Xaverian Mission Newsletter August 2008

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X averian M issionNewsletterVolume 56 - No. 3 | August 2008

Make of the world one family

T

he one who has hope lives dif-ferently; the one who hopes has

been granted the gift of a new life.To come to know God the true God means to receive hope, wrote theHoly Father, Pope Benedict XVI in hisfirst encyclical, On Christian Hope.

In the midst of what we often heargoing on in the world, signs of hope areteeming, often surprising us in the mostextraordinary ways. David W. Shenk, ahighly prolific Mennonite missionary andtheologian deeply involved in interfaithdialogue, called it the gospel of recon-ciliation in the wrath of nations.

In this late summer issue of XMN, wewish to share with you some vignettesof this inexhaustible hope portrayed inthe experiences of missionaries and laypeople in Colombia, Africa, Brazil, andthe United States. They do what we do;carve a path in the mire and obstaclesof life. The secret of that hope lies inthe power of the cross and resurrectionof Jesus Christ, and trust in what thatpower is capable of through our faith.

In this issue, we see this hope arisein the crises and faith-filled aspirationsof people like Fr. PierfrancescoAgostinis, Fr. Pietro Rinaldi, Fr. GiovanniVilla, Yarln Consuelo Mosquera, Fr.Rocco Puopolo, Fr. Willy Mukucha and

his brothers family, and Sister DorothyStang.

The great spiritual writer, HenriNouwen reminds us: If we really wantto be living memories, offering guid-ance to a new land, the Word of Godmust be engraved in our hearts; it mustbecome our flesh and blood. This medi-tation on Gods word is indispensable ifwe want to be reminders of God andnot ourselves; if we want to radiatehope and not despair, joy and not sad-ness, life and not death.

May these pages strengthen thathope alive you, despite the bad newsthat can overwhelm us like an over-flowing inundation. May this hope giveyou courage to ground all that you are

in the God who has a human face andwho has loved us to the end, each oneof us and humanity in its entirety. U

CC

The one who has hope lives differently...

A community in Medellin, Colombia, building houses and hope seemingly up to the heavens.


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Xaverian Mission Newsletter August 2008 Xaverian Mission Newsletter August 200

We Escaped from Hell Xaverian Missionaries in the

T wo Xaverian Missionary priests wereamong the survivors of a plane crashthat left at least 100 people deadand scores injured in the DemocraticRepublic of Congo, East Africa. XaverianMissionary Fathers Pierfrancesco Agostinis,39, and Pietro Rinaldi,41, escaped from thewreckage before itburst into flames. TheDC-9 passenger jetreadying for takeoffnever managed to getoff the ground; itcrashed into a crowd-ed market and busyresidential area in thecity of Goma April 15,2008.

Father Agostinis related that one of theplanes tires blew out just before liftoff,forcing the pilot to abort the takeoff.However, the runway ended and the planerammed into a crowded market area, hesaid.

The hard crash on the ground was v io-lent, and the aircraft fell apart in three sec-tions. It all lasted just a few moments.When the aircraft finally stopped, we werethrown about and we found ourselveswrapped in flames. Then panic set in, andpeople screamed Jesus! Jesus!, the fire andthe smoke

Once we crawled out a broken fissure inthe fuselage, an American child crying asshe looked for parents she grabbed hold ofme. We searched for her parents and even-tually found them in the hospital where thechild was re-united w ith them.

Fr. Agostinis shared thedeep regret for the deathhe witnessed and thegreat suffering thatweighed on the heavyhearts of the survivorsand families of the vic-tims. How much horrorpassed between thoseflames, especially forthose passengers who

remained in the rear of the aircraft.

Many speak of miracles. I do not doubtthat we are still alive because of the Lord. Icertainly feel a new gratefulness for all oflife: the sun peering through the clouds, the

faces of the people around me, the intensegreen, the fresh air ...to taste the beauty ofstill being alive is the most wonderful thing Ican imagine.

