St. Joseph's Advocate Ireland

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In the Quiet When leaves are falling, and the branch is bare, winter is calling and chills the silent air. when the moon is covered, with shadows of the night, Know that I am waiting to call you to the quiet.

CHORUS: Be still, oh be still, for I am your God, be still now and listen and you will hear my word.

Be still, oh be still, deep within your life, for you will find me, In the quiet.

When souls are hurting, and they don't know why. when hearts are broken, children have to cry. when prayers are spoken, late into the night, you will find your answer If you come into the quiet.

(Liam Lawton)

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Advocate Autumn 2017 Volume 57 No. 2 ST JOSEPH’S ADVOCATE Published by: Editor: Printed in Ireland by:

Mill Hill Missionaries Fr. Jim O’Connell Modern Printers, Kilkenny

CONTENTS News from the Irish Regional 2 November - praying for the dead 4 Visit to a ‘Longhouse’ 6 Fatima 1917-2017 9 Mill Hill in Brazil 12 They call him ‘Kwanga’ 15

Front Cover:

Irish Regional Day In St. Joseph’s care ‘Goodbye and thank you’ Vishunpur, India A Unique Gathering Obituaries

18 20 23 26 29 32

. Indian Lady photo: Fons Eppink

Inside Front Cover:

. Background photo: Daniel Foley

Back Cover:

. Our new address

Photo Credits:

. F. Eppink, Michael Corcoran, Tony Amort, Jimmy Lindero

MISSION OFFERINGS All Postal Orders and Cheques to be sent direct to us at St. Joseph’s Advocate, Mill Hill Missionaries, 50 Orwell Park, Rathgar, Dublin D06 C535.

Bank Giros to be sent directly to our Bank account.

Details of the a/c availble from our office: 01-412 7707 St. Joseph’s Advocate Mill Hill Missionaries 50 Orwell Park Rathgar, Dublin D06 C535 Tel: (01) 412 7707

Email: organisingmhm@gmail.com Website: www.millhillmissionaries.co.uk

St Mary’s Parish 25 Marquis Street Belfast BT1 1JJ Tel: 04890 320482

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FRO M THE IRIS H REG IO NAL I was listening to the radio while news from our missionaries in driving from Dublin to Kilkenny Cameroon, Pakistan, Congo, recently. Paul Young was singing India, Falkland Islands, “wherever I lay my hat, that’s my Uganda, Borneo, Kenya, home” and it got me thinking. I Malaysia, the Philippines and was heading to a third bed in the New Zealand. The stories of space of a little over a week. I Fr. Philip O’Halloran Mill Hill Missionaries in these mhm reflected on the mobile nature of far-flung places were read and our Missionaries and reminisced commented on. Some 22,000 on the many times I have moved and made copies of the magazine still find their home in different places. way into homes across Ireland three times a year and there is a calendar sent This is the way it is for all our with the Christmas Issue. missionaries. Now the four Mill Hill Our presence in Kilkenny continued Members who live and work in Kilkenny are moving to Dublin. Our property in after leaving Freshford in 1989 when we Kilkenny is being sold and our purchased the former convent of the Organising department will be set up in Sisters of Charity on the Waterford Road Dublin. We expect all this to have in Kilkenny city. This has been our happened by the time you receive the organising base for over 28 years. We have been sending out St. Joseph’s Advocate.

Advocate to all corners of Ireland, In Freshford and then promoting an awareness of mission and Kilkenny City raising funds.

Mill Hill found its Irish home in the A monthly mass to St. Joseph built up Diocese of Ossory (Kilkenny) when a following on the first Wednesday of welcomed and allowed to open St. Joseph’s College Freshford in 1932. each month and the annual novena to St. Since then the people of Kilkenny have Joseph in March was always well been very supportive of Mill Hill and the attended. The Medjugore group and the diocesan priests have been welcoming Marian Movement, the Legion of Mary, and friends to so many of our Al-Anon and others have made use of the facilities on a weekly or monthly missionaries. basis. Over the years, our priests have From its first issue in 1935 St. Joseph’s been helping with Masses in parishes Advocate brought into ordinary homes and convents.

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Moving House but our mission work goes on Part of our Mill Hill Retirement House in Dublin is under-utilised and a decision was made to close the Kilkenny house and move the Organising department, including St. Joseph’s Advocate, to Dublin. It brings an end to 85 years of Mill Hill’s presence in Kilkenny (Ossory Diocese). It is personally sad for me as a Kilkenny man to have to oversee this.

Looking through files of letters brings home to me how much support we have had and still have around the country.

St. Joseph’s Advocate will continue to go out from St. Joseph’s House in Dublin – its third home; for those who write it is a change of address and for those who phone it will be a new number. Sadly, for those who dropped by in Kilkenny “to see a priest” it is a longer trip!

musical instruments, generators, Parish Centres, school fees for children, money for much needed medicine, and so much more by way of help for needy families.

You are all part of our story and history. Our staff who have been with us for many years deserve special mention.

As Mill Hill missionaries, our mission is the story of God at work in building community and reaching out to others.

We will faithfully continue to do this in the future with St. Joseph as our patron and protector.

We assure you all of remembrance in our prayers and Masses in our new home in Dublin. The address is given below.

I thank all of you our supporters very much. You are continuing to assist our missionaries, especially the nearly 100 African and Asian Mill Hill Missionaries working across the world. The Advocate has been telling some of their stories and some of the funds raised are sent to them for various projects.

