Kartause Maria Thron, A-3292 Gaming, Austria +43 7485 98678 office@lciaustria.org www.lciaustria.org

Evangelization the New Forming Disciples for

InstituteLanguage & Catechetical

N S T I T U T EI A T E C H E T I C A L C &A N G U A G E L

About LCI ............................................................................................................................................................3

Mission ...............................................................................................................................................................3

Need for New Evangelization today ...................................................................................................................3

Our moment to respond.....................................................................................................................................4

Who attends LCI .................................................................................................................................................5

Why Austria? ......................................................................................................................................................7

Overview of studies ............................................................................................................................................8

LCI organization and history ...............................................................................................................................8

LCI graduates ......................................................................................................................................................9

Countries served .............................................................................................................................................. 10

Graduate profiles ............................................................................................................................................. 10

Staffing ............................................................................................................................................................. 11

SUPPORT OF BISHOPS ..................................................................................................................................... 14

STUDENT TESTIMONIES ................................................................................................................................... 15

About LCI LCI stands for the Language and Catechetical Institute, a Catholic education and formation program for young people from former Communist countries of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and China. It was founded in 1992, and is based in Gaming, Austria. LCI is supported by a US-based 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization, Twelve Rivers Foundation. Since its founding nearly twenty-five years ago, 465 young people from 28 countries have completed the yearlong program.

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Mission

Answering the Church’s call for a New Evangelization, and the Gospel invitation to, “Go and make disciples of all nations...” LCI’s mission in the New Evangelization, while global in scope, takes place person to person. Gathering young people from many diverse cultures and backgrounds, LCI offers intensive English language training as well as courses in theology and catechism. With a commitment to quality of education as well as individual and direct formation, students experience a life of community and worship at a campus in Gaming, Austria.

Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in union with the Church, and under the protection of Our Lady, the ultimate goal of LCI is to bring the Light that is Christ to the modern world (Lumen Gentium), and build a civilization of love, a renewed culture, not through political or social reform, but through conversion of hearts, one by one.

Need for New Evangelization today The Catholic Church throughout Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia is in great need of well-trained and educated leaders to help bring the Light of Christ to communities that for decades were oppressed by Communism. In the former East Bloc during the 20th century, churches were destroyed and seminaries were closed. Priests and religious were imprisoned, tortured, and executed. Ordinary laypeople were denied higher education and employment opportunities. The Church is still emerging from the underground and even now is suffering persecution.

The total destruction of values under communist-atheist regimes has resulted in broken families, corruption in the workplace, and a prevailing sense of hopelessness in the youth.

In China, there are countless people who have not yet heard the message of Jesus Christ, yet there is a great hunger for the Good News. The Catholic Church is growing rapidly, but there is a lack of priests because seminaries were closed for a whole generation. There are few opportunities for lay people to receive good formation and catechetical training; there are no Catholic schools. Our moment to respond A great opportunity to bring spiritual restoration to the East has come with the fall of Communism in Europe. In 1989 the Berlin Wall fell, followed shortly by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Before those years, during the Cold War, it was not possible to travel freely, to speak freely, or to worship freely. Therefore Christians in the West could not respond to the needs of their brothers and sisters who were being persecuted. Now,

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Hungary

Poland

Republic Czech

Austria

Italy

Switzerland

Germany

there is no Iron Curtain, and the last decade has seen an even greater increase in political freedoms, with several Central European nations joining the European Union in 2004.

There are still many restrictions to religious freedom in China. However, in recent years there has been a greater openness in China, marked especially by the Olympic Games in 2008 in Beijing. “We have witnessed the collapse of oppressive ideologies and political systems…the moment has come to commit all of the Church’s energies to a new evangelization and to the mission ad gentes” (John Paul II)

Who attends LCI LCI works directly with the Bishops Offices. Based on the needs of the dioceses, bishops will recommend and request scholarships for candidates to attend LCI for various reasons. There are three basic student profiles:

1. A priest, seminarian or religious sister who needs English training to work effectively in the diocese. A command of the English language is critical for collaborating with other organizations and agencies on an international level. It is also a valuable skill for the work of translation, graduate studies, diplomacy, hospitality, etc.

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executionLCI program overview &

The language of international communication is more and more

English. We get letters written in English from all over the world even from Austria, Germany and Italy. Our guests speak English rather than other languages. We can get more and more books and teaching aids in English.

