“Make of the world one family”
Xaverian Mission Volume 57 - No. 4 |
Newsletter
November 2009
Website: xaviermissionaries.org • MissionBlog: xaverianmissionaries.blogspot.com
“The Church Which Knows Neither Borders Nor Frontiers”
“T
he universal Church, which knows neither borders nor frontiers, feels responsible for announcing the Gospel to whole peoples. It is the duty of the Church, seed of hope by vocation, to continue Christ’s service in the world.” Pope Benedict XVI emphasized these words in his yearly message for World Mission Sunday which was celebrated by all parishes in the USA last October.
He goes on to say: “The Church wishes to transform the world with the proclamation of the Gospel of love, ‘that can always illuminate a world grown dim and give us the courage needed to keep living and working… and in this way to cause the light of God to enter into the world’. It is to this mission and to this service, that I call, also with this Message, all the members and institutions of the Church to participate.” It is with these words that we dedicate this issue of XMN and bring you stories from the street children of Bangladesh, typhoons and earthquakes in the Philippines and Indonesia, interreligious dialogue in the United States, news of this great mission from around the world. We also want to share with you a special program of the US Bishops and Catholic Relief Services called: Catholics Confront Global Poverty. Finally, in the Pope’s encouragement for the global mission of the Church, he also had two requests: A young child in the Philippines searches for dry land during the recent Typhoon Ondoy that devastated so much life in Metro Manila and other areas.
• “I therefore ask all Catholics to pray that the Holy Spirit will intensi- fy the Church’s passion for the mis-
sion to spread the Kingdom of God and to support missionaries and Christian communities involved in mission, in front line, often in situa- tions of hostility and persecution.”
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“At the same time I ask everyone to offer as a credible sign of commu- nion among the Churches, financial assistance, especially in these times of crisis affecting all humanity, to help the young Churches be in the condition to illuminate the nations with the Gospel of charity.”
May our God in Jesus Christ inspire you to be part of this most extraordinary mission. U
Catholic in a World of Many Faiths
Stolen Childhood:
X averian Missionaries Provincial Headquarters 12 Helene Court Wayne, NJ 07470-2813 Tel.: (973) 942-2975 Fax: (973) 942-5012 Email: xavwayne@optonline.net
Street Kids of Bangladesh
Xavier Knoll Pre-Novitiate House 4500 Xavier Drive Franklin, WI 53132-9066 Tel.: (414) 421-0831 Fax: (414) 421-9108 E-mail: xavmissionswi@hotmail.com Mission Center & Fatima Shrine 101 Summer Street P.O. Box 5857 Holliston, MA 01746-5857 Tel.: (508) 429-2144 Fax: (508) 429-4793 E-mail: holliston.sx@gmail.com
International Theology House 1347 East Hyde Park Blvd. Chicago, IL 60615-2924 Tel. (773) 643-5745 E-mail: xavformation@hotmail.com
St. Therese Catholic Chinese Mission 218 West Alexander Street Chicago, IL 60608-0000 Tel. (312) 842-6777 E-mail:
info_church@sttheresechinatown.org
Xaverian Mission Newsletter Official publication of the Xaverian Missionaries of the United States
Coordinating Editor Fr. Carl Chudy Editorial Team Fr. Tony Lalli Fr. Joseph Matteucig Fr. Alfredo Turco Layout Consultant Diamand Design, Wrentham, MA Printing Rea-Craft Press, Inc. Foxboro, MA E-mail & Web:
xaverianmissionnewsletter@gmail.com www.xaviermissionaries.org www.xaverianmissionaries.blogspot.com
Donation: $5.00 per year
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treet children in Bangladesh are called “Tokai”. In fact, “Tokai kora” in Bengali means collecting things from the garbage or scrap. “Tokai” is the name given to people who do this job.