Last year your donations contributed substantially to supporting those affected by famine in Kotido, Uganda. And in so many places in Africa and Asia, your donations have helped with building chapels, parish houses, water projects, a youth training centre, solar lighting, 3

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❑

“Lord, for your faithful people, at death, life is changed, not ended.

When the body of our earthly dwelling lies in death, we gain an everlasting dwelling place in Heaven.” (Preface of the Mass for the dead)

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“I am the Resurrection and the life.

Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who believes in me will never die.” (Jn. 11:25-26)

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Jesus said to the man on the cross beside him: “This day you will be with me in paradise.”

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“Keep your gaze fixed on the crucified and Risen Christ: “He gives us hope and life. With him evil, suffering and death do not have the last word. The Cross is now a sign of love, hope and life.”

(Pope Francis)

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“Through death, we go into the invisible kingdom where there is no

more darkness, suffering or sadness, and where we are one with all those that we love in the seen world and in the unseen world.

Death in that sense is a time of great homecoming, and there is no need to be afraid.” (The late John O’ Donoghue) ❑

“O, you are not lying in the wet clay For it is a harvest evening now And we are piling up the ricks of hay against the moonlight And you smile at us eternally” (From Patrick Kavanagh’s poem about his mother)

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“Fold our loved ones, O Jesus, in your arms, and let them henceforth be messengers of love between our human hearts and thee. Amen”

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“May you discover that your loved one has not really left you, that there is a quiet presence that sustains you, that there is a hidden strength that will help you. Amen.”

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November: honouring the memory of the dead During the month of November each of our priests throughout the world offers Holy Mass for all our deceased members and benefactors. In our Mill Hill St. Joseph’s House in Dublin, Holy Mass will be celebrated each day of November for deceased members and benefactors, especially for all those whose names are recorded in our ‘List of the Dead.’ You are kindly invited to send in the names of your dear departed loved ones.

Prayer for a happy death May God support us all day long, till the shades lengthen and evening comes and the busy world is hushed and the fever of life is over and our work is done.

Then in his mercy May he give us a safe lodging And a holy rest and peace at last.

Amen.

The photos show two sections of a stained glass window. The text at the base of the window reads: ‘St. Joseph, Patron of a Happy Death, pray for us’ The window depicts Joseph on his deathbed. Jesus is holding his hand and blessing him. Mary is praying and grieving close by. You may want to reflect on the scene and enter into it with hope and prayer. The same gentle loving Jesus is with each person on that final journey from this life to the heavenly peace that awaits us. At death ‘life is changed, not ended.’ The scene depicted in the window can bring much comfort, when we have to turn our thoughts to death or perhaps find ourselves grieving the loss of loved ones.

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[On a visit to Sarawak, Malaysia (Island of Borneo) in January 2016, Fr. Fons spent some time with Fr. Philip Odhiambo, a Mill Hill priest from Kenya who serves in the parish of Bintangor, in the diocese of Sibu.]

In Sarawak, Malaysia, the ‘Longhouse’ tradition has a centuries old pedigree. All along Sarawak's many rivers you find them, groups of related people living in tightly knit longhouse communities built as one unit with a large common veranda a 'rumah' in local parlance. One such 6

longhouse may count 60 or more 'doors' individual families. Traditionally built of hardwood they are now often constructed with modern materials and accessible by road. Longhouses afford their inhabitants a unique experience of communal living.

“City dwellers return to their roots for Christmas” For most native Sarawakians that is where your roots are. Urban parishes deplete during the Christmas season and also for Gawai, the traditional local feast around June 1st. City dwellers return to their roots for these occasions.

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When the first Mill Hill missionaries arrived here in the beginning of the 1880's they paddled tirelessly up and down rivers in canoes visiting ‘Longhouses’. Their labours and the evangelising work of those who followed have bourne abundant fruit.

Many ‘Longhouses’ now have substantial Catholic communities. Sometimes whole ‘Longhouses’ have become Catholic following the example of the Twai Rumah - the head of the ‘Longhouse’.

The welcome extended to a guest of honour is quite overwhelming Visiting such ‘Longhouse’ communities to celebrate the Eucharist, as I have done on a

recent visit to Sarawak, is a unique experience of what the early Christians called a 'domestic (house) church'. To a first time visitor like myself the welcome extended to a guest of honour - as was my fortune - is quite overwhelming. Here's a description of one such visit in the company of Fr. Philip Odhiambo (In the photo below), a young Kenyan Mill Hill missionary in Sarawak.

When we arrived at the ‘Longhouse’ I heard the sound of the traditional gong band playing inside and was not a little surprised when Philip whispered that I was going to get the official Iban welcome given to an important guest. And sure enough there were two girls in splendid traditional dress waiting at the doorway. When I entered an older lady stood ready to pour a glass of rice wine which I was supposed to drink in one go!

Frs. Philip (2nd left) and Fons being welcomed in the ‘Longhouse’

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Fr. Philip blessing Rosaries and Statues. Philip also featured in another role on the front cover of the Spring Advocate - carrying a bag of fruit, while helping with the harvest.

And then, after Philip had also been welcomed in this way, we both danced (in a manner of speaking in my case) the dance of the hornbill. After which we were led in procession along the veranda to the place where the altar had been set up and Mass could begin.

After Mass we were invited to share a sumptuous meal with the entire community.