In our office there is nobody who speaks English and in our diocese there are only a few priests and lay people who can understand English. So we are very grateful to LCI for organizing English courses.

Gyula Marfi Bishop of Veszprem, Hungary

2. A young Catholic who shows leadership and desire to work for the New Evangelization. Some LCI students have grown up Catholic but have had no chance to deepen their faith intellectually, spiritually, or culturally. They seek a solid grounding in knowledge of the faith and a concrete experience of Christian community. They are selected by their bishops to attend LCI because they have shown outstanding leadership qualities and commitment to serving the Church.

We have sent several people to the Language and Catechetical

Institute, and it has changed their lives. One of the students entered the seminary after his return and was ordained this year. Another one entered the order of Franciscan Missionaries of Mary in Slovenia. Most of the others actively help the Church in other areas. Therefore I believe in the importance of the LCI program and recommend its continuation.

Franc Kramberger Bishop of Maribor, Slovenia

3. A young Catholic, perhaps newly baptized, from a post-atheist culture who has never had the opportunity to learn about the faith. LCI serves several dioceses where there are no Catholic schools, few priests with few parishioners, and even where there are no churches (buildings) at all. When a young person from one of these places shows a more intense interest in the Faith or a strong aspiration to draw closer to Christ and His Church, the missionary priests will recommend him or her for LCI. These missionary dioceses value LCI for providing a full-context, as it were, for the Faith.

I firmly believe that the opportunity for Ayya [LCI student in 20082009]

to study English and be saturated in the vibrantly Catholic community of Gaming, Austria, would impact not only her life but also the community here in Turkmenistan. I thank you on behalf of the growing Catholic Church in Turkmenistan.

Andrzej Madej, OMI Apostolic Nunciature in Turkmenistan

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The requests for scholarships always exceeds the financial capacity of LCI. LCI reluctantly turns down qualified candidates, recommended by the bishops, every year. Typically there are twice as many qualified applicants as scholarships available. LCI also regularly receives numerous inquiries from young people who hear about the program by word of mouth. Why Austria?

LCI is located at the Kartause Gaming, a restored 14th-century Carthusian monastery in the foothills of the Alps, which is the campus of the Austrian Program of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. At the Kartause, LCI students are immersed in an environment that is native-English-speaking, thoroughly Catholic, and rich in cultural and natural beauty.

With the immersion experience, LCI students are able to practice their English outside the classroom and throughout the whole day at meal times, in their rooms, at social gatherings, etc. In this way, in a relatively short period of time they are able to speak and understand English fluently, a valuable advantage which serves them well in their future.

LCI students are also deeply affected by the experience of meeting devout Catholics from the USA. They are touched by their openness and readiness to share their faith. Through this experience of meeting young Americans who joyfully participate in daily Mass, Adoration, and other devotions, LCI students gain a profound experience of unity in Christ, unity in the Church.

The beauty of the landscape and the rich cultural heritage of Austria are other important factors that positively impact LCI students. LCI students feel the presence of

God and see the goodness of creation in the beautiful setting of mountains, clear rivers, and pristine forests. Furthermore, they take joy in living in the Catholic culture of Austria. There are no shops open on Sundays, and major Catholic feast days, such as All Saints and the Immaculate Conception, are also national holidays. This re-connects LCI students from other

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Ida, Kazakhstan Fr. Joseph, China Sr. Bonita, Poland

Central European countries – Poland, Hungary, Croatia – with their own traditional culture that was devastated by Communism. At the same time, it gives

LCI students from non-Christian cultures – China, Myanmar, Turkmenistan – a vision

Sarah from Myanmar for the Christian life that they can bring home with them.

Finally, Austria is geographically closer to most of the home countries of the students who come to LCI. Therefore it is easier both for the young people to come, and most importantly for them to return. LCI has a very high rate of graduates returning to their home communities (approximately 90%) to share what they

have received, which is why LCI has earned the trust of the bishops. LCI has a very high rate of graduates

