always tends to spread as we discover when we take those first steps. As we help and encourage another we often find that we are the ones that are helped; as we grow in compassion we grow too in understanding and in the acceptance of the other. Today, perhaps more than ever before, we need to encourage others on their journey through life. Who can read the heart of another or know the pain they suffer, the darkness they endure? Almost daily we hear of suicide, often of someone who seemed to have everything to live for. We hear the shocking statistics of domestic violence, bullying—whether in the home, school, work place or social media—the breakdown of families, the loneliness of men and women everywhere. “While we have the opportunity,” St. Paul says, In So Many Words By Sr. Redempta Twomey “let us do good to all, but especially to those who belong to the family of the faith.” (Gal 6:10) We can begin with gratitude for the blessings in our own life. Start counting them and they overflow. Our recognition ften it is the small of God’s goodness spurs us on to help others, to share the reality of His presence in life. Like Jesus, we do not gestures that work great judge or condemn. The lifestyle of the other may be changes over time. anathema to us; our part is to reach out, with kindness and care. Whom will you encourage today? A family member? A neighbor? A coworker? A beggar? A migrant? Be an encourager. Lift someone up with a smile, a kind gesture or a little note that says “I care, I will go that extra mile with you.”
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Sr. Redempta Twomey lives and works in Ireland. WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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Archbishop Paul Zinghtung Grawng An Appreciation By Fr. Neil Magill
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work in a higher education center in Mandalay, Myanmar (formerly Burma), whose trustee and main pillar of support, Archbishop Grawng, is celebrating his golden jubilee of priesthood this year. Recently, a large Kachin cultural celebration was held in his honor, and I was asked by a colleague to write a short appreciation of his life and long links with the Columban family. I first visited Myanmar in 2002 while on the Columban General Council in Dublin, Ireland. Myitkyina, in Kachin State, was where the Columban Fathers and Sisters worked from 1936 until forced to withdraw in 1979. I arrived at St. Columban’s Cathedral in Myitkyina longing to see the area where our priests and Sisters worked and to learn more about the present situation in Kachin State. On arrival I was approached by a middle aged man, wearing sandals, old grey trousers and a shirt hanging out over the trousers.
There was no ring on the finger, and I hadn’t a clue as to who this man was, but he was extremely friendly and welcoming. Was he a farmer or someone working at the church, I wondered? I thought probably not, as he spoke perfect English. He invited me in for coffee and gave me a room to stay and only later during the conversation did I realize it was Bishop Paul Zinghtung Grawng! He wasn’t like bishops I had known, and he was years ahead of Pope Francis in giving a good example by living a very simple, hardworking and prayerful life. I spent a few very memorable days with him as he showed me the various places where our missionaries had worked. When the Columbans had to leave in 1979, they left behind eight Columban priests and one Sister who died while on mission there. Fr. George Khin Maung Htwe told me some interesting stories about Archbishop Paul. He was born on March 20, 1939. His father, Zinthung
Gam, and his mother, La Zin Tu, had eight children, and Bishop Paul was the third eldest. His father was a catechist, and they lived in Lon Khup, a village on a hillside. To reach the town of Banmaw it took one day on foot. As a young child Bishop Paul and his friends stood behind a table and “played” the Mass, but as a child Bishop Paul’s favorite role was that of altar boy. Children need to have a dream and a role model, but Bishop Paul admitted to Fr. George that he had neither. The persons he admired were the Columban missionaries, not because they were priests, but because they gave themselves and sacrificed their lives for a people who were strangers to them, the Kachin people. They loved the Kachin people as if they were their own families. When World War II broke out and their village was affected, the family moved for safety to a wide valley area where to the surprise of the small boy Paul
Group photo after Mass
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Procession to the celebration
Bishops and priests participate in Manau dance.
The Manau dance
Blessing the Manau dance ring
“the Columban missionaries were there, reaching out to their sheep, helping them, suffering with them, encouraging them and preaching the Good News.” When he was thirteen he was sent to a Columban boarding house in Banmaw, and two of his sisters were sent to a Fransciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM) boarding house in the same town. One sister joined the FMMs and the other joined the Xaverian Sisters. Paul was a good student. One day his life changed suddenly when the Superior of the boarding house, Fr. Paddy Madden, called him and told him he was sending him to Mogok to begin studies to be a priest, if he wanted to. Bishop Paul admitted later that he thought only foreigners could be priests, but he went to Mogok out of obedience because his parents had WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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taught him to be obedient to priests and elders. His father took him and his two sisters to Banmaw in the first week of May 1952, and none of them realized that this would be the last time they would see each other. The following month, his father was called to his eternal rest. Bishop Paul studied English and was a great student, always reading books. The following year he was sent to the philosophy seminary in Maymyo. It was there he realized that local people could become priests. From Maymyo he proceeded to the capital, Yangon, to study theology and on March 27, 1965, he was ordained by the Columban bishop of Myitkyina, John Howe, in Kachin State. What a joyful occasion that was for the Kachin people and the Columban
family to witness their first Kachin ordination! A few years later, on April 3, 1976, Bishop John Howe then consecrated him as the first Kachin bishop of Myitkyina. Bishop Paul then walked for one month from Myitkyina to a very remote area, Putao, stopping at every home and village on the way. He introduced the Kachin “Manau” dance into religious festivals. Finally, in 2003 he was appointed Archbishop of Mandalay, until his retirement in 2014. Paul Zinghtung Grawng, priest, bishop, lifelong friend of the Columbans, ad multos annos [for many years]! CM Columban Fr. Neil Magill provided this update. He lives and works in Myanmar (formerly Burma).
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A Three-Year Course
A Columban Gift to the Church Of Myanmar Educating Future Generations By Fr. Frank Hoare
The End of a Beginning “I have come to inner freedom by finding out my real self. I have a different image of God, and prayer is now more meaningful,” said Sr. Lucia Raw FMM, a participant in the recent Myanmar Summer School for formators. This course for personal transformation and for the training of religious formators was started by Columban Frs. Michael McGuire and Frank Hoare and Columban Sister Mary Ita O’Brien in 2003. In March 2015 they handed it over to a fully trained Burmese staff of priests and religious.
The Need to Train Formators Columban missionaries worked in the north of Myanmar (formerly Burma) from 1936 until 1979, when the military government made it impossible for missionaries to remain. Afterwards the Society continued 6
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to support the first local bishop, Fr. Paul Grawng, and his young priests. Twenty years later, as it became possible again to visit Myanmar, Columban Fr. Eamon O’Brien organized directed retreats for clergy there. There was as yet no course to prepare mentors to form young Burmese men and women for the priesthood and religious life. A local priest, who was appointed to be a formator, asked for help. Fr. Eamon requested staff and financial help from the Columbans and Bishop Grawng received the backing of the Bishops Conference for a national formation course in 2003. Thus began the Myanmar Institute for the Formation of Formators (MIFF). The course was accredited at first by Miltown Park Institute, Dublin, Ireland, and later by the Institute for Religious Formation, Manila, Philippines.
