Xaverian Mission Newsletter February 2011

8/8/2019 Xaverian Mission Newsletter February 2011

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XaverianMissionNewsletter

Volume 59 - No. 1 | February 2011

Passion for Christ Passion for Humanity

Website: xaviermissionaries.org MissionBlog: xaverianmissionaries.blogspot.com

Pope Benedict XVI has advanced the sainthood

cause of a new and inspirational figure whosesanctity and world vision of faith is so needed in thesetimes.

The Churchs newest saint will be Blessed GuidoMaria Conforti, founder and father of more than 800Xaverian Missionaries. The Pope authorized the miracle

attributed to Blessed Confortis intercession, the secondneeded to affirm his sainthood.

Bishop Conforti founded the Pious Society of StFrancis Xavier for Foreign Missions, or the XaverianMissionaries, who through his guidance helped bringabout a renewal of the missionary spirit at the turn ofthe 20th century. Our missionaries first spearheadedevangelization efforts to China and are now present in19 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Europe and theAmericas.

The first miracle attributed to Blessed Conforti cameabout in 1965. After prayers for his intercession from

the Xaverian Sisters in Burundi, 12-year old SabinaKamariza was cured of pancreatic cancer. He was beati-fied by Pope John Paul II in 1996.

Guido Maria Conforti was Bishop of two major dioces-es in Italy, Ravenna and Parma, as well as a missionary forthe world. The Second Vatican Council proclaimed that theChurch is missionary by her very nature and that the bishopsare consecrated not just for one diocese, but for the salva-

tion of the world. He sought to fulfill this ideal throughouthis life, becoming a model for his own missionaries, the peo-ple of his dioceses and the priests and the bishops of theentire Church of God.

Although he dedicated all his energy to caring forhis twolarge and demanding dioceses, he also felt the daily preoccu-pation and concern for all the world(2 Cor 11:28). In commemorating the 25th anniversary ofConfortis death, Cardinal Giuseppe Roncalli, then Patriarchof Venice and the future Pope John XXIII, defined him well asthe Bishop of Parma, but a Missionary for the entire world.

(continued on page 6)

A New

MissioNAry sAiNt

For A GlobAl

ChurCh


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2 Xaverian Mission Newsletter February 2011

The Miracle for Sainthood

Xaverian Missionaries

Provincial Headquarters

12 Helene Court

Wayne, NJ 07470-2813Tel.: (973) 942-2975Fax: (973) 942-5012E-mail:[email protected]

Xavier Knoll Mission Center

4500 Xavier DriveFranklin, WI 53132-9066Tel.: (414) 421-0831Fax: (414) 421-9108

E-mail:[email protected]

Mission Center & Fatima Shrine

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

Xaverian Mission Newsletter

Ofcial publication of the

Xaverian Missionaries

of the United States

Coordinating EditorFr. Carl Chudy

Editorial TeamFr. Tony LalliFr. Joseph Matteucig

Fr. Alfredo TurcoLayout ConsultantDiamand Design,Wrentham, MA

PrintingRea-Craft Press, Inc.Foxboro, MA

E-mail & Web:[email protected]

www.xaviermissionaries.org

www.xaverianmissionaries.blogspot.com

Donation:$5.00 per year

The secondmiracle,

confirmed by the

Vatican after ademanding scrutiny,happened to ThiagoJoo, a newbornchild from Brazil.

Little ThiagoJoo suffered froma severe lack ofoxygen to the brainfollowing a pro-longed cardio-respi-ratory arrest. Hebarely weighed twopounds when he wasborn in a small hospital in Belo Horizonte,Brazil, August, 2003. He was born close tofour months prematurely due to the illnessof his mother. A prolonged heart attack leftno hope of recovery.

The parish community of Thiagos familyturned to their patron, creating a parish-wide campaign of prayer, asking BlessedGuido Conforti for healing.

The trauma and illness of the child

became a considerable preoccupation for

the entire parishcommunity. Theyspent long periodsin prayer together

for the life ofThiago Joo.

