Passion for Christ — Passion for Humanity
Xaverian Mission Volume 59 - No. 1 |
February 2011
Newsletter
Website: xaviermissionaries.org • MissionBlog: xaverianmissionaries.blogspot.com
A New Missionary Saint For A Global Church
P
ope Benedict XVI has advanced the sainthood cause of a new and inspirational figure whose sanctity and world vision of faith is so needed in these times. The Church’s newest saint will be Blessed Guido Maria Conforti, founder and father of more than 800 Xaverian Missionaries. The Pope authorized the miracle attributed to Blessed Conforti’s intercession, the second needed to affirm his sainthood. Bishop Conforti founded the Pious Society of St Francis Xavier for Foreign Missions, or the Xaverian Missionaries, who through his guidance helped bring about a renewal of the missionary spirit at the turn of the 20th century. Our missionaries first spearheaded evangelization efforts to China and are now present in 19 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. The first miracle attributed to Blessed Conforti came about in 1965. After prayers for his intercession from the Xaverian Sisters in Burundi, 12-year old Sabina Kamariza was cured of pancreatic cancer. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1996. Guido Maria Conforti was Bishop of two major dioceses in Italy, Ravenna and Parma, as well as a missionary for the world. The Second Vatican Council proclaimed that the Church is missionary by her very nature and that the bishops “are consecrated not just for one diocese, but for the salvation of the world.” He sought to fulfill this ideal throughout his life, becoming a model for his own missionaries, the people of his dioceses and the priests and the bishops of the entire Church of God.
Although he dedicated all his energy to caring forhis two large and demanding dioceses, he also felt the daily preoccupation and concern for all the world (2 Cor 11:28). In commemorating the 25th anniversary of Conforti’s death, Cardinal Giuseppe Roncalli, then Patriarch of Venice and the future Pope John XXIII, defined him well as the Bishop of Parma, but a Missionary for the entire world. (continued on page 6)
The Miracle for Sainthood
Healed Through The Intercession Of The Founder X averian Missionaries Provincial Headquarters 12 Helene Court Wayne, NJ 07470-2813 Tel.: (973) 942-2975 Fax: (973) 942-5012 E-mail: xavwayne@optonline.net Xavier Knoll Mission Center 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
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
T
he second miracle, confirmed by the Vatican after a demanding scrutiny, happened to Thiago João, a newborn child from Brazil.
the entire parish community. They spent long periods in prayer together for the life of Thiago João.
When suddenly the child recovered all saw this extraordinary miracle Little Thiago as a special sign João suffered from from heaven. The a severe lack of whole parish gathoxygen to the brain ered for a special following a promass of thanksgivlonged cardio-respiing to the Lord, a ratory arrest. He Thiago João as a toddler with his father in Brazil. feast which is now barely weighed two celebrated yearly in pounds when he was the parish. On February 18, 2010, the mediborn in a small hospital in Belo Horizonte, cal council concluded that the healing of Brazil, August, 2003. He was born close to Thiago was scientifically unexplainable. The four months prematurely due to the illness Congress of Theologians, on April 23, 2010, of his mother. A prolonged heart attack left unanimously identified the miraculous interno hope of recovery. vention of God through the intercession of Blessed Conforti. Everything was confirmed The parish community of Thiago’s family in a regular session of cardinals and bishops turned to their patron, creating a parishon October 5, 2010. The Pope will announce wide campaign of prayer, asking Blessed the date of canonization to sainthood soon Guido Conforti for healing. and will probably be in the later part of this year. U The trauma and illness of the child – Father William Camera, SX became a considerable preoccupation for
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Parishioners praying for the healing of Thiago João through the intercession of Blessed Guido M. Conforti.
Xaverian Mission Newsletter • February 2011
Xaverian Missionaries in the World
Christmas in the
Aftermath of Volcano Merapi’s Eruption (Indonesia)
Dear Friends, It’s Christmas Day! With joy in my heart I am writing because for me this year’s Christmas is a very special one. I began in October 2010 with the aim of bringing donations from many benefactors to Padang, Indonesia. These funds were for the reconstruction of houses destroyed by the earthquake of more than two years ago.
Victims of the eruption of Merapi find shelter in local schools.
F
r. Rudolph Ciroi works in Yogyakarta in Indonesia. In this letter he shares with us some of the effects of two earthquakes and a tsunami and the Church’s response.