The Columban staff members decided on a three year course. Each year’s course consisted of a four week intensive summer school in March, three two-day seminars during the year and three essays or projects to be done before the following summer session. Christology, psychology, and spirituality were the broad areas to be studied. Practical skills training in listening, counseling and spiritual direction were added as afternoon activities during successive summer schools. Staff members did personal accompaniment with the participants during each summer school.
The Participants Bishops and congregational leaders sent participants to the course. A few lay people with leadership capacity were also invited to attend. One of these, whose name is Columban Myat Ag, said at the end of the 2015 summer school, “Getting to know Jesus and his values has made me proud to be a Christian and a Catholic.” Columban has now applied to join the Missionary Society of St. Columban. Most of the almost 80 graduates, from all parts of Myanmar, served in seminaries and formation houses throughout Myanmar. Some met opposition from other priests and religious who were trained in the traditional model of formation. Change always involves tension between old and new.
A New Model of Formation The existing model of formation in Myanmar has been based on rules, punishment and fear. As in other places, those formed in this way tend to have poor self-esteem. Many summer school participants commented on how they had improved their poor self-image. “I feel more positive about myself, and I have stopped judging others too,” said Sr. Jane Nway Ei. WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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The course stressed a model of formation based on human development and on internalizing and living the values of Christ. The formator is to be a guide accompanying and encouraging the young person. She (or he) encourages and helps them overcome personal blocks which obstruct internalization of values. They encourage the students to learn from their mistakes in an atmosphere of acceptance and love.
Practice as Well as Theory Pyin Oo Lwin, where the summer school is held at St. Aloysius Minor Seminary, has, because of the favorable climate, a number of religious novitiates. There are also two Catholic parishes in the town. The summer school participants, then, were able on successive years to conduct three counseling and four spiritual direction sessions each with two novices or two lay volunteers. These sessions were supervised by staff members through the discussion of verbatim reports in small groups. This supervised practice helped the course participants to apply the theory they were learning. They
grew in confidence and in competence as they reflected on their approach and practiced their skills. One of the priests, Fr. Rafael Khaing reflected, “I discovered that to be a spiritual director, you must have experience of God.”
Training Interns The Columban staff selected participants from each group to join them on staff as interns in succeeding courses. We also encouraged these interns to further their qualifications through formation studies in institutes abroad. At the end of our 2015 summer school a well-qualified local staff, led by Fr. Cyprian Aung Min, Ph.D., and Sr. Lucia Hing Pai, L. Psych., was ready to take over. They will run the fifth course from March 2016 to March 2019.
The Service Phase of MIFF Most of the MIFF graduates serve as formators in seminaries, postulancies and novitiates. However, they have also responded to requests to speak to gatherings of priests and religious and to organize seminars and
workshops. Some of the graduates did further training programs in spiritual direction and directed retreats and are now available to the Myanmar Church for these apostolates. Fr. Simon Tin Maung is the director of this service phase of MIFF work, and he presides at a graduates’ conference each year.
The Future Archbishop Emeritus Paul Grawng will continue to mentor and guide the Institute and to liaise with the Bishops Conference, as heretofore. He believes that it is providential that the Formation Institute has become well established at a time when the local Church faces the challenge of Myanmar opening up to the outside world. For me personally and for my colleagues, Fr. Michael and Sr. Mary Ita, these past twelve years have been a marvelous experience. It has been a privilege to come to know the Church in Myanmar and to have made a small contribution to its development. CM Columban Fr. Frank Hoare lives and works in Fiji.
A 25-Year Building Project St. Patrick’s in Peru By Fr. Dermot Carthy
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hen I returned to Most Holy Redeemer Parish in 1989, I noticed how the population had grown. The fertile farmland was sprouting new homes. It was obvious sites for a new church and several chapels would be needed. By law, in Peru, 2% of the area for new housing must be left aside for “other needs.” The Church can request the use of such spaces from the local municipality. WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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I spotted a very suitable site and set about getting it. Little did I guess it would take 25 years. The relevant authorities knew nothing about such land. Two years later the reason became clear. The housing cooperative which was developing the locality had never handed over the land. The group’s president was trafficking in vacant sites and was trying to sell illegally the “other needs” ground. The residents finally succeeded in voting him out after 19 years. He kept his grip on power by suing or accusing anybody who questioned or opposed him. Accusing in the police station cost him little, but the accused usually had to pay a lawyer lest the matter got into the snail-paced courts. The new officials of the cooperative supported my request and together we started on the paper work to have the site transferred to the municipality. However the new mayor was in the pay of the ex-president, (Mr. Ex) and the officials did not trust either the mayor or the municipal employees. The previous 19 years of pay-offs had sown that problem. Two years later I got permission to wall off the site. When work began on digging foundations, Mr. Ex paid some thugs to attack the workmen. The next day the mayor revoked the license. Endless trips to the office of the oh-so-busy mayor and the 8
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repeated mantra of “come back next week,” went on for two more years. Finally a new mayor was elected who did agree to give the site. But first the cooperative officials had to be convinced to sign over the land to the municipality. Their fear was he might hand it over to somebody else. Eighteen months later, all was signed and sealed. Then Mr. Ex and friends took the matter to the courts to have the agreement annuled, with the mayor, the bishop and me as plaintiffs. I was the one who had to face the music in several hearings. In the first court, the decision was against us on the fragile grounds that the decree did not specify what the land was for. An appeal to a second court was in our favor. This in turn was appealed to the Supreme Court, which found in our favor. These legal details took only five years. The next three years were full of tiring trips to municipal bureaucrats, some in the pay of our dear and expensive friends. Building permission was delayed time and again because the plan had to be corrected, or changed, or signed by an absent engineer. Once our address was put in a locality 20 miles away. This took three weeks to rectify. The paper work must have traveled from office to office on the back of a lame tortoise. As the license began to take shape, Mr. Ex began lodging complaints with different authorities around town. I was accused of trying to take over a public park, of destroying trees and damaging the ecology, of exceeding the area granted by the municipality, of having the support of only 20 people while he had 200 (forged) signatures rejecting the project. At last work began with around the clock police protection. By law if a house or building site is taken over for 24 hours, all work must stop and only a court order can remove the squatters. Remembering my five-year
trip through three clogged courts, I decided it was better to employ offduty police. Three months later a municipal engineer stopped the work. Every week he kept on discovering flaws and gaps in the approved plans. Twelve weeks later he could not discover any more and gave his approval. After a whole year, we finally inaugurated the 700-seat church which 1,200 people attended and liked the end result. Eventually I hope to build on the site a parish residence and several meeting rooms for preparing children for First Communion, youths for Confirmation, couples for marriage, and adult catechetics. Funds for most of this will come from the sale of the nearby 130-seat chapel, and the collections of the parishioners which have been generous. Sometime in the future this will become a parish, dividing the present one into two with a mere 45,000 people each. The main hitch in this scenario is that the 18-year-old diocese (pulled from the Lima Archdiocese) has a population of 2,700,000 and 103 priests, of whom over half are Columbans and other foreigners, most of whom were young 40 years ago. CM Columban Fr. Dermot Carthy was ordained in 1959 and has been in Peru since 1960.
