“Make of the world one family”

XAVERIAN MISSION
Vol. 57 - No. 1 | February 2009
Newsletter

Globalization and a New Generation of Missionaries

P overty is often a contribu-

tory factor or a compound-
ing element in conflicts,
including armed ones. In
turn, these conflicts fuel further tragic
situations of poverty…. In this context,
fighting poverty requires attentive con-
sideration of the complex phenomenon
of globalization.”

Pope Benedict XVI shared these words

as part of his message for World Day of
Peace, January 1, entitled Fighting
Poverty to Build Peace. He goes on to
say: “Yet the reference to globalization
should also alert us to the spiritual and
moral implications of the question,
urging us, in our dealings with the
poor, to set out from the clear recogni-
tion that we all share in a single divine

Highlights
• Young Xaverian Missionaries
Prepare for First Mission
• From Milwaukee to Bangla-
desh: A Young Missionary
Reflects
• Restorative Justice in Africa
• Zimbabwe, St. Paul, and
True Power
• To Live and Work for Peace
• Sharing Missionary Lives on
College Campuses
plan: we are called to form one family
in which all – individuals, peoples and
nations…”
Our missionary commitment as Catho-
lics counts these words as guide posts
in the challenges of world mission to-
day. Our Founder, Blessed Guido Maria
Conforti, many years ago shared this
vision “to make the world one family”
as a guiding principle in the new chal-
lenges we face as missionaries today.
This is the best way of thinking of glob-
alization in a world whose borders are
disintegrating not only politically and
economically, but morally and spiritu-
ally.
We hope this issue of XMN provides a
glimpse of the vision of the Holy Father
in the zeal and enthusiasm of some of
our newest missionaries in the field.
Frs. Ramos, Garduno and Casillas, all
from Mexico, share some of their first
struggles and hopes as they begin their
missionary work. Fr. Rocco Puopolo
also graces our pages again in his ongo-
ing work through the Africa Faith and
Justice Network based in Washington
DC. They are trying to see how healing
and reconciliation can occur after the
pain and grief of horrific wars, and the
outrageous violence they reeked. There
are many stories of this healing,
unleashed through the mission of the
Church, that we need to listen to. This
is restorative justice.
As we begin a new Lenten Journey we
focus on the overwhelming compassion
of Jesus on the cross, coming from the
very heart of God the Father, and
shared by us as disciples of Christ in a
world longing for authentic peace. CC
Xaverian Missionaries in the World

Xaverian Missionaries
Provincial Headquarters
12 Helene Court
Wayne, NJ 07470-2813
Tel.: (973) 942-2975
Fax: (973) 942-5012
Email: xavwayne@optonline.net

Xavier Knoll Pre-Novitiate House

4500 Xavier Drive
Franklin, WI 53132-9066
Tel.: (414) 421-0831
Fax: (414) 421-9108
Email: xavmissionswi@hotmail.com

Mission Center & Fatima Shrine

101 Summer Street
P.O. Box 5857
Holliston, MA 01746-5857
Tel.: (508) 429-2144
Fax: (508) 429-4793 Young Xaverian Missionaries
Email:
holliston.sx@gmail.com Prepare for their First Mission in Bangladesh

I
International Theology House
recently arrived to Bangladesh for galis, who say: "Otithi narayan - the
1347 East Hyde Park Blvd. my first mission experience, along guest is God"!
Chicago, IL 60615-2924
Tel. (773) 643-5745 with Father Marcos Garduno and
Email: xavformation@hotmail.com Father Melecio, all from Mexico. We We often participate in meetings or-
are preparing for our missionary life. ganized specifically for the "new" mis-
St. Therese Catholic Chinese
Mission sionaries in the country. Last July, for
218 West Alexander Street The Constitutions of the Xaverian example, Mr. Atul Francis, Director of
Chicago, IL 60608–0000 Missionaries reminds us that "the ini- Caritas Bangladesh, shared with us
Tel. (312) 842-6777
Email: tial period of transition in the mission how we may live, think and act like
info_church@sttheresechinatown.org field is a particularly significant mo- the Bengali people.
ment in the life of a Xaverian. It re-
quires a warm acceptance of the new The Complexity of a Nation
Xaverian Mission Newsletter There are 150 million people In Bang-
world, serious study of the reality and
the language of the place ...". ladesh. Approximately 98% are Ben-
Official publication of the
Xaverian Missionaries galis, the other 2% are aborigines of
of the United States We are really buckling down to the various ethnic groups. 90% are Mus-
books in order to study lims, others are Hindu,
Coordinating Editor
Fr. Carl Chudy the language and culture Christians, Buddhists and
of the Bengali people, animists. This enormous,
Editorial Team
Fr. Tony Lalli because you cannot ac- diverse tide of people is
Fr. Joseph Matteucig cept and love what you both the strength and at
Fr. Alfredo Turco do not know! We are the same time, the
Layout Consultant approaching this new weakness of Bangladesh.
Diamand Design, Wrentham, MA culture for us with a
mind and heart open to Unfortunately, the Ben-
Printing
Allied Printing, Marlboro, MA welcome all that we galis are still living in a
experience. Moreover, caste system where large
Email & Web: our attitude of openness populations are consid-
xaverianmissionnewsletter@gmail.com
www.xaviermissionaries.org to the Bengali culture is ered a lesser class peo-
also an important cul- ple, a mindset which is
Donation
$10.00 per year tural value for the Ben- difficult to overcome.