Then 'tuak' - rice wine was served and the conversation flowed. Philip, who has a welldeveloped pastoral sense and real love for the people, told me that such visits to ‘Longhouses’ are a choice opportunity to meet the people on their own turf. In no time he got into an animated pastoral dialogue with a group of men and some women about such issues as fidelity in marriage (can you have mistresses? Some of the women present chipped in: some of the men here actually do!) and traditional beliefs. "People often share very deeply on these occasions. You really get an understanding of their way of 8

thinking, what stirs in their hearts, much more than when you meet someone at the church or in the street", Philip told me later.

Of course, modernity has brought its own challenges and opportunities. Malaysia has acquired the status of an 'emerging economy' and Sarawak plays no mean role in the country's economic rise.

Blessed with abundant mineral resources such as oil, with choice tropical hardwood further inland, and, more recently, mile upon square mile of palm oil plantations, Sarawak is Malaysia's treasure trove. The fast pace of change is evident everywhere. So are the signs of wealth and prosperity. How all this will affect the Christian communities in the ‘Longhouses’ remains to be seen. So the question remains: How to forge the precious asset of the strong communal sense found in ‘Longhouses’ into a viable answer to the enticing influences of both Islam and secularisation? The Malaysian Church is facing a tough challenge.

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ILGRIMS have been flocking to Fatima this year to mark the 100th anniversary of the Apparitions of the Virgin Mary to the three shepherd children: Lucia and her cousins Jacinta and Francisco. Pope Francis visited the Shrine on May 12/13th.

Lucia is Venerable. The core of the story of Fatima is simple. Our lady appeared to the three shepherd children six times between May 13th and October 13th 1917. She emphasized the importance of prayer and penance. She told the children to devote themselves to the Blessed Trinity and to pray the Rosary every day to bring peace to the world and an end to war.

He canonised Jacinta and Francisco.

The 1st World war was raging at the

P

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time of the Apparitions. Portugal itself was experiencing great problems, with the monarchy overthrown in 1910. The Russian revolution took place in 1917 and a world-wide flu epidemic raged from 1918 to 1920. So the Apparitions took place at a time when the world was in crisis and there was a sense of impending doom, and it seemed to many people that the end of the world was near at hand. Both Jacinta and Francisco died during the flu epidemic (1918-1920) and Lucia died in 2005 at the age of 97.

Pope Francis blessed six copies of the Pilgrim Virgin Statue As part of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary Pope Francis blessed six copies of the Pilgrim Virgin Statue to be taken to places around the world.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin welcoming one of these Statues to Dublin on March 12, 2017 said: “The statue helps us to reflect on the life of Mary herself, her joys and sorrows, her love for her Son Jesus and her compassionate love for all people.”

Pope Benedict XVI preaching in Fatima on May 13, 2010, said: ''At a time when the human family was ready to sacrifice all that was most sa10

cred on the altar of the petty and selfish interests of nations, races, ideologies, groups and individuals, Our Blessed Mother came from heaven, offering to implant in the hearts of all those who trust in her the Love of God burning in her own heart. At that time it was only to three children, yet the example of their lives spread and multiplied, especially as a result of the travels of the Pilgrim Virgin, in countless groups throughout the world dedicated to the cause of fraternal solidarity.”

In that same homily he had these quotes from Jacinta and Francesco "How much I delight in telling Jesus that I love him. When I tell him this often, I feel as if I have a fire in my breast, but it does not burn me:' (Jacinta) "What I liked most of all was seeing Our Lord in that light which Our Mother put into our hearts. I love God so much:' (Francisco).

Earlier as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger he wrote: "A careful reading of the so-called third 'secret' of Fatima will probably prove disappointing or surprising after all the speculation it has stirred. No great mystery is revealed; nor is the future unveiled. We see the Church of the martyrs of the century that has just passed represented in a scene described in a language which is symbolic and not easy to decipher.

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‘To save souls' has emerged as the keyword of the first and second parts of the 'secret' and the key for this third part is the threefold cry: 'Penance, Penance, Penance!'. The beginning of the Gospel comes to mind: 'Repent and believe the Good News’ (Mk1: 15). To understand the signs of the times means to accept the urgency of penance - of conversion - of faith. This is the correct response to this moment of history, characterised by the great perils outlined in the images that follow.

Allow me to add here a personal recollection: in a conversation with me, Sister Lucia said that it appeared ever more clearly to her that the purpose of the apparitions was to help people to grow

more and more in faith, hope and love everything else was intended to lead to this.

Insofar as individual events are described they belong to the past. Those who expected apocalyptic revelations about the end of the world or the future course of history are bound to be disappointed. Fatima does not satisfy our curiosity in this way ... What remains was already evident when we began our reflection on the text of the 'secret' : the exhortation to prayer as the path to the 'salvation of souls' and likewise, the summons to penance and conversion.”

Below: Pope Francis prays before the Crucifix and the statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

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by Fr. Michael Corcoran (Mill Hill General Superior)

In February, I visited Brazil together with Des McGillicuddy, our Vicar General. Des had worked in Brazil for twelve years before being elected a member of Mill Hill General Council in 2015.

Mill Hill Missionaries have been in Brazil since 1975.

Around that time some of our members who had been expelled from the Malaysian Mission (Sabah) responded to a request for missionaries in the Diocese of Governador Valadares, Brazil, which is some six hundred miles from Rio de Janeiro. They were joined by others, including some from Chile when Mill Hill Missionaries withdrew from there. At that time there were three Brazilian priests with missionaries forming the remainder of the clergy in the Diocese. Today forty one years later there are only two Mill 12

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Fr. Des (left) and Fr. Michael (far right) with Fr. Eelke Piet Mous and frineds

Hill priests in the Diocese with the Brazilian Church taking responsibility. Over the years our missionaries were deeply involved in establishing Basic Christian Communities and in many welfare projects.