Along with Frs. Agostinis and Rinaldi, wetoo thank God almighty for sparing thesetwo missionaries in this most tragic acci-dent. It seems apparent that the Lord hasneed of them yet in the work of HisKingdom. U

We Escaped from Hell

P h o t o

f r o m

t h e

T e l e g r a p

h . c o . u

k

An Interview with Fr. Villa,Xaverian Missionary in Columbia

A view of the sun on Cali, Colombia.

Fr. Villa is a Xaverian Missionary from Milan, Italy working in

Columbia for 23 years.

F ather Giovanni Villa, from Milan,Italy, returned from Colombiarecently for a short period ofrest with his family. From when six inColombia? The following is taken froman interview with him on his work inColombia.

What brought you to Colombia?

When I completed by theologicalstudies and was ordained in 1985, I wasimmediately sent to Colombia. Ivebeen there ever since, except for ashort period when I worked with youthin Salerno and Taranto, Italy.

What was your impression of Colombia?

The Colombians, both black andwhite, are good and hard working peo-ple, many of whom are quite poor. Withour other Xaverian Missionaries in thefour centers we work in Colombia, Ifound the work difficult but important.Our main work is with the poor wholive in the periphery of the cities ofCali, Medellin, Bogota, andBuenaventura.

How are things in Colombia?

Our most difficult problems lie intwo areas: insecurity and violence. TheXaverians are not in the war zones, butthe sense of insecurity and fear is sopervasive that it echoes throughout thecountry. For example, in the eveningwe do not go out for fear of violence.

Which message would you like toleave for youth?

Enthusiastic young people, who liketo explore new things, will surely findgreat challenges in their life in the worklike what we do in Colombia. Thisenthusiasm is a sign of a good heartand will...

But?

But Colombia is not the classic mis-sion, where the basic structures likehospitals and schools are lacking, muchlike what we see in Africa. In Colombiathese structures exist already and arerun by the Colombians themselves. Thehelp we often ask for is primarily forthe formation of the families and the

communities. The families often lastrong values and are disintegratinto the effects of which create diffities throughout society.

How does one become a missionaryColombia?

The first thing one must do is lthe language, Spanish. Moreover, order to work effectively with theple, missionaries are required for ager period of time in order to guartee some type of continuity. For thwe must pray to the Lord to inspiryoung people to devote their livesthose of others, sharing in their spal and social experiences.

At the same time, we become msionary too, not just in faraway lanbut in our Christian engagement wwe live. The missionary spirit is aevery corner of the earth. We do ththrough our parishes and organizaand give the opportunity to work wthe poor. We become missionarieswhen we open ourselves to the otand see the connections between home communities and those in oparts of the world, with a v ision thembraces the entire world. Withouthis, we remain isolated within thewalls of our own countries. U

By Fr. Angelo Ber

X averian M issionaries

Pr vincial Headquarters2 Helene Court

Wayne, NJ 07470-2813Tel.: (973) 942-2975Fax: (973) 942-5012

mail: [email protected]

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01 Summer StreetP.O. Box 5857Holliston, MA 01746-5857Tel.: (508) 429-2144Fax: (508) 429-4793Email:[email protected]

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Chicago, IL 60608-0000Tel. (312) 842-6777Email: [email protected]

Xaverian Missi n Newsletter

Of cial publication of theaverian Missionariesf the United States

C rdinating Edit rFr. Carl Chudy

Edit rial TeamFr. Tony LalliFr. Joseph MatteucigFr. Alfredo Turco

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PrintingReacraft Press, Foxboro, MA

Email & Web:[email protected]

www.xaviermissionaries.org

D nati n:$5.00 per year From an Interview in Missionari

Saveriani, Parma, Italy, May 2008.


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A Future of Hope and Peace in Columbia Xaverian Missionaries in th

Sometimes Hope Seems Crazy

Y arln Consuelo Mosquera, a25-year old woman from Choc,reached the conclusion thatshe is crazy, even more so than herhusband, Samuel.