In 1995, Fr. Riccardo Tobanelli, Xaverian Missionary in Bangladesh, along with some Muslim and Hindu supporters, began to offer hospitality and support to children forced to live on the streets. Among the poor, children are the most vulnerable. The girls are exploited as domestic servants in the homes of wealthy families. The Tokai survive on the margins of society. They work by recycling garbage, begging, selling trinkets, washing trucks and courier, or doing anything that is capable of getting them enough money to eat. The life of children forced to live on the streets is one of the most radical manifestations of injustice, poverty and segregation. Fr. Riccardo came up with the idea of a shelter for these children huddled in a crowded district of the city of Dhaka. They also provide meals and a school education. “Here,” says Father, “these children find a safe haven for the evening where they can meet others who suffer the same kind of life and may find some support and help.”
A Missionary Life for the Poor Fr. Tobanelli worked in Bangladesh for more than 27 years. Initially, he says, “My work took me to predominately Muslim communities. I worked with a group of outcasts building small schools and giving life to a
Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009
small organization called Dolet who finds ways to support and encourage outcasts who suffer prejudice and segregation in their own country. But probably the biggest obstacle that people in Bangladesh have to overcome is the prejudice that many of them face because of the long established caste system and oppression that Bangladeshi women face. Many of the communities are filled with “untouchables, the lowest level of the caste system. The children in these communities are often destined for lives as street cleaners simply because that is what their parents and grandparents were and there is little hope to be anything else. There is little value for education because in the past there has not been many opportunities for the people in this caste system. Since 1994 I dedicated myself to the victims of urbanized slavery, which led many people to abandon their villages and to lose many traditional cultural values. Life in this hostile world causes much suffering. The family is often destroyed and many children
Xaverian Missionaries in the World
Fr. Riccardo Tobanelli, Xaverian Missionary with some of the street children they service in a special shelter, a joint project with Muslims and Hindus.
This is the neighborhood where the newest center for the children is set up. It is poverty such as this that gives birth to the life on the streets.
most often are left to themselves. These children fall into desperate and tragic circumstances, such as exploitation in sweat shops or work in houses of prostitution.” Fr. Tobanelli goes on: “With some of my former street children who are now grown, we were able to begin two more centers. The first is Kaworan Bazar, near the railroad in one of those neighborhoods where life is nothing short of inhumane. The other is located at Savar, in an industrial area where we offer a night shelter, and during the day, we opened a nursery to accommodate the children of young women who were abandoned.” Almost 85 percent of street children do not get assistance from either the government or non-governmental organizations, growing up without education or other rights. Such deprivation of rights often forces them into anti-social activities. A draft report of surveys of the Ministry of Social Welfare says at present there are more than 670,000
street children across the country of Bangladesh. “One of our tasks is to strengthen relationships with the police,” says Father Tobanelli. “Indeed, the tendency is to stop street children, send them before a judge, condemn and put them in jail. After that, it is too easy to lose track of them. With these groups of youth, we created a primary care intervention plan. As soon as we become aware of these cases where our chil-
dren are arrested, we attempt to intervene with the police to release them and entrust it to them.” These most vulnerable of the poor in Bangladesh demand the attention of Catholics worldwide. For more information on how you can help contact us. We would be happy to put you in touch with possibilities to serve. U Contributions from Frs. Fiorenzo Raffaini & Diego Piovani
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Xaverian Missionaries in the World
Picking Up the Pieces in the Philippines and Indonesia
T
he Xaverian Missionaries work in both Indonesia and the Philippines, scene of some of the most devastating fates of nature in many years that occurred in the last days of September 2009.
WHAT IS THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH: A Guide for Cathlolics
By Fr. Roger P. Schroeder, SVD
This simple and well thought out book on the mission of the Church brings in years of mission experience, scripture, church teaching and the wisdom of Vatican II. The result is a book to help individuals, parishes, dioceses, and national churches grapple practically and put themselves heart and soul into the mission of being Christ in our suffering world. Available at Amazon.com and other book sellers.