Columbans in Lima, Peru Columbans have worked in this area since 1952, setting up half of the present parishes in this diocese. Currently there are four Columban priests working in Most Holy Redeemer Parish. In 2014, we had 447 baptisms, 380 First Communions, 238 Confirmations, and 42 weddings. We have ten Masses on Saturdays and eleven on Sundays in our ten chapels. Sunday Mass attendance is around 5,000. Columban benefactors have been very generous over the years and are remembered in our daily Masses and prayers.
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From Seoul to the Sierra Building Relationships Between Cultures By Columban Fr. Donal O’Keefe
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n September 2014, I had the opportunity to visit the town of Yanaoca in the sierra of Peru. Yanaoca (altitude 12,467 feet) is about an hour’s drive from Cuzco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire. I was visiting with Columban Fr. Gregorio Young-in Kim, a Korean Columban who has been in Peru since 2010, and who has been working in the sierra since early 2014. The sierra is the vast mountainous area of Peru where the people engage in agriculture in the lower altitude regions, and in the higher regions the people are herders looking after their flocks of cattle, llamas, or alpacas. The land is usually owned by the local community and is either cultivated jointly or redistributed annually. Houses are made from dry clay bricks (adobe) and clothes are very colorful and woven locally using traditional dyes. The language spoken among the people is Quechua with its own local variants. Fr. Gregorio is following in the footsteps of Columban Fr. Paul Prendergast from New Zealand who is now retired and living in the parish of Yanaoca. Fr. Paul pioneered the Columban outreach to the sierrra. While working in Lima, Fr. Paul met many people from the mountain area and would visit there in summer with small groups to share faith, and eventually he was appointed to work there. From the beginning he learned the language and preached in Quechua. The people, having suffered colonization, believed that Spanish things were far superior to their own language and traditions so Fr. WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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Paul insisted that all parish meetings were in Quechua and that religious ceremonies be conducted in Quechua. He also organized workshops to teach parishioners trades such as carpentry, computers, auto mechanics and sewing. Catholicism came of course with the colonizers. The early Spanish missionaries set up their own base in Cusco and began their evangelization from the ancient capital of the Inca people. They promoted devotion to the saints to challenge the worship of indigenous spirits and also to make the message more tangible to communities that might only have the Eucharist irregularly. The missionaries invited a group of artists from Spain to Cusco to encourage and develop religious painting among the local people. The result was a blossoming of indigenous religious art—there are shrines and statues to the local saints everywhere. The people have a deep spirituality and sense of God. They seek the blessing of the Church for their families. I traveled with Fr. Gregorio to Lithivaca parish where he was to do a wedding Mass. Two couples had their marriages blessed on that day: one in traditional dress and the other couple in Western white dress. Both were accompanied by their children and their families. Living together for many years the couples were now in the position economically to celebrate with friends and family at the Church. While the sense of the sacred is very real, the absence of on-going formation has resulted in an emphasis on externals with a tendency at times for a faith bordering on the
superstitious. Thus the faith formation of the local communities is a key challenge in the diocese of Sicuani. The major priority of Bishop Peter Bustamente Lopez—the first Peruvian to lead the diocese—is to build up a group of priests and Sisters who will be catalysts in organizing this formation. To that end he visited Korea in early 2014 to invite the Korean Church to send missionaries to his diocese. Presently along with Fr. Gregorio there are three other Korean missionaries in Sicuani—two priests on loan from Suwon Diocese and one Columban Sister, Sr. Sabina Choi Hye-Sook. All have just begun work in the sierra in the last two years. For Fr. Gregorio that means beginning the study of Quechua, and he has already registered at a school in the provincial capital Cusco. The missionary outreach from Korea to Peru is not one-way traffic! Sisters from Peru, members of the Mercedary Sisters of Charity, work in Korea today. For example Sr. Inez, a talented artist from Arequipa in the sierra, works in Seoul exploring how to spread the Gospel through the medium of art and painting. She and Fr. Gregorio are members of a new generation of missionaries from different local churches who are creating an intricate web of relationships between peoples and diverse cultures throughout the world. Cross cultural mission today continues to promote the Gospel values of caring and love and strengthens our global community. CM Columban Fr. Donal O’Keefe lives and works in Seoul, South Korea.
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Kiribati A Country About to Disappear By Fr. Frank Hoare Constructing a seawall
Nostalgia As a teenager in Ireland, unaware that I would spend most of my life in the South Pacific, I chanced to read two fascinating books by Sir Arthur Grimble – A Pattern of Islands and Return to the Islands. Grimble was a British colonial official in charge of the Gilbert (now Kiribati) and Ellice islands (now Tuvalu) in the early years of the twentieth century. His stories of life on the Gilberts, of the courage of this sea-faring people and of their communal lifestyle left indelible memories in my mind. So it was with great anticipation that I traveled to Kiribati to test the reality against my nostalgic memories.
The Purpose of my Visit It was because of Betero Atanibora that I got the opportunity to visit this most unusual country. Betero is a 32-year-old Kiribati man who spent almost 4 years at the Pacific Regional Seminary (PRS) in Fiji. Before he left Fiji in 2012 to help his family for one year, Fr. Pat Colgan, a Columban lecturer at PRS at that time, said to him, “Be sure to send some young men from Kiribati to join the Columbans.” Betero began teaching scripture in the Kiribati Pastoral Institute (KPI). During the year he fell in love with a young woman and decided not to return to PRS, but he continued teaching at KPI. He advised a young student at KPI to apply to join the Columbans. Three others applied to me later by post. So I visited 10
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Kiribati to see if these young men would be suited to missionary work. I also did vocation promotion at a Catholic secondary school and made a presentation on the life of St. Columban to two parish youth groups.
