WORLDCATHOLIC.US News News VOL. 68 NO. 3 - AUGUST 2020 WORLDCATHOLIC.US · HTTPS://XAVERIANMISSIONARIES.ORG/MISSIONBLOG/ CELEBRATING CELEBRATING THE JUBILEE YEAR THE JUBILEE YEAR AND HELPING TO AND HELPING TO “MAKE THE WORLD ONE FAMILY” “MAKE THE WORLD ONE FAMILY” Photo: Fr. Thierry Kamga Kengne SX and Fr. Alessandro Brai SX distribute supplies in Thailand during the pandemic NEWSLETTER OF THE XAVERIAN MISSIONARIES USA NEWSLETTER OF THE XAVERIAN MISSIONARIES USA
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W O R L D C A T H O L I C . U SNewsNewsVOL. 68 NO. 3 - AUGUST 2020
Communications BoardFr. Carl Chudy SXFr. Tony Lalli SX
Fr. Rocco Puopolo SXFr. Alex Rodriguez SX
Fr. Aniello Salicone SX
Editor/DesignMary Aktay
PrinterAlphaGraphics, Totowa NJ
Centennial Year Reflection: Excerpt from Opening Celebration Homily
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The Cry of the Earth6
An African Priest in Thailand4
Fr. Mark’s Message3
S U M M A R Y
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World NewsUSA News
9 Prayer for the Jubilee Year
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Please consider donating to the Xaverian Missionaries through our Communities listed above or online at https://www.xaverianmissionaries.org/support/. Please also consider naming the St. Francis Xavier Foreign Mission Society in your Will.Together we can help St. Guido Conforti’s vision to “Make of the World One Family” become a reality.
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Dear Mission Friends,You may have heard this story before.
“There was a famous monastery which had fallen on very hard times. Its many buildings used to be filled with young monks… Now a handful of old
monks shuffled through the cloisters and praised their God with heavy hearts.On the edge of the monastery woods, an old rabbi had built a little hut. Now and then
he would spend a little time there praying and fasting. For as long as he was there the monks would feel sustained by his prayerful presence.One day the abbot decided to visit the rabbi and to open his heart to him. So that’s what he did one day after the celebration of the Eucharist.The rabbi welcomed the abbot with arms outstretched. It was as though he had been waiting for this moment for some time. They sat for a while in silence in the presence of the book of Scriptures.Then the rabbi said: “You and your brothers are serving God with heavy hearts. You have come to ask a teaching of me. I will give you a teaching, but you can only repeat it once. After that, no one must ever say it aloud again.” The rabbi looked straight at the abbot and said, “The Messiah is among you.”For a while, all was silent. Then the rabbi said: “Now you must go.” The abbot left without a word and without ever looking back.The next morning the abbot gathered the monks together and said to them: “The rabbi said that one of us is the Messiah.” The monks were startled by this saying. “What could it mean? Is Brother John the Messiah? Or Father Matthew? Am I the Messiah?” They were all deeply puzzled by the rabbi’s teaching. But no one ever mentioned it again.As time went by, the monks began to treat one another with a very special reverence. There was a gentle wholehearted, human quality about them now which was hard to describe but easy to notice. They lived with one another as men who had finally found something. But they prayed the Scrip-tures together as men who were always looking for something. Occasional visitors found themselves deeply moved by the life of these monks. Before long, people were coming from far and wide to be nourished by the prayer life and witness of the monks, and young men were asking, once again, to become part of the community.In those days, the rabbi no longer walked in the woods. His hut had fallen into ruins. But somehow or other, the old monks who had taken his teaching to heart still felt sustained by his prayerful pres-ence.At a time when we are all affected by the pandemic, are we learning to live our life together as a family, as a parish, as a religious-missionary community with a “family spirit,” with more love, patience, and understanding, in a way that shows “the Messiah is indeed in our midst”?