returning to their home communities, which is why LCI has

earned the trust of the bishops. Overview of studies

LCI students share accommodations, meals, classes, liturgical life, and social activities with the American students who are in Austria for a semester abroad program. Thus, LCI students are immersed in the language and culture of those young, vibrant, devout, native-English-speaking Catholics. After a diagnostic test for English, LCI students are placed in classes according to their level. Beginner English students have more hours of English per day, and advanced students can take classes with the American students in addition to their LCI classes. The usual course load is 15 to 18 hours per week. LCI offers specialized classes in academic writing, literature, and drama in addition to English grammar, vocabulary, and conversation. All LCI students take classes in catechism and basic theology. An important part of the LCI students’ formation are the activities scheduled outside of class. These include prayer, pilgrimages, dinners which the students cook for each other, cultural activities such as the Vienna opera, and weekend retreats. These activities help the students see the fundamental relationship between God and the World, and so the inextricable connection between faith and every aspect of human life. Then they can “bridge the gap” between the Faith and day-to-day life and understand what it means to be Christian in the 21st century. After two semesters, LCI students emerge fluent in English, well-grounded in their faith, and inspired to bring the Light of Christ to their home communities. They also have a network of friends around the globe.

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LCI organization and history

The Language & Catechetical Institute began in January 1992 as an outreach of

Franciscan University, as a way to give aid to brothers and sisters in Christ from Eastern Europe who had heroically kept their faith despite persecution. Thus was fulfilled the vision of Fr. Michael Scanlan, TOR, who at the opening ceremony of the Austrian campus in August 1991, described a vision for the campus calling it a beachhead for the evangelization of Eastern Europe. It was also the fulfillment of the vision of Architect Walter Hildebrand, the restorer of the Kartause, who wished to see it become a crossroads of East and West.

Nick Healy, then Vice-president for Franciscan University Development, initiated the program, recruiting staff and finding financial support from private benefactors and Aid to the Church in Need. The first semester began with 15 students from Czechoslovakia under the direction of Madeleine Rivest, a language trainer from Canada, and Jim Fougerousse, first Director of the Austrian Program of Franciscan University.

LCI was originally designed as a one-semester, intensive English-language program. However, the time period was found to be inadequate for reaching proficiency in English. Therefore the following year it became a two-semester program. Also that year, 1992-1993, the number of students more than doubled to 32, and the number of countries represented grew from one to eight. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office to Aid the Church in Central and Eastern Europe provided 100% of the funding for that year and the next seven years.

With the founding of the International Theological Institute (ITI), also in Gaming, the USCCB ended its financial support for LCI. Franciscan University then funded LCI until the year 2003, when LCI became an independent Institute. However, in day-to-day operations the collaboration with Franciscan University remains the same as in the beginning.

LCI maintains close ties with ITI administratively. ITI issues visa documents for LCI students and staff, and provides other secretarial assistance. LCI graduates

LCI has trained 465 graduates from 28 countries. They are working in their postatheistic home countries as:

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from ITI administrative support

from FUS and student life support

Currently receives

6201 2003 1992

Institute (ITI)International Theological in cooperation with FUS and

independent instituteBecame

of Steubenville (FUS) Franciscan University

of outreach program LCI launched as

Theology teachers and professors English translators and interpreters Youth ministers, young adult leaders Family and catechetical center directors Businessmen, lawyers, doctors

After I finished LCI, I studied at ITI. I graduated last spring and

returned to Belarus. I am working in my Bishop’s office, and also at a new Catholic publishing house. Together with another LCI student, Anna Shilova, I work with teenagers in my parish. We have prayer meetings, and we started visiting an orphanage to help the children there. My Bishop also wants me to start a center for marriage and family. I am very busy!

Irena Silenevitch, Belarus

I am working in the “St. Ignatius,” a center for spiritual retreats, meetings, training for the laity and priests of the diocese. I am responsible for the programs. From last year besides this I am teaching catechism at school for 130 students of fifteen to sixteen years old, and I prepare a group of 60 children for First Communion at my parish. I regularly lecture at a Catholic seminar for adults in different theological subjects. And my future plans: in my free-time to work in Catholic broadcasting…

Erika Trepszker, Romania Countries served: Albania, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Myanmar, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine. Graduate profiles

Mikhaylo Mikita: Heading Diocesan Catechetical Commission in Ukraine

Mikhaylo Mikita arrived at LCI in the fall of 1999 as a young Greek-Catholic seminarian who knew very little English. He returned home in May 2000, was ordained a priest, and became secretary to Bishop Koltun of Sokal, Ukraine. Today he is the head of the

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Catechetical Commission for the diocese, responsible for Catholic education in schools and parishes. He also accompanies his Bishop to international conferences as a translator.