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In Indonesia’s earthquake, with the center of damage in Padang where we work, enormous loss of life and damage resulted. Fr. Fernando Abis, Provincial Superior in Indonesia, recalled that a school collapsed with 50 students still inside. Muslims and Christians assisted each other in rescue efforts. The hospital built by the Catholic Church was severely damaged but continued to assist the victims of the tragedy. Our missionaries got a hold of tents that can hold 20 people to continue the educational programs of the schools. Reconstruction plans are underway. In the Philippines, Frs. Mexicano and Borelli found themselves waiting almost 20 hours on a roof top as their house and office was wiped out in waters that rose 16 to 20 feet throughout the parish. There is severe damage to our parish, Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Marakina where the poor suffer the greatest losses. In Sitio Militar, a poor
Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009
community we also serve, the chapel functioned as a shelter until it was safe for people to return to their homes. In Indonesia and the Philippines, our missionaries witness the hope and strength of the people in front of great trials. U – CC
Victims of the floods in the Philippines lining up for food and water, items in short supply
Xaverian Missionaries in the USA
Breaking the Fast of
Ramadan Fr. Carl Chudy (center) together with families of Bahadir Ekenci (right) and Kadir Okatan (left).
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raised my hands in prayer before ample servings of Turkish tea and stuffed grape leaves, a vegetable dish and handfuls of flat bread. I sat down, with two Muslim families in Clifton, New Jersey, to join them as they broke the fast of Ramadan, together with Muslims worldwide, stretched across the continents where our missionaries also serve. Upon my return to the US Province from the Philippines over two years ago, I developed a great interest in the search for ways to share the Catholic missionary spirit in the contemporary American scene, and what better way than through interreligious dialogue. My short relationship with the Interfaith Dialogue Center of New Jersey helps me to find opportunities of interreligious dialogue throughout the Northern New Jersey area. At the end of October, I also attended the national conference of the Interfaith Youth Core in Chicago where college students from all faiths gathered for a few days, looking for ways to connect across faith boundaries in order to serve the world based on common faith values. It was also an opportunity to understand how we can collaborate with this great movement of dialogue among the youth. I often preach in parishes that one of the great challenges of the American
Catholic parish of the 21st Century is to reach out beyond its boundaries of faith, to the great faiths all around them in their own community. Their children’s classmates even wear the “hajib” to school. “We run the risk,” I have said, “…to become little Catholic islands with no real meaningful faith connection to the rest of humanity who are not Catholic, and even not Christian, which by the way, is most of the world.” The Vatican’s message to the Muslim people at the end of Ramadan emphasizes this when it said: “In giving everyone the riches of a life of prayer, fasting and charity of one towards the other, is it not possible for dialogue to draw on the living forces of those who are on the journey towards God? The poor question us, challenge us, but above all they invite us to cooperate in a noble cause: overcoming poverty!” (7) As I ate and spoke of faith with my Muslim friends in Clifton, New Jersey, they asked me if I could help them find a poor family to give groceries to, a mandate of the end of the Ramadan for them. Together we reached out to one poor family, with a small token of our concern and compassion, radiating from both our faiths. U – Fr. Carl Chudy
Interfaith Dialogue Center of New Jersey – Idcnj.org Interfaith Youth Core Ifyc.org
TASTE OF MISSION Indonesian Salad
(Gado-Gado) Serving Size : 6 DRESSING 1/2 cup flaked coconut 1 cup hot water 1 onion - chopped 1 clove garlic – finely chopped 1 1/2 tsp. peanut oil 2/3 cup peanut butter 1/2 cup water 1 tbsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. chili powder 1/8 tsp. ground ginger SALAD 1 cup bean sprouts 1 cup cabbage – shredded 4 oz bean curd – drained and cut into 1” pieces 2 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil 1 cup potatoes – cooked, peeled -and sliced 1 cup green beans – cooked 1 cup carrots – cooked & sliced 1 cucumber – sliced 2 hard-boiled eggs – peeled and sliced To prepare Dressing, place coconut in blender container. Add 1 cup hot water. Cover and blend on high speed about 30 seconds. Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil in 2-quart saucepan about 5 minutes. Stir in coconut and remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. To prepare salad, pour enough boiling water over bean sprouts and cabbage to cover. Let stand 2 minutes. Drain. Cook bean curd in oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat, turning pieces gently, until light brown. Remove with slotted spoon. Drain. Cook potatoes in same skillet until light brown. Drain. Arrange bean sprouts, cabbage, bean curd, potatoes and remaining ingredients on platter. Pour warm dressing over salad.
Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009
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Catholics Confront
Getting some help after the typhoon in the Philippines The brutal work of diamond mining in Sierra Leone, West Africa
Be one in a Million Catholics Confronting Poverty
T
he Catholics Confront Global Poverty Initiative is inspired by Pope Benedict XVI’s 2009 World Day of Peace Message: Fight Poverty to Build Peace. Our Holy Father declares: “Effective means to redress the marginalization of the world’s poor through globalization will only be found if people everywhere feel personally outraged by the injustices in the world and by the concomitant violations of human rights.” To fight poverty effectively we also need to know the many faces of poverty.
Church Teaching and Experience For Catholics the plight of people living in poverty is a priority. The Catholic Church has a long tradition of standing in solidarity with poor persons and communities. The Church’s approach to poverty is shaped by both its teaching and experience.
Public transportation in Africa
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Rooted in the scriptural emphasis on “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40), the Church champions the “option for the poor” as a principle of Catholic Social Teaching flowing from a commit-
Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009
ment to the life and dignity of the human person. In his encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI teaches: “Jesus identifies himself with those in need, with the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison…Love of God and love of neighbor have become one: in the least of the brethren we find Jesus himself, and in Jesus we find God.” (#15) Today the Church’s solidarity with those struggling in poverty finds expression in numerous Church institutions, including schools, health facilities, charitable programs, advocacy organizations, and relief and development agencies, including the Xaverian Missionaries, our own institute. The Church links charity and justice. In Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict proclaimed that the Church “cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice.” The Church also links justice to peace. As Pope Paul VI taught: “If you want peace, work for justice.”
Global Poverty The Many Faces of Poverty
In the Short Term:
Poverty has many faces. It is the face of anguished parents watching their children languish in hunger. More than 140 million children are underweight in the developing world. Hunger stunts their growth and makes them more vulnerable to disease. Hunger compromises the ability of women to provide for their families and to birth and nourish healthy children. Hunger robs people of their productivity and creativity. The food crisis, characterized by a dramatic rise in prices, is exacerbating hunger in developing countries.
Support funding for poverty-focused foreign assistance that meets short- term hunger and humanitarian needs caused by natural and human- made disasters and invests in long- term development, including agricul- ture, health care, education, and clean water and sanitation.
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Finish the agenda of debt relief for poor nations so that they can invest in the development of their own people.
The faces of poverty are related to one another, like the members of a family. Malnutrition exposes individuals, especially children, to greater risks of disease. Hunger frustrates the best laid plans for education. The absence of sanitation facilities drives disease. Diseases hamper productivity and the ability of people to support their families. Illiteracy means poor persons may not know how to safeguard against the spread of disease. War deepens every facet of poverty. And there are a thousand other connections. But there are proven ways to reduce the many dimensions of poverty. In the end, the faces of poverty are as profound and complex as the hopes and aspirations of human persons. The human spirit is remarkably resilient, and poor persons and countries, in partnership with people in richer countries, can alleviate poverty and help people to flourish.
All Call to Action What can we do? Catholics can confront global poverty! We can pray, support the important work of Catholic Relief Services, and advocate with public officials for policies and programs that help poor persons and communities to help themselves. Key elements of U.S. foreign policy should address the “many faces of poverty:”
• Support U.S. contributions to U.N. peacekeeping operations to reduce violent conflict.
Fr. Javier Mexicano with some kids in his parish after the typhoons in the Philippines
Over the Long Term: Meet our nation’s commitment to increase foreign aid toward .7% of national income. •
Promote comprehensive foreign assistance reform that elevates development as a priority and emphasizes integral human develop- ment, poverty reduction, and gov- ernment transparency and the par- ticipation of civil society.
