From the Editor

Fasting for Lent

Pope Francis:

Do you want to fast this Lent? Fast from hurting words and say kind words, Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude, Fast from anger and be filled with patience, Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope, Fast from worries and trust in God, Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity, Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy, Fast from pressures and be prayerful, Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others, Fast from grudges and be reconciled, Fast from words and be silent so you can listen.

Advocate

Spring 2022 Volume 62 No. 1

ST. JOSEPH’S ADVOCATE

Published by:

Mill Hill Missionaries Editor: Fr Jim O’Connell Printed in Ireland by: Modern Printers, Kilkenny CONTENTS

From the Editor ........................................................................................... 2 Cambodia: Mill Hill’s new mission ................................................................ 4 Masters in Theology – Maynooth ................................................................... 7 Devotion to St Joseph ................................................................................... 8 Knock Shrine – new statue of St Joseph ......................................................... 11 My first journey home .................................................................................. 12 Novena to St Joseph ...................................................................................... 15 Mill Hill Ordinations 2021 ............................................................................. 19 Jubilees 2022 ................................................................................................ 20 Personal stories - Jacinta van Luijk .............................................................. 23 The Monks of Tibhirine ................................................................................ 26 Easter – Song of the Earth ............................................................................. 29 Obituary List ............................................................................................... 32

Photo credits: Fons Eppink, Glenn Diaz, Des McGillicuddy, Nuala Higgins, Gerald Doyle, Jacinta van Luijk, Daniel Foley. Front cover: Pakistan - Palm Sunday. 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 available from our office: 01 412 7707

We are now in a position to accept donations by Credit or Debit Card.

You can use this method by phoning 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

From the Editor

Fr Jim O’Connell, mhm

“Creation’s Urgent Call for Change”

A few weeks ago, I heard a young mother on the radio saying that she was very worried about the future for her children. Her anxiety revolves around the awful effects of climate change on our world - planet earth. She has good reason to be worried – and so have we. The effects of climate change are already being felt around the world: more extreme weather events with storms, floods, droughts and famines; people in poor countries really suffering; huge fires in the USA and Australia destroying all before them; melting ice caps, rising sea levels; many species in the natural world at risk of extinction. The list goes on. It is good to see that world leaders are trying to do something - as we saw at the Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in early November. For some time, Pope Francis has been appealing for action: “Care for the environment is a moral imperative to preserve God’s creation for future generations; we have inherited a garden; we must not leave a desert to our children.” The Archbishop of Dublin, Dermot Farrell, published a pastoral letter in 2021 entitled: “The Climate Catastrophe – Creation’s Urgent Call For Change.” He writes: “Climate change now means that the survival of our planet as we know it hangs in the balance. Today in ways we never foresaw, and at a rate we cannot imagine, the God given abundance and variety of life is disappearing before our eyes. The Earth cries out to us. May we hear the cry of the Earth; it is a call to life for ourselves.”

This call to life for ourselves is a call to change our ways. The first reading of the Mass on Ash Wednesday points us in the right direction: “It is the Lord who speaks – come back to me with all your heart.” (Joel 2:12) Coming back to God with all our heart will bring about change in our relationship with God, with others and with all of God’s creation. This will help us to be more sensitive to what is happening with climate change and still live in hope for the future, with profound trust in God who loves us and our world so much that he sent his Son to be our redeemer. We live in a world that is being redeemed.

Perhaps we can focus in on one area: “Today, species are vanishing at rates never before seen in human history.” (David Attenborough – BBC 2020) There are an estimated 8 million species of insects, animals, plants, flowers, trees, shrubs, birds, fish, etc. in the natural world. Scientists believe that up to 1 million of these species are now under serious threat of extinction. One third of some bee species are threatened with extinction. The bees (as well as other insects like butterflies, moths, flies, etc.) are very important for pollination of flowers, crops, plants, fruit and vegetables. • Create an area for wildflowers in your lawn to provide food for pollinators. • Plant pollinator friendly trees, shrubs and bulbs. • Provide safe nesting places for pollinators: long grass, crevices in dry stone walls, etc. • Eliminate the use of herbicides in as many areas as you can.

Some people are taking action and we can all do something. There is an All-Ireland Pollinator Plan supported by over 80 organisations. Faith Communities also have a plan: ‘Actions to help Pollinators’. These are some of the simple actions to help pollinators: • Protect native hedgerows and allow them to flower in Spring, as they are a vital source of nectar and pollen for pollinators.

All of us can cooperate as instruments of God for the care of creation.” (Pope Francis)

The Novena to St Joseph is on pages 15-18. We have copies of the Novena available in leaflet form if any of your friends or a prayer group might like to avail of them.