A Unique Country Kiribati is situated on the equator and consists of three main groups of islands thousands of miles from each other. South Tarawa, the capital and seat of government, has 50% of the population, about 50,000 people. South Tarawa is about 15 miles long and consists of thin strips of land land (1,312-2,952 feet wide) connected
The President has said that the sea will cover Kiribati by the end of this century. by causeways. It is like a necklace of islands. Villages run one into the other along the main road which is like a spine running the length of the island. Public transport up and down this road is by minibus. Tarawa is an atoll with a big fish-filled lagoon. The sandy soil is poor and can produce only banana, papaya, breadfruit, coconut, a few vegetables, and a little cassava. People rear chickens and pigs, but fish is the main source of protein. Nowadays supermarkets sell imported foods. Rice and fish are the staple food for every day, but the families try to make Sunday lunch special by having meat on the menu.
Poverty is a big problem and fundraising by families for education or other necessities is a common concern. Women weave mats to sell. They also buy fish from the fishermen and smoke them on makeshift ovens by the road side, hoping to sell them to passers-by.
The Maneaba The maneaba is a big open hall. Traditionally they were thatched structures but are now built with concrete floors and pillars, and roofing iron. They are used for village meetings, communal celebrations and bingo (a very popular past-time, especially of older women). I could hear a choir practicing for hours in the maneaba across from the house where I was staying.
The Children of Kiribati Kiribati is full of children and young people as it is not unusual for couples to have ten or more children. They have a carefree energy for life. I noticed one young boy balancing on the raised curb of a footpath that was under construction as cars and minivans passed dangerously close by. A small truck traveling in front of our car one night had a truck bed packed with standing youngsters. Some were also sitting on the rim of the tray. I sighed with relief when we passed it.
Sketch of Catholicism I arrived in Kiribati on May 10, the day that the catechists Betero and Tiroi are remembered by Catholics WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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Mother and child
Traditional Kiribati home
Independence Day on Tarawa
there. They brought the Catholic faith to Kiribati in the 1880s, first to their island of Nonouti and later elsewhere. They had encountered the faith and were baptized in Tahiti. On their return they taught the people prayers and used to face toward Tahiti to join their worship with Catholics who were attending Mass there. Kiribati is now 50% Catholic but is being targeted by some other denominations. The bishop has appointed a group called Guardians of the Faith to strengthen the faith of Catholics against proselytization. Catholics in Kiribati are devoted to Mary and say the rosary before dawn every day, especially during the month of May.
design and color of their clothes. Each group sang a number of songs relating the story of their predecessors, Betero and Tiroi. After the prize giving we tucked into a fine buffet of food, including grilled red snapper, chicken, cassava and breadfruit.
to prevent the sea eating away their property. The Kiribati government bought a property of some thousands of acres from the Anglican Church in Fiji for resettlement of people in the future. The President has said that the sea will cover Kiribati by the end of this century. Government officials have asked Australia and New Zealand to accept Kiribati people as permanent refugees. The Kiribati people are losing their homeland and being cast adrift to find shelter in different foreign countries which will threaten the survival of their culture. This is one example of those causing the least damage to the environment being made to suffer most because if it. During our vocation seminar the electricity was cut off all day because of road work nearby. We sat in a small traditional maneaba on mats made from pandanus leaves under which there were rougher mats made from coconut leaves. These were placed on a base of small pebbles and sand. The thatched roof and the breeze from the sea kept the maneaba beautifully cool despite the hot sun. I remembered Arthur Grimble and an era that was simpler and kinder to the Kiribati. CM
Catechist Retreat Betero was asked at the last minute to give three talks to 60 catechists on retreat. He persueded me to give one of the talks. Despite the noise of the heavy thunderous rain I gave my talk and Betero translated. We were both then invited to the final Mass on Friday and the party to follow. The Mass was notable for a group of catechists and their wives ritualizing with song and dance the procession of the bible, the offertory procession and the thanksgiving after Communion.
The Catechist Party The party was held in the maneaba. Some ladies entertained us with hipswinging dancing and invited us to join them on the floor. The catechists and their wives were divided in three teams of forty, distinguished by the WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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Kava Kiribati-Style On my last night in Kiribati, Betero and I went to a kava bar. Kava, imported from Fiji, is made from the pounded roots of a species of pepper plant suffused in water. The bar had long tables to sit at and a stage at one end, where the local talent sang the night away. For $10 we got 10 plastic bottles filled with kava. One took a bottle, shook it and drank. To someone used to the Fijian ritual surrounding kava this seemed almost blasphemous. We chatted with a local diocesan priest and as we were leaving another priest arrived who had been my student 20 years previously at the seminary in Fiji.
Climate Challenges Kiribati, which is only just above sea level, is very vulnerable to rising sea levels caused by global warming and the melting of polar ice. I saw workers building a wall along the causeway that had been completely flooded by strong rain and heavy seas a few weeks previously. They were hoping to prevent a re-occurrence. A homeowner next to the Marist Brothers’ house, where I held a vocation seminar for eight young men, had men building up a sea wall with rocks
Columban Fr. Frank Hoare lives and works in Fiji.
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A Different Pace of Life
Reflections on Settling into a Rural Parish in Peru By Fr. Peter Woodruff
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he road from Lima to Samanco passes through a number of fast growing coastal towns but for the most part the traveler has no choice but to contemplate the bare rocky or sandy hills that fascinate by their ever varying forms and their multiple colors from shades of white, cream, brown and black. It is a truly barren desert but when watered can become lush farmland. We set off after an early breakfast and Fr. Bernie Lane, a fellow Columban working in Lima, kept up the pace allowed by the speed limit, and we arrived at the Samanco parish house five and a half hours later – more or less in time for lunch. Columban Fr. Kevin McDonagh was at the door to welcome us.