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Address global climate change with a particular focus on helping poor countries to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
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Promote reform of U.S. trade and agriculture policies to stimulate sustainable development in poorer nations and protect poor farmers overseas and small and medium- sized farmers in our own nation.
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Support transparency, participation and consent of local communities in natural resource development so that these activities lead to integral human development. U
Joint Project of the US Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services
Join CCGP You Get: • Action Alerts • News • Resources to pray, learn and share • CCGP Blog • Video Podcasts Contact us for ideas to get involved
Webcast Seminars Go to: usccb.org/sdwp/global poverty
Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009
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World Mission Spirituality the Lord gather wisdom and strength to set the fate of the Catholic world.”
THE SPIRIT OF A MISSIONARY LEGACY: Blessed Guido Maria Conforti
Although the founder of a missionary institute, Archbishop Conforti always felt like the “unprofitable servant.” Devoted so convincingly to Christ crucified, it was a fundamental choice of deep desire and faith to love, suffer and work with Him and for Him. His Institute had to be a living monument to Christ the Redeemer, and as such, a call to duty for all Christian people. Sensing the importance of the press and cinema, even in those early years of the twentieth century, Archbishop Conforti immediately wanted his missionaries to learn to use this new media as an instrument to share the urgency of the mission of the Church.
E The Founder, fourth from the right, poses with Bishop Calza, first Xaverian Bishop in China, and other priests and friends in China.
The Founder, center, with other fathers and friends in the precursor to the subway in China, 1928.
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very November 5th, Xaverian Missionaries and friends honor the memory and legacy of Blessed Guido Maria Conforti, founder of the Xaverian Missionaries, who died on this day in 1931.
He was indeed a Bishop with a vision of Church which began in his Diocese, but did not end there. The mission of the Church begins in the diocese, and moves beyond its borders to the worldwide plan of God.
The events that led to the founding of our missionary institute and its first missions in China is remarkable when you consider he was also Bishop of a large diocese in Italy with endless responsibilities. What most impressed many was his ability to combine relentless and selfless service to his diocese as well as to share his missionary zeal for the global mission of the Church.
His intuition in his time was to see the importance of media is unique. What would he think of the power of the internet? Through social networking, advocacy for global issues in the internet, opportunities to involve many through cyberspace, and much more, let us create a new tidal wave of commitment to mission. U
Archbishop Conforti was convinced that the Church needed to renew the task of mission in the world. He did not hesitate to write Pope Pius XI and suggest the opening of a Council to tackle this enormous challenge he saw. Among the reasons he listed for the Holy Father, he wrote: “The new moral, social and international issues emerging in the world today require the attenElsa Bacchioni, Hugo Bacchioni, and Maria Franceschini, tion and guidance of the who received the Sacraments of Communion and Church. Believers and non- Confirmation by the Founder in 1930, pose at the Mission believers who turn toward Banquet in Queens, New York this past October 2009.
Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009
Following Jesus in Global Mission
Point, Click and Pray L
OOKING FOR A PRAYERFUL break during a busy day of work or study? You’re not alone. Websites devoted to online prayer and meditation are becoming increasingly popular and a full-fledged ministry for a number of religious communities. Go ahead and see for yourself. A mini retreat is just a mouse click away.
www.bustedhalo.com A lively Catholic spirituality site for young adults, with everything from articles on relationships to listings of youth-oriented parishes. Sponsored by the Paulist religious order, users can click on “faith guides,” then “prayer pilot” for short, readable articles on prayer, including hints on understanding prayer, different ways to pray, common questions on prayer, and others. The tone is encouraging, and the emphasis is on starting to pray wherever you already are in your spiritual life.
www.sacredspace.ie Maintained by the Irish Jesuits, this website is set up so that users read meditations and scripture passages and pray right at their computers. “It might seem strange to pray at your computer . . . . But God is everywhere, all around us, constantly reaching out to us, even in the most unlikely situations,” the sponsors write. Users will find a daily prayer session, in six stages, culminating in reflection on a scripture passage.