With deep gratitude for all your generous love for us and the Missions,
~Fr. Mark Marangone SX and the Xaverian Missionaries
IN OUR MIDST
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I arrived in Thailand in February 2012 and just after few days, I discovered that it was not easy to be a black
person in “the Land of Smiles.” When my Italian confrere and I went to meet a Thai priest who was to introduce to us our jobs in Thailand, he greeted my Italian confrere with a welcoming smile and then looked at me and said, ‘I don’t like black people, they are bad people.’ Before that I could not have imagined that a man of God could go so low. Maybe I was very naive.‘Many Times I Was Tempted to Give Up’Another humiliating experience occurred when I was studying the Thai language. Many young Thai people were willing to help my European colleagues do their assignments and improve their knowledge. But no one wanted to help me. Many chose to keep making fun of my pronunciation instead.During the meetings of priests and nuns, there seemed to be the assumption that I was ignorant; my Europeans peers were welcomed to give their opinions but I had to struggle to make my voice be heard.When I was assigned to a parish, some people had difficulty accepting me as their pastor. I could see that other people were reluctant to introduce me to their friends as their parish priest, or to invite me to their house: they preferred to be seen with European priests. Some even said that I would not stay there more than 6 months. (Thanks be to God, I spent 6 years there before moving to Khlong Toei where I am working now.)It was not easy. I had to swallow my pride, and accept being made fun of by some people who kept asking some strange questions, or making offensive remarks, like may I touch your hair; do you have water in your country; do people wear clothes in your country, and so on…Many times I was tempted to give up, but I kept praying, asking Jesus to help me to persevere, to love the Thai people and to be faithful to the mission He has entrusted to me. My faith tells me that He is the One
Prejudice and Prejudice and an African an African Missionary Priest Missionary Priest in Thailandin Thailand
who wanted me to be in Thailand and to love Thai people.
Treated like a CriminalThai security officers appear to be suspicious of me. When I worked in a parish located in the far north, the police asked for my passport, but did not ask anything from my European friends at a checkpoint on the way there.An experience I don’t look forward to is when I have to apply for the extension of my visa. It is the same type of visa as Europeans priests in our mission have. People from Africa are requested to go first to the section for criminal verification before renewing their visa.As part of the criminal record vetting process, I must present my fingerprints and extra documents from the owner of my residence. The requirement doesn’t extend to the European priests, even though all of us live under the same roof. I felt humiliated to be treated as a criminal. It hurts me a lot when I remember that I brought my little contribution to the development of the villages by paying the tuition fees of some students, building a Church, building houses for some elderly people, and buying wheelchairs for people with disabilities.
But, please don’t get me wrong, I am not judging the Thai people – I am just sharing with you some experiences I have been through as an African person in Thailand.
Beautiful MemoriesI always tell myself that not all Thai people are racist. I believe that there are many Thai people who are welcoming and kind. In fact, many not only accepted me as a fellow human being, but also welcomed me as a friend. They felt at home with me. In the parish where I work, many Thais overcame their prejudices about me and treat me as an equal.Before I flew home for holidays 2 years ago, many people in the villages gave me presents for my parents such as bags, traditional Thai clothing, Thai sweets etc. When I returned, they were happy to see
Father Thierry Kamga Kengne, SX
M I S S I O N A R Y S P O T L I G H T
Context:A few days after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis (USA), which triggered unrest all over the world, a forum was organized in Bangkok (Thailand) on the treatment of Black people in Thailand. Many Thai people showed solidarity with black people and also talked about the injustices African and people with dark skin face in many Asia countries. It also led to the discussion on the treatment of minorities in Asian societies. After the forum, a Thai journalist asked me to shared my experience in Thailand as an African priest. It was published in their newspaper and the editor decided not to publish my name to avoid reprisals from Thai authorities.
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me back and they asked for news about my family. These gestures meant a lot to me, they showed me that they see me as their brother, and they love me.I also remember with joy when Thai people helped me raise funds and collect gifts for Christmas in the villages. Some families also brought me to their house and shared Christmas meals with me, giving me an opportunity to know each other and build a better friendship. In those moments, I see the goodness and generosity of Thai people.