Remaining Mill Hill Priests We spent time with our two remaining Mill Hill Missionaries. We first visited Eelke Piet Mous, who has responsibility for the parish church in the centre of town the town of Aimorés and over 20 small Christian communities, most of them in the rural interior. We participated in a number of pastoral events and visited important social projects supported by Eelke Piet, including a home for the elderly and disabled. We also went to see the Rio Doce River running through the cities of Governador Valadares and

Aimorés. The bursting of a dam in November 2015 caused serious contamination of the river. About 60 million cubic metres of mud contaminated with mining residues (arsenic, zinc, etc.) poured into the river and on to the Atlantic Ocean, spreading the pollution all along the way.

To the thousands of people living along the banks of the Rio Doce, dependent on fishing, tourism and marine conservation, the contaminated mud continues to represent a threat to their livelihoods.

In the city of Governador Valadares, we visited Tony Amort. Tony took us to see some social projects that he is supporting, including an Association of Collectors of Re-cyclable Materials and a Crèche located in a poorer area of the city, which caters for 175 children who are well looked after by teachers and other staff.

Tony spoke about his work with the ‘Boa 13

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Nova’ (Good News) movement, which has around a thousand bible-reflection groups in the diocese. Tony assists by training lay leaders and producing resources. Tony supports lots of important other projects such as settlement of landless families.

We also visited the tomb of Florian Jud, MHM, in the cemetery of Governador Valadares. Florian died in February 2015. He continues – through his legacy – to be very much ‘present’ in Governador Valadares today. We visited two huge parish complexes built by Florian and enjoyed lunch with his successors there.

Our Future in Brazil The question constantly came to mind about the future of our Mill Hill Society in

Brazil – if any. This question was answered by our sharing together the call to mission addressed to the Local Church.

Mill Hill should not act in any way that might encourage the Local Church to avoid its missionary responsibilities. The Brazilian Bishops have openly expressed concern about the lack of missionary impetus in the Church in Brazil. In any case, given our dwindling numbers, it was concluded that the Society’s mission in Brazil was drawing to a close, at least for the time being. It was a case of “closing the door but not locking it, much less throwing away the key.” Our commitment to evangelization in Brazil has been a benefit not only to Brazil but also to our Society as we have been enriched by the contribution the Brazilian Church has brought to the universal Church.

Mill Hill priest, Fr. Tony Amort, prepares to celebrate Mass in a Brazilian forest clearing.

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Fr. Tiberius in Alb and Stole with Fr. Andrew Mukulu and parishioners from Fonfuka parish.

HE CATHOLIC COMMUNITY (retired soldier) in Fonfuka still stands. in the remote village of However, the seed sown in those distant Fonfuka, NW Province, days took a while to come to fruition.

Cameroon, was founded nearly The most difficult challenge one hundred years ago, (in 1919 to be precise) by a retired soldier was to find suitable lay who had returned from the island of Fernando Po situated off the leaders (Cathechists) coast of Cameroon.

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Many Cameroonian soldiers serving in the German colonial army were interned on the island after the German defeat in the First World War. A number of them became Christians there and turned into active apostles when they returned to their regions of origin after the war. The little church built by this fervent lay missionary

When Fr Tiberius Vuni, a young Mill Hill missionary from Uganda, was appointed here three years ago to start a new mission, he found a community struggling to survive, without any support structures worth speaking of. The most difficult challenge was to find suitable lay leaders (Catechists) for the small Christian 15

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Communities in the outlying villages.

Some of these could only be reached on foot - involving treks (walking) of several hours.

Missionary approach He had little difficulty in accepting very basic living conditions at the parish centre in Fonfuka itself. A simple well-built church adjacent to the historic mud brick building mentioned above provided a welcome space for gathering the local community. But even now the living room in the simple house where Fr. Tiberius lives doubles as sacristy. "My sojourn with Fr Adolf PĂśll mhm in Witu, Kenya, as a student on 'Mission Experience', has been of enormous help to me. He gave me all the space I needed to learn to manage on my own in challenging conditions", Tiberius tells me.

Dogged perseverance and an open eye for God's presence in all manner of situations, in particular in the local culture, have helped him to bring to life the seed sown long ago. Spending extended weekends with the least responsive communities in some of the outstations is one of his favourite approaches. "He holds us like an egg", was a comment I heard from one of the Christians. They have taken to calling him endearingly Kwangå – which means Peace.

"As a missionary you need to persevere", Augustine, one of his two trusted catechists, told him. Tiberius does not hide his admiration for this committed lay assistant: "I feel hugely inspired by his willingness to leave his family behind for extended periods 'in the field' and by the joy he radiates when he returns from his 'mission'.

Fonfuku Parish Church.

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The going can be tough at times. At the Mbonge outstation for instance only 2 or 3 people regularly attend on Sunday. People are slow to respond even though Fr. Tiberius visits frequently and keeps doing so. "My part is to sow the seed", he says with touching humility, "I may not see the fruits, but God's grace is at work in the hearts of the people.”

Overall the growth of the Christian community ever since he first set foot in Fonfuka is a cause of wonder and immense gratitude. To give but one example: at Ngona Kimbi the small community of Catholics used to gather in a classroom at the local school. When for some reason this arrangement was discontinued, they had no other choice but to come together in the shade of a tree. Since those early days the community has grown. They first built a temporary shed and are currently poised to graduate to a proper small church built by themselves.