2 Xaverian Mission Newsletter ▪ February 2009

 Xaverian Missionaries in the World

The at home ... every- Bring the taste of mission

“untouchables” thing seems to home. Try a recipe from
especially have to deliver peace and Bangladesh
do the most dirty serenity. But the
work, feeling as monsoons and cy-
Saag Kumro
though they are clones can lead to 3 cups peeled
fated with this unpredictable dis- and diced pump-
burden. asters. In short, kins(kumro)
water is synony- 2 medium po-
Everyone is mous with life, but tatoes, diced
strongly linked to can lead to death. but not
the larger commu- peeled
nity to which they Land of Gold and A bunch of fresh
spinach), chopped
belong. Their Disaster
1/2 lb baby shrimp
sense of belonging Where more than (peeled+steamed is ok)
is expressed in 2 thousand people 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
their solidarity. live on every 1 dried red chilli
For this reason, square kilometer, 1 tablespoon sugar
they prefer to land is a major 2 teaspoons salt
speak in the plu- Fr. Ramos working on the language commodity. Those 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
ral: "our nation", who has the good 1/2 teaspoon corriander powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
"our village", "our home." Jesus taught fortune of owning a piece of land, 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
us to pray in solidarity: "Our Fa- ordinarily do not sell, unless it is 2 tablespoons finely ground/
ther ...". forced by extreme necessity, such as grated coconut
disease, debt or the dowry for the
Bangladesh Lives and Dies on Water marriage of a daughter. Procedure:
While flying one day, I looked over the 1. First heat the oil in a pan,
horizon and wondered if Bangladesh Until 1947, the date of the end of add the cumin and the turmeric,
was land or water. Even while travel- colonial dependence, the flood plain stir-fry these spices for a minute
was called "Sonar Bangla - the Golden before you add the shrimp. Fry
ing, especially during the rainy sea-
the shrimp for a couple of min-
son, there is a perception that the Bengal", not only for the fertility of
utes and then take them out
water predominates in the land, which the land, but also for its cultural rich- with a slotted spoon and leave
outcrops just above sea level. Even ness. aside.
the missionaries reach the villages, 2. Next break the dried red chilli
hidden among palm trees and banana I asked myself why this land, once and fry it in the oil for a minute
trees, with long trips on the rivers. considered the granary of India, is before adding the potatoes and
today so poor. The ongoing unbridled pumpkin. Stir fry these for a few
Water is a central reality for Bangla- exploitation of land and the problem minutes. Add the corriander,
of over- chilli powder and sugar and stir-
desh. The
fry for a couple more minutes.
immense rice crowding is
3. Now add the chopped spinach
and jute real. Despite and stir it in until the it slowly
fields, the everything, decreases in volume and blends
cows to pas- this nation in with the other ingredients (~3
ture and must keep its mins). Now add the salt and
shepherds cultural rich- sprinke a little water (3-4 Tbsp)
ness that few cover and allow to cook under
who play on
low heat until the potatoes are
the edge of know.
done.
streets, 4. Sprinkle and stir in the ground
houses of coconut and shrimp before turn-
mud and ing off the heat, you may wish
straw, which to save a little for the final gar-
are reflected Father Augusto nish when you serve this dish.
Ramos, SX Serves: 4-6 people
on the water,
Serving ideas: serve with piping
the women hot plain rice!
A Xaverian Missionary chatting on the road in Bangladesh
trying to work