Thailand, The Land of Smiles … even for me and for us
Thailand is known as “The Land of Smiles,” and indeed it is! Here, life is celebrated and All lives matter: hospitality and harmony are important values in the Thai society. Many of our Thai friends admire and are attracted by our Xaverian community (seven confreres from four continents living together despite their differences). For this reason, I believe there is no systemic racism in Thailand but rather some Thai behave badly out of ignorance and prejudice.By assigning African missionaries in Asia and precisely in Thailand, the Church through missionary Congregations such as the Xaverian Missionaries helps fight against the stereotypes and prejudices again Black people and all people. Xaverian communities are a testimony that universal brotherhood is possible, and that there are no outsiders in God’s family.
Martin Luther King Jr. once said “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Another name for mission is “Dialogue,” and following the advice of Martin L. King Jr. and as a missionary, I should not allow bitterness or resentment to win over me, rather I should continue to be a man of dialogue, a builder of bridges; in other words, guided by faith, I have to keep bringing the light and the love of Christ to all and to the darkest places of our world.
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“L“Laudato Si ‘Week,” which took place last May, was an important opportunity to
explore and better understand the wealth of Pope Francis’ encyclical published five years ago. If we re-read the text in this period, knowing that thousands of people have been affected by the virus , and just as we become aware of the painful consequences of the pandemic also on the globalized economy, perhaps, we will realize better the urgency of planning and act in the direction indicated by the Pope.
During the compulsory confinement necessary to limit the spread of the disease, we have witnessed on the one hand the decrease or total cessation of many activities, and on the other, the marked reduction in the emissions of polluting agents; however, we do not feel comforted by breathing cleaner air because the
price paid to the virus in terms of human lives has been incongruous and terrible. We have also witnessed the exponential growth in the use of the internet, apps, and social networks, but the suffering due to social distancing has not spared anyone. Yet the constraint inside domestic walls has allowed more time for reflection which can lead to living with greater fullness, designing and building a better society than the current one.
“What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to the children who are growing up?” Starting from this question, Pope Francis renews his “urgent appeal to respond to the ecological crisis, the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor can no longer wait.”
The question forces us to reflect on the quality of the relationship that each of us maintains with the world, both individually and in community:
what kind of relationship we have with ourselves, with others, with nature and finally - or in principle - with God. And how much attention, passion and energy are we willing to invest in these relationships? The complexity of the present moment requires a reflection and a common action, focused on the theme of human solidarity, not only at the family, neighborhood, and national level, but at the global level.
Social distancing makes us experience concretely the importance of the tangible relationship with our loved ones. However, being able to feel compassion and true solidarity with those who do not belong directly to the circle of our family is much more difficult. It is necessary to understand that “solidarity” is not equal to
“uniformity,” because worldwide solidarity and community can only come from an authentic, non-ideological dialogue that proceeds from mutual
THE CRY OF THE EARTHTHE CRY OF THE EARTH
Photo www.pikist.com
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trust. This may be the starting point of a “human ecology.”
During isolation, the increased use of digital systems highlighted the lack of a real dialogue in which everyone is willing to listen, evaluate and discuss the other people’s proposals. Many initiatives have been good but now we need to work to establish an authentically dialogical climate, capable of leading to practical operational choices, for the good of all.
UUnfortunately, many Internet users show the typical volatility of static thinking,
which feeds on the enunciation of principles and theories or on audio and video performances, which have little to do with the direct commitment to the solution of the increasingly evident central question: the urgent appeal to respond to the ecological crisis, the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor who can no longer wait. Principles and theories are often transformed into pale and poor slogans which separate the word from the action. Speech and practical action are like the two wheels of a gear: if they start to rotate in a dissociated way, without the movement of one driving or engaging that of the other, the gear can jam. It is possible to see a tragic example in the Minneapolis events: there the social component is at risk and the whole system risks being jammed, because those who should guarantee the respect for justice seem instead to be operators of iniquity. In matters concerning the natural environment, if we do not act concretely to adapt production and consumption to the declared need to protect the environment, we risk, so to speak, the jamming of the gears in the entire ecosystem.