www.centeringprayer.com The contemplative prayer style known as centering prayer is explored at many different levels on this website. Users will find articles about centering prayer, an online bookstore with books on the subject, information about conferences and pilgrimages, and opportunities to meet with people in all
walks of life who are dedicated to contemplative prayer.
ww.pray-as-you-go.org A new prayer session is produced every day. It is not a ‘Thought for the Day’, a sermon or a bible-study, but rather a framework for your own prayer. Lasting between ten and thirteen minutes, it combines music, scripture and some questions for reflection. The aim is to help you to: become more aware of God’s presence in your life, listen to and reflect on God’s word, and grow in your relationship with God. It is produced by Jesuit Media Initiatives, with material written by a number of British Jesuits and other experts in the spirituality of St Ignatius of Loyola.
The parts of the Liturgy of the Hours are available in different formats on these sites. The Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office, is the prayer and scripture-reading regimen adhered to by monks as well as laity, priests, and religious of the Catholic Church. Prayday publishes the Liturgy of the Hours in five languages. U Thanks to Carol Schuck Scheiber, content editor of Vision: Catholic Religious Vocation Network
vocation-network.org
www.nccbuscc.org/ nab/index.htm For those who enjoy prayer and meditation centering on the daily scripture readings, this site is an easy-to-use resource. Provided by the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, this web page provides a three-month calendar graphic; click on a day, and the day’s readings appear.
www.universalis.com www.liturgyhours.org www.prayday.com
Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009
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World Mission News Digest
World Mission News Digest PHILIPPINES
“...the Church has remained the only support for a people who are terrorized, humiliated, exploited and dominated, and that they would like to silence.”
Father Michael Sinnott, an Irish Columbian missionary, was kidnapped by gunmen near Pagadian City in the Zamboanga del Sur province. The abduction, referred by different sources and confirmed by the police, took place last night in the same area where the Italian missionary, Fr. Giancarlo Bossi, was kidnapped in 2007. Based on a first reconstruction and witness accounts, Fr. Michael’s home was attacked by six gunmen who forced the missionary onto a minivan, later found torched in a coastal area, escaping on a small boat. The identity of the kidnappers and motive of the abduction remain unknown, though Muslim separatists active in the region are suspected. Fr. Sinnott, 80, originally from Barntown in the Wexford County, was ordained priest in 1954 after completing his studies in Rome. He carried out his service in Mindanao until 1966 and after a 10-year period in Ireland returned to the Philippines in 1976. AFRICAN SYNOD—ROME The African family is being undermined by violence, AIDS and Western ideas that upset the traditional relationship between men and women, some African bishops warned. Support for parents, better attention to the moral education of children and resistance to modern ideologies that diminish Christian family values are
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Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009
necessary, they told the Synod of Bishops for Africa. Guinean Archbishop Robert Sarah, secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, said Oct. 7 that the Western concept that biological gender identity “is not intrinsic to the person but is a social construct” is contrary to African culture. The ideology also “denies God’s plan” for humanity in creating people male or female and has a negative impact on the centrality of traditional marriage and of motherhood and fatherhood, he said. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO The serious situation in South Kivu, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has led Archbishop Francois Xavier Maroy Rusengo of Bukavu to have to leave the Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops, to return to his Archdiocese. The recent episodes of violence have led to the kidnapping of a priest and a seminarian, freed after the payment of a ransom. Archbishop Rusengo, in his final intervention in the Synod, affirmed: “While we are talking in this meeting, the pastoral workers in my archdiocese are being attacked by enemies of peace. One of our parishes was set on fire Oct. 2, some of the priests were mistreated and others were taken hostage by uniformed men who demanded a large ran-
som, which we were forced to pay in order to save the lives of out priests that they threatened to massacre. With these activities, the Church has remained the only support for a people who are terrorized, humiliated, exploited and dominated, and that they would like to silence.” JAPAN With great joy and pride, the Church in Japan has recently presented and distributed the New Catholic Encyclopedia in Japanese: four volumes of nearly 1,500 pages each, nearly 30 years in the working, having begun in 1981. A copy has also been presented to the Pope, who showed his great appreciation for the publication. The work was carried out by the Jesuit Order. A note sent from Fr. Shunichi Takayanagi, director of the work says: To meet the needs presented by these changes, the administration of Sophia University (the university of the Jesuit Order in Tokyo) decided, in accord with Fr. Joseph Pittau to prepare a new Catholic Encyclopedia for Japanese readers.” U
From our USA Communities
News from our USA Communities
W
e warmly welcome to our seminary at Xavier Knoll near Milwaukee Renato Yapaulo and Tyler Hagan.