Xaverian Mission Newsletter ▪ February 2009 3

Xaverian Missionaries in the World
Bengali Coca Cola
From Mexico to Milwaukee to Bangladesh:
A Young Missionaries' Sojourn
I
was ordained a priest in my home
country of Mexico with a dream to
begin my first mission experience
in Bangladesh. I arrived in our commu-
nity of Franklin, Wisconsin to spend an
intense year improving my English
skills.
Six months after my arrival to our mis-
sions in Bangladesh, I immediately
began student both the language and
culture. I am just beginning to speak
in the local language of Bangla. In
fact, my first mass in the the local
language was this past Christmas. I
consider this event a symbolic rebirth
as I begin my new mission here.
In this month of January I am moving
to our parish in Shatkira in order to
start my first steps with direct contact
with people, language and culture. In
this parish most of the people are
called “’Rishi”, which means outcast,
a very poor and marginalized people.
I have faced many differences in the
local culture that I need to understand
more deeply, a kind of culture shock
that requires a great deal of patience
on my part. It seems a very slow proc-
ess that requires changing the way I
Fr. Marcos in the market
4 Xaverian Mission Newsletter ▪ February 2009
think of things, and some attitudes
that I carry around with me.
I am struck by contrasts as well. For
example, even though women appear
to be in a more subservient position in
society, it is at least ten years that
Bangladesh has enormous political
struggles. In the recent elections,
Sheikh Hasina Wajed, a woman, is the
new Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Before the elections, since they could
not agree on how Bangladesh should
be ruled, the Army took over. This is
the first year in many years that con-
trol of the country is transferred from
the military to civilian rule.
As I continue my early journey as a
missionary priest in Bangladesh, I am
learning to live in solidarity with the
local people, a task which I find is not
easy in some respects. Prayer, pa-
tience, grace from God, and support
of my brother Xaverians here are my
mainstays. These changes and early
struggles is part and parcel of the mis-
sionary life. I find that in the long run,
not only the boundaries of my mind is
enlarged, but those of my heart as
well. Please pray for us all here in
Bangladesh. Fr. Marcos Garduno, SX