In the current system of mass communication, of which capitalist society is woven, nature has been relegated to the background, It hardly disturbs our well-being, because it remains distant, and it does not lead us to a direct confrontation with its roughness, its resistances, its surprises. Nature has been
“distorted”, transforming it into an ornamental “concept,” which is often not representative of reality, while in practice its resources are exploited indiscriminately, and not for the benefit of the entire world population.
Consequently, what could be less “natural” for humans than choosing to act to save a “concept”? Why abandon our “comfort structures” for something that always looks wonderful, comfortably seen in photos, videos or visited through spectacularly organized travel?
In the name of this “protective comfort,” most of us have isolated ourselves from the reality of nature, its balances and absolute interdependence. If we continue to replace reality with concepts, without feeling the wounds inflicted on nature on our shoulders and without taking transformative lifestyles, the ecosystem will be damaged. This marvelous vital gear will no longer be able to move harmoniously, it will turn
in a dissociated mode and ecological disasters will continue to occur.
It will take a great deal of effort to connect theory to practice and make community life, solidarity and social bonding non-negotiable experiences, because “community, solidarity, compassion and love” are not abstract concepts, they are real experiences.
It would be necessary, I believe, to experience the rough and slow materiality of nature, to abandon, even for a short period, the straight flows of our roads and ease of digital crossroads, to get out of our comfortable cages in order to forge a new certainty — that of our interdependence with the rest of creation.
“May our Lord Jesus Christ be known and loved by all.”
C E N T E N N I A L Y E A R O P E N I N G C E L E B R A T I O N
Excerpt from the homily of Fernando García Rodríguez SX,
Superior General of the Xaverian Missionaries
Imagine Archbishop Conforti, a hundred years ago, sending the Testament Letter, “To the dear present and future Missionaries
of the Pious Society of St. Francis Xavier for Foreign Missions.” We know the purpose of this letter was to communicate the definitive approval of our first Constitutions by the Roman dicastery. In it he invited all “to thank the Lord,” and at the same time called attention “to the grave and solemn
commitment that we now come to contract for it before God and his Church” (LT 1). It was July 2, 1921.
Isaiah, Jesus, the apostles, Paul, Francis Xavier, Guido M. Conforti...(and many, many others)...they are our strong ties that tell us that we are part of a story. We remember not to uproot ourselves from the soil that nourishes us, from the healthy and strong roots that generated us. As Pope Francis said, “memory is not a private thing, but it is the way that unites us to God and to others.”Our history is marked by the continuous presence of God. We are the fruit of the gift of God! With a heart full of joy and gratitude we say: thank you, Lord!Thank you for the gift of faith, because we knew Jesus Christ, for his Word of Life, because we heard our names on his lips. Faith, despite our doubts and uncertainties, is the greatest gift that God gives us. We are disciples of the Lord Jesus!Thanks to Jesus Christ, for the trust he has placed in us, so poor and fragile. He entrusted us with his missionary mandate: “Go into the whole world and bring the message of the Gospel to every creature.” Thus, through pure divine grace, we became disciples-missionaries of the Lord Jesus.Thank you for these 125 years of life of our Missionary Institute. Thanks for the approval of the first Constitutions by the Church. “I invite you to exult and thank the Lord for this fact which for us is no doubt the subject of the sanctity and opportunity of the Institution, to which we have given the name” (LT 1). Conforti’s dream, long cultivated in his heart, was recognized as inspired by the Spirit and desired by God. By approving the Constitutions, the Church has officially entrusted us, together with other missionary Institutes and Congregations, a very specific peculiarity of the only mission of Jesus Christ: the mission ad Gentes. Entrusting means trusting.Thank you for the confreres who, starting with Bishop Conforti, up to the last who left us—let us think in particular of the deceased confreres, victims of COVID-19 —offered their life in one way or another, because Jesus Christ is to be known and loved. It is interesting to remember how many confreres left for the mission, in what conditions, the difficulties they encountered ... and how they made “that place “ the epiphany of the Lord. The cemeteries scattered in the different Circumscriptions where many of our confreres rest are witnesses of the total gift of their life.Special mention should be given to our martyred confreres. They are the clearest and most significant expression of the Xaverian charism. The gift of their life, in China, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in Bangladesh, in Brazil and in Burundi, manifests the eloquence of the missionary vocation. Thanks also for all of us, those who today form the Xaverian Family. The confreres scattered in the four continents, the Xaverian Missionary Sisters of Mary, the Josephine Sisters, the Xaverian laity, and the whole network of relatives, friends and benefactors who accompany us and who are part of the mission of evangelization ad Gentes entrusted to us by the Church.