Ready for a new challenge Tiberius Vuni himself is grateful for the support and advice he has received all

along from fellow missionaries with many years of experience. The companionship of Mill Hill missionary students, and, recently, the assistance of Cyril Johnrose, a young Mill Hill colleague from India, have been a real boost.

In a true missionary spirit, they will go keenly aware that God’s Spirit precedes them This young Mill Hill Missionary team at Fonfuka is ready to take up a new challenge now. Later this year the revived parish of Fonfuka will be handed back to the Archdiocese of Bamenda and they will move on. A new gospel adventure awaits them in Kembong, a parish in the vast rainforest area of the diocese of Mamfe with plenty of scope for primary Gospel witness. In a true missionary spirit, they will go keenly aware that God's Spirit precedes them. Please keep them in your prayers.

Please Remember the Missions in your will I bequeath to St Joseph’s Society for the Missions Inc, (Mill Hill Missionaries), 50 Orwell Park, Rathgar, Dublin D06 C535, the sum of e............................................... free of duty

to be applied for the general purpose of the said Society, and I declare that the receipt of the Rev. Director shall be a sufficient discharge of the same.

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HE Mill Hill Missionaries resident in Ireland meet twice a year for a one day ‘Regional Assembly’. On the 28th of February this year the group featured in the photo took part in such a day.

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The first session opened at 9am with prayer together, after which Fr. Jimmy Lindero from the Philippines, who is a member of our General Council, led us through a presentation on Mill Hill Missionaries working in Asia - covering India, Pakistan, Malaysia and the Philippines. He used maps, short videos and lots of photographs to give us a good insight into the various missions where Mill Hill priests are presently minister18

ing. A number of these are young men from Africa, India and the Philippines. It was interesting and inspiring to hear how well they are doing and how committed they are to their ministry, often in remote and difficult areas.

Jimmy gave us a great sense that mission continues in so many places where Mill Hill members of previous generations laboured for so long. Some of those former missionaries were present - now retired in St. Joseph’s House. He also presented a short video on Cambodia and explained how the Society was in the process of responding to a request to work there. It was a highly informative session and added an air of mission to the whole day.

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Safeguarding Children After a short break, Sandra Neville, the Safeguarding Officer for the Irish Region, led the Assembly in a training session. She explained that the rolling out of the 2016 ‘Safeguarding Children Policy and Standards for the Catholic Church in Ireland’ along with new government legislation have resulted in the need for the revision of our own Mill Hill ‘Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures’. A revised and updated version will be finalised and sent to members soon. It is hoped that our new ‘Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedures’ will continue to develop a culture of safeguarding and good practice among all Mill Hill Missionaries in Ireland.

At the close of this Session Sandra distributed the: “Agreement to abide by the Irish Region’s Safeguarding Policy and Procedures when working with children and young people form” which has to be agreed to and signed by each member in the Region.

Some people write about their cares and concerns and receive a personal letter in response The afternoon session was given over to reports from the different departments that cover the day to day work going on in the Region. We are sending out twenty two thousand copies of St. Joseph’s Advocate three times a year, plus a Calendar at Christmas. We receive thousands

of letters with generous donations from our supporters around the country. Some people write about their cares and concerns and receive a personal letter in response. Fr. Maurice McGill takes care of the office and letters and Fr. Jim O’Connell is editor of the Advocate.

Fr. Denis Hartnett and Fr. Gerald Doyle have been doing ‘Mission Promotion’ in the parishes in the southern side of the Archdiocese of Dublin in 2016.

Although the numbers attending church varied from parish to parish they still were very well received by both priests and parishioners. In 2017 they are covering the parishes in part of the Archdiocese of Armagh.

There are thirty six members living in the Irish Region, including two of our young priests from Africa who are studying here Our Irish Regional, Fr. Philip O’Halloran briefed the members on practical matters. There are 36 members living in the Irish Region, including two of our young priests from Africa who are studying here. Philip thanked the outgoing members of the Regional Council: Frs. Pat Murray, Pat Molloy and Jim O’Connell. He then announced the names of the members of the new Council: Frs. Maurice McGill, John Nevin and Tom Keane.

Fr. Pat Murray will continue as Regional Bursar.

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“In St. Joseph’s Care I leave you”

by Fr. Jim O’Connell, mhm URING THE Novena to St. Joseph in March, I became more aware of St. Joseph as a truly caring person. While this can be seen in the way that he cared for Jesus and Mary at all times, I want to focus on the caring way that he planned to treat Mary when he discovered she was pregnant; this was before the Angel appeared to him in a dream and told him what to do.

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A few things happened that helped me appreciate St. Joseph’s care more fully.

On the first day of the Novena, I had a hospital appointment to see a consultant that I have been visiting regularly for the last six years. In the course of our conversation, he casually asked if we were busy. I told him we were busy enough with a Mass and Novena to St. Joseph on every evening for nine evenings. People are invited for a cup of tea after the Mass so it can be around 9.30 or 10 pm by the time we get finished. The doctor then asked if we have a special connection with St. Joseph. I told him that we have and explained that our official title is St. Joseph’s Missionary Society, though we are generally known as the Mill Hill Missionaries. He then went on to say that he had great admiration for St. Joseph because of the way he treated Mary when he discovered she was pregnant. He added

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that he felt this had special relevance these days with so much in the media about how badly unmarried mothers and their babies were treated in Ireland in the past.