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Samanco is a coastal town with a population of about 4,000. Most residents work in either the fishing industry or agriculture. There was dire poverty in the valley 30 or so years ago, but today people are generally able to make their way with dignity. Unfortunately, as is the case in most parts of the world, exploitation and abuse of power continue to disturb the local communal story. The main parish church is in the central square of Samanco, but the parish embraces a number of small towns, most of which have their own chapel and Catholic community where Fr. Kevin celebrates Mass at least once a month. For millennia before the arrival of Spanish colonists in the 16th century
this valley was irrigated and cultivated. In those days the crops would have been corn, potatoes and beans. Many residents continue to produce these same crops on their small plots of land. However, today most of the land in the valley is given over to the production of sugar cane and is now owned by agribusinesses. The valley extends for 60 kilometers into the foothills of the Andes Mountains before it begins to rise steeply towards the first range of mountains that form the western wall of the main Andean valley in the Region of Ancash; in Spanish this valley is called “el callejon de Huaylas” (alley closed at both ends). Kevin drove me half way up the Samanco valley, along the length of which there are seven parishes. They WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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form a deanery and enjoy a lively spirit of camaraderie and mutual support. Each parish takes its turn to host the meetings that are attended by the parish priests, religious who work in the parishes and a number of lay delegates from each parish. The meetings follow a pattern of business in the morning followed by lunch provided by the host parish. Parish delegates to the deanery meetings look forward to them which is a day out with friends plus more. Previously Fr. Kevin worked in Lima parishes located in the bare, rocky hills to the north and east of the city. He commented to me that the greenery of the Samanco valley is for him most therapeutic following the barren environment that was home for many years. After all, he was brought up on fertile, green farmland in Ireland. For him the hills of Lima were grey and lifeless and so alien to him. He always felt and now once again continues to feel nourished spiritually by the natural beauty that surrounds him. Fr. Kevin compared life in the Samanco rural parish with his experience of life in Lima parishes on the periphery of the city. The slow pace of the rural scene has been a welcome relief after the aggressive and rapid treadmill of his previous parishes. In Samanco he finds it easier to be with the residents of the various small towns of his parish in a leisurely and peaceful way. He no longer feels overwhelmed by the enormity of the problems that thousands of residents of the big city parishes have to deal with. He felt that while he was physically present in the city parishes he was leaving so much undone and so little done which was in many ways a most frustrating experience. He finds in Samanco a more natural rhythm of life. He feels a WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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certain harmony as people know each other; they have time for each other; they often sit outside their houses in the evening and chat with each other. Maybe the hustle and bustle of Lima’s 10 million people trying to make ends meet creates much stress and leaves little space for healing. Fr. Kevin also finds support in the diocesan pastoral plan, based on the Better World Movement parish model, as it provides the parish communities with a framework for participating in the life of the parish. According to this plan, Samanco functions as five pastoral zones and each of the other towns as a community.
[Fr. Kevin] commented to me that the greenery of the Samanco valley is for him most therapeutic following the barren environment that was home for him for many years. After all, he was brought up on fertile, green farmland in Ireland. The framework now in place does not exclude a variety of ideas and insights and allows Kevin to work on an agenda that he hopes to introduce to this rural parish. He has now been in the parish one year and decided not make any major moves during his first year. However, he does have a particular interest in the development of a lay-centred church committed to transforming the personal, family and social dimensions of life. He also comes with a strong sense of God’s preference for the poor. He has begun to move on this by joining the diocesan team for
social outreach, involving the prison chaplaincy, the commission for social justice, health care, care of the elderly, care for the earth and human rights issues. At parish level the priest can begin to present ideas in his homilies. Fr. Kevin has also introduced a week of formation for lay pastoral leaders. He has organized two seminars on social issues relevant to the 2014 municipal elections. He has also made a point of highlighting the “World Days,” such as the day of water, the day of the planet, women’s day, etc. In all this he has felt most encouraged by Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, especially where he speaks of the need for the missionary disciples of Jesus Christ to move out beyond our comfort zone. He believes in going out to meet his parishioners in their space, the space that they call home. During the past year Fr. Kevin visited each of the five zones of Samanco and ended the visitation with a very well-attended street Mass in each zone. Fr. Bernie and I were moved by our one and half day visit and were grateful to Fr. Kevin for welcoming and making time for us. We left at 6:30 am and arrived in Lima in time for me to head to the airport to meet and welcome a friend who was traveling to New York. Both of us were tired of traveling and enjoyed a most relaxing day at the Columban house in Lima before my friend continued on her way to New York. CM Columban Fr. Peter Woodruff lies and works in Australia.
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Words Are Not Important Presence Matters By Sherryl Lou C. Capili
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oming back to Taiwan as a second term lay missionary, I was very excited to serve again in the migrants’ ministry. I have a new assignment which is to help conduct the Chinese catechism class among the children of the Filipino immigrants. I was looking forward to working with these children, whom before I would only meet on special occasions. For me, it is also a great opportunity to practice my Mandarin. I was told that for the first few months, I would observe how Ms. Chen (a Taiwanese volunteer teacher) and Sr. Imee (a Filipino Carmelites Sister) facilitate the class and to assist when they ask me to do so. Doing catechism in Chinese requires experience and of course, knowledge of the language, especially the terminologies used in the Church in a way that children would understand. The first day was a big shock for me. Suddenly, our catechists were busy, and I was asked to handle the class alone. I started to panic because I had not prepared anything, or maybe it is more accurate to say, that I had no idea how to go about it. After three years of living in Taiwan, that was the first time that I would be with Mandarin-speaking children, not just for a small talk but to conduct catechism—to talk about Jesus! I felt embarrassed and frustrated that I was speechless for the first few minutes. All I could do was to smile at these cute angelic faces while thinking what to do. I also felt sorry for them and realized that I should be able to handle that awkward situation. I couldn’t
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help but wish that I was once again in Malate parish, the Philippines, where it was very comfortable to communicate with Filipino children using my own language. Way back during the Columban lay missionary orientation program in the Philippines, I remember how I enjoyed serving in Malate parish every Saturday morning as my parttime apostolate. There were around 30 kids and teens between the ages
of five and fifteen who would attend the class regularly. I was grateful for that experience because I realized that I could share my faith experience and love among children. Being with them made me feel joyful and relaxed. Communicating with them was not a big concern because we spoke our mother tongue. Then here comes the challenge of sharing the same
experience of faith and love, this time with the immigrant children using Mandarin. There were so many things that I wished to share with them, but most of the time I would feel nervous and uncertain, because I feared that they won’t understand my language. I remember one girl asked me, “Does Jesus also like bad people?” (in Chinese). I was surprised with her question, not because I did not know what to say, but because of how to explain it in Mandarin. Nevertheless, I still tried my best, and I think she was satisfied with my answer. A few more weeks have passed, and I am slowly adjusting to this new experience. I have started to be more confident in conducting the class by myself as I also enjoy learning together with the children. I am sure that the Holy Spirit is behind all of this as I manage to overcome my frustrations. Every Sunday is so special for me as I continue to recognize how the Holy Spirit is at work in me to be able to get the message across, and at the same time how the Holy Spirit is at work in the children as they seem to be patient in understanding my Mandarin. Most of the time, words are not important, but our presence is what matters. CM Sherryl Lou C. Capili is a Columban lay missionary living and working in Taiwan.
