Xaverian Mission Newsletter - 2011 Jan-Mar: A New Missionary Saint for the Global Church

Xaverian MissionNewsletterVolume 59 - No. 1 | February 2011

Passion for Christ — Passion for Humanity

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

P ope Benedict XVI has advanced the sainthood cause of a new and inspirational figure whose

sanctity and world vision of faith is so needed in these times.

The Church’s newest saint will be Blessed Guido Maria Conforti, founder and father of more than 800 Xaverian Missionaries. The Pope authorized the miracle attributed to Blessed Conforti’s intercession, the second needed to affirm his sainthood.

Bishop Conforti founded the Pious Society of St Francis Xavier for Foreign Missions, or the Xaverian Missionaries, who through his guidance helped bring about a renewal of the missionary spirit at the turn of the 20th century. Our missionaries first spearheaded evangelization efforts to China and are now present in 19 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.

The first miracle attributed to Blessed Conforti came about in 1965. After prayers for his intercession from the Xaverian Sisters in Burundi, 12-year old Sabina Kamariza 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 for the world. The Second Vatican Council proclaimed that the Church is missionary by her very nature and that the bishops “are consecrated not just for one diocese, but for the salva-tion of the world.” He sought to fulfill this ideal throughout his life, becoming a model for his own missionaries, the peo-ple of his dioceses and the priests and the bishops of the entire Church of God.

Although he dedicated all his energy to caring forhis two large 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 of Conforti’s death, Cardinal Giuseppe Roncalli, then Patriarch of Venice and the future Pope John XXIII, defined him well as the Bishop of Parma, but a Missionary for the entire world.

(continued on page 6)

A New MissioNAry sAiNt

For A GlobAl ChurCh

2 Xaverian Mission Newsletter • February 2011

The Miracle for Sainthood

Xaverian Missionaries

Provincial Headquarters12 Helene CourtWayne, NJ 07470-2813Tel.: (973) 942-2975Fax: (973) 942-5012E-mail: [email protected]

Xavier Knoll Mission Center4500 Xavier DriveFranklin, WI 53132-9066Tel.: (414) 421-0831Fax: (414) 421-9108E-mail: [email protected]

Mission Center & Fatima Shrine101 Summer StreetP.O. Box 5857Holliston, MA 01746-5857Tel.: (508) 429-2144Fax: (508) 429-4793E-mail: [email protected]

Xaverian Mission Newsletter

Official publication of theXaverian Missionaries of the United States

Coordinating EditorFr. Carl Chudy

Editorial TeamFr. Tony LalliFr. Joseph MatteucigFr. Alfredo Turco

Layout ConsultantDiamand Design, Wrentham, MA

Printing Rea-Craft Press, Inc. Foxboro, MA

E-mail & Web:xaverianmissionnewsletter@gmail.comwww.xaviermissionaries.orgwww.xaverianmissionaries.blogspot.com

Donation:$5.00 per year

T he second miracle,

confirmed by the Vatican after a demanding scrutiny, happened to Thiago João, a newborn child from Brazil.

Little Thiago João suffered from a severe lack of oxygen to the brain following a pro-longed cardio-respi-ratory arrest. He barely weighed two pounds when he was born in a small hospital in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, August, 2003. He was born close to four months prematurely due to the illness of his mother. A prolonged heart attack left no hope of recovery.

The parish community of Thiago’s family turned to their patron, creating a parish-wide campaign of prayer, asking Blessed Guido Conforti for healing.

The trauma and illness of the child became a considerable preoccupation for

the entire parish community. They spent long periods in prayer together for the life of Thiago João.

When suddenly the child recovered all saw this ex-traordinary miracle as a special sign from heaven. The whole parish gath-ered for a special mass of thanksgiv-ing to the Lord, a feast which is now celebrated yearly in

the parish. On February 18, 2010, the medi-cal council concluded that the healing of Thiago was scientifically unexplainable. The Congress of Theologians, on April 23, 2010, unanimously identified the miraculous inter-vention of God through the intercession of Blessed Conforti. Everything was confirmed in a regular session of cardinals and bishops on October 5, 2010. The Pope will announce the date of canonization to sainthood soon and will probably be in the later part of this year. U – Father William Camera, SX

Remember the Xaverian Missionaries

in Your Willor help us with a

tax deductible donation.

Contact:

Fr. Frank Grappoli, SX12 Helene Court, Wayne, NJ 07470

Tel: (973) 942-2975

Thiago João as a toddler with his father in Brazil.