Fambol Tok and Justice after a Devastating War
R
ecently I had the chance to visit
to Ghana, Liberia and Sierra
Leone, researching restorative
justice processes there. I am the di-
rector of The Africa Faith and Justice
Network and we are looking into where
this process of restoring communities
broken by conflicts happens and how it
could be affirmed as a compliment to
other forms of doing justice.
Children Recovering from War
From the first meeting on my trip with
the “push boys” from the Northern
Ghana city of Yendi, I saw restorative
justice at work. These secondary
school boys and girls are displaced and
work the Medina market in Accra, out
of school and living on the streets be-
cause of a chiefdom rivalry hundreds of
miles away that turned violent. I sat
with a representative group of about 17
Fr. Rocco Puopolo with the “Push Boys” (former child soldiers) of
Madina Marken in Accra
Xaverian Missionaries in the USA
of them in midst of a busy market and
listened to their stories of the conflict,
displacement and disappointment.
When asked if they could suggest a way
forward that would restore peace to
Yendi in a just manner, I was surprised
to discover a very wise and creative
response, one I would not have thought
of from my experience nor found in any
conflict resolution manual that I am
familiar with. It was an example of the
wisdom and knowledge of the way for-
ward that is very present in African
Societies.
Fambol Tok
The most powerful example of this was
found in Sierra Leone where I met the of evening circles around the fire, shar-
organizers of Fambul Tok (Family ing the stories of loss and hope, learn-
Talk), a Sierra Leonean initiative that ing to listen to each other and trust the
provides a local community the support strength of their community.
and guidance to create their own
framework and proc- One Son Lost, Another Gained
ess that can lead to Well into the first week, after a family
restoration. Fambul shared the loss of their only son, who
Tok’s first outreach they thought was alive but displaced in
was to the local com- neighboring Liberia or Guinea, one
munity in Kailahun, young man came forward to offer his
the very place in the condolences to the family, and, be-
Eastern Province cause of the support created by this
where the insurgents circle, admitted to killing this son. He
of the 14 year war was younger then, and drugged and
had their headquar- part of that maddening crowd of child
ters and whose local soldiers, but he did remember that he
community had ex- killed that boy. He knelt before the
perienced the war family, now wailing and crying uncon-
from start to finish. trollably. When the crying subsided,
in the uncomfortable silence of not
This broken commu- knowing what to do or where to go
nity welcomed Fam- next, the young man spoke. He knows
bul Tok’s guidance as he did wrong. There is no way he could
they themselves set bring back their son. But what he
up a process to bring could do is take his place. Any task
the community to- that the son would have done, brushing
gether. After prelimi- the farm, mending the roof, etc., he
nary background in- would do for the rest of his life. The
formation to all in the family accepted. Restoration was
community that achieved.
framed the work
ahead, the commu- Check out Fr. Rocco’s Blog on his trip
nity initiated a series at: www.rjwestafrica.blogspot.com
Xaverian Mission Newsletter ▪ February 2009 5
 Catholic Commitment to Global Solidarity
"The so-called “illegals” are so
not because they wish to defy
the law; but, because the law
does not provide them with
any channels to regularize
their status in our country –
which needs their labor: they
are not breaking the law, the
law is breaking them."
Most Reverend Thomas Wenski, Bishop
of Orlando
6 Xaverian Mission Newsletter ▪ February 2009
The Situation
“
At a time of dramatic global
changes and challenges, Catho-
lics in the United States face
special responsibilities and opportuni-
ties. We are members of a universal
Church that transcends national
boundaries and calls us to live in soli-
darity and justice with the peoples of
the world. We are also citizens of a
powerful democracy with enormous
influence beyond our borders. As
Catholics and Americans we are
uniquely called to global solidarity.”
The US Catholic Bishops remind us in
“Called to Global Solidarity” in 1997
that this solidarity plays out in many
ways, most
poignant to-
day, the
hotly de-
bated issue
of immigra-
tion.
One of the
constant fea-
tures of
American
history
is the fact of
immigration and the process of con-
version whereby the receiving popula-
tion learns to soften its heart and
open its arms to welcome the new-
comer. As we have seen with the ear-
lier waves of Irish, German, Italian
and Eastern European immigrants, this
process takes time — time for the im-
migrants to assimilate and time for
the receiving population to become
comfortable with the newcomers. The
ancestors of today’s Americans faced
and overcame many of the same ob-
stacles that now confront today’s im-
migrants.
Isn’t Illegal Immigration a Bad
Things?
Yes, illegal immigration is a bad thing.
A very bad thing. It is very harmful to
the immigrants and to a lesser degree
it is harmful to our country as well.
Unfortunately, U. S. immigration law
provides people with no other alterna-
tive in the exercise of their basic hu-
man right to immigrate.28 Is this a
case of the ends justifying the means
or the lesser of two evils — neither of
which is morally admissible? No, be-
cause the act of immigration in the
exercise of one’s intrinsic human
rights are justifiable and not evil even
when it involves the infraction of a
law that is itself unjust. The solution
to illegal immigration is not to make
immigration even more difficult and
perilous, but
rather to
remove the
causes of
illegal immi-
gration.
Why does
the Catholic
Church care
so much
about US
immigration
reform?
The explanation lies in the church's
view of itself as a pilgrim people in a
pilgrim church. It sees the Holy Family
— in their flight to Egypt — as the ar-
chetypal refugee family. Migrants
evoke its own history, including the
biblical exodus and exile, the itinerant
ministry of Jesus, and its 2,000-year
missionary tradition. The stranger is
welcomed as a Gospel imperative.
In Strangers No Longer, the church
states that people have the right not
to migrate; that is, they should be
able to live freely in their countries of
birth. However, when this is impossi-
ble, whether due to extreme poverty
or persecution, the church says they
have a right to migrate, and nations
 and the Challenges of Immigration Today
have a duty to receive them.
Two fundamental strands of the
church's mission — protecting the dig-