One disaster after another: most recently at ten o’clock in the evening a horrific shudder vibrated everywhere and another earthquake rocked Padang. Fortunately, there was no physical damage; but many people ran to the hills for fear of a tsunami. Soon afterward, the news arrived that a tsunami indeed hit the islands of Sikakap and Sipora (Mentawai), destroying several villages with hundreds of victims. Thus, your donations have been used for the damage of the quake two years ago and for the most recent one, including provisions to rebuild homes in Padang and for aid to the Mentawai Islands. We hadn’t finished distributing this aid when the terrible news of the eruption of the Volcano Merapi arrived in Yogyakarta, the city where I live. I immediately rushed to return home, but I had to wait three days because the Yogyakarta Airport was closed. I finally arrived to a tragic situation: dozens of people were dead and some villages completely destroyed. (continued on next page)
Xaverian Mission Newsletter • February 2011
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Xaverian Missionaries in the World
A mother and her baby find shelter from the eruption .
Would You Like To Help? Please send your donations to:
Help
for
Victims
of
Merapi
C/O Fr. Frank Grappoli, SX 12 Helene Court Wayne, New Jersey 07470 Phone: 973-942-2975
Fr. Rudolph Ciroi, amidst the destruction caused by the volcanic eruption of Merapi. (continued from page 3)
Three days later, a second eruption, more terrible than the first killed more victims, destroyed villages some eighteen miles from the volcano. There was a insidious white coat of ash everywhere and on everyone. Over three hundred thousand displaced people had to take shelter elsewhere. During this past month, emergency shelter has become the home for about forty orphans who have been displaced from their school, situated in a charming area about three miles from the summit of the volcano. Their center is completely gone.
Moving Toward Reconstruction One of the first things we did was to organize ways to bring water to their homes, so that even though they are living far away in temporary housing, people can eventually return to cultivate their fields. Experience shows that this land will become a more fertile land. Red Cross workers assisting victims of the eruption of Merapi.
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So we have put in place two aqueducts and now we are now redoing a
Xaverian Mission Newsletter • February 2011
third. We started with courage, almost empty-handed. We discussed the projects with many friends, who never failed to support us financially and technically in the implementation of these aqueducts. We have had the cooperation of some Muslim youth centers, and because of this, I am convinced that dialogue with Islam, not based on theory but based on love of neighbor, is possible and very fruitful. The Church indeed sees Muslim and Catholic cooperation as a catalyst to overcome poverty. So dear friends, this Advent and Christmas has been one of the most significant of my life. It seems so similar to the journey to Bethlehem where Christ was born in poverty in order to bring hope to the poor. There is still much to do! Would you like to help too? I know that the economic crisis is hard, but it is the widow’s mite that makes miracles. U – Fr. Rudolph Ciroi, SX
Xaverian Missionaries in the USA
The Global Connect: Taiwan to Chinatown, Boston
Fr. Joe Matteucig, superior of our mission center in Holliston, Massachusetts, with friends from Chinatown. Fr. Joe previously spent 13 years working in Taiwan, ROC.
O
ne of the many blessings I have experienced throughout my missionary life has been the conscious feeling of being at “home” in every place where my missionary vocation took me. This feeling became real when I first left Italy for Chicago, for my theological studies, when I left the USA for Taiwan, and the same awareness accompanied me when I left Taiwan for my new assignment at Fatima Shrine in Holliston (MA). In each packing and unpacking I did feel uprooted, sad and uncertain about my future, and yet, deep down in my heart I was always certain that as I was leaving a “home” God was preparing for me a “new home” in the new place I was heading to. This helped me into the new reality with the feeling that all would be well. I have been back in the US the past 4 years and the “new home” God prepared for me has embraced both my confreres and the ministries our Xaverian Missionaries are carrying here in the US, as well as the Chinese Catholic community of greater Boston.
My connection with the people of Chinatown, especially with the Mandarin and Fujianese speaking groups started in the Fall of 2006. The phrase inscribed over the main altar in the church summarizes quite well how this community lives out its faith and its commitment to the gospel. The phrase reads “Bonum est nos hic esse” or (“It is good for us to be here.”) In these past 4 years, I have witnessed a community that looks at the “here” not only as “here” inside the church, but as a “here” that enables it to be a point of reference for the wider Chinese neighborhood. Issues dealing with transition are dealt with competence and serenity.