Parishioners praying for the healing of Thiago João through the intercession of Blessed Guido M. Conforti.

heAled throuGh the iNterCessioN oF the FouNder

3Xaverian Mission Newsletter • February 2011

Xaverian Missionaries in the World

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

ChristMAs iN the

AFterMAth oF VolCANo MerApi’seruptioN

(Indonesia)

Dear Friends,

It’s Christmas Day! With joy in my heart I am writing because for me this year’s 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 o’clock 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 hadn’t finished distributing this aid when the 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 in Indonesia. In this letter he shares with

us some of the effects of two earthquakes and a tsunami and the Church’s response.

Xaverian Mission Newsletter • February 20114

Xaverian Missionaries in the World

A mother and her baby find 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 three hundred 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 of neighbor, is possible and very fruitful. The Church indeed 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-ow’s mite that makes miracles. U

– Fr. Rudolph Ciroi, SX

would you

like to help?Please send your donations to:

Help for victiMs of Merapi C/O Fr. Frank Grappoli, SX

12 Helene Court Wayne, New Jersey 07470

Phone: 973-942-2975

(continued from page 3)

Xaverian Mission Newsletter • February 2011 5

Xaverian Missionaries in the USA

O ne of the many blessings I have experienced throughout my mis-

sionary life has been the conscious feeling of being at “home” in every place where my missionary vocation took me. This feeling became real when I first left Italy for Chicago, for my theological studies, when I left the USA for Taiwan, and the same aware-ness accompanied me when I left Taiwan for my new assignment at Fatima Shrine in Holliston (MA). In each packing and unpacking I did feel uprooted, sad and uncertain about my future, and yet, deep down in my heart I was always certain that as I was leav-ing a “home” God was preparing for me a “new home” in the new place I was heading to. This helped me into the new reality with the feeling that all would be well.

I have been back in the US the past 4 years and the “new home” God pre-pared for me has embraced both my confreres and the ministries our Xaverian Missionaries are carrying here in the US, as well as the Chinese Catholic community of greater Boston.

My connection with the people of Chinatown, especially with the Mandarin and Fujianese speaking groups started in the Fall of 2006. The phrase inscribed over the main altar in the church summarizes quite well how this community lives out its faith and its commitment to the gospel. The phrase reads “Bonum est nos hic esse” or (“It is good for us to be here.”) In these past 4 years, I have witnessed a community that looks at the “here” not only as “here” inside the church, but as a “here” that enables it to be a point of reference for the wider Chinese neighborhood. Issues dealing with transition are dealt with compe-tence and serenity.

Faith is contagious and I see what our documents say: “The proclamation of the Gospel is the supreme gift of God to the world…” made real on a daily 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 to

Chinatown,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 …”


Founder of the Xaverian Missionaries

Since health problems prevented him from pursuing the missionary vocation he had felt since his high school years, Conforti conceived the idea of founding a Missionary Institute. Thus, in agreement with the Congregation of Propaganda Fide and with the approval of his Bishop, Conforti founded a new missionary family in 1895.

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

Who is the Missionary for Conforti?

In an address to some of his missionaries who were leaving for China, Conforti offers a definition of the missionary, which, given the mentality of those times, may seem somewhat romantic; nevertheless, it does contain some perennial values because it invites us to con-template the missionary of all times and ages, Jesus Christ: “The Missionary is the most beautiful and sublime personification of the ideal life. He has contemplated in the spirit Jesus Christ, who shows the Apostles the world they must conquer for the Gospel, not with the power of weapons, but through per-suasion and love.

The missionary is captivated by this ideal and leaves behind his family, country and dearest and most legitimate affections in order to pursue it. He travels into inhospitable jungles, crosses fiery deserts and the icy poles. He does not search for gold and jewels, ivory, rare furs, or precious woods, but only souls to win over to Faith in Christ. He carries no sword or rifle to face the difficulties he encounters along the way, or to strike down the enemies in his path; his only weapon is the 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 SAINTHOODThe bishop of the diocese where the person died is responsible for beginning the investigation of

the person whose beatification is being requested. Once the diocesan investigation is finished, the acts and documentation are passed on to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. For the

beatification of a confessor a miracle attributed to the Servant of God, verified after his death, is

necessary. For canonization another miracle is needed, attributed to the intercession of the Blessed

and having occurred after his beatification.

Blessed Guido Maria ConfortiFounder of the Xaverian Missionaries

and New Saint for the Church.


ready to shed his blood for the good of his brothers. Indeed, his heartfelt desire is to seal his apostolate with martyrdom” (Address to departing missionaries, 16 Nov 1924).