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PRAISE TO YOU, GOD AND FATHER,PRAISE TO YOU, GOD AND FATHER,FOR OUR FOUNDER SAINT GUIDO M. CONFORTI, WHO, FOR OUR FOUNDER SAINT GUIDO M. CONFORTI, WHO,
FASCINATED BY YOUR CRUCIFIED SONFASCINATED BY YOUR CRUCIFIED SONAND INSPIRED BY THE SPIRIT,AND INSPIRED BY THE SPIRIT,
FOUNDED THE XAVERIAN FAMILY FOUNDED THE XAVERIAN FAMILY TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL TO THE MOST DISTANT BORDERS, TO SPREAD THE GOSPEL TO THE MOST DISTANT BORDERS,
SO THAT OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST MAY BE KNOWN AND LOVED BY ALL.SO THAT OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST MAY BE KNOWN AND LOVED BY ALL.
WE THANK YOU FOR THE GIFT OF THE MISSIONARY VOCATION.WE THANK YOU FOR THE GIFT OF THE MISSIONARY VOCATION.FORGIVE THE INFIDELITIES TO THE CHARISM RECEIVED, FORGIVE THE INFIDELITIES TO THE CHARISM RECEIVED,
AND STRENGTHEN IN US THE DESIRE AND ZEAL TO LIVE THE MISSION AD GENTES, AND STRENGTHEN IN US THE DESIRE AND ZEAL TO LIVE THE MISSION AD GENTES, WITH AN INTENSE FAMILY SPIRIT.WITH AN INTENSE FAMILY SPIRIT.
GIVE US A SPIRIT OF LIVING FAITH TO WITNESS WITH LOVE IN THE WORLDGIVE US A SPIRIT OF LIVING FAITH TO WITNESS WITH LOVE IN THE WORLDTHE HOPE THAT GIVES MEANING AND LIFE.THE HOPE THAT GIVES MEANING AND LIFE.
FOR JESUS, CHRIST, OUR LORD.FOR JESUS, CHRIST, OUR LORD.AMEN!AMEN!
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Parma (Agenzia Fides) - The Jubilee year of the Institute of St. Francis Xavier for foreign missions, whose members are known as “Xaverian Missionaries,” began with a mass presided by the Superior General, Father Fernando García, in the sanctuary of Saint Guido Maria Conforti in Parma, the Mother House of the Xaverians, which was streamed online.
The General Direction of the Institute announced a jubilee year, from 2 July 2020 until 2 July 2021, to remember the definitive approval of the first Constitutions and the “Testament Letter” of the founder, Saint Guido Maria Conforti, who communicated the news to the “present and future” missionaries.
The jubilee year intends to give particular importance to the first centenary of the first Constitutions and the Testament Letter, which also coincides with the 125th anniversary of the Institute’s foundation. This jubilee event will be lived in communion with the entire Xaverian
World Mission News
family: the Missionaries of Mary, the Xaverian laity, and the Josephine Sisters.