More than ten years ago, Yarln andSamuel were a normal couple with ason who was only a few months old.Samuel worked for Coldeportes Chocand was trying to forget his dream ofbeing a center defense for theIndependiente Medelln soccer team, adream his mother suppressed because,in their family, education came first.

Unfortunately, personal threats puthim among the long list of displacedpeople who ended up in Bogot. Yarln,not being able to stand the uncertaintyand the separation, traveled to Bogotafter three months and found Samuelworking as a mason.

With the sole goal of survival, shebegan working as a maid. Sometimelater, Samuel got a teaching job in aschool in Soacha, and they moved to asmall piece of land they bought in theLus Carlos Galn District of Cazuc.However, happiness was short-lived.The school was privatized and tuitionwent up so high that the families ofmany poor children in the area couldno longer afford it. Thats when

B ack in 1984 as I acclimatedback to life and ministry in theUSA after a second assignmentin Sierra Leone, West Africa, I joinedthe newly formed Africa Faith andJustice Network, with offices inWashington DC and whose mission wasto advocate and educate for better USpolicies and relations with the peoplesof Africa, rooted in Catholic SocialTeaching.

It was formed by four missionarycommunities like ours who saw theneed to capture the experiences andinsights of those who served in Africato educate people in the US, especiallypolicy makers in Washington DC, to theAfrica we know as well as advocate for

justice.The staff of AFJN assisted me in

1995, 1997 and 1999 as I served again inSierra Leone during a time of war withways to get the story of those troublingtimes to people who work the variousoffices in Washington. Each time Icame to Washington to meet my con-gressman or senators, or visit other NonGovernment Agency offices, I found

that sharing our perspective as peopleof faith and as a witness of h ow someof our US policies actually impede thedevelopment and freedom of Africanpeoples made a difference.

After my years in Chicago as theRector of our students which ended in2006, I was invited to become theexecutive director of AFJN, and Iaccepted. It is a new mission servicefor the Xaverians in the USA, but animportant one. What once was a net-work comprised of only returned USmissioners from Africa hasbecome a network of oth-ers who have eitherworked in a variety ofhumanitarian agencies,Africa immigrants whowish to be part of ourmission to justice, parish-es and dioceses that aretwinned with African par-ishes and dioceses andmore.

In its 25 years AFJN hasgrown to involve over 700individual members and

the Xaverian Missionaries join 34congregational members that formsupport this network. Through owebsite, www.afjn.org , we keepwho visit us up to date on issues trange from child soldiers , HIV/AIDupcoming Africa Synod, post condevelopment and more. There artool kits for school children and adcacy tools for the common citizencan aid all to be engaged in shapinfair and just US policy towards Af

The influence of our country, iticies and projects have direct impaon many in Africa, at times for betand other times not for the better.Militarization and economic exploruns deep. Trade is far from fair athe burden of u nfair and long-standebts that go back to the 1970s co

ue to cripple any hope of progressAfrican peoples. The seeds of mthe conflicts in Africa that we so ohear about are rooted in policies thkeep Africa poor and vulnerable.

AFJN works to change that, togwith many other advocates for devment, peace and progress. Little think that this would be my ministmany years ago, but I embrace itwholeheartedly as a way to bring tvoices, hopes and aspirations of thmany I have befriended those yearSierra Leone, as well as many othewho have been served by colleaguMission to Africa who are membethis network. It has become a wayliving out the prayer, thy Kingdomcome! U

Fr. Rocco Puo

Samuels madness surfaced in the formof a very progressive idea. Togetherwith some colleagues, we started aschool in the community offering freeeducation to children. An amazedYarln watched as her home became aschool.

Soon, the couple had to move, rent-ing in the neighborhood of El Espino atthe edge of Ciudad Bolvar. More mad-ness followed when their housebecame the head office of theAsociacin Creando Races (Associationfor the Establishment of Roots), startedby Samuel and his friends in order to

obtain assistance to keep their schoolgoing.