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“Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your breads with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them…” Isaiah 58:6-11
These prophetic words of Isaiah are at the core of what Columban Missionaries strive to be. The foundation of our lives as Columbans means crossing boundaries in communion for the life of the world as well as living and working in solidarity with the poor and those living on the margins of our society. When you partner with us, Columban Missionaries are able to more fully respond to Isaiah’s prophetic challenge through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (John 20:21) Your prayerful and financial support of Columban Missionaries can open your heart and mind to the guiding and spiritually energizing of God’s mission. Please join us. To learn more about partnering with us or to make an online donation contact us today: Missionary Society of St. Columban P.O. Box 10 St. Columbans, NE 68056 877/299-1920 (toll free) mission@columban.org www.columban.org
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Heart-warming Encounters Weary, Joyous and Grateful By Columban Fr. Peter Woodruff
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ocializing rarely energizes me. In fact, it usually drains me. However, recently I was in Lima for two weeks meeting friends with whom I’d shared something of my life over a period of 40 years. Without the help of a $17 secondhand cell phone (I suspect it was stolen goods) I could not have caught up with so many old friends during such a brief period of time. On the other hand, the cell phone facilitated such smooth coordination that I had no rest from taking taxis to meetings with friends to share food along with our life dreams and experiences – a time of joy, gratitude and laughter; and all this with an unstable stomach that nearly, but not quite, let me down. At the end of it all, I was so relieved to board the flight back to Australia. So, how might I claim to have been energized? Soon after arriving in Lima I called on Nora, a pedagogue who has dedicated her life to the Peruvian state education system and lives a couple of blocks from the Columban house where I was staying. I stayed for a chat and lunch. It was so good to
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meet, remember and share something of our lives now being worked out on continents divided by the Pacific Ocean. I caught up with Maria, Serapio and their daughter Carmen, who took me up to a cemetery (a low price, do-it-yourself facility) set between hills on the north side of Lima. Maria’s mother died not so long
Olga asked me to pray with Hugo, so I anointed him and the members of the one-time youth group stood around in a circle, spontaneously joining in the prayers. ago and is buried there, and Maria wanted a priest to say some prayers at the graveside. We trudged up the dusty road from where the taxi left us, stopping now and then to drink chicha morada (prepared by Maria). Two of the grandchildren also came and had a
great time running around the graves looking for lizards and whatever else might amuse them. I headed across to the other side of the city to see Olga and her terminally ill husband, Hugo. Other members of the first youth group I’d worked with arrived later in the evening. “We would not get together at all if it were not for you being here,” they told me. The youngest present was 64-year-old Hector. Olga asked me to pray with Hugo, so I anointed him and the members of the one-time youth group stood around in a circle, spontaneously joining in the prayers. Hugo was wheeled into his bedroom, and the rest of us went on telling stories, laughing and enjoying a good meal. Olga could not help but laugh, too. Some of the former members of the group were absent that evening, so we organized another gathering at Naty’s house on the north side of the city. We were back in familiar territory, but I was fading by 11:00 p.m. and a friend drove me back to the Columban house. The rest WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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Fr. Peter and friends
of them stayed on for a few more hours drinking beer and generally enjoying each other’s company. All of us had enjoyed Naty’s large plate of traditional food. Some of them told me later that they were planning a major gathering in 2017 of all the former members of the group for the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its foundation. They suggested that it would be so good if I were to be there for the occasion. The more I’ve pondered the matter, the more I feel I’d like to be with them for that party. I learned so much from them years ago, and I know they are grateful for the time we had together in San Martin de Porres parish – the first in the world to be named after the saint (canonized in 1962 by Pope John XXIII). Before he was canonized the parish was named Blessed Martin de Porres. Elizabeth, a Mercy Sister who had been on the parish team when I was in Tupac Amaru, was visiting at the same time, and I heard that one of the parish communities where she had worked was planning a Mass WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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followed by the usual plate of food, concert items and speeches to send her on her way back to England. As I’d not seen Elizabeth for 20 or so years I turned up uninvited to join in the revelry. Community members were so welcoming, and even those I’d never met (as I left that parish in 1991) greeted me with a broad smile. While there I organized meetings with friends I’d not seen for years. It was great to catch up with Simeon, who sold me some beautiful Peruvian jewelery (silver inlaid with various types of stone and shell), Betsabe and her daughter Olivia and her grand daughter Michelle Ellen (named after my mother whose name was Ellen May). Jesus (generally known as Dorival, his surname) was our master of ceremonies for the occasion. I regretted not having time to meet with others from that community, but those I did meet filled me in. Life is tough for them and always has been. I remember times when many families from that community had no food and relied on communal kitchens; such was life for Betsabe and her
It was so good to meet, remember and share something of our lives now being worked out on continents divided by the Pacific Ocean. family. They work hard to get out of poverty and few do manage to do so but most never quite make it. The deck is definitely stacked against them. A fellow Columban, Fr. Bernie Lane, invited me to address a group of lay leaders from parishes in which we work or have worked. The topic was, “mission as the key concept underpinning the proposal of Church renewal as outlined in Pope Francis’ Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel).” There were at least 60 men and women of all ages present. I had prepared as well as time allowed but was rather nervous about my Spanish as I presumed it would be a little rusty after six years of little opportunity to use it. However, once I attempted to February 2016
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Fr. Peter and friends
involve the audience all of us relaxed and moved into the set topic with sustained interest. The small group work following my presentation put the icing on the cake, and once again I felt grateful and buoyed by the joy of being with so many men and women who continue to search for ways to be missionary disciples of Jesus Christ. I celebrated a Sunday Mass in the last parish I worked in before leaving Peru in January 2009. Luis organised things, and 20 of us ate a Peruvian breakfast of fried pork, raw onion and bread rolls, washed down with coffee and finally a small glass of anise – to counter the fat of the pork, they tell me! The Mass was as it should be with due solemnity and lots of participation by all present in readings, song and prayer. But then, at the end, came the big laugh as a couple renewed their wedding vows to mark 40 years of marriage. I invited them to the top of the step beside the altar and after they briefly renewed their vows, I blessed and congratulated them. The full church clapped and as they turned to return to the front row of benches and a mass chorus began to chant: “Que besen! Que besen! …” and then followed riotous laughter as the bride of 40 years ago seemed to resist. I’ve never seen anything that Peruvians love to do more than to celebrate and with gusto. 18
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Alberto with Meche, his wife, and Teresa, his mother, invited me out for a meal, once again local style – fried meat and potatoes. Alberto also convened members of his community for a weekday Mass followed by a short but joyous reception. I remembered many names even though that has never been my forte, but those whose names I forgot simply chuckled and reminded me. I seem to be at that stage of life when one remembers many things five or
I’ve never seen anything that Peruvians love to do more than to celebrate and with gusto. ten minutes after the moment has passed. They recalled some things I’d done or said that were remembered with gratitude, one being a time when I’d asked forgiveness of a Sister who was old enough to be my mother. At times she seemed to expect from me a certain filial obedience, but I tended to dig in and do the opposite. The same Sister, a native of the Basque country, died in Spain a few years ago, aged 95. The day I boarded the plane for Australia I had breakfast in the home of a man I’d known (but not well) for 30 years. We shared the meal with his wife and two sons and after the lads
went about their business the three of us began to chat about this and that. The topic of marriage came up and his wife mentioned that they were not married in the Church. With the average Peruvian male’s attitude to Church marriage in mind, I searched for a way around the issue that might avoid any serious discussion. I was a guest after all. I simply said, “But you have loved each other and continue to do so, don’t you?” They laughed and that ended that. My friend walked with me to catch a taxi but, on seeing a hairdresser along the route, I delayed for a $2.50 haircut. My friend waited; we chatted with the young woman cutting my hair and then continued along towards the main road and a taxi. I forgot to arrange a taxi to the airport so Fr. Bernie stepped into the breach and had me there in plenty of time to catch my flight. Thirty five hours later I was catching a taxi at Melbourne airport to the Columban house 15 minutes away. Weary, but also joyous and grateful. CM Columban Fr. Peter Woodruff lives and works in Australia.