There are three main elements that must distinguish this period, write the members of the General Administration of the Xaverians in the jubilee letter calling: “Thank God for the gift of the Xaverian charism in the Church, remembering the history of these 125 years of the life of our Missionary family. We must give thanks for all the good done by the confreres who preceded us and for what is currently being done, also through us. Everything is grace to verify our response to the gift received. The Xaverian charism is clear and precise: mission ad gentes and ad extra lived in religious consecration, inserted in the more global context of the mission of the Church. Therefore it has a particular, very specific place in ecclesial life. It is a question of seeing, with the eyes of faith and with human reason, our fidelity or infidelity to the Xaverian charism, that is, to our identity in the Church to engage promptly and with determination to respond adequately to
the gift received. This commitment also has to do with a real, adequate and urgent repositioning of our missionary presences, especially where it is necessary to do so.”
The prayer composed for the Jubilee year sums up the sentiments of the Xaverian missionaries in this circumstance: “Praise and glory to you, God and Father, for our Founder St. Guido M. Conforti, who, fascinated by your crucified Son, and inspired by the Holy Spirit, founded the Xaverian Family to spread the Gospel unto the ends of the earth, so that our Lord Jesus Christ may be known and loved by all. We thank you for the gift of the missionary vocation. Forgive our betrayals to the charism received, and strengthen in us the desire and zeal to live the mission ad gentes, with a passionate family spirit.
Give us a spirit of living Faith to bear witness with love, in the world, to the Hope that gives meaning and life. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!”
THE XAVERIAN MISSIONARIES OPEN THEIR JUBILEE YEAR
“Making of the World One Family...”“Making of the World One Family...”
Help “Make the World One Family”! Either clip this paper and send it to the address below or help the environment by donating online at: https://www.xaverianmissionaries.org/support/
Fr. Carl Chudy SX is seeking young adults who were raised Catholic and have the left the church or no longer practice for
a special study on Catholic disaffiliation. He is asking Catholic families within the Arch-diocese of Boston to assist in this study. He hope to have three focus groups (6-8 people) of active Catholics who have children or loved ones who have left the church in which they were brought up in, to any extent.
He is also looking for younger people in the Archdiocese of Boston, 18 – 35 years of age who were brought up in the Catholic Church but who now no longer practice, or no longer consider themselves Catholic. As in the older generational group he hopes to have six to eight people in three different focus groups.
Each focus group will entail having a one and half hour session of discussion around their experience, with a few questions from the moderator. The focus of the study is to deepen understanding and bridge these gen-eration gaps.
Finally, all of the discussions will be record-ed, transcribed, and analyzed to discover new understandings in the many different experi-ences of disaffiliation in Catholic families. We need to hear the stories of departures and we have much to learn from them. If you are in-terested, or know someone who would like to participate, please go to the website https://xaverianmissionaries.org/catholic.disaffilia-tion/ to contact Fr. Carl or leave a comment.
Fatima Shrine has resumed Sunday Mass outside at the new Martyrs Grove Altar at 10:00 am each Sunday, for the
summer. (Our Shrine Church will only fit 30 people due to social distancing, so we will
have the Mass outdoor weather permitting.) The COVID-19 restrictions are the same... masks must be worn, social distancing, and please bring your own lawn chair and hand sanitizer. Please call or email to let us know who is coming. The Morning Masses have resumed from Monday to Friday at 7:30 am in the Shrine Church. There is not a 7pm Mass on Tuesdays as we had before. On Saturday there is only one Mass in the morning at 10:00 am.
The first Marian Devotion for Our Lady of Fatima was held on July 13 with a 7pm Mass followed by “Rosary in Place” at the Martyrs Grove Altar. Unfortunately, communal singing and processions are not permitted.Confessions will be available beginning Saturday July 18th at the Martyrs’s Grove from 4pm to 6pm. Bring your lawn chair. The Fatima Shrine Gift Shop has re-opened There is a Sale with 20% off many items. Only 4 persons can shop at one time and there are arrows assisting social distancing in the shop. Do come! Open Tuesdays to Sundays from 11:00am to 6:00pm. Closed Mondays.
~Fr. Rocco Puopolo, SX
COVID-19 has taken its toll on all of us. We ask for your prayers and continued support during the stressful time.
Please consider making a donation to the Xaverian Missionaries to help support our work in this country and around the world. We thank you for your generosity and solidarity.