At first I didnt pay the idea of theschool the least bit of attention,because without resources, it was totalmadness, exclaims Yarln. Soon there-after, there werent enough teachersand more help was needed. I endedup helping Samuel and spending moretime with the school than doing house-work. She became a teacher, headedthe cafeteria, and was a s ecretary forthe foundation as well as performingother functions. Her presence andstrength have made it possible for theschool program to continue in spite ofnumerous limitations, and to growalong with the establishment of a com-munity dining hall sponsored by theWorld Food Program (WFP).

Yarlin and Samuel remind us of thetenacity of Catholics who, empoweredby the Holy Spirit, can overcome greatodds when the goal is to give oneselffor the sake of others. St. Paul remindsus: We always thank God for all ofyou, mentioning you in our prayers. Wecontinually remember before our Godand Father your work produced byfaith, your labor prompted by love, andyour endurance inspired by hope in ourLord Jesus Christ. (1 Thess 2-3) U

Adopted from The Mechanics of Hope by Fernando Chavez and Julian Lineros. Fr. Rocco Puopolo and staff at a visit to Congressman

Bobby Rush of Chicago.

Journey of an American Missionary:Thy Kingdom Come

Yarlin Mosquera with her class in Bogota.


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Xaverian Mission Newsletter August 200

World Food Crisis World Food

World Food Crisis 2008: Our Catholic Response

i n the past few week s, riots over food priceshave been erupting in several countries aroundthe world, including Egypt, Bangladesh, Haitiand Cameroon, among others. The riots are inresponse to the sharp spike in the price of basicfoods made from wheat, rice and corn. Prices ofthese commodities have almost doubled in the last12 months, but most of the increase has been seenand felt since January 2008. This s harp increase inprices is making it dangerously difficult for peopleto buy the foods they need for basic survival.

People who are the poorest have been particu-larly hard hit, because the foods they normally pur-chase to secure their onlymeal for the day are nowpriced far beyond theirreach. Those living in pov-erty spend a higher per-centage of their incomeon food, and thereforesuffer more when foodprices go up. As a result,people in general, and thepoor in particular, are inreal danger of malnutri-tion and starvationbecause they cannotafford to buy food. Whilesocial unrest and violencegive way to political instability, the gravest dangerremains the impact that hunger and malnutritionhave on the human person.

Immigrants Sending Food Home

Jovy Mark showed up at Manila Oriental, a FallsChurch grocery that doubles as an agent for Filipinoshipping companies, lugging two hefty boxes des-tined for relatives in the Philippines. Inside: Four25-pound bags of Japanese rice, purchased at aKorean supermarket in Virginia and about to make a

trip back to Asia. They are really short of rice overthere, said Jovy, 59, a nanny who lives inManassas. My brother said the [price of] rice isgoing up. So what I did, I said, All right, Ill look for

rice that is cheaper over here.

As the United Nations met in Rome recently todiscuss shortages and high prices of food and inter-national charities scramble to help the nationshardest-hit by the global food crisis, some immi-grants in the United States are providing their ownversion of food aid. They are paying to have provi-sions delivered to hungry relatives at home.

These blips on the globalfood shipment landscape,of course, are not goingto lift poor nations out ofcrisis. In interviews,immigrants from severalcountries said most oftheir compatriots aresending more money, ifanything, to help rela-tives deal with foodcosts.

That would be tooexpensive! said CelestinNjibeck, about shipping

food to his nativeCameroon, where high prices have also triggeredcivil unrest. He was rolling napkins at the SilverSpring restaurant he manages, which is strugglingwith food cost problems. Njibeck is considering rais-ing menu prices.

The Vision of Catholic Social Teaching

Catholic social teaching places the life and digni-ty of the human person at the center of the discus-sion on agriculture and explores the moral dimen-

sions of agricultural policies in light ofthe global common good. Because foodis essential for life, ensuring that everyhuman person has enough to eat is amoral imperative and a gospel man-date.