When suddenlythe child recoveredall saw this ex-traordinary miracleas a special signfrom heaven. Thewhole parish gath-ered for a specialmass of thanksgiv-ing to the Lord, afeast which is now

celebrated yearly inthe parish. On February 18, 2010, the medi-cal council concluded that the healing ofThiago was scientifically unexplainable. TheCongress of Theologians, on April 23, 2010,unanimously identified the miraculous inter-vention of God through the intercession ofBlessed Conforti. Everything was confirmedin a regular session of cardinals and bishopson October 5, 2010. The Pope will announcethe date of canonization to sainthood soonand will probably be in the later part of thisyear. U

Father William Camera, SX

Remember the

Xaverian Missionariesin Your Will

or help us with a

tax deductible donation.

Contact:

Fr. Frank Grappoli, SX

12 Helene Court, Wayne, NJ 07470

Tel: (973) 942-2975

ThiagoJoo as a toddler with his father in Brazil.

Parishioners praying for the healing of ThiagoJoo through the intercessionof Blessed Guido M. Conforti.

heAled throuGh the iNterCessioNoF the FouNder


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3Xaverian Mission Newsletter February 2011

Xaverian Missionaries in the World

Victims of the eruption of Merapi nd shelter in local schools.

ChristMAs

iNthe

AFterMAthoFVolCANo

MerApis

eruptioN

(Indonesia)

Dear Friends,

Its Christmas Day! With joy in my heart I amwriting because for me this years Christmas is a

very special one. I began in October 2010 with the

aim of bringing donations from many benefactors

to Padang, Indonesia. These funds were for the

reconstruction of houses destroyed by the earth-

quake of more than two years ago.

One disaster after another: most recently at

ten oclock in the evening a horrific shudder vibrat-ed everywhere and another earthquake rocked

Padang. Fortunately, there was no physical dam-

age; but many people ran to the hills for fear of

a tsunami. Soon afterward, the news arrived that

a tsunami indeed hit the islands of Sikakap and

Sipora (Mentawai), destroying several villages with

hundreds of victims. Thus, your donations have

been used for the damage of the quake two years

ago and for the most recent one, including provi-

sions to rebuild homes in Padang and for aid to

the Mentawai Islands.

We hadnt finished distributing this aid whenthe terrible news of the eruption of the Volcano

Merapi arrived in Yogyakarta, the city where I live.

I immediately rushed to return home, but I had to

wait three days because the Yogyakarta Airport

was closed. I finally arrived to a tragic situation:

dozens of people were dead and some villages

completely destroyed.

(continued on next page)

F

r. Rudolph Ciroi works in Yogyakarta inIndonesia. In this letter he shares with

us some of the effects of two earthquakesand a tsunami and the Churchs response.


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Xaverian Mission Newsletter February 20114

Xaverian Missionaries in the World

A mother and her baby nd

shelter from the eruption .

Fr. Rudolph Ciroi, amidst the destruction caused by the volcanic eruption of Merapi.

Red Cross workers assisting victims

of the eruption of Merapi.

Three days later, a second eruption,

more terrible than the first killed more

victims, destroyed villages some eigh-

teen miles from the volcano. There was

a insidious white coat of ash every-

where and on everyone. Over threehundred thousand displaced people had

to take shelter elsewhere.

During this past month, emergency

shelter has become the home for about

forty orphans who have been displaced

from their school, situated in a charm-

ing area about three miles from the

summit of the volcano. Their center is

completely gone.

Moving Toward Reconstruction

One of the first things we did was to

organize ways to bring water to their

homes, so that even though they are

living far away in temporary housing,

people can eventually return to culti-

vate their fields. Experience shows that

this land will become a more fertile

land.

So we have put in place two aque-

ducts and now we are now redoing a

third. We started with courage, almost

empty-handed. We discussed the proj-

ects with many friends, who never

failed to support us financially and

technically in the implementation of

these aqueducts.