“Deep down in my heart I was always certain that as I was leaving a “home” God was preparing for me a “new home” in the new place I was heading to …”
Faith is contagious and I see what our documents say: “The proclamation of the Gospel is the supreme gift of God to the world…” made real on a daily basis. U – Fr. Joe Matteucig, SX. Fr. Joe with the Chinese community at Easter time.
Xaverian Mission Newsletter • February 2011
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Blessed Guido
Founder of the Xav and New Saint (continued from cover)
Founder of the Xaverian Missionaries
Blessed Conforti, (2nd from right, front row) visiting his missionaries and their communities in China.
STEPS TOWARD SAINTHOOD The bishop of the diocese where the person died is responsible for beginning the investigation of the person whose beatification is being requested. Once the diocesan investigation is finished, the acts and documentation are passed on to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. For the beatification of a confessor a miracle attributed to the Servant of God, verified after his death, is necessary. For canonization another miracle is needed, attributed to the intercession of the Blessed and having occurred after his beatification.
Since health problems prevented him from pursuing the missionary vocation he had felt since his high school years, Conforti conceived the idea of founding a Missionary Institute. Thus, in agreement with the Congregation of Propaganda Fide and with the approval of his Bishop, Conforti founded a new missionary family in 1895. The characteristics of the Xaverian Missionaries can be found in the personal documents Conforti wrote: the Fundamental Rule, the Letter to mark the promulgation of the Constitutions approved by the Holy See (Testament Letter) and his addresses to departing missionaries.
Who is the Missionary for Conforti? In an address to some of his missionaries who were leaving for China, Conforti offers a definition of the missionary, which, given the mentality of those times, may seem somewhat romantic; nevertheless, it does contain some perennial values because it invites us to contemplate the missionary of all times and ages, Jesus Christ: “The Missionary is the most beautiful and sublime personification of the ideal life. He has contemplated in the spirit Jesus Christ, who shows the Apostles the world they must conquer for the Gospel, not with the power of weapons, but through persuasion and love. The missionary is captivated by this ideal and leaves behind his family, country and dearest and most legitimate affections in order to pursue it. He travels into inhospitable jungles, crosses fiery deserts and the icy poles. He does not search for gold and jewels, ivory, rare furs, or precious woods, but only souls to win over to Faith in Christ. He carries no sword or rifle to face the difficulties he encounters along the way, or to strike down the enemies in his path; his only weapon is the cross of Christ and, if necessary, he is
Blessed Conforti lies in state in early November, 1931.
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Xaverian Mission Newsletter • February 2011
Maria Conforti
verian Missionaries for the Church.
ready to shed his blood for the good of his brothers. Indeed, his heartfelt desire is to seal his apostolate with martyrdom” (Address to departing missionaries, 16 Nov 1924). In his “Testament Letter” Conforti lists some inalienable characteristics of his missionary family: “The distinguishing characteristic of the present and future members of the society be the result of the following components: a spirit of living faith which enables us to see God, seek God, love God in all things, intensifying our desire to spread his kingdom everywhere; a spirit of prompt and ready obedience in everything, no matter how costly, in order to achieve the victories promised by God to those who are obedient; a spirit of intense love for our religious family, that we must look upon as a mother, and a spirit of intense love for all the members of our Society” (Testament Letter 10).
Path to Sainthood Bishop Evasio Colli, the first successor of Conforti in Parma, saw the signs of sanctity and began the whole process which ultimately led to the beatification and soon the canonization of Blessed Conforti. The proclamation of the heroic nature of his virtues took place in 1982. He was beatified on 17 March 1996, in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, in the presence of Pope John Paul II. Blessed Guido Conforti wanted his first missionaries to continue the work of St Francis Xavier, the patron saint of our Missionary Family, in China at whose doors Xavier had died. Therefore, China was chosen as the first mission of the Xaverians. After 1954 with their expulsion by the communists, the Xaverian Missionaries gradually spread out to the 19 countries we are serving today. U
– CC
A photo of Blessed Guido Maria Conforti as a young bishop
Watercolor view of the seminary in Parma, Italy, founded by Blessed Conforti and stands as a symbol of the missionary Church today.
