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No 1 • January 2019 Published eight times per year
www.acnmalta.org Ready to serve at God’s Altar: Pope Francis ordaining a deacon to the priesthood in Saint Peter’s, Rome.
“The vocation to the priesthood so greatly exceeds ordinary human strength that its germination, its growth and its fruitfulness are entirely dependent on the prayer
© Servizio Fotografico – Vatican Media.
that must precede, sustain and accompany the life of every priest.” Father Werenfried van Straaten
A central theme of the recent bishops’ synod on youth was the question of vocation. The synod fathers stressed that all of us have a calling from God. And indeed, the vocation of each one of us is this: to belong to Christ through Baptism, to be marked by the seal of the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation, and to become one body with Him in the Blessed Eucharist. The mystery of the priestly vocation is closely tied up with the administration of the Sacraments. But at the same time, the Sacrament of priestly orders is a gift that exceeds our human nature. It is a calling that we do not merit. God chooses whom He wills. Often He chooses men who are altogether unprepared for His call. Therefore every priestly vocation is a story of marvels, in which the future miracles that God intends to work through His priest are already implicitly contained. One of these many marvellous stories was related to us by Fernando, now in the seminary in Montevideo, Uruguay. The country is highly secularised and, for decades now, Masonic influence within government has banished everything religious from public life. Consequently, a religious vocation here is a
miracle in itself. Fernando, now 21, has been preparing for ordination for four years. His story began some years earlier, on a day like any other. “I was at school when the shocking news came through that Father William, our local parish priest, had been killed in a car accident. He was very close to our family. I couldn’t believe it, but when I arrived home, people were already flocking into the church
That was my answer: become a priest. Immediately, all the objections began. My future plans were clear, everything had already been marked out. Yet the answer burned in me like a fire. And in my mind I saw a simple, poor priest like Father William, close to the people, visiting the sick. At this the ‘castle’ I had built for my future simply collapsed and another ‘castle’ sprang up in its place, in which I had not laid a single brick. Other signs of God’s mercy “The Sacrament of followed, till finally I said yes to priestly order is a gift God’s call.” that exceeds our human Dear friends, Father Werenfried often used to say when preachnature.” ing that he would gladly give up where his body was laid, to bid him farewell. the entire collection if just one young man in I went there with my mother. Looking around the congregation were willing to place his life inside the church, I saw nothing but dis- in the service of the Lord. Today there are traught, perplexed and helpless people many young men who have followed the call around me, and on their faces the question: of the Lord and now need the help of your Why him? Why this 57-year-old priest of all generosity. Most of them are poor and cannot people? I too was at a loss. And yet at the afford to pay for their own training. Yet later same time a question arose within me, which they will repay everything they have been was repeated again and again: What can I do given by the Lord and work miracles in His for these people? I felt I had to rise above my- Name. self. I looked up at a large picture of the Sa- My grateful blessing on you all, cred Heart of Jesus which hung there and asked the question that burned in my heart: Father Martin Maria Barta Lord, what do you want me to do? Then I Ecclesiastical Assistant looked down and saw Father William’s coffin. 1
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“Lord, let me know your will”: seminarians in Pakistan.
