NUNTIA - February 2014 (English)

8/12/2019 NUNTIA - February 2014 (English)

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February 2014

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LET US REMEMBER

1951 The Society of Saint Vincent dePaul was established inSingapore at that time, whenMonsignor H. Berthold proposedits formation, celebrating the

foundation on 8 December ofthis year.

None of the above [good works] was deliberately undertaken by us,but God Himself, who wanted to be served in such circumstances,brought them imperceptibly into being (Letter 1297 to Philippe LeVacher [1652], Vincent de Paul, Correspondence, Conferences,Documents, IV, 129).

In the diversity of peoples who experience the

gift of God, each in accordance with its own

culture, the Church expresses her genuine

catholicity and shows forth the beauty of her

varied face EG 116

! On 1 February, a meeting of MISEVI Italy took place in the City ofRome, at the Daughters of Charity House, Regina Mundi.

! On the World Day for Consecrated Life, the members of the GeneralCuria had the opportunity to take part in the Eucharistic celebrationpresided by His Holiness, Pope Francis, in Saint Peters Basilica. In thelight of the Gospel for that day, the Pope reminded those consecratedthat Jesus comes to us in the Church through the foundational charismof an Institute: it is nice to think of our vocation in this way! Ourencounter with Christ took shape in the Church through the charism ofone of her witnesses. This always amazes us and makes us givethanks.Similarly, the Pope said that as in many communities we live theencounter between the young and the old, between observation andprophecy. Lets not see these as two opposing realities! Let us ratherallow the Holy Spirit to animate both of them, and a sign of this is joy:the joy of observing, of walking within a rule of life; the joy of being ledby the Spirit, never unyielding, never closed, always open to the voiceof God that speaks, that opens, that leads us and invites us to go

towards the horizon.! The visit of the Superior General to the Asian Provinces began in

Singapore, at the house of Michael Thio, International President of theSaint Vincent de Paul Society, sharing a supper with his family. Thefollowing day Father Gregory celebrated the Eucharist with some of thememers of the Society in Saint Vincent de Paul Parish.

1993

Foundation of theInternational Mission inPapua New Guinea

2003

SUPERIOR GENERAL

Foundation of theInternational Mission in theSalomon Islands


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! The next day his trip continued its course to one of the InternationalMissions, coming to Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea,located on the banks of the Gulf of Papua on the southeast coast of thepeninsula of the same name.The Congregation has been present in this mission since 2003, directingthe Holy Spirit Seminary, attending to the mission on the island ofTrobiand in the Diocese of Alotau-Sideia, and providing pastoralanimation at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in the Diocese of Bereina inWoitape.

! At this same time, he also carried out the visit to the confreres of theProvince of Indonesia, who are working in a Diocese on the frontier.Father Gregory likewise had the opportunity to visit with the confrere-Bishop in the Diocese of Alotau-Sideia, Rolando Santos, and with a confrere from the Philippines, Marceliano Oabel, who isserving in his diocese.The visit of the Superior General to the International Mission of Papua New Guinea, as all his visits to the provinces, had the

purpose of meeting each of the missionaries in the local communities, encouraging him from his own reality, and sharing hismissionary experiences.Holy Spirit Seminary in Port Moresby was overjoyed at the appointment of Jacek Tendej from the Province of Poland as thenew rector. The occasion of his visit allowed the Superior General to participate in Father Tendejs taking possession of hisnew role.It can be said that the mission of Papua New Guinea is going well, but that, as in many other regions, it needs moremissionaries, especially, for the most mountainous area of the region and also for the parish in the city of Port Moresby Bomana and in its own Seminary.

! From there he went to the Solomon Islands. This International Mission was founded in 1993. There Father Gregory visitedthe confreres and had the opportunity to meet them as a community, to evaluate the current situation of the mission and ofHoly Name of Mary Seminary in the city of Tenaru. Likewise, he met the candidates for the CM and celebrated the Eucharistin the parish situated in the same place as the formation house. At this moment we have five candidates for the

Congregation: two who are in the seminary and three who are in the pre-seminary stage. This missionary team is made upof six confreres who serve on the mission and two who are studying in a sabbatical year.

! In the Solomon Islands, there are two recently arrived confreres, one from the United States, Jeff Harvey of the WesternProvince, and the other from the Province of Indonesia, Thomas Christiawan. They joined the community already composedof four confreres Jose Manjaly from the Province of South India, Greg Cooney from the Province of Oceania, TeclemicaelTewolde Negussie from the Province of Saint Justin De Jacobis in Eritrea, and Ral Castro from the Province of Argentina.