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Columban Missionaries Memorial Garden Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves. ~ Philippians 2:3 The new and breathtaking Columban Missionaries memorial garden on the grounds of St. Columbans in Bellevue, Nebraska, memorializes the legacy of twenty-four Columban missionaries who gave their lives for our faith. They believed in something more than self and gave their lives in the same fashion. This special and quiet place of reflection honors their sacrifice. The design of the garden speaks to the fullness of resurrection and life everlasting. It also signifies the unity that you have shared with us in our common missionary calling throughout the years. We joyfully offer you the opportunity to be a part of this lasting place by memorializing or honoring a loved one or special person with the engraving of a paving brick. For a gift of $150, you can honor or memorialize someone and by doing so, become a part of this beautiful place that honors so much about our faith and calling. To place an order for your engraved brick, please contact us at 1-877-299-1920 or visit us online at www.columban.org to fill out an online order form. For more information about our memorial garden and to hear the story of the Columban missionaries who gave so selflessly, please contact us at CM 1-877-2991920 or email us at mission@columban.org. We are forever grateful for the part that you play in our shared missionary journey and we gratefully remember you in our masses and prayers.
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Resurrection Rising from the Ashes By Fr. Colin McLean
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couple of years ago, I was asked by the other priests in our deanery of ten parishes to add a dramatic element to the Stations of the Cross procession we have every year in Holy Week as a combined deanery event. At that time, we were simply stopping in the streets to hear a narrated reflection and some prayers. Since a couple of thousand people participated from the ten parishes, it was often difficult to hear anything, despite the presence of a car with loudspeakers. So, in 2012 and 2013, I organized for a young man playing the role of Jesus, dressed in white trousers and shirt, to carry a cross during the procession, and other young people enacted the roles of Pilate, the soldiers, Simon of Cyrene, Veronica, the women, etc., whenever the procession stopped to reflect and pray. This time, due to the large numbers of people, not only the sound but also visibility was restricted – we even had the dramatized scenes on top of a truck in 2013, but the crowd was too big for it to be effective. During an evaluation of the event last year, someone mentioned we should try to get permission to reenact the last few Stations at a football stadium in Periperi, the suburb where we always concluded. There was tiered seating in the stadium, so visibility would not be a problem, and we could record the text and play it over a loudspeaker system for all to hear. As the designated coordinator of cultural and sporting activities for our deanery, it fell to me once again to coordinate our annual Stations. I called together
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a couple of young people from different parishes who had shown real commitment previously, and we formed a small committee expressly for the purpose of preparing the annual event. Since our first task was to see who we could count on to participate, we decided to “baptize” a partly-finished aluminum warehouse by having our initial meeting there of the deanery’s dramatized 2014 Stations of the Cross. As the group sat around for the meeting, I recalled the image of the “phoenix rising from the ashes,”
I recalled the image of the “phoenix rising from the ashes,” since the warehouse space will become the new home of Cena Um, our non-government organization (NGO). since the warehouse space will become the new home of Cena Um, our nongovernment organization (NGO). When I told a friend of the meeting, she commented, “What better way to recommence activities in the new Cena Um home than a dramatization of the death and resurrection of Jesus!” What better way indeed! We did get the permission to dramatize the final scenes in the football stadium, which was a great success. Hopefully, we will be able to do the same again next year. Cena Um is a registered NGO formed to showcase the considerable talents of youth living in poor communities and parishes on the
periphery of the city of Salvador, Brazil. While their abilities are worldclass, without contacts in the bairros nobres (middle to upper class suburbs) they stand little chance of making it into recognized performance companies in the city. Besides showcasing their otherwise hidden talents, Cena Um aims to raise social awareness in the young participants and in their audiences by presenting material that questions the injustices in our society, material based on the values of Jesus of Nazareth without being ostensibly religious. After all, Jesus mostly used non-religious stories (parables) to make his point. In urging us to look outwards, Pope Francis tells us: “I dream of a ‘missionary option.’ that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation (a.27)…..I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting, and with its feet dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and clinging to its own security (a.49).” Since 2008, shortly after returning from performances by invitation at the World Youth Day event in Sydney, the three companies that comprise Cena Um (Dance, Theater and Acrobatic) have virtually been at a standstill. Since 2002 we had been renting space that we used as a WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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theater in the suburb of Ribeira. Due to circumstances at the time, sadly we had to vacate the premises. As for the immediate future, rehearsals for “Sub,” a play about life in our marginalized communities on the periphery of the city, are currently underway. The play will hopefully be presented sometime during the year. Since our new theater space is situated in a main street close to bus stops, and is central to five poor parishes, we are hopeful of a real resurrection, and of making a contribution through performance arts to a social consciousness-raising that will ultimately lead to real change in the lives of people in peripheral communities throughout the city. The challenges that lie ahead of us? First, we will need to stimulate WWW.COLUMBAN.ORG
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interest among the youth in the nearby parishes to participate. Public interest from neighbors who live near our “warehouse theater” and saw it being constructed is high. However, in the communities on the periphery of Salvador, there is no real theatrical tradition. Afro-Brazilian dance and Capoeira (a Brazilian combination of dance and foot-fighting) are common enough, but theater and theater-going are not high on the list of things to do, mainly because theater prices and times in the city are way beyond the means of people living on the periphery. So we will need some good advertising to conquer the youth base around us. Added to this, what has always been difficult is trying to interest people to give some voluntary
time to help us with costumes, props, and selling tickets. The challenges are many, but please God, we will meet them. So both images are apt: “Resurrection” or “Rising from the Ashes.” Whichever term one prefers, we hope the future of Cena Um will grow and make a valuable contribution to our periphery’s youth and to the quality of life for all. That would be a resurrection. CM Columban Fr. Colin McLean lives and works in Brazil.