We have had the cooperation of

some Muslim youth centers, and

because of this, I am convinced that

dialogue with Islam, not based on theo-

ry but based on love ofneighbor, ispossible and very fruitful. The Churchindeed sees Muslim and Catholic coop-eration as a catalyst to overcome pov-erty.

So dear friends, this Advent and

Christmas has been one of the most

significant of my life. It seems so simi-

lar to the journey to Bethlehem where

Christ was born in poverty in order to

bring hope to the poor.

There is still much to do! Would you

like to help too? I know that the eco-

nomic crisis is hard, but it is the wid-

ows mite that makes miracles. U

Fr. Rudolph Ciroi, SX

would you

like to help?

Please send your donations to:

HelpforvictiMsof Merapi

C/O Fr. Frank Grappoli, SX12 Helene Court

Wayne, New Jersey 07470

Phone: 973-942-2975

(continued from page 3)


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Xaverian Mission Newsletter February 2011 5

Xaverian Missionaries in the USA

One of the many blessings I have

experienced throughout my mis-sionary life has been the consciousfeeling of being at home in every

place where my missionary vocationtook me. This feeling became realwhen I first left Italy for Chicago, formy theological studies, when I left theUSA for Taiwan, and the same aware-ness accompanied me when I leftTaiwan for my new assignment atFatima Shrine in Holliston (MA). In eachpacking and unpacking I did feeluprooted, sad and uncertain about myfuture, and yet, deep down in my heartI was always certain that as I was leav-ing a home God was preparing forme a new home in the new place Iwas heading to. This helped me intothe new reality with the feeling that allwould be well.

I have been back in the US the past4 years and the new home God pre-pared for me has embraced both myconfreres and the ministries ourXaverian Missionaries are carrying herein the US, as well as the ChineseCatholic community of greater Boston.

My connection with the people of

Chinatown, especially with theMandarin and Fujianese speakinggroups started in the Fall of 2006. The

phrase inscribed over the main altar inthe church summarizes quite well howthis community lives out its faith andits commitment to the gospel. Thephrase reads Bonum est nos hic esseor (It is good for us to be here.) Inthese past 4 years, I have witnessed acommunity that looks at the here notonly as here inside the church, butas a here that enables it to be apoint of reference for the widerChinese neighborhood. Issues dealingwith transition are dealt with compe-tence and serenity.

Faith is contagious and I see whatour documents say: The proclamationof the Gospel is the supreme gift of

God to the world made real on adaily basis. U

Fr. Joe Matteucig, SX.

Fr. Joe Matteucig, superior of our mission center in Holliston, Massachusetts, with

friends from Chinatown. Fr. Joe previously spent 13 years working in Taiwan, ROC.

the GlobAl

CoNNeCt:

Taiwan toChinatown,

Boston

Fr. Joe with the Chinese

community at Easter time.

Deep down in my heart

I was always certain

that as I was leaving

a home God was

preparing for me a

new home in the new

place I was heading to


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Founder of the Xaverian Missionaries

Since health problems prevented him frompursuing the missionary vocation he had feltsince his high school years, Conforti conceivedthe idea of founding a Missionary Institute.Thus, in agreement with the Congregation ofPropaganda Fide and with the approval of hisBishop, Conforti founded a new missionaryfamily in 1895.

The characteristics of the XaverianMissionaries can be found in the personal doc-uments Conforti wrote: the Fundamental Rule,the Letter to mark the promulgation of theConstitutions approved by the Holy See(Testament Letter) and his addresses todeparting missionaries.

Who is the Missionary for Conforti?

In an address to some of his missionarieswho were leaving for China, Conforti offers adefinition of the missionary, which, given the

mentality of those times, may seem somewhatromantic; nevertheless, it does contain someperennial values because it invites us to con-template the missionary of all times and ages,Jesus Christ: The Missionary is the mostbeautiful and sublime personification of theideal life. He has contemplated in the spiritJesus Christ, who shows the Apostles theworld they must conquer for the Gospel, notwith the power of weapons, but through per-suasion and love.