The following day I read an article in the ‘Furrow’ magazine (March 2017) about St. Joseph by Fr. Seamus O’Connell, who is professor of Sacred Scripture at St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth. He points out that St. Joseph is very often presented: “either as a young and virile carpenter in his rustic workshop, or as an older guardian standing in the wings, while Mary claims the centre of artistic and divine attention.” Fr. Seamus sets out to show that a closer reading of what St. Matthew’s gospel says about Joseph reveals a very different person to the man kept in the wings and in the shadows.

Matthew’s St. Joseph In this short piece, I can only focus on the small section of the article that relates to the earlier conversation about how Joseph planned to treat Mary when he found she was pregnant.

These are the relevant verses of Scripture in Matthew: “This is how Jesus came to be born: when his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit; her husband Joseph, being righteous and not willing to

make an example of her, resolved to dismiss her quietly” (l: 18b-19).

Fr. Seamus comments: “As we begin to read those verses, let us try to remember that we're reading with an eye to Joseph.

At the beginning of the account the reader knows more about what's going on than does Joseph. The reader knows who Jesus is, Joseph does not! The reader knows the origin of this child, Joseph does not!

Joseph is left trying to manage a situation where his betrothed is carrying a child that is not his! In a few strokes Matthew paints Joseph - he is righteous; he does not need to make a display; he decides to act.

Joseph's righteousness is expressed in his decision to dismiss Mary quietly. His action is motivated by his desire not to make a show.

His action is motivated by his care for Mary. While he feels he must dismiss her, he will not do so in a way that increases her victimization.

Joseph does not know whose child this is, only that it is not his. Letting the text speak, one can see how his care for his betrothed guides his action.

Joseph is – in the words of the adult Jesus - not one who 'practises his righteousness before others in order to be seen by them' (6:1). Matthew’s Joseph embodies already what the son of his betrothed will teach in the Sermon on the Mount and beyond.”

The comments of Fr. Seamus offer deep 21

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insights into St. Joseph as a person. Even before the Angel’s visit and message, we can see that Joseph is caring and kind – a man who is prepared to act quietly and save Mary publicity. When we read ‘he feels he has to dismiss her’ (because she was pregnant with a child that was not his) we have to remember the religious, cultural and social context of Joseph’s time. He did not really have any choice but to do this. His care and love for Mary is revealed in the way he planned to do it.

Many people come to know and love St. Joseph as a caring companion on their journey. This can happen for anybody in any walk of life. We are all in his care.

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“In St. Joseph’s care I leave you” When Herbert Vaughan founded St. Joseph’s Missionary Society of Mill Hill in 1866, he chose St. Joseph as the patron and protector of his future missionaries, placing them in his care. That same year (1866) Mary MacKillop, who was canonised in 2010, founded the Sisters of St. Joseph in Australia. Among her last words to the Sisters shortly before she died were: “In St. Joseph’s care, I leave you” – a simple prayer and blessing that came from her lifelong devotion to this kind and caring Saint.

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EAR Parents, Grand-Parents, Family members and all the children of our parish, I want to express a special 'goodbye 'and 'thank you' to you all and especially to the children, present and past, who have gifted and blessed me for the past fifteen years in Kiltoom parish with their welcoming friendship, unique faith, fun, trust, humanity, humour, openness and love.

D

As parents, you all teach your children that 'goodbyes' are as much a part of life as the changing seasons of the year. There are stories of gain and loss, of joy and sorrow, of hope and disappointment, laughter and tears that unfold through the varied experiences inside each one of us.

The word 'goodbye' originally meant 'God-be-with-you’ (or 'Go-with-God') and was recognition that God was a significant part of your 'going'. Whatever you feared or dreaded on the journey, there was an inner strength in remembering that the One who gave and cherishes life would always be there to guide, protect and befriend.

Your own home is holy ground Since 2001, I have Baptised 334 children in our parish. Many of them are your own children in our school. I always steal a glance at every Mum and Dad, just as I am about to pour the Holy Water over the baby's forehead. There is a 'look' that is captured on the face of every Mother and.

Father, of longing, love, wonder and awe that echo the words about John the Baptist: "What will this child turn out to be?" (Lk 24

1:66). It is a true moment of grace that defies the limitations of language, but, it is a present (a gift) moment in our everyday reality that is held in the timelessness of God for all eternity. It is a reminder to us all that every home, your own home, is 'holy ground', where love and faith blossom, flourishes and bears fruit as your child develops and grows before your eyes.

Our Druidic ancestors welcomed every new-born baby with the words: “here comes God again” Tagore, (1861-1941) an Indian poet, wrote that, 'every child comes with a message that God is not discouraged with us'.

Our Druidic ancestors welcomed every new-born baby with the words: 'here comes God again'. It disquiets me to hear some adults say that they would prefer to have nothing to do with children nowadays. The updated Church Safeguarding Protocols that are now in place and being implemented, help and encourage us all to welcome, reverence and respect all the children who are entrusted to our pastoral care.

A glimpse of God’s Love We can easily lose touch with the childlike part of ourselves that knows the wonder of imagination and the fascination of the ordinary that unfolds for us the presence of God. We also lose touch with the sheer surprise of spontaneity and the open simplicity of a child's surrendering heart that is a blessing and beatitude of beauty.

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Fr. John Cullen (Back row on the right) with participants in an Elphin Diocese Share the Good News Catechetics Conference - duing his time in Kiltoom/Curraghboy parish.