Welcoming New Seminarians
Renato was born and raised in Indonesia and migrated to the United States in 2002. He attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison and attained a Bachelors and Masters Degrees in science and mechanical engineering. During this time he had a chance to meet Fr. Mosele, a Xaverian working in campus ministry at the Renato Yapaulo (left) and Tyler Hagan (right) joined school. Edified by his example, our seminary program in the Milwaukee area this year. Renato began to seriously thing about missionary priesthood for also arrived, along with Harno, to tackhis studies first for English in our comhimself. le the English language and to study munity of Milwaukee, and afterward, theology. After the completion of his transferred to Chicago where he studTyler, on the other hand, is from studies by Christmas, he will be ied at Catholic Theological Union. He Wichita, Kansas, and attended assigned to one of our missions in earned both a Masters of Divinity and a Benedictine College in Atchison, Northern Brazil. Masters of Arts in Theology. Upon comKansas. There he gained a Bachelors pletion of his work by Christmas, he Degree in history and psychology. Tyler We are grateful for the presence of feels his attraction to missionary priest- will return to Indonesia for a new these good young men who wish to give assignment. Br. “Harno” took his final hood comes from the witness of priests their lives to Christ and His mission. vows with us. he met and knew who showed extraorRenato, Tyler, Harno, Pascal and Fr. dinary examples of sharing themselves Gabriel ask for your prayerful support Br. Bekububo Pascal Atumissi, from for others. the Democratic Republic of the Congo as they embark on new roads. U
and Saying Goodbye to Others
As we welcome these new seminarians, we also sadly say goodbye to others who have completed their studies and formation with us.
During the month of October friends of the missions gathered in three separate Mission Banquets:
Br. Johanes Leonardus Suharno, who also comes from Indonesia, began
The Mission Banquet in New York - Oct 4
F
r. Gabriel Basuzwa, a
Xaverian missionary priest for more than 24 years hails from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa. He has worked most recently in Cameroon and is presently finishing a Doctor of Ministry Degree at Catholic Theological Union. We are grateful for his presence in the Province and we wish him all of God’s blessings as he returns to the missions.
The Mission Banquet in Milwaukee - Oct. 16 The Mission Banquet in Holliston, MA - Oct. 17 Our theology students at their graduation, from left to right: Pascal Altumissi from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Leonardus Suharno (Harno) from Indonesia, and Francois Noah from Cameroon who will finish his studies next Spring.
Many thanks and prayers for our friends who made these events possible and who give such great help to the Missions.
Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009
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Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009
Help the victims of the earthquake and typhoon in Indonesia and the Philippines. Please share your prayers and donations. Contact:
Fr. Frank Grappoli, sx Xaverian Missionaries 12 Helene Court Wayne, New Jersey 07470 973.942.2975 usasxprocure@hotmail.com Fr. Emanuele Borelli, a Xaverian Missionary, in the Philippines, holds an umbrella during Typhoon Ondoy perched on a roof during the great floods in his parish.
The Xaverian Missioners Are Presently Serving In: Bangladesh • Brazil • Burundi • Cameroon • Chad • China • Colombia • Democratic Republic of Congo • France Great Britain • Indonesia • Italy • Japan • Mexico • Mozambique • Philippines • Sierra Leone • Spain • Taiwan • U.S.A.
Return Service Requested May you and family have the most blessed Christmas and happiest New Year Xaverian Missionaries
101 Summer Street Holliston, MA 01746-5857
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