Xaverian Mission Newsletter • February 2011
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The Word of God and Commitment to the World
God’s Word & Dialogue with other
Faiths
Questions to Ponder, Pray and Discuss. • Are there ideas that were shared here that confirmed what you already believe, or are there surprises? Which are they? • What are some encounters of Jesus and Paul with peoples of other faiths in the bible? • Read the entire reflection on the internet. What can you do to make scripture more important?
W
hat the Church proclaims is Christ, who is hope (1 Peter 3:15)... We cannot keep to ourselves the words of eternal life given to us in our encounter with Jesus Christ: they are meant for everyone… (91) So says the new apostolic exhortation of Pope Benedict XVI entitled VERBUM DOMINI, or, The Word of the Lord. It is a follow-up reflection from the Synod, or meeting of Bishops in 2008 on the importance of Scripture in the mission of the Church today. The Word & Interreligious Dialogue The Pope goes on to say: “The Church considers an essential part of the proclamation of the word to consist in encounter, dialogue and cooperation with the followers of the different religious traditions of humanity.”
The Virgin and Child, beautiful ancient mosaic in one of the most exquisite mosques in Istanbul, Turkey, the Hagia Sophia.
He sees this an opportunity in the “quickened pace of globalization where different faiths and cultures are in closer contact today. It is a God given opportunity to show the world how authentic religiosity can foster universal solidarity.” Muslims and Catholics
Lady Paula Mandalika, a Christian from Indonesia, and Acmad Maca-rimbang, a Muslim from the Philippines, participated in a program on interreligious conflict and dialogue.
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Xaverian Mission Newsletter • February 2011
The Church looks with respect to Muslims, who adore the one God. We acknowledge that the Islamic traditions include countless biblical figures, symbols and themes. He says: “Taking up the efforts begun by John Paul II, I express my hope that the trust-filled relationships established
between Christians and Muslims over the years will continue…” (118) He goes on to ask all Bishops, “wherever it is appropriate and helpful”, to encourage meetings aimed at helping Christians and Muslims to come to know each other better, in order to promote the values which society needs for a peaceful coexistence. Finally, the Pope says that this dialogue would be fruitless unless it included authentic respect for each person and the ability of all too freely to practice their faith. This is the essential element for peace! (120)
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Become a Partner in Global Mission
The Fields of
Mudan
Y
early approximately 700,000 per sons, primarily women and children, are trafficked across international borders Approximately 17,000 women and children are trafficked into the United States each year. The victims of sex trafficking are lured into the trap by fake promises such as good jobs, false marriage proposals, education or being reunited with their families. The Fields of Mudan puts a human face on the youngest victims of trafficking. This film is a fictional, though accurate account of a young Chinese girl, Mudan, who is smuggled into the USA as part of a modern-day child prostitution ring operated by the Asian underworld. The writer and director, Stevo Chang, created the film to raise public awareness of the horrors of human
trafficking in the US and globally. In the film, the child brothel owner, Madam Zhao (Yaping), brutalizes Mudan and the other five young girls as they “pay off their debts.” Faye (Shannon Lu), an Asian girl close in age to Mudan, befriends Mudan and shares in her dream of someday escaping the torturous sex-trade. Mudan carries her drawing of her mother playing with her in an open field near a luxurious home in the USA, the land where dreams come true. The picture draws Mudan into her dream world of love and joy with her mother which allows Mudan to escape the violent world she lives in. Faye and Mudan bond and share the same dream for a better life. As a global institution, the Catholic Church, well positioned to respond to human trafficking, has
denounced this horrific crime because it constitutes an offense against human dignity and fundamental human rights. The reality of thousands of our brothers and sisters laboring in modern day slavery compels us to act now to stop human trafficking and to serve the survivors of this crime.
“
Check out these links to learn more, pray for victims and get involved. You can help!
U
LINKS FOR A FURTHER LOOK: www.fieldsofmudan.com To Purchase the DVD: www.filmschool.fsu.edu Coalition of Catholic Organizations Against Human Trafficking: www.usccb.org/mrs/traffickingweb3.shtml USCCB Migration and Refugee Services on Trafficking Issues: www.usccb.org/mrs/traffickingweb.shtml Catholic Relief Services Advocacy Work Against Trafficking: www.crs.org/public-policy/
Xaverian Mission Newsletter • February 2011
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World Mission News Digest
World Mission News Digest SUDAN
The Cathedral of Ravenna, Italy where Blessed Conforti was Bishop for a time.