! As is Father Gregorys custom, he always asks for confreres for the different international missions and, in this work inparticular, is seeking missionaries prepared in philosophy, because it is necessary to reinforce this dimension of theseminary for which the Congregation is responsible.

! On the following days, he was occupied in the meeting of the Visitors of the Asian-Pacific Region, which was held in Sidney,Australia. The coordinator of the meeting was the Visitor of the Province of Oceania, Michael Walsh. Also present were both

Visitors of India, the Visitors of Indonesia and China, the Assistant Visitor of the Philippines, the

Vice-Visitor of Vietnam, and the Superior of the International Mission of the Solomon Islands.! During the meeting, the topic was the reality of each of the provinces and its

responsibility and closeness with the International Missions of the Solomon Islands andPapua New Guinea.! When the meeting concluded, he spent two days with the confreres of the

Province of Oceania and had the opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist in the Parish ofSaint Anthony of Padua in Marsfield, with the participation of many confreres from the area

and from the Asian-Pacific Visitors Conference. The parish community lives and celebratesits faith in a very animated way through music and the festivity of the liturgy. After theMass, the people stayed talking with priests who were visiting.! The following day he met with the Daughters of Charity of the Province of

Australia in the Provincial House and visited the sick confreres.

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We know that Saint Vincent began sending the firstmissionaries to Madagascar on 4 December 1648.Because of various difficulties and setbacks theyencountered on the trip, as well as the geographicalremoteness and harsh weather conditions, several of themnever reached their destination. In spite of this, SaintVincent did not give up or become discouraged, evenwhen he had to tell his missionaries that some missionaryhad died on the trip or upon arriving. The mission to bringthe Gospel to the most distant and excluded places mustcontinue. It would be his successor, Father Almers, in

1674, who stopped sending missionaries to Madagascarfor very complex problems, due to a sudden lack of thepassion and enthusiasm that the founder had.

The mission of Madagascar was almost contemporary tothe Congregation of the Mission itself; it was a mission inwhich many missionaries had left sweat, sacrifices,suffering, and blood, our predecessors. Saint Vincentsapostolic zeal was such that, he did not stop at anything,not even the premature death of his dear missionaries.

In Madagascar, ones hands touch miracles every dayWhoever has seen AKAMASOA and TANJOMOHA, twolarge terrestrial paradises of the poor, can give testimonythat in Madagascar one touches miracles with the hand.Yes, the miracle of life over death, the miracle of hopeover desperation, the miracle of education over ignorance,in the end, the miracle of human dignity over degradation.In these two great works, it is easy to see the struggleagainst poverty, misery, various diseases (includingterminal ones), ignorance, and, of course, even witchcraft,

being convinced that it can defeat definitively many ofthese problems.

Some confreres, in absolute silence, without gettingnoticed, perform their own miracles by participating in theconstruction of roads and by providing other servicessuch as doctors, engineers, or architects, all for love ofthe Malagasy people.

As for the miracle of inculturation, they have becomeinculturated in such a way that they have changed theirclothing, their style and pace of life; they live evenprecariously, in poverty, in obscurity, and, in many cases,suffering from the shortage of basic necessities like

water. They have chosen to live a life of simplicity andsobriety, in the happiness of a love that is given. Holinessis none other than living in total love for the poor,recognizing the poor person par excellence, Jesus, in thecrucified ones of history, his l ittlest brothers.

Missionaries in red zone

Madagascar is a very lucky island that does not knowwhat wars are. It is an island blessed, happy, calm,serene, and peaceful. Eighteen ethnic groups coexist

together; races and tribes live in reciprocal respect and intolerance without friction or internal tension. Thoughtense moments are not absent for the theft of animals,managing even to murder their owners. The responsethat the government gives has not been to control or tooffer safety to the settlers, but rather it has declaredmany of these sectors of the island as red zones,because the government has declared itself unable tocontrol certain zones where organized groups ofevildoers reign.


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Our confreres and the Daughters of Charity, instead of escaping from these zones dominated in some way by evildoers andconstituted in high-risk sectors, continue walking there. Only by the folly of Christs love do they remain in the mission. That isthe case of Befotakas new mission in which our three confreres, Anton, Paulbert, and Henri, with all the risks, try to spread the

seed of the Gospel.

The internal reconfiguration of the Provinceof Madagascar

The Vincentian Province of Madagascar isnational in its internationality; and it is young inits oldness (in 2011 it celebrated the centenaryof its foundation as a province). Although it istrue that the first successor of Saint Vincenthad interrupted sending missionaries in 1674,after more than two centuries, in 1896, Monsignor Jean Jacques Crouzet, from the land of Abyssinia, took up again the

mission of Madagascar. Monsignor Crouzet was accompanied by an Abyssinian coadjutor brother, so that, at the beginning ofthis province, not only were there French, but an Abyssinian also figures among the founders.