In his “Testament Letter” Conforti lists some inalienable characteristics of his missionary fam-ily: “The distinguishing characteristic of the present and future members of the society be the result of the following components: a spirit of living faith which enables us to see God, seek God, love God in all things, intensifying our desire to spread his kingdom everywhere; a spirit of prompt and ready obedience in every-thing, no matter how costly, in order to achieve the victories promised by God to those who are obedient; 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 and began the whole process which ultimately led to the beatification and soon the canonization of Blessed Conforti. The proclamation of the hero-ic nature of his virtues took place in 1982. He was beatified on 17 March 1996, in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, in the presence of Pope John Paul II.

Blessed Guido Conforti want-ed his first missionaries to con-tinue the work of St Francis Xavier, the patron saint of our Missionary Family, in China at whose doors Xavier had died. Therefore, China was chosen as the first mission of the Xaverians. After 1954 with their expulsion 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.

Blessed Guido Maria ConfortiFounder of the Xaverian Missionaries

and New Saint for the Church.

A photo of Blessed Guido Maria Conforti as a young bishop


W hat the Church proclaims is

Christ, who is hope (1 Peter 3:15)... We cannot keep 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 Pope Benedict XVI entitled VERBUM DOMINI, or, The Word of the Lord. It is a follow-up reflection from the Synod, or meeting of Bishops in 2008 on the importance of Scripture in the mission of the Church today.

The Word & Interreligious Dialogue

The Pope goes on to say: “The Church consid-ers an essential part of the proclamation of the word to consist in encounter, dialogue and cooperation with the fol-lowers of the different religious traditions of humanity.”

He sees this an oppor-tunity in the “quickened pace 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 with respect to Muslims, who adore the one God. We acknowledge that the Islamic traditions include countless biblical figures, symbols and themes. He says: “Taking up the efforts begun by John Paul II, I express my hope that the trust-filled rela-tionships established

between Christians and Muslims over the years will continue…” (118) He goes on to ask all Bishops, “wherever it is appropriate and helpful”, to encourage meetings aimed at helping Christians and Muslims to come to know each other better, in order to pro-mote the values which society needs for a peaceful coexistence.

Finally, the Pope says that this dialogue would be fruitless unless it included authentic respect for each person and the ability of all too freely to practice their faith. This is the essential element for peace! (120) U

8

The Word of God and Commitment to the World

God’s word &

diAloGue with other

FAiths

Lady Paula Mandalika, a Christian from Indonesia, and Acmad Maca-rimbang, a Muslim from the Philippines, partic-ipated in a program on interreligious conflict and dialogue.

Questions to Ponder, Pray and Discuss.

• Are there ideas that were shared here that confirmed 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 reflection on the 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.


Y early approximate-ly 700,000 per

sons, primarily women and children, are trafficked across interna-tional borders Approximately 17,000 women and children are trafficked into the United States each year. The victims of sex trafficking are lured into the trap by fake promises such as good jobs, false marriage proposals, education or being reunited with their families.

The Fields of Mudan puts a human face on the youngest victims of traf-ficking. This film is a fic-tional, though accurate account of a young Chinese girl, Mudan, who is smuggled into the USA as part of a modern-day child prostitution ring operated by the Asian underworld. The writer and director, Stevo Chang, created the film to raise public awareness of the horrors of human

trafficking in the US and globally.

In the film, the child brothel owner, Madam Zhao (Yaping), brutalizes Mudan and the other five young girls as they “pay off their debts.” Faye (Shannon Lu), an Asian girl close in age to Mudan, befriends Mudan and shares in her dream of someday escaping the torturous sex-trade.

Mudan carries her drawing of her mother playing with her in an open field near a luxuri-ous home in the USA, the land where dreams come true. The picture draws Mudan into her dream world of love and joy with her mother which allows Mudan to escape the violent world she lives in. Faye and Mudan bond and share the same dream for a better life.

As a global institution, the Catholic Church, well positioned to respond to human trafficking, has

denounced this horrific crime because it consti-tutes an offense against human dignity and funda-mental human rights. The reality of thousands of our brothers and sis-ters laboring in modern day slavery compels us to act now to stop human trafficking and to serve the survivors of this crime.