VATICAN The yearly report of all the pastoral workers who lost their lives in a violent manner over the course of the last 12 months is now available for download. According to information in our possession, during 2010, 23 pastoral care workers were killed: one Bishop, 15 priests, one male religious, one religious sister, two seminarians and three lay people. Please include them and their families in your prayer. Download the report at: www.fides.org
The Catholic Church is mobilizing to ensure that the referendum on the independence of South Sudan occurs peacefully. Archbishop Paolino Lukudu Loro of Juba, announced the extension to 16 January of the “101 days of prayer”, promoted by the Episcopal Conference of Sudan, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services, which began on 21 September and that was to expire on January 1st. Bishop Caesar Mazzolari of Rumbek, in his New Year message, appealed to northern and southern Sudanese to accept the outcome of the vote with calm.
EGYPT Egypt’s Muslim community followed through on their promise to support the country’s embattled Christian population as they celebrated their Christmas Eve masses on Thursday night. “We either live together, or we die together,” was the sloganeering genius of Mohamed El-Sawy, a Muslim arts tycoon whose cultural centre distributed flyers at churches in Cairo Thursday night,
The home parish of the Founder in Ravadese, Italy.
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Xaverian Mission Newsletter • February 2011
and who has been credited with first floating the “human shield” idea. “This is not about us and them,” said Dalia Mustafa, a student who attended mass at Virgin Mary Church on Maraashly. “We The Cathedral of Parma where Blessed are one. This was Conforti was Bishop until his death. an attack on Egypt as a MEXICO whole, and I am standing with the Copts Her skullface peers from because the only way things beneath a cloak, the Grim will Reaper’s scythe often change in this clutched in her hand. She is country is if we the Saint of Death, icon of come together.” an underground cult. It is a cult that has grown in the UNITED NATIONS last decade, in part as a reaction to rising violence The United Nations General across the country. Seen as a Assembly (UNGA) has adopted by consensus a Philippine- form of protection, La Santa Muerte has come to be chersponsored resolution on ished by the marginalized, interfaith dialogue, moving impoverished and sometimes forward the global efforts to criminal sector. U achieve peace and development through a comprehensive strategy. Entitled “Promotion on Inter-religious and Intercultural Dialogue”, the resolution was adopted by consensus by the 65th session of the UNGA under the agenda item Culture of Peace, the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York.
The first seminary in Parma of the Xaverian Missionaries founded by Conforti.
From our USA Communities
News from our USA Communities Friendship & Mission With Priests We Assist
I
n each of our mission centers in Wayne, New Jersey, Holliston, Massachusetts and Franklin, Wisconsin, we hold a steadfast tradition by having a yearly dinner with the bishops and priests whom we work with and assist in each diocese we reside.
Fr. Alfredo Turco, superior of the Milwaukee community, leads in a prayer the priests attending the gathering.
Above: the two bishops of the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey: Bishop Arthur Serratelli (left) and Bishop Emeritus Frank Rodimer who attended our gathering along with twelve priests.
For us Xaverians, our solidarity with the bishop, priests and brothers in the dioceses where we live and work is essential to sharing the urgency of the world mission of the Church. The vital link between every parish and the great challenges that face the global mission of the Church is too important. U
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Right: priests and brothers of our local area in the Archdiocese of Boston, 27 in all, gathered in our home for prayer and a meal. Bishop Walter Edyvean, regional bishop, makes it a point to attend every year.
Christmas Light Display At Our Shrine
A
s per tradition, the massive Christmas light display at OUR LADY OF FATIMA SHRINE in Holliston, Massachusetts drew many families from the beginning of Advent to the beginning of January. Hot chocolate, donuts and shopping in our gift shop were a great addition. U
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Xaverian Mission Newsletter • February 2011
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Xaverian Mission Newsletter • February 2011
The Cross which Blessed Conforti visited as a boy in a local chapel: “He looked at me and seemed to tell me so many things…”
What is HE Saying to You? Get Involved in The Global Mission of the Church. Contact: Fr. Joe Matteucig at holliston.sx@gmail.com
The Xaverian Missionaries 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.
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