A journey of discovery with God “The fundamental question of our priestly life is this: Where is my heart directed? It is a question we need to keep asking, daily, weekly. Where is my heart directed?” Pope Francis. This question lies at the heart of every vocation. It was what Jaroslav, now at the seminary of Vorzel in Kiev, Ukraine, first asked himself when, more from curiosity than devotion, he began to prepare for his first Holy Communion. Before then he had found “everything boring: going to church; the sermon by a man I didn’t know; praying to a God I couldn’t see...” Now he recalls, “It was curiosity that opened my heart. I asked myself, How can it be that people devote their entire lives to God? That was the way God chose to knock on the door of my heart. And then came the moment when I said ‘Amen’ – an Amen from the depths of my heart. It was the beginning of my vocation, the beginning of
“Follow me”: a procession in Kiev. 2
a journey of discovery with God throughout my life.” Now he is at the Sacred Heart Seminary, preparing – with 23 others – for a life following the Lord. Pavlo is another of the seminarians who felt the same questions burning within him: “Where is my heart leading? Which road does it long to follow?” He was on retreat when he realised: “The priesthood is the path for me.” But there was still a slight sense of uneasiness. It was only when he entered the seminary chapel, where the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament was taking place and they were chanting the Litany to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. “I was overcome by a feeling of profound peace and I knew: this is my heart’s true home.” However, Pavlo, Jaroslav and the others need our help to continue their journey to the priesthood. We have promised the seminary €600 for each of these 24 seminarians for the year ahead. It costs less to train the 23 seminarians who belong to Bongaigaon Diocese, in northeast India. This young diocese is growing fast. First founded, just 19 years ago, with 14 parishes, it now has 34, along with numerous outstations. Priests are in short supply. Vocations are plentiful, but their training is still costly for this poor diocese – and yet the
“Here I am, Lord”: candidates in India. diocese will not compromise over the quality of their formation. Bongaigaon is classic mission territory. Many people in the villages and tribal groups are hearing the Good News of God’s love for the first time. The seminarians also visit the people, and then share their experiences with one another back in the seminary. They need our help, and we have gladly promised them €9,200 for the current academic year. In Pakistan, in the diocese of Multan, similar experiences of community are vital. Confident of your generosity, we immediately said yes to Bishop Benny Travas when he asked for help (€7,500) to hold weeklong retreats and days of recollection for his 33 seminarians. These are essential for Christians living in such a hostile environment, so they can reflect on their future priestly journey – and find rest for their hearts in God.
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“To give my life for God” manage for food?” Another seminarian, Víctor Mijares responded with a phrase from his Bishop, Raúl Biord Castillo: “The fact that the seminary even still exists is a miracle, a miracle with many faces.” One face of this miracle is ACN, as it is thanks to you, our benefactors, that the seminarians are able to study in the first place, without going hungry. So this year, once again, the 22 seminarians from six different dioceses will be able to continue their studies, despite the crisis in their country. Bishop Raul has asked us for help (€15,000), hoping to defy the food shortages and rampant inflation for one more year.
“Lord, send me”: seminarians in Venezuela preparing to receive their habits.
“The mission of the priest in the Church is irreplaceable. Therefore, even if in some regions there is a scarcity of clergy, it should never be doubted that Christ continues to raise up men who, like the Apostles, leaving behind all other work, dedicate themselves completely to the celebration of the sacred mysteries, to the preaching of the Gospel and to pastoral ministry.” Pope Benedict XVI. These men “burn” with love for Christ, whatever the circumstances. David Gonzalez, a seminarian at Saint Peter the Apostle’s Seminary on the outskirts of Caracas, Venezuela, put it like this: “To labour for
Christ is not merely worth the effort, it is worth our lives.” The only problem is, how can one live in a country where the supermarkets’ shelves are bare? The students at the seminary are often asked, “How do you
More than ever, Venezuela needs priests to proclaim the Gospel and sacrifice themselves entirely in the service of their people. And if the desperate situation in the country should get even worse, then their presence will be more needed than ever. 20-year-old José Gregorio has only one goal in life. “I long to win souls for Christ and give my life for Him and His Church.” With priests like this in the future, and with your generosity, we can overcome every adversity.
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The source of grace “Wherever there is life, fervour and a desire to bring Christ to others, genuine vocations will arise.” Pope Francis.
The day of his ordination, proud parents beside him. lar
This fervour and desire are found in many parts of Africa. It is the continent of vocations. Take for example the small diocese of Ouesso in the Republic of Congo with just 15,000 Catholics (roughly 20% of the population). Founded in 1983, its first native priest was ordained in 1999. Now the number of priests has grown to 20, and there are 12 young men in the seminary. One of the seminarians, Mokoko Lys, speaks for them all when he describes the source of this grace: “The summit of our spiritual life is the celebration of the Eucharist. This is the sacred place of our encounter with Christ the Redeemer. This daily experience of being so close to Him will make us capable, in the
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future, as priests, of bringing people the Word that redeems.” The training they receive is solid – and costly for this small diocese. We have been asked to help with €7,300 for the current academic year.
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Ready to serve God: deacons being ordained in the Congo. 3
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Springtime of Providence Caught by a wave: future fishers of men on the shore by Saint Petersburg.