Food a Basic Human Right in ModernWorld

...There is a growing awareness ofthe exalted dignity proper to thehuman person, since... his or her rightsand duties are universal and inviolable.Therefore, there must be made avail-able to all everything necessary forleading a life truly human, such as

food, clothing, and shelter... In view ofthe increasingly close ties of mutualdependence today between all theinhabitants and peoples of the earth...the... common good now requires ofthe community of nations that it orga-nize itself in a manner suited to itspresent responsibilities, especiallytoward the many parts of the world,which are still suffering from unbear-able want.... Organizations of the inter-national community, for their part,must make provision for different needs...in the fields of social life-such as foodsupplies, health, education, labor...Gaudium et Spes, 965, #26, #84

Profiteering on Food Condemned by Church

Although the quest for equitableprofit is acceptable in economic andfinancial activity, recourse to usury isto be morally condemned: Thosewhose usurious and avaricious dealingslead to the hunger and death of theirbrothers and sisters in the human fami-ly indirectly commit homicide, which isimputable to them. This condemnationextends also to international economicrelations, especially with regard to thesituation in less advanced countries,which must never be made to sufferabusive if not usurious financial sys-

tems. More recently, the Magisteriumused strong and clear words against thispractice, which is still tragically wide-spread, describing usury as a scourgethat is also a reality in our time andthat has a stranglehold on many peo-ples lives. Compendium of SocialDoctrine of the Church, 2004, p. 148,#341

A Catholic Response

Facts and figures, words and exhor-tations about persons suffering fromhunger usually do not move hearts,minds and bodies into concrete actions

that solve in some way the underlcauses of world problems. The mythat I am nothing in face of theserible world problems paralyzes thoverwhelming majority of societyJesus, however, contradicts this mwith, Amen, I say to you, whatevyou did for one of these least brotand sisters of mine, you did for me(Mt. 25:40) U

Accept the reality that I can bepart of the solution to systems tharm human beings today.

As the quotation from Matthewsuggests, acting compassionateis first an encounter with God, aprayer in action. Enter into yourown prayerful space and listen starving person asking you to hTry meditating on Jesus wordsabove or these from the OurFather: Give us this day our dbread.

Act locally and think globally.Some suggested actions are:

Resolve to learn more aboutworld food distribution, agricultur-al policies, global trade and whatis happening to farmers in your country.

Find others in your local commnity who are interested in just food

policies and join their efforts. Call a local soup kitchen and

find out about hunger in your ownarea.

Talk to your parish or house of worship to find out what effortsare made for those who are strug-

gling to put food on the table.

Steps to Act in Solidaritywith Those Who are Hungr

Filipino Immigrants in the USA sending food home to a country suffering from a rice crisis.

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World Mission Spirituality

Catechesis

T o be human is todesire a life of hap-piness. Our desirefor happiness is one of themost basic facts of humanexistence. We are a gener-ation of seekers, in thewords of the United StatesCatholic Catechism forAdults.

Walk into a favorite book-store and you will noticecountless shelves of booksoffering popular advice on

how to live a happy life.Guidance on how to achievehappiness effortlessly andinstantly is a million dollarindustr y today Typicallyhappiness is equated withfame and celebrities, finan-

cial prosperity, professional

success, physical appear-ance, material prosperity cars, homes, dream vaca-tions all of which areoffered as measures ofhuman happiness.

In hope we were saved(Romans 8:24). These wordsof Saint Paul begin the papalencyclical, (On Christian

Hope) Spe Salvi. We focusour attention on the mean-ing and importance ofChristian hope. And we arereminded that for aChristian true human happi-ness is ultimately to befound in our relationshipwith God, the foundation ofour hope, the God who hasa human face and who hasloved us to the end, eachone of us and humanity inits entirety.