Dimitri Kamil: Evangelizing University Students in Russia

Dimitri Kamil, from Vladivostok, Russia, stepped into a church for the first time as a curious university student. Shortly after, he received Baptism and was sent to LCI in 2003 for more studies in theology. He then continued his studies at a graduate theology institute, also in Austria. Today he is an assistant at his home parish, leading youth retreats and doing campus ministry at the university.

Josipa Gasparic: Working for Human Rights in Croatia and Austria

Josipa Gasparic came to LCI in 1996, shortly after the end of the Balkan War which devastated her hometown. While at LCI she learned to “love and give unconditionally.” She has worked for the government of Croatia in the Office of Human Rights on a project to fight human trafficking, the International Tribunal in the Hague, and for a charitable organization helping the refugees in Austria.

Agoston Szabo: Evangelizing Youth and Young Adults in Hungary

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When Agoston came to LCI in 2010, he was already a practicing Catholic. However, by his own admission, he had a skeptical attitude toward the Church. While at LCI, Agoston experienced a profound conversion. He was so deeply touched by God’s love that now he wants to do nothing other than share it with others! He spent the summer after LCI volunteering at Christian camps for Romanian orphans, and now, back at

university in Budapest, is an active leader in a prayer group, and shares his love of Christ and the Church with his friends.

Staffing LCI is supported by three full-time and one part-time staff:

2 Co-directors (1 part-time) who share administrative and teaching responsibilities 2 Teachers and Formation Directors

Co-directors

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and financial strategyLCI program operation costs

Jennifer Healy has been with the LCI since its founding in 1992, first as a volunteer, and then as a full-time teacher and administrator. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, she has a deep appreciation for Catholic education. She also holds a Master’s degree in art history and is an adjunct professor for Franciscan University in that subject. She is responsible for program operations and development.

Bobette Huzovic is a mother of five, catechist, and English teacher. She began her career with LCI as a volunteer in 1992. She spent a year teaching in Slovakia, where she met her husband, Maroš. She is a graduate of N.E.T. Ministries and Franciscan University, where she earned a degree in communications. She is working toward a Master’s degree in pastoral theology at the Maryvale Institute in England. She is responsible for course curriculum and student life.

Teachers and Formation Directors Meghan Schofield is a graduate of the John Paul II Institute in Washington, DC, where she earned her Master's degree with a specialization in bio-ethics. Her undergraduate degree, also in theology, is from Ave Maria University in Naples, FL. Meghan leads the LCI students in formation, in the classroom and beyond. She teaches catechism, moral theology and a special course called Theology and Culture: Christian Living and the Civilization of Love, which helps the students integrate the Faith into their daily lives. Joseph Hahn graduated from Franciscan University in 2015. As an undergraduate, he studied for a semester in Gaming. He is joining the LCI team after spending a year in Russia, evangelizing, teaching English, and learning Russian.

SUPPORT OF BISHOPS

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“Thank you so much for your help in the Christian education of lay people in Russia. Every person who received formation at LCI has made a real impact in the Apostolic field of our young Church.”

Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz Archbishop of Moscow (then)

“I am very grateful for all the good things that your Institute has been doing for the Church and in particular for students from Ukraine.” Ihor Voznyak Archbishop of Lviv “As far as the Language and Catechetical Institute is concerned, our diocese has had only a positive experience with it and we are honored to cooperate with you…We would like to continue sending young people to your Institute, especially those who have a positive relationship to the Church and are open to religious dialogue and willing to sacrifice their interests for the interests of God.”

Mons. ThDr. Jan Babjak, SJ Bishop of Presov, Slovakia

“I am very grateful for everything you have done for our diocese. From the Language and Catechetical Institute have already graduated quite a lot of our presently working diocesan people…All you have put in these students now brings very good fruits.”

Vilhelms Lapelis Bishop of Liepaja, Latvia

“I would like to send young people in the future to the Language and Catechetical Institute of Gaming, because in this Institute they can receive intensive training in the English language together with Christian formation and a deepening love for Catholic culture. Your program is very necessary in our diocese.”

Szilard Keresztes Bishop of Hajdudorog, Hungary

“The English language proficiency and spiritual formation which they [students from this diocese] have received in LCI has been very useful for the pastoral work of our Diocese. I would like to continue sending students from our Diocese…May God bless you and your nice endeavors in order to help the Church of the former Communist countries.