During the mandate of Clment Cassant (1953-1965), the Province became more international. Providence wished it so, andFather Clment, having just arrived in Paris from the mission of China, was named Visitor of Madagascar. When he arrived,one of his first actions was to appeal to different European provinces in order that they would open themselves to the missions

Ad Gentes; thus the Malagasy Province became an international mission with the presence of missionaries from severalnations, but disconnected from one another. Indeed, it was a real internationalization, with the presence of Italians from Turin(1962), Spanish (1965), Polish, and Slovenians. After some decades, the need to integrate into a single province was noted,the first were the Italians and finally, in 2000, everyone. At this time all have joined and form the Province of Madagascar.

At present, the idea that is maturing, with the collaboration of all, is the internal reconfiguration of the province understood as

the Madagascanization of the life and works of the province. In fact, this is the determination of all, Malagasies andforeigners. The reconfiguration is based principally on the confidence between all the foreign and national missionaries.Nowadays, there are mixed local communities (Malagasies and foreigners) as in Ambovombe, Ihosy, and Iakora. To give youan idea of the current statistics, the Province has 87 members: 28 foreigners, 59 Malagasies, 36 admitted students ofphilosophy and theology, 12 in the Internal Seminary, 18 in the propaedeutic year, 7 candidates for coadjutor brothers

The missionary work and sacrifice has not been in vain. God has blessed its effort with good and abundant vocations thatguarantee its continuation.

Zeracristos Yosief, C.M.Assistant General


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5. Personal accompaniment in discernment andvocational response. Germn Daro Medina, Rector of

the Major Seminary of Bogota.6. The Profile of the Vincentian spiritual accompanier.Marlio Nasay, C.M.7. Community life as a space of spiritualaccompaniment. Vctor M. Martnez, S.J.8. Accompanying in difficult situations. Hernn Raise,C.J.M.9. Accompanying the older consecrated adult. SisterDiana Carvajal, D.C.10. Accompanying victims affected by violence and itsrepercussions in the vocational processes. Psychologist Julieta Aristizabal.

The following thought summarizes very well the reflection of these days and the great challenge that arises in those whocarry out the service of accompaniment in the processes of formation in the Church: The way of Christian life is not togo alongside simply accompanying, not even to go ahead showing the route, much less to push back; it is also not toshout from the goal, with crossed arms, and much less to lead the way without taking a single step. What it is is to walktogether, to hear and be heard, understand and be understood, forgive and be forgiven, help and be helped, love andbe loved; to allow oneself to stumble, to fall down, to lose; to force oneself to get up, to reach out and retake the day; tobe guided, refreshed, and healed.

The missionaries of the Itinerant Team of SOUTHCLAPVI composed of Fathers (from left to right):Fernando Snchez (Argentina), Julio CsarPalacios (Ecuador), Rodis Christensen (Chile), andEdgardo Colichn (Peru) send this greeting:

Well, here we are together again after severalmonths of each one in his respective country. Thetime has come to begin, to initiate this new projectof an itinerant mission for our Provinces (Argentina,Chile, Ecuador, and Peru). Tomorrow we go toUruguay, where Ansina and Las Toscas await us.We will be there until the 27thof this month. We askyou to pray for this project and this missionaryteam. Your prayer will be of great importance. Wewill be in touch, sharing with you how the missionis going. Blessings to all.

CLAPVI-SOUTHITINERANT MISSIONARY TEAM


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Vincentian Information Magazine, Italy

At the Well of Sychar is an association of voluntary work for the support of the missions Ad Gentesand collaboratesespecially with the missions that are under the responsibility of the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters ofCharity, cultivating thereby, relationships of a spiritual, charismatic, and collaborative character. The Samaritan woman,after the meeting with Christ, left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, Come see a man whotold me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Messiah? They went out of the town and came to him. Thiswas what this group of volunteers experienced, after receiving from the Lord several urban and extra-urban calls. Afterreceiving a formation in Vincentian spirituality, they sought somehow to respond to what the Lord was calling them to

be: Vincentian lay missionaries. The figure of the Samaritan has helped them to understand the way they had to go,trusting fully in Him and leaving. In this way the idea and the name were born.

What do they do?