According to Pope Francis, a priestly vocation is like a “diamond in the rough”, which needs to be “carefully polished with respect for the conscience of the candidates and with patience, so that they may shine among the People of God”. In the seminary of Mary, Queen of Apostles in Saint Petersburg, Russia there are six of these “rough diamonds”. One of them has come almost from the ends of the earth – from the Kamchatka Peninsula in the far east of Siberia, some 11 hours away by plane. Kamchatka belongs to the diocese of Irkutsk. Yevgeni studied tourism, and it was as a tour guide that he met a Catholic priest who became “an example for my life”. Later, in the army, he saw how many soldiers had lost all inner peace and were deprived of spiritual nourishment. He prayed with them, as he had learnt from his priest friend:
From tour guide to seminarian. Yevgeni, the only seminarian from the largest diocese in the world. 4
Many of them died as martyrs: seminarians at the main entrance to the seminary – pre-1917. the Our Father, the Rosary, the Creed. He felt God was calling him. “I could have done every possible thing in the Church”, he says, “but there is one thing that only the priest can do, namely forgive sins in the name of Christ and make Christ truly present in Holy Mass.” This is what he felt called to do. “By the grace of God, I am now the only seminarian from the largest diocese in the world”, he says. Gregor also felt the call. He was an electrical engineer and loved to party. One morning, after a night’s heavy drinking, he was sitting on the bus, bleary-eyed and late for work – and worried that he would be fired for being late. Then he remembered his Bible, opened it and read: “... from now on you will be catching men..., they left everything and followed him” (Lk 5:10-11). But Gregor still hesitated, wanting to see a sign. A mishap at work meant that his late arrival went unnoticed in the chaos. He took this as a sign and soon afterwards, Gregor was on his way to Saint Petersburg. Each of the six seminarians has his own story to tell, as have the six men who are preparing for the permanent diaconate. They all represent the latest chapter in a greater story, that of the seminary itself.
Founded in 1879, and confiscated by the Bolsheviks in 1918, for decades it was used by Communists as an administrative building, then finally it was returned in a dilapidated state to the Catholic Church after the end of the Soviet Union by a decree signed by the then vice mayor, Vladimir Putin. It is more than a seminary, it is a place of profound symbolic importance, a historical treasure. 700 priests have passed through its doors, many died as martyrs, two have been proclaimed saints. Since it reopened in 1993, 64 priests have been ordained. A seminary is the heart of the diocese, as then Apostolic Adminstrator of Moscow, Bishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz once said, “This seminary is the heart of the Catholic Church in Russia.” In short, it is a treasure in need of renovation. We are contributing towards the cost, which will run into millions. We have also assumed the running costs of €79,000 per year for the entire complex. But they will decrease once the pilgrim house they are setting up opens its doors. “Mariya Tsaritsa Apostolov” – Mary, Queen of Apostles – is a symbol of religious freedom and the eternal youth of the Church. As Pope John Paul II said, it symbolises “the Springtime that blossoms from the hand of Providence”.
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The living stones of Bangui In his first letter to the Christians in Asia Minor, Saint Peter writes: “You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pt 2:5). The Carmelite Fathers in the Central African Republic understand these words both literally and metaphorically. They see themselves as living stones in the Church and they also manufacture stones, or more precisely, bricks, with which they build schools, churches and hospitals. The very first missionaries here did the same thing over 120 years ago. Now it is a matter of trying to rebuild the country after decades of power struggles and civil war. “Our bricks will prove stronger than war and hatred”, says Padre
Building the first school. Federico – and by that he means both the living stones which are the Carmelite Friars and the bricks for building the houses. For while the old bricks, made of baked clay, eventually crumbled, the new bricks they are producing are made of earth, sand and cement, compressed in a special machine with just a little water. They will last practically forever, an image of the fidelity and perseverance of the Carmelites. Bodelo is 20 years old. A refugee, he sought shelter with the Carmelites, along with his family. Seeing the new bricks, he exclaims
Spiritual builders of the future: Carmelite friars and novices in Bangui. Padre Federico is on the left. lar
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Bricks to build the Kingdom of God. enthusiastically: “Mbi ye ti ga maçon – I want to be a bricklayer.” For Bodelo and other refugees like him, there will be opportunities to work in brickmaking and rebuilding. The Carmelites will also be selling the bricks for other projects – like the centre for undernourished children that is now being built in Bangui at the Pope’s request. “Not a bad beginning”, laughs Padre Federico, “to have the Pope as our first customer!” But what matters most to him, and to the Holy Father too no doubt, is the steady trickle of young men knocking on their door. “They are the stones with which we are building the Church of Christ in this country”, he says. Except that while it takes no more than a week for a brick to be ready to build with, the formation of a young Carmelite novice will last from the first moment of his vocation until the end of his life, built into the walls of the living Church. “And whereas all the bricks are identical, each brother is quite different from the next. They all have the same goal and all burn with the same love, but each one builds different mansions with this love in the Kingdom of God.” For 10 years now, Padre Federico has been responsible for the formation of the postulants, novices and seminarians. He has asked our help for the 38 young Carmelites in the monasteries and seminaries of Bangui and Bouar and also Yaoundé in Cameroon. A total of €22,800 will help these young hearts burn brighter and these young men become living stones in the spiritual house of the Church.