The Virtue of Hope

The Catechism of theCatholic Church teaches usthat hope is one of threetheological virtues alongwith faith and charity.Hope, notes theCatechism, is the theologi-

cal virtue by which we

desire the kingdom of heav-en and eternal life as ourhappiness, placing our trustin Christs promises and rely-ing not on our own strength,but on the help of the graceof the Holy Spirit (CCC1817). Hope is the confi-dence that God abides withus on the journey of life intoeternity.

From the Encyclical, OnChristian Hope

Let us s ay once again:we need the greater andlesser hopes that keep usgoing day by day. But theseare not enough without thegreat hope, which must sur-pass everything else. Thisgreat hope can only be God,who encompasses the wholeof reality and who canbestow upon us what we, byourselves, cannot attain.The fact that it comes to usas a gift is actually part of

hope. God is the foundationof hope: not any god, butthe God who has a humanface and who has loved usto the end, each one of usand humanity in its entire-ty. (Spe salvi, 31) U

Questions for Prayer,Discussion and Reflection

1. Name some of thehopes and desires

greater and lesser - of your life. How do youmeasure human happi-ness?

2. Share how you strive tolive by Christian hope. Inwhat way is hope essen-tial to Christian livingtoday?

3. Each day society pres-ents us with multiple

paths to human happiness

celebrity fame, pleasure,material goods, profes-sional success, to nameonly a few. What does

faith in Jesus Christ offer? Why can we say with con-

fidence that Christ isour hope?

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What is Christian Hope Sister Dorothy Stang:Her Dying Shows Us How to Live

For in hope we wereaved. Now hope thatsees for itself is not

hope.

For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what wedo not see, we wait

with endurance.

(Romans 8: 24 25)

s ister Dorothy Stang,an advocate for thepeasant farmers inthe rainforests of Brazil,made powerful enemies whoeventually gunned her downas she read from s cripture.

IN A RAINY FEBRUARY DAYin 2005 in the middle of theBrazilian jungle, SisterDorothy Stang faced a pair ofhired assassins as she waswalking to a meeting to dis-cuss a recent spate of houseburnings by ranchers meantto intimidate poor farmersinto abandoning their land.You men are armed, shesaid. I am not. The onlydefense I carry is the Wordof God. She began to readfrom scripture, Blessed arethe poor in spirit, for theirsis the kingdom of heaven.The two gunmen listened fora moment, took a few stepsback, and fired. The 74-year-

old Stang died quickly fromsix shots to the head andchest.

Stang, a Notre Dame deNamur Sister, had made pow-erful enemies during hernearly 40 years of ministry inBrazil. She and four otherSNDdeN sisters from the OhioProvince were sent to Brazilin response to Pope JohnXXIIIs request that religiouscommunities commit a por-tion of their members to ser-vice in Latin America.

During the 1960s and early1970s the sisters taught andtrained religious catechists.They became immersed inthe peasants struggle forbasic human rights againstcenturies of oppression fromwealthy landowners.

In early 1970 the Braziliangovernment offered land in

the Amazon interior to poorfarmers willing to movethere and farm in a sustain-able way. Sister Dorothymoved into the rainforest tobe with the farmers andinstruct them in sustainablefarming and recycling theresources of the forest.Loggers and ranchers, hungryfor the land the farmerswere trying to protect,began an aggressive cam-paign of intimidation andthreats against the farmersand their beloved advocate,

Stang. Complaints were filedwith the government andlocal authorities, but to littleeffect. Stang had no inten-tion of going away. She saidshortly before her death, Iam grateful to Notre Damefor not asking me to leave.This shows we are aware ofthe needs of the poor.

Stangs faithfulnessgospel and commitmeher communitys misseducate and stand witpoor is a profile in couand true Christian discship. Stang is her comtys first martyr. They pledged to continue thstruggle for a world otice and peace.

I feel like a river witwater, a forest withouttrees. Its like losing amother, said Fernando

da Silva, whom Stanghelped obtain medicalafter a crippling logginaccident. Stangs deathdecried throughout thworld. Sister Dorothy did not set out to be amartyr, but she was decommitted to doing Gwork. U

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0 Xaverian Mission Newsletter August 20080 Xaverian Mission Newsletter August 200

World Mission News Digest From our USA Comm

World Mission News Digest News from our USA Communities

PHILIPPINES

Another Journalist Killed,Union Calls For G overnment

Action

Robert Bert Sison, host ofa radio station programme inthe Quezon province andeditorialist for a weeklynewspaper, was shot deadyesterday by two gunmen ona motorcycle, while return-ing home on his car with hisdaughters in the city of

Sariaya (around 100km southof Manila). The local presstoday gives wide coverage tothe killing of another jour-nalist in the Philippines, con-sidered among the most dan-gerous nations for mediaworkers.

COLOMBIA

Caritas Worker Killed

A Caritas aid worker wasmurdered in Candelilla de laMar, near Tumaco, at theborder with Ecuador, lastJune 24; Felipe Landazuryworked for Caritas in a proj-ect to help refugees in oneof the most intense areas ofconflict in Colombia. Armedmen entered the city andtook some people says aCaritas Internationalis com-muniqu threatened them

with death, accusing them ofhaving given informationconcerning their movementto the Colombian army andto the rebels; Landazury wastaken away and a few hourslater his body was foundwith two bullet wounds tothe head.

MOZAMBIQUE

Portugal Cancels Debt

Portugal cancelled more than$390-million in debt owed byMozambique and signed aline of credit of around$75-million to help developeconomic sectors such asagriculture and mining. Aftera 17-year international con-flicted that ended din 1992,Mozambiques economybegan to recover over thepast decade, though a largepart of its around 21-millionpeople still live in conditionsof poverty. The debt reliefshould contribute to the con-solidation of the recoverywith possible positive effectsalso for the part of the pop-ulation in most difficulty.

CAMEROON

Catholic Churches BeginPauline Jubilee Year

The Jubilee Year to spanfrom June 28, 2008 to June29, 2009 is steeped in thebelief by historians that St.Paul was born between 7and 10 AD. According to apastoral letter of the Bishopsof Cameroon to the faithfuland all persons of goodwillsigned by the President ofthe organising committee,His Grace Cornelius FontemEsua, Archbishop ofBamenda, the celebrationskicked off across churches inCameroon yesterday, June29.

VATICAN Popes Message for World

Peace Day 2009 to Focus onCombatting Poverty

Pope Benedict XVIs message

for World Peace Day 2009will focus on the connectionbetween poverty and a lackof peace in the world, theVatican said. Poverty andmalnutrition are signs thattoo many people haveignored the obligation to pro-mote the common good, acommitment that is essentialfor promoting peace, said theVaticans July 1 statement.World Peace Day is celebrat-ed Jan. 1 each year. The2009 theme, CombatingPoverty, Building Peace, ismeant to underline theneed for an urgent responseby the human family to theserious question of poverty,understood as a materialproblem, but even more as amoral and spiritual problem.

ZIMBABAWE Some of ZimbabwesCatholic religious communi-ties have been pressured tostop religious service serv ic-es. But Masses are held regu-larly in most parishes exceptthose in certain remote areasout of reach for security rea-sons. Following the re-elec-tion of Robert Mugabwe in afarcical second round ofpresidential elections, theCatholic Church in Zimbabweto condemns continuingharassment of Christians. TheBishops of Zimbabwe on June12 issued a statement con-

demned violence leading upto the June 27 elections: itis sad to see Christians andeven Catholics among thoseresponsible for this violence.What has happened to ourChristian principles and val-ues? Hatred and intimidationand violence cannot have thelast word in our society andthe property of all citizens.

F r. Willy Mukucha, aXaverian Missionaryfrom the DemocraticRepublic of the Congo stud-ied psychotherapy at LoyolaUniversity in Chicago andassisted our community inHyde Park, Chicago. He waspreparing himself to furtherhis work in Sierra Leone,West Africa.

His brother, LeopoldMboko came to Canada as arefugee claimant in 2001,after having survived anattempt on his life for advo-cating peace between war-ring ethnic tribes in theDemocratic Republic ofCongo.

He settled in London(Canada) and was a parish-ioner of St. Michaels Parish.In 2003 he was accepted asa genuine refugee and start-ed the process of bringinghis wife, Godelive, and theirsix children to safety inCanada.

One tragic day, Fr. Willyreceived a call fromLeopolds employer saying hehis brother was gravely ill.Leopold died tragically inOttawa of a brain aneurismon January 24, 2005.

Meanwhile, Leopolds fam-ily left the DemocraticRepublic of the Congo andlived in a refugee camp inKenya, anxiously waiting fornews from Leopold abouttheir transfer to Canada.That news was never toarrive from their belovedhusband and father.

In March 2006 St.Michaels Parish in London,Ontario, agreed to sponsor

Leopolds family at therequest of Fr. Willy, and ayear later Godelive and thechildren arrived in Canada.

Arriving in a new landwith a strange language,they grieved the death of

Leopold, and undertook thearduous journey of adaptingto a new country, language,culture.

If things could not getworse, the mother of thechildren, Godelive, foundherself in horrendous caraccident that left her withtwo broken legs and an arm.As a result, she had a seriesof operations to repair thebroken bones and wounds.

Godelives recovery hasbeen slow and painful, andin the midst of the suddendeath of her husband andher family thrust into a newenvironment, her sadnessand remorse became acuteat times.

Fr. Willy is returning to hiswork in Sierra Leone, butbefore he leaves he has onemore task for his brothersfamily. The place they werelocated in is gang-infested,and they fear for the futureof the children in this diffi-

cult neighborhood. At thewriting of this article, theyare now moving to a saferarea, yet smaller house.

The oldest son, Robert,worries as he will assist hismother in the welfare of thefamily. He says, God, I begyou to help me with my Momwho takes care of us; but isnow sick. Who will now takecare of us? But I am confi-dent that God caresthatswhat my uncle Fr. Willy hasalways told us I alsoremember the advice of myfathers employer in August2007, when we were visitingthe tomb of my father inLaval. He told me to workhard in school and he hopesthat Ill succeed.

The children struggschool with a languagcould not understand. speak Swahili and Freand settled in a Englisspeaking country. Debsays, I didnt know abecause of the languaI cried every day in scI felt bad because I diunderstand anything.began to hate school hide under chairs or in rooms.

Her older sister,Jacqueline, the seconest says, Thanks to muncle, Fr. Willy, who us volunteers to helphome with our homeEvery week, once or a week, they come tohome to help us. I thif we moved away, mthey cant come againwas surprised to hearthey will continue to

us at home. U

Fr. Willy Mukuch

Godelive recoveringthe hospital.

Tainted elections in Zimbabwethat claimed many lives.

Prayer in a Mosque inMozambique, Africa.

yphoon in the Philippines thatled hundreds in capsized ferry.

EXPAND YoUR FAITHDelivered to Your [email protected]

The family mof Fr. Willys brother, Leopold. Th e mother, GodeliveMilambo, and her children from left to right: Robert, Leon, Willy,


7/7

Xaverian Mission Newsletter August 2008

X a v e r i a n M i s s i o n a r i e s 1 0 1 S u m m e r S t r e e t H o l l i s t o n , M A 0 1 7 4 6

N o n - P r o f t O r g . U . S . P o s t a g e

P A I D X a v e r i a n

M i s s i o n a r i e s

t u r n S e r v i c e R e q u e s t e d

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.

Dear Friends,

We welcome your feedback and commentary about the articles weshare with you in our newsletter.

Depending on space, selected comments will be published inthe next issue. Email them to: [email protected]

Lets carry on the dialogueabout the global mission of theChurch we are all called to.

Fr. Carl Chudy, S.X.Coordinating Editor

Getting ready for a mass in a small hut with one of our missionaries in Chad, Africa.

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Xaverian Mission Newsletter August 2008

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