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A Present Day Good Samaritan The Teacher Learns from the Student By Fr. Barry Cairns
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ne of my recent side jobs was to teach for a term as a substitute lecturer at a junior college in Yokohama. There were 30 students in the class. Many were destined to be social workers in Christian-run homes for children with disabilities, retirement homes and hospices. Not one of the students was a Christian. For this reason, the dean of the College asked me to give a ten week course entitled simply, “Christianity.” At my request each student was to have a copy of the New Testament and a copy of Shusaku Endo’s Life of Jesus. Both texts were in Japanese as were the lectures. At the end of the term there was an exam. I gave the students four essay type questions. One was, “Open your New Testament at the Gospel of Luke, chapter 10, verses 25 – 37 and give a modern day version of the parable of the Good Samaritan.” One student’s answer left me with a deep, lasting impression. I remember this student well. He sat in the front seat on my left. In the first class after 22
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the long summer vacation, he still seemed to have a holiday air. His hair stood in spikes that were dyed green. He wore long earrings. This is my translation of what he wrote ten weeks later. “When I was in my first year of high school I was the smallest in my class. My eyesight was poor, and I wore thick glasses. I stuttered with
“I know what it is like to be bullied and lonely. Take heart and let’s face school life together. You are not alone.” nervousness when a teacher would ask me a question. I was not athletic and was bullied by my classmates. Even my homeroom teacher would sometimes imitate my stutter. I was lonely, and my heart felt wounded. I used to take my lunchbox to the far side of the sports oval and eat alone. One day a classmate came over and sat beside me. At first he
just sat on the bench and was quiet. Somehow I felt his compassion. Then he said to me, ‘I am of Korean ancestry. In Japan we bear discrimination as you know. I know what it is like to be bullied and lonely. Take heart and let’s face school life together. You are not alone.’ From that time a great healing began within me. I felt the beginning of a new self-confidence. Over the years this new life has matured. And here I am training to be a social worker to help the disadvantaged. I am here because of that Korean Good Samaritan who was so gentle with me. Now I am going to do likewise.” I took his paper to the dean to explain why I had given him an A+. CM Columban Fr. Barry Cairns lives and works in Japan.
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Deep Respect and Genuine Kindness
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hen Columban missionary priest, Fr. John O’Connell, died in Peru, his obituary included the following lines: “He was a man aware of his own dignity as a person and this freed him to acknowledge our shared dignity with each and every other person. If there is any essential characteristic to being a missionary this aspect is basic when dealing with people born into an ambiance of being ‘a nobody’ in our world. Dealing with mostly poor and often semiliterate migrants he helped so many to become aware of their dignity as persons and to trust one another.” Fr. John had spent thirty-seven years living among, and ministering to the poor in Lima, the capital of Peru. The crowds of people who came from every corner of that city to attend his funeral bore witness to a life spent promoting the dignity of those who are generally ignored by society. He wanted them to not only simply believe in their dignity as children of God, but also, and more importantly, that they experience that dignity by the manner in which he related to, and cared for them.
From the Director By Fr. Tim Mulroy But how did Fr. John develop that amazing ability that enabled him to relate to everyone with a deep respect and a genuine kindness? Where did he attain the gift that allowed him to show God’s love in a spontaneous and joyful manner to all who crossed his path? I first encountered Fr. John almost thirty years ago while attending a weekend retreat to help young men, like myself, who were searching for a direction in life. During the Sunday Mass that he celebrated with us, Fr. John shared about the origin of his own vocation. While
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Where did he attain the gift that allowed him to show God’s love in a spontaneous and joyful manner to all who crossed his path? I have forgotten much of his personal story, one image that he shared in his homily that day still remains very vivid for me. During his childhood in the 1930’s poor people used to come to his home looking for food, since his mother had a reputation for being a kind and generous woman. From time to time, a poor, homeless man would arrive after the children had gone to bed. After he had eaten, Mrs. O’Connell, rather than send him back on the road, would offer him a place to sleep, next to her son. Naturally, her son was sometimes startled to find a stranger next to him when he woke up. However, more frequently, he was surprised to find fleas next to him, since the stranger had already gone back on the road since daybreak. Fr. John had no doubt that the seed of his vocation as a Columban missionary priest lay in such childhood experiences, through which the love of God for the poor was revealed through his mother. Both Mrs. O’Connell and Fr. John have gone home to the Lord, but the seeds of their love continue to grow and bloom across our world.
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Columban Fathers PO Box 10 St. Columbans, NE 68056
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Transform the Lives of Others…Enrich the World…Give Hope Columban Mission magazine is published eight times each year and tells the stories of our missionaries and the people they are called to serve. Columban missionaries live in solidarity with their people and, together, they move forward to improve their social, economic and spiritual lives, always with Our Savior as their guide and their eyes on God’s Kingdom. For a $10 donation or more, you or a friend or loved one can share in our baptismal call to mission and the Columban Father’s mission work around the world through Columban Mission magazine. To begin receiving your Columban Mission magazine or to provide a gift to a loved one, simply visit our website at www.columban.org, call our toll-free number 877-299-1920 or write to us at: Columban Mission Magazine Subscription Missionary Society of St. Columban P.O. Box 10 St. Columbans, NE 68056
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“If you knew the gift of God and who it is who is saying to you ‘give me a drink,’ you would have asked and he would have given you living water.” — John 4:10
If you feel a thirst to spread the word of Jesus, we would love to discuss missionary life with you.
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… Fr. Bill Morton National Vocation Director Columban Fathers St. Columbans, NE 68056 877-299-1920 Email: vocations@columban.org Website: www.columban.org
If you are interested in becoming a Columban Sister, write or call… Sr. Carmen Maldonado Columban Sisters 2500 S. Freemont Avenue, #E Alhambra, CA 91803-4300 626-458-1869 Websites: www.columbansisters.org www.columbansistersusa.com
Japan + Korea + Peru + Hong Kong + Philippines + Pakistan + Chile + Fiji + Taiwan + North America
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