Saint Vincent said: love is inventive to infinity and he was right. A new way of looking at things allowed them to look inseveral directions and to experience this creativity of love in Kenya (Turkana), India, Mexico, Eritrea, Mozambique, andcertainly, also in Prato, the city of origin. The association has restructured a house for the Volunteers in Xinavane,Mozambique, where missionaries come to support the Daughters of Charity in this country.

Food-Safety Project in Eritrea

In the rural areas, about a fourth of the women and children suffer from acute malnutrition, food is scarce, and thesources of water are at risk of drying up. The tension with Ethiopia on border limits continues. In spite of the fact that thecountry restored its relations and recovered after the war,there remains the risk of a return to exploiting the conflict thathad already been solved in 2000. Access to water at this moment is one of the principal problems, both in the rural areaand in the small inhabited centers. Since arriving in Eritrea, the Daughters of Charity struggle and commit with all theirmight to be close to the people, especially the poorest.

AT THE WELL OF SYCHAR


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P. Robert Maloney C.M.

Ecuador

The Systemic Change Commission met at the Provincial House of the Daughters of Charity in Quito, Ecuador and 228members of the Vincentian Family took part in the workshop. The Visitatrix, Sister Piedad Rojas, and the Visitor, JosIgnacio Fernndez de Mendoza, were present at all the sessions, along with the heads of the various branches.

The workshop was very well organized logistically: the preparation of the meeting room, the equipment that was used, andthe materials available. Everything collaborated in order that the aims were fulfilled. Four members of the team took part:Giuseppe Turati, C.M.; Patricia de Nava; Robert Maloney, C.M.; and Juan Paul Jcome Solarte. They all evaluated theworkshop very positively.

Venezuela

The workshop was scheduled at the same time as protests began in Venezuela, as everyone knows. This was worrying

because low attendance by the members of the Vincentian Family was predicted. Contrary to expectations, we began theworkshop with 117 participants, brave Vincentians who came from considerable distances in spite of the situation going on inmany parts of the country, but especially in the capital, Caracas.

Even from outside the country, Alfonso Sterling, Director of the Daughters of Charity of the new Province of Bogota-Venezuela, came from Colombia with three Daughters and a lay woman.

The team was enriched with the presence of Juan Pablo and Rosa de Lima Ramanakavana. Unfortunately, Sister TeresaMueda could not participate because she did not have a visa to get in the country. During the workshop, three members ofthe team were bid farewell: Robert Maloney, Patricia de Nava, and Joe Foley.

In spite of the countrys difficulty and the scarcity of food, the confreres of the Province of Venezuela were very attentive at all

times, which made the workshop a success from every point of view.

The Project

The Daughters of Charity arrived a long time ago at Dekemhare in the southern part of Eritrea, establishing their own

house and a school; in 2006 they managed to complete a construction that has been organized as refuge for students,children, and young people of the region. This is one of the works that the volunteers finance.

Given the great economic difficulty that the families of Eritrea are experiencing, it was decided to offer food for thechildren to eat while in school. Due to the lack of raw material, such as flour, oil, and cereals and also the instability ofthe food prices, which increase daily, it is necessary to disclose the cost of a full meal a day, for a year, forapproximately 800 students. We present the report in the following table:

1 plate of vegetables (30 g.) Euro 5.760.001 piece of bread / vitamin-enriched biscuit Euro 4.800.001 cup of tea Euro 2.300.00

Total Euro 12.860.00

SYSTEMIC CHANGE


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FAREWELLS

As was already announced, on 28 February, Sister AnaAparecida and Juventino Castillero departed from theVincentian Family Office for their respective countries,but not without a manifestation, on the part of the LocalCommunity of the General Curia in Rome, of fondnessand gratitude for their labor over these last three years. Inaddition, Father Castillero gave his services in the Curiato Nuntiaand offered his support to Vincentiana. We sawthem leave in these days with the happiness of returning

to the mission and the nostalgia of the farewell, but withgrateful hearts.

NOMINATIONES CONFIRMATIONES

DE LA ROSA MENDOZA Juan Designation: 26/02/2014 VIsitor Salamanca

TRAN VAN MINH Pierre 26/02/2014 Director DC Vietnam

ORDINATIONES

BEJARANO SABORO Reynaldo Sac Bar 01/02/2014

NECROLOGIUM

NOMEN COND. DIES OB. PROV. AET VOC

CICCONE Lino SAC 14/02/2014 Rom 94 79

MULLIN Edward J. SAC 15/02/2014 Occ 86 68

QUIRINO QUINTAL RODRIGUESLuis Oliveira

SAC22/02/2014 Moz 77 60

NOS MURO Luis SAC 23/02/2014 Cae 76 57

SWAIN Robert J. SAC 28/02/2014 Orl 81 62