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A sign from God for his 90th birthday The country of Malawi in Southeast Africa is one of the poorest in the world. Around a fifth of its 19 million inhabitants are Catholic. For the priests, Mass stipends are essential for their survival, and not least for the elderly priests. For Emeritus Bishop Allan Chamgwera of Zomba the stipends arrived on the day of his 90th birthday. “It was like a sign from God”, he writes, “that He continues to hold His hand in blessing over me.” He thanks us for our “generous support” and prays to God “that He may continue to sustain your enthusiasm for the Faith and the creativity to continue spreading the Good News”.
Need, love and thanks − your letters Thankful for ACN I give thanks for the existence of ACN and for the fact that the great deeds that began in the time of Father Werenfried continue to this day. A benefactress in Germany
world, particularly where Christians are persecuted mercilessly for their faith. My sister and I both pray constantly to God for the missionaries and for all the people in these places, to give them the strength they need. Two of our friends in Chile
Happy to help Many thanks for your letter. I am happy to be able to help – even if only in this modest way. I find it hard to imagine how I would bear it if I had to suffer or face persecution for my faith myself. A benefactor in Slovakia
Securely deposited I have just received Mirror 8 and although I gave a donation just a few days ago for Christians in the Middle East, I feel I must put another €100 securely away from thieves, in that inviolable safe – the poor and needy. We must help the victims of this war, for which we in the West must bear some share of the blame. May God strengthen those helping our brothers and sisters in Iraq and Syria, and grant them happier day. May He bless you all. A benefactor in France
Christmas greeting and prayers Our heartfelt Christmas greetings to all at ACN and our thanks for the work you are doing. Let us hope that this new birth of Jesus will bring peace to the hearts of all the
Thomas Heine-Geldern, Executive President, ACN (International)
Dear Friends,
Almost 15 years ago one of our sons informed us that he felt God was calling him to the priesthood and that, after completing his studies in Architecture, he intended to follow this call. The emotional response of family members was initially somewhat contrary to the joy one would expect when the Lord calls a new labourer into his vineyard. We were particularly concerned about how we could help prepare him for the many ongoing spiritual, intellectual and human challenges that he would encounter when following his vocation. These concerns made us all very conscious of the importance of the family’s spiritual formation and accompaniment of seminarians. No stone should be left unturned in helping them to develop in maturity, in supporting their faith, and thereby providing our future priests with the best possible preparation for the responsibilities of their future mission. Thanks to your prayers and your generous donations, ACN is able to support one in every nine seminarians around the world on their, not always easy, path to priesthood. My heartfelt thanks to you all, along with the fervent plea to continue with your unfailing support. With sincere good wishes,
Editors: Jürgen Liminski & Stephen Axisa Please use the envelope. Aid to the Church in Need, 39B Mdina Road, Publisher: Aid to the Church in Need, 39B Mdina Road, Attard ATD 9038 Attard ATD 9038; Tel: 21487818; Fax: 21586257 APS Bank, IBAN: MT72 APSB 7705 7008 5772 2000 1771 733 Printed in Malta BIC: APSBMTMT De licentia competentis auctoritatis Email: info@acnmalta.org – facebook//Aid to the Church in Need Malta ecclesiasticae Pass this leaflet on to your neighbours, friends or leave it at the Parish www.acnmalta.org Church for others to review.
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