The missionary is captivated by this idealand leaves behind his family, country anddearest and most legitimate affections inorder to pursue it. He travels into inhospitablejungles, crosses fiery deserts and the icypoles. He does not search for gold and jewels,ivory, rare furs, or precious woods, but onlysouls to win over to Faith in Christ. He carriesno sword or rifle to face the difficulties heencounters along the way, or to strike downthe enemies in his path; his only weapon isthe cross of Christ and, if necessary, he is

Blessed Conforti lies in state in early November, 1931.

(continued from cover)

Blessed Conforti, (2nd from right, front row) visiting his missionaries

and their communities in China.

STEPS TOWARD SAINTHOOD

The bishop of the diocese where the person died

is responsible for beginning the investigation of

the person whose beatication is being requested.

Once the diocesan investigation is nished, theacts and documentation are passed on to the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints. For the

beatication of a confessor a miracle attributed

to the Servant of God, veried after his death, isnecessary. For canonization another miracle is

needed, attributed to the intercession of the Blessedand having occurred after his beatication.

Blessed GuFounder of t

and New


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ready to shed his blood for the good of hisbrothers. Indeed, his heartfelt desire is to sealhis apostolate with martyrdom (Address todeparting missionaries, 16 Nov 1924).

In his Testament Letter Conforti lists someinalienable characteristics of his missionary fam-ily: The distinguishing characteristic of thepresent and future members of the society bethe result of the following components: a spiritof living faith which enables us to see God, seekGod, love God in all things, intensifying ourdesire to spread his kingdom everywhere; aspirit of prompt and ready obedience in every-thing, no matter how costly, in order to achievethe victories promised by God to those who areobedient; a spirit of intense love for our reli-gious family, that we must look upon as a moth-er, and a spirit of intense love for all the mem-bers of our Society (Testament Letter 10).

Path to Sainthood

Bishop Evasio Colli, the first successor of

Conforti in Parma, saw the signs of sanctity andbegan the whole process which ultimately led tothe beatification and soon the canonization ofBlessed Conforti. The proclamation of the hero-ic nature of his virtues took place in 1982. Hewas beatified on 17 March 1996, in St. PetersBasilica, Rome, in the presence of Pope JohnPaul II.

Blessed Guido Conforti want-ed his first missionaries to con-tinue the work of St FrancisXavier, the patron saint of ourMissionary Family, in China atwhose doors Xavier had died.Therefore, China was chosen asthe first mission of theXaverians. After 1954 with theirexpulsion by the communists,the Xaverian Missionaries gradu-ally spread out to the 19 coun-

tries we are serving today. U

CCWatercolor view of the seminary in Parma, Italy, founded by Blessed Conforti

and stands as a symbol of the missionary Church today.

Maria Confortian Missionariesr the Church.

A photo of Blessed Guido Maria Conforti as a young bishop


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What the Churchproclaims isChrist, who is hope (1

Peter 3:15)... We cannotkeep to ourselves the

words of eternal life

given to us in our

encounter with Jesus

Christ: they are meant

for everyone (91)

So says the new apos-tolic exhortation of PopeBenedict XVI entitledVERBUM DOMINI, or, TheWord of the Lord. It is afollow-up reflection from

the Synod, or meeting ofBishops in 2008 on theimportance of Scripturein the mission of theChurch today.

The Word & InterreligiousDialogue

The Pope goes on tosay: The Church consid-ers an essential part of

the proclamation of the

word to consist in

encounter, dialogue andcooperation with the fol-

lowers of the different

religious traditions of

humanity.

He sees this an oppor-tunity in the quickenedpace of globalization

where different faiths

and cultures are in closer

contact today. It is a God

given opportunity to

show the world how

authentic religiosity can

foster universal solidari-

ty.

Muslims and Catholics

The Church looks withrespect to Muslims, whoadore the one God. Weacknowledge that theIslamic traditions includecountless biblical figures,symbols and themes. Hesays: Taking up theefforts begun by John

Paul II, I express my hope

that the trust-filled rela-

tionships established

between Christians andMuslims over the years

will continue (118) Hegoes on to ask allBishops, wherever it isappropriate and helpful,to encourage meetingsaimed at helpingChristians and Muslims tocome to know each otherbetter, in order to pro-mote the values whichsociety needs for apeaceful coexistence.