nity of all and gathering into one God's
scattered children — come together in
its ministry to migrants and newcom-
ers. In effect, the church teaches that
all people are "brothers and sisters"
and that immigration status does not
change this fact. Likewise, it offers its
Catholic Charities programs, legal of-
fices, community organizing grants,
and refugee resettlement services to
all vulnerable migrants and newcom-
ers, regardless of their religious be-
liefs.
The Bishop’s
Position on
Immigration
in a Nutshell
The Catholic
Church in the
United States
does not sup-
port open
borders, ille-
gal immigra-
tion, or an
“amnesty” that would grant legal
status to all unauthorized immigrants.
It believes nations have a legitimate
responsibility to promote the common
good by denying admission to certain
migrants and by regulating the flow of
all those who are seeking to enter.
However, the church sees the current
US immigration system — while gener-
ous in many respects — as badly in
need of reform. It has been particu-
larly offended by hundreds of deaths
along the US-Mexico border; the
growth of human smuggling rings; the
disconnect between US labor needs,
trade policies, and immigration admis-
sion levels; and decades-long delays in
some family reunification categories.
The church does not believe that
criminal prosecution and deportation
of unauthorized immigrants offer a
viable, much less a humane, approach
to the problem. As the church is quick
to highlight, many unauthorized immi-
grants live in “mixed-status” families
and represent five percent of the US
workforce.
Doing nothing, the church believes,
would facilitate the growth of a popu-
lation of second-class noncitizens with
limited rights, few prospects, or secu-
rity.
As the US bishops stated in 1986, the
year the US Congress passed the Immi- Resources for Reflection,
Prayer and Action
gration Re-
form and Parish kits, available on the
Control Act website, contain the following:
(IRCA), "It is
against the • Implementing a Justice for
common Immigrants Campaign in the
good and Parish
unacceptable • Initial Organizational Tasks
to have a • Suggested Parish Commit-
double soci- tees and Tasks
ety, one visi- • Organizations to Include in
ble with Campaign
rights and one invisible without rights
• Liturgy and Prayer Sugges-
— a voiceless underground of undocu-
tions
mented persons." IRCA made it illegal
• Suggestions for Homilists
for employers to hire unauthorized
• Relevant Scriptural Passages
immigrants, increased enforcement,
• Prayer Card
and granted amnesty to unauthorized
immigrants who met certain criteria.
• Strangers No Longer: To-
After IRCA passed, the US bishops mo- gether on the Journey of
bilized the country's largest network Hope: A Pastoral Letter
of "qualified designated entities" — Concerning Migration
voluntary and community organiza- • Catholic Social Teaching
tions that had permission from the and Migration
Immigration and Naturalization Service • Understanding Catholic So-
to help unauthorized immigrants fill cial Teaching as it Relates
out adjustment-of-status applications. to Migration
The Catholic Church believes a just
immigration system would allow immi-
Check out this and more at:
grants to realize their basic aspira- www.justiceforimmigrants.org
tions and, in doing so, would serve the
good of all Americans.
Xaverian Mission Newsletter ▪ February 2009 7
World Mission Spirituality
Zimbabwean Jesuit David
Harold-Barry looks at the
concept of power expressed
in the letters of St Paul.
How does Paul’s idea of
power differ to the mani-
festations of political
power we see today?
www.thinkingfaith.org
A depiction of St. Paul’s conversion
on the way to Damascus by Car-
ravaggio.
8 Xaverian Mission Newsletter ▪ February 2009
Zimbabwe, Saint Paul and True Power
P
eople who ob-
serve Zimbabwe
from afar often
explode, ‘Why is the
situation going on so
long? Why don’t you do
something? Why don’t
you get rid of that man
who is blocking every-
thing?’ Those of us
who live here do not
ask these questions.
We are not interested
in violence; we had
years of it in the strug-
gle for independence
and they were deeply
traumatic. And be-
sides, bad as our situa-
tion is, we have no
wish to find ourselves
alongside Kivu and
Goma, suffering the same
misery as that caused by
the Rwandan genocide.
But there is perhaps a
deeper reason which we do
not often put into words.
Our president uses force to
stay in power but to use
force to remove him would
be inviting for ourselves
decades of instability. We
prefer to wait. Eventually
circumstances will abound
that will make change in-
evitable. What we are liv-
ing through now in Zim-
babwe is painful but it is
not time lost. People in
their thirties and forties,
educated reflective people,
have observed what has
been happening this past
ten years and they are
deeply embarrassed by the
continued presence of ‘the
old man’. But they want to
see him go peacefully.
Meanwhile they are con-
sciously planning the sort of
society they want. They
now know – by a sort of via
negativa - what good gov-
ernance means and what
effective management of
the economy means. We
will never again tolerate
someone bulldozing his way
through the institutions of
the state.
In this year of St Paul we
have a sure theological
base for this way of seeing
An election rally during the violent times in Zambabwe
things. Paul often
talks of power but in
a way quite different
from our leader.
May the God of hope
fill you with all joy
and peace in your
faith, so that in the
power of the Holy
Spirit you may be rich
in hope. (Rom 15:13).
Glory be to him whose
power, working in us,
can do infinitely more
than we can ask or
imagine. (Eph 3: 20)
There is exterior
power, which is the
imposition of some-
thing by brute force,
that has no relationship to
the reality on the ground.
There is also interior
power, which is what Paul
refers to. It is doing some-
thing, often painfully and
slowly, that relates, as it
were organically, to some
need on the ground and
which ultimately people
accept because it has an
interior logic. This is the
power Paul writes of. And
he is quite blunt about it:
for Paul, power means the
cross.

To Live and Work for Peace
F
r. Rene Casillas, SX,
pictured above on the
left, together with Fr.
Hernandez, SX, are young
Xaverians beginning their
first mission experience. Fr.
Rene relates:
“The desire to become a
missionary was born in me
when I was a teenager. Af-
ter studying in high school, I
entered the Novitiate in
Salamanca, Mexico and be-
came a Xaverian in 1999,
at the age of 21 years. Af-
ter studying philosophy, I
was sent to Parma to attend
courses in theology, next to
the shrine of Blessed Guido
Conforti, founder of the
Xaverian Missionaries. I re-
turned to