We lose touch with the noblest part of ourselves, the most protective and altruistic part of ourselves, that is the love of God, made real and tangible for us through your children. In the heart of every child, we discover the threshold that allows us a glimpse of God's love and presence. In the Gospel, Jesus is explicit when he says: "Let the children come to me. Do not stop them". (Matthew 19:14 and Luke 18:16)

‘May all our children cherish, live and share their faith in the hope that is God’s love for them’ Thank you to all your children for their special presence and blessing in my life. I have an abiding memory of two children who wandered outside the school playground boundary, only to be caught by the alert teacher on playground duty. I just happened to be passing and overheard the

funniest dialogue that to this day makes me smile!! The teacher seriously questioned the first boy: 'what were you doing out in the field'? "Nothing", answered the boy.

The second boy was also asked the same question by the inquiring teacher: 'And, what were you doing in the field'? He thoughtfully answered: "I was helping him"!! Classic stuff!! You could not make it up and you would not see or hear this on a stage!! This was real life drama at its best!!

My prayer for all your children is that they will lilt and sing a new song of love in their hearts.

May our wonderful, composer God, love the harmony of mercy into all our mistakes, giving us a new confidence and guiding us to play new tunes of love that are reachable for us all - every day of our lives. May all our children cherish, live and share their Faith in the Hope that it is God’s Love for them 25

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North Indian missions are very problematic, challenging and demanding. Most of the missions are far from one another and in the midst of the forest. Different religious fundamentalist groups bring many challenges to the missionaries. Especially in this district direct evangelization and conversion is prohibited for political reasons.

Therefore many of the missions go for indirect evangelization through the medium of schools and other empowerment programs, especially for the youth and women.

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Fr. Suresh visiting a home and in photo next page celebrating Mass.

“A New School Great Need” Vishunpur mission is situated in the midst of the forest. There are some villages in our mission parish which do not allow the missionaries to go to them because they feel that they are going to convert people. This blocks us from reaching out to the people. Therefore we thought that it is best to have an alternative to reach out to the people, and the best one was to run a school. We started the school to grant education to the children of this area. There is a great need for this. At present our school is from nursery to second class and we have 125 children. Some children come from villages far away – up to 27km.

After starting the school our mission

work is more demanding because we are able to access the villages where we were not previously able to go. In the name of visiting the children that are in our school we are able to visit the parents and many other people in the villages as well. In this way the area we cover for our mission has increased. We also give faith education to the children in the school. In this way the seed of the Christian faith is sown.

Whether through direct evangelization or through the medium of the school the spreading of the kingdom of God is done here. We had the blessing of the parish house on 20th September 2015. Before building the parish house we were staying in a rented house, which is built with mud and mud tiles for roofing. Since the rented house was not maintained well during the rainy season the roof was leaking. At night we often had to move the bed to avoid getting wet! We also had the problem that 27

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many insects, snakes and scorpions, could enter into the room day and night.

There were no extra rooms as well. Because of this sometimes we had to share the rooms with the visitors or the students who came for pastoral experience.

“New House A Real Blessing” The new house that we are living in is really a blessing. The house has four rooms. It is more welcoming for visitors as well as the people we are working with.

Previously the people didn’t know where we are because we were working here and there, but now they know that at least one of us will be in the house to welcome them.

If the visitors are coming to see us they don’t need to rush like before. Since they are travelling long distances they can also relax and take their time. We can accommodate at least four people in the new house. We can also have our privacy. It is very helpful for us to have a peaceful rest after the long and demanding day out on the mission. And we don’t have to worry about insects and scorpions!

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We bought the land in 2014 but it did not have a wall to protect our property from different kinds of animals especially from wild animals, like bears, elephants, foxes, etc. We also needed the wall because we are in the middle of the forest and surrounded by different fundamentalist groups. We did not know who came in and went out and for what purpose.

“New Wall - Much Needed Protection” Without a wall our land was like public property.

People used to leave their cattle and pigs in to graze on our land.

Even at night they were in our compound. Though we had prepared a small garden to grow some vegetables, it was never a success because of the animals. During the day and the night they used to come and destroy everything and eat it up. Therefore building the wall has provided great relief and protection for our land and property and people.

We the missionaries working in Vishunpur Mission and our people here thank God and Mill Hill Society, especially the Irish Region, for the great financial and spiritual support.

Without your help we could not have developed this mission so far. May God bless you all.

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In the words of Nancy Gibbs, TIME editor, 'Pope Francis has a way of taking eternally complex subjects and yanking them down to earth, where ideas and action conspire to improve lives.'

As the majority of people in the world continue to grow poorer, urgent questions are being asked of the elites and institutions which maintain the status quo. Pope Francis' concern about global poverty, environmental degradation and the growing wealth gap between rich and poor encapsulated in Laudato Si' is resonating for the 21st century human family and inspiring many within and beyond the traditional Catholic community to begin a new conversation about creation as the links between climate change, poverty reduction and education reform are being redefined.

At the heart of creation is the human person and especially the one who is suffering because of exploitation or neglect.

Laudato Si’ offers inspiration, hope and the genesis of a roadmap to the coming generation In his address to the gathering, Pope Francis called for 'a new social compact' with concrete ideas and action and a readiness to listen to the voices of the poor and transform social and economic structures so that the centrality and dignity of the human person remains paramount.

As the theme for this year's Catholic Schools Week, Laudato Si’ offers inspiration, hope and the genesis of a roadmap to the coming generation who will need each of them in abundance to deal with the challenges currently presented to their future and that of the planet.