Juozapas Matulaitis Bishop of Kaisiadorys, Lithuania

“Experience of the last years has shown that the program of Gaming’s Institute is successful in preparation of competent persons who now, developing their activity whether in our structures or in other places are constantly ready to ser the Church both by the knowledge and witness of their own life.” Anton Cosa

Bishop of Chisinau, Moldova “In Albania, a country that has – with general agreement – suffered more than other countries from systematic atheism, the Church is in extreme need of enthusiastic and well-prepared members, particularly among the youth. Thus I continue to hope, that in spite of your limited funds, you will not forget Albania. May God bless you and your beautiful work!

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Rrok Mirdita Archbishop of Durres-Tirana, Albania

STUDENT TESTIMONIES “Many of us came to Gaming from the secular world, having not much connection with church, not having Christian experience and knowledge, and returned to their homes renewed and with more or less clear vision of Christian life plus the knowledge of English. As for me personally, I always tell my friends that the year I spent in Gaming was the best year of my life, and it’s true… God touched my soul in a very powerful way.” Lena Bogoyavlenskaya, Russia “The spiritual atmosphere is wonderful and in the beginning it was unbelievable for me. I have met people who loved Christ and practiced their faith in my country, but never in such an incredible way. These people were proud of their faith! I have learned from them a lot about how a real Christian should live and also about their culture.” Maria Pridalova, Slovakia “To tell you the truth, I remember very often my days in Gaming. This helps me very much in my life. It gave me a better understanding of love of God and love of neighbor.”

Vidas Peciulis, Lithuania “Really, the LCI program is excellent. After two semesters in Gaming, I was able to communicate fluently with English-speaking people, I am able to read English books and articles, to write letters in English, short articles, etc. It is very useful for me and my professional life.” Ladislav Bucko, Slovakia “In Gaming we can really learn English because we are able to study all day and practice with native speakers. In my country it’s impossible.” Mykhailo Mykita, Ukraine “Thank you, thank you, thank you! Because of you I have my job!” Jaan Tepp, Estonia “I spent my happiest year in Gaming. First time in my life I had enough time for everything: prayer, studying, friends. The LCI program provided what we needed to spend our time usefully. I was able to listen to my spiritual life, prayer. I got a lot of friends from other nations who I’ll never forget. These small things are enough to become happy.” Zoltan Barta, Hungary “This program gave me the opportunity to start a new life and it is the truth. Only being in Gaming I realized what our Faith and the Church are. I learned a lot about Christianity and

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Christian moral principles. I had an opportunity to meet many wonderful people and learn their cultures a little. And the most important for me, I became closer to my Church, and I thank God every day for those who gave me this opportunity.”

Iveta Bassieva, Russia “As I see it all students at LCI developed during this year in Gaming a deeper and more personal Catholic faith and experience of God. This helps us to desire more and to be capable of doing more for the promotion of Catholic faith and growth of the Church. Exceptionally beneficial is that LCI students live together, eat together and socialize with FUS students and staff, experiencing a strong Catholic community. Therefore I think that it is important that as many as possible qualified students (those recommended by the bishop) attend this program.” Ana Zivkovic, Croatia “Since I left Gaming I have worked full-time in the Church in different ways - leading the choir, as a catechist, in the Catholic newspaper, and for the last three years as an editor of the catechetical magazine. I am sure it was a good idea about the language program in Gaming. It can help a lot to widen one’s vision and understanding of faith and Church and their richness, and healthy pluralism, about oneself and other people.” Lola Ibragimova, Russia “On my first day in Gaming, you asked me why I would like to learn English. My answer in Slovak was: I would like to help the sisters and other people by my knowledge. Now I can do it!” Sr. Rita Szabo, Romania "My heart has been set on fire and strengthened by all those who are literally and radically living a beautiful Christian life. Whatever I go through in the future, I will be strengthened and lifted up by them."

Julia Zhang, China "The most important thing I realized is that that one thing can connect many--many different kinds of cultures over great distances--and this is Jesus. Without Him, I couldn`t be here and everybody came here because of Him."

Botond Pirityi, Hungary “Gaming is a place full of God’s grace and power. I think that it has changed my life.” Tomas Macan, Czech Republic “There is no other school where I can receive such a well-rounded Catholic education, where the Faith is lived by the teachers and the students surrounding me. I will be able to take these experiences and this education to use as a foundation for living my Faith for the rest of my life.” Ayya Cholukova, Turkmenistan

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The mission ad gentes is only just beginning!

Pope Benedict XVI

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