Check out these links to learn more, pray for victims and get involved. You can help! U

Become a Partner in Global Mission

the Fields oF

MuDAN

“

LINKS FOR A FURTHER LOOK: www.fieldsofmudan.com

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

Coalition of Catholic Organizations Against Human Trafficking: www.usccb.org/mrs/traffickingweb3.shtml

USCCB Migration and Refugee Services on Trafficking Issues: www.usccb.org/mrs/traffickingweb.shtml

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

10 Xaverian Mission Newsletter • February 201110

World Mission News Digest

World Mission News Digest

VATICAN

The yearly report of all the pastoral workers who lost their lives in a violent man-ner over the course of the last 12 months is now avail-able for download. According to information in our posses-sion, during 2010, 23 pasto-ral care workers were killed: one Bishop, 15 priests, one male religious, one religious sister, two seminarians and three lay people. Please include them and their fami-lies in your prayer. Download the report at: www.fides.org

SuDAN

The Catholic Church is mobilizing to ensure that the ref-erendum on the independence of South Sudan occurs peacefully. Archbishop Paolino Lukudu Loro of Juba, announced the extension to 16

January of the “101 days of prayer”, promoted by the Episcopal Conference of Sudan, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services, which began on 21 September and that was to expire on January 1st. Bishop Caesar Mazzolari of Rumbek, in his New Year message, appealed to northern and southern Sudanese to accept the outcome of the vote with calm.

EGYPT

Egypt’s Muslim community followed through on their promise to support the coun-try’s embattled Christian population as they celebrat-ed their Christmas Eve mass-

es on Thursday night. “We either live together, or we die together,” was the slogan-eering genius of Mohamed El-Sawy, a Muslim arts tycoon whose cultural centre distribut-ed flyers at churches in Cairo Thursday night,

and who has been credited with first floating the “human shield” idea. “This is not about us and them,” said Dalia Mustafa, a stu-dent who attend-ed mass at Virgin Mary Church on Maraashly. “We are one. This was an attack on Egypt as a whole, and I am standing with the Copts because the only way things will change in this country is if we come together.”

uNITED NATIONS

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has adopt-ed by consensus a Philippine-sponsored resolution on interfaith dialogue, moving forward the global efforts to achieve peace and develop-ment through a comprehen-sive strategy. Entitled “Promotion on Inter-religious and Intercultural Dialogue”, the resolution was adopted by consensus by the 65th session of the UNGA under the agenda item Culture of Peace, the Philip-pine Mission to the United Nations in New York.

MEXICO

Her skullface peers from beneath a cloak, the Grim Reaper’s scythe often clutched in her hand. She is the Saint of Death, icon of an underground cult. It is a cult that has grown in the last decade, in part as a reaction to rising violence across the country. Seen as a form of protection, La Santa Muerte has come to be cher-ished by the marginalized, impoverished and sometimes criminal 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 first seminary in Parma of the Xaverian Missionaries founded by Conforti.


I n each of our mission centers in Wayne, New Jersey, Holliston,

Massachusetts and Franklin, Wisconsin, we hold a steadfast tradition by having a yearly dinner with the bishops and priests whom we work with and assist in each diocese 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 prayer and 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 with the bishop, priests and brothers in the dioceses where we live and work is essen-tial to sharing the urgency of the world mission of the Church. The vital link between every parish and the great chal-lenges that face the global mission of the Church 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

A s per tradition, the massive

Christmas light display at OUR LADY OF FATIMA SHRINE in Holliston, Massachusetts drew many families from the beginning of Advent to the beginning of January. Hot chocolate, donuts and shopping in our gift shop were a great addition. U

We Are On The Web

Xaviermissionaries.org Xaverianmissionaries.

blogspot.com

Facebook.com/ catholicmissionaries

Sign up for our E-Newsletter for youth

and young adults.

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

We do not sell e-mail lists

Xaverian Mission Newsletter • February 2011Xaverian Missionaries

101 Summer StreetHolliston, MA 01746-5857

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDXaverian

Missionaries

Return Service RequestedThe Xaverian Missionaries Are Presently Serving In:

Bangladesh • Brazil • Burundi • Cameroon • Chad • China • Colombia • Democratic Republic of Congo • FranceGreat Britain • Indonesia • Italy • Japan • Mexico • Mozambique • Philippines • Sierra Leone • Spain • Taiwan • U.S.A.

The Cross which Blessed Conforti visited

as a boy in a local chapel: “He looked at me and seemed to tell me so many things…”

What is HE Saying to You?

Get Involved in The Global Mission

of the Church.

Contact: Fr. Joe Matteucig at

[email protected]

Documents

Xaverian Mission Newsletter - 2011 Jan-Mar: A New Missionary Saint for the Global Church