“The entire material universe speaks of God’s Love” (Pope Francis: Laudato Si’ 84)

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Pope Francis issued his Encyclical Letter: Laudato Si' – On care for our common home, in June 2015. These are some quotations from the Letter.

(Editor) ❑

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“Praise be to you, my Lord”. In the words of his beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.”

“We know that approximately a third of all food produced is discarded, and whenever food is thrown out it is as if it were stolen from the table of the poor”.

“Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork (Creation) is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.”

❑

“The earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she “groans in travail” (Rom 8:22). We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth (cf. Gen 2:7); our very bodies are made up of her elements; we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.”

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“Our efforts at education will be inadequate and ineffectual unless we strive to promote a new way of thinking about human beings, life, society and our relationship with nature.”

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“If we approach nature and the environment without awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters. By constrast, if we feel united with all that exists, care will well up spontaneously.”

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Obituary List (Autumn 2017 - up until June 15)

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus have mercy on the souls of: Jeremiah Moriarty, brother in law of Fr. Jim O’Connell, MHM John P O’Donoghue, brother of Fr. Jim O’Donoghue, MHM Margaret O’Donoghue, sister in law of Fr. Jim O’Donoghue, MHM Sarah McGorty, sister of the late Fr. Roger McGorty, MHM Tom Ganly, father of the late Fr. Liam Ganly, MHM Promoters and Box Holders: Sheila Maguire, Una Ward, Members: Rev. Fr. Pat Moore, Sister Consilio Maher, Sister Ursula Murphy, Sr. Carmel O’Leary, Michael Barrett, Paddy Beechinor, Nora Brady-Campbell, Sheila Broderick, Phyllis Buckley, Agnes Byrne, Bernadette Byrne, Mae Byrne, Jeremiah Cadogan, Mary Cadogan, Thomas Camon, Kathleen Cartmill, Kevin Casey, Maggie Clarke, Phyllis Cleary, Mary K Clyne, Phyllis Coakley, Patrick Coleman, Margaret Condon, Pat Conneely, Marie Connellan, John Connors, Patrick Corbett, Denis Cronin, Mary Cronin, Seamus Crossan, Eddie Cussen, Bridget Daly, Brenda Darcy, Frank Dawson, Paddy Dawson,Tommie Delaney, Mary Devine, Adrian Dillon, Helen & Murray Doherty, Michael Dollard, John Dore, Florence Douglas, Peggy Dowling, Michael Downes, Ann Doyle, Hugh Duffy, Tom Dunne, Susan Dunne, Teresa English, Mary Kate Fahey, Mary Farrell, Mary Finnegan, Mary Agnes Flanagan, Richard J Fleming, Patricia Forde, Josephine Gallagher, Rose Gollogly, Annie Gartlan, Marjorie Gilsenan, Nicholas Gough, Elizabeth Griffin, John Griffin, Mary Guiney, Bernadette Hackett, Thomas Halton, Billy Hamilton, Eileen Hastings, Margaret Healy, Mary Hill, John Horgan, Nicholas Hughes, Helen Hurley, Vincent Joyce, Noel Healy, John Hughes, Margaret Keher, Padraic Kellett, Frances Kelly,

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Kathleen Kennan, Eileen Kenny, Rose Kenny, Philomena Kerins, Margaret Kinsella, Bridie Leap, Tom Lane, Georgie Leahy, Nora Lenihan, Meg Leonard, Sean Leonard, Mary Lucey, Edith Lyall, Mary Lynch, Colette Malone, Denis Malone, Helen Manning, John Masterson, Mattie Merrick, Mary Mone, Ann Mooney, Monica Mulrine, Mary (Masie) Murphy, Michael Murphy, Rose Murphy, Patricia Norah, Pauline Murray, Mick McCann, Mary McCauley, Teresa McCluskey, Thomas McCullough, Helena McCullough, Mary McDonnell, Mike McDonagh, Eileen McGarvey, Eoin McGeough, Phyllis McGinn, Teresa McGonigle, Sean McGonigle, Elizabeth McGowan, Colette McGrath, Mary McKay, Thomas E McKernan, Sheila P Nolan, Gus Nugent, Ann O’Brien, Michael O’Brien, Kathleen O’Donovan, Margaret O’Farrell, John O’Halloran, Paddy O’Keeffe, Kathleen O’Leary, John O’Mahony, Maureen O’Malley, Bernadette O’Reilly, Cathal O’Reilly, Mrs O’Shea, Sean O’Shea, Alice O’Toole, Michael Phelan, Michael Potter, Annie Purcell, Pauline Quirke, Maggie Regan, Maudie Reid, Peter Rota, Ita Ryan, Kathleen Sproule, Margaret Maria Sugrue, Mary Toner, Eileen Tonge, Peter Wallace, Patrick Ward, Angela White, Mary Whyte.

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• • • • •

It keeps our friends and supporters in touch with our missionary work.

It promotes devotion to St. Joseph - our patron and protector There are three issues per year plus a Calendar at Christmas. It is sent to all our members.

Membership is e10.00 per year, £7.00 for those in the sterling area, $12 for the U.S. Members give generously to help our missionary work and we deeply appreciate their great support.

If you would like to become a member and receive the Advocate, please contact: St. Joseph’s Advocate, Mill Hill Missionaries, 50 Orwell Park, Rathgar, Dublin D06 C535

r New Member r Renewal of Membership (If you have not renewed) Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Address: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .......................................................

Perhaps you might interest a friend in becoming a member. All help for our missionary apostolate is deeply appreciated, and you share in the prayers and good works of our missionaries.

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