Finally, the Pope saysthat this dialogue wouldbe fruitless unless itincluded authenticrespect for each personand the ability of all toofreely to practice theirfaith. This is the essentiaelement for peace! (120)

U

8

The Word of God and Commitment to the World

Gods

word &

diAloGuewithother

FAiths

Lady Paula Mandalika, a Christian from Indonesia, and

Acmad Maca-rimbang, a Muslim from the Philippines, partic-

ipated in a program on interreligious conict and dialogue.

Questions to Ponder,Pray and Discuss.

Are there ideas that were

shared here that conrmed

what you already believe, or

are there surprises?

Which are they?

What are some encounters of

Jesus and Paul with peoples

of other faiths in the bible?

Read the entire reection onthe internet. What can you do

to make scripture more

important?

The Virgin and Child, beautiful ancient

mosaic in one of the most exquisite

mosques in Istanbul, Turkey, the Hagia Sophia.


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Yearly approximate-ly 700,000 persons, primarily wo-

men and children, aretrafficked across interna-tional bordersApproximately 17,000women and children aretrafficked into the UnitedStates each year. The

victims of sex traffickingare lured into the trap byfake promises such asgood jobs, false marriageproposals, education orbeing reunited with theirfamilies.

The Fields of Mudanputs a human face on theyoungest victims of traf-ficking. This film is a fic-tional, though accurate

account of a youngChinese girl, Mudan, whois smuggled into the USAas part of a modern-daychild prostitution ringoperated by the Asianunderworld. The writerand director, StevoChang, created the filmto raise public awarenessof the horrors of human

trafficking in the US andglobally.

In the film, the childbrothel owner, MadamZhao (Yaping), brutalizesMudan and the other fiveyoung girls as they payoff their debts. Faye(Shannon Lu), an Asiangirl close in age to

Mudan, befriends Mudanand shares in her dreamof someday escaping thetorturous sex-trade.

Mudan carries herdrawing of her motherplaying with her in anopen field near a luxuri-ous home in the USA, theland where dreams cometrue. The picture drawsMudan into her dream

world of love and joywith her mother whichallows Mudan to escapethe violent world shelives in. Faye and Mudanbond and share the samedream for a better life.

As a global institution,the Catholic Church, wellpositioned to respond tohuman trafficking, has

denounced this horrificcrime because it consti-tutes an offense againsthuman dignity and funda-mental human rights.The reality of thousandsof our brothers and sis-ters laboring in modernday slavery compels us toact now to stop humantrafficking and to serve

the survivors of thiscrime.

Check out these linksto learn more, prayfor victims and getinvolved. You can help!

U

Become a Partner in Global Mission

the Fields

oFMuDAN

LINKS FOR A FURTHER LOOK:

www.eldsofmudan.com

To Purchase the DVD: www.lmschool.fsu.edu

Coalition of Catholic Organizations Against Human Trafcking:www.usccb.org/mrs/trafckingweb3.shtml

USCCB Migration and Refugee Services on Trafcking Issues:www.usccb.org/mrs/trafckingweb.shtml

Catholic Relief Services Advocacy Work Against Trafcking:www.crs.org/public-policy/


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10 Xaverian Mission Newsletter February 201110

World Mission News Digest

World Mission News Digest

VATICAN

The yearly report of all thepastoral workers who losttheir lives in a violent man-ner over the course of thelast 12 months is now avail-able for download. Accordingto information in our posses-sion, during 2010, 23 pasto-ral care workers were killed:one Bishop, 15 priests, one

male religious, one religioussister, two seminarians andthree lay people. Pleaseinclude them and their fami-lies in your prayer.Download the report at:

www.fides.org

SuDAN

The Catholic Churchis mobilizing toensure that the ref-erendum on theindependence ofSouth Sudan occurspeacefully.Archbishop PaolinoLukudu Loro ofJuba, announcedthe extension to 16

January of the 101 days ofprayer, promoted by the

Episcopal Conference ofSudan, the United StatesConference of CatholicBishops and Catholic ReliefServices, which began on 21September and that was toexpire on January 1st. BishopCaesar Mazzolari of Rumbek,in his New Year message,appealed to northern andsouthern Sudanese to acceptthe outcome of the votewith calm.

EGYPT

Egypts Muslim communityfollowed through on theirpromise to support the coun-trys embattled Christianpopulation as they celebrat-ed their Christmas Eve mass-

es on Thursdaynight. We eitherlive together, orwe die together,was the slogan-

eering genius ofMohamedEl-Sawy, a Muslimarts tycoonwhose culturalcentre distribut-ed flyers atchurches in CairoThursday night,

and who has

been creditedwith first floatingthe humanshield idea.This is notabout us andthem, said DaliaMustafa, a stu-dent who attend-ed mass at VirginMary Church onMaraashly. Weare one. This wasan attackon Egypt as awhole, and I amstanding with the Coptsbecause the only way thingswillchange in thiscountry is if wecome together.

uNITED NATIONS

The United Nations GeneralAssembly (UNGA) has adopt-

ed by consensus a Philippine-sponsored resolution oninterfaith dialogue, movingforward the global efforts toachieve peace and develop-ment through a comprehen-sive strategy. EntitledPromotion on Inter-religiousand Intercultural Dialogue,the resolution was adoptedby consensus bythe 65th sessionof the UNGAunder the agenda

item Culture ofPeace, the Philip-pine Mission tothe UnitedNations in NewYork.

MEXICO

Her skullface peers frombeneath a cloak, the GrimReapers scythe oftenclutched in her hand. She isthe Saint of Death, icon ofan underground cult. It is acult that has grown in thelast decade, in part as areaction to rising violenceacross the country. Seen as a

form of protection, La SantaMuerte has come to be cher-ished by the marginalized,impoverished and sometimescriminal sector. U

The Cathedral of Ravenna,

Italy where Blessed Conforti

was Bishop for a time.

The Cathedral of Parma where Blessed

Conforti was Bishop until his death.

The home parish of the Founder

in Ravadese, Italy.

The rst seminary in Parma of the

Xaverian Missionaries founded by Conforti


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In each of our mission centers inWayne, New Jersey, Holliston,

Massachusetts and Franklin, Wisconsin,we hold a steadfast tradition by having ayearly dinner with the bishops and priestswhom we work with and assist in eachdiocese we reside.

Above: the two bishops of the Diocese

of Paterson, New Jersey: Bishop Arthur

Serratelli (left) and Bishop Emeritus Frank

Rodimer who attended our gathering along

with twelve priests.

Right: priests and brothers of our local

area in the Archdiocese of Boston, 27

in all, gathered in our home for prayerand a meal. Bishop Walter Edyvean,

regional bishop, makes it a point to

attend every year.

Fr. Alfredo Turco, superior of the Milwaukee

community, leads in a prayer the priests at-

tending the gathering.

For us Xaverians, our solidarity withthe bishop, priests and brothers in thedioceses where we live and work is essen-tial to sharing the urgency of the worldmission of the Church. The vital linkbetween every parish and the great chal-lenges that face the global mission of theChurch is too important. U

From our USA Communities

News from our USA Communities

FrieNdship & MissioN with priests we Assist

ChristMAs liGht displAy At our shriNe

As per tradition,the massive

Christmas light display at

OUR LADY OF FATIMASHRINE in Holliston,Massachusetts drewmany families from thebeginning of Advent tothe beginning ofJanuary. Hot chocolate,donuts and shopping inour gift shop were agreat addition. U

We Are On The Web

Xaviermissionaries.orgXaverianmissionaries.

blogspot.com

Facebook.com/catholicmissionaries

Sign up for ourE-Newsletter for youth

and young adults.

Just send your e-mail to:[email protected]

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Xaverian Mission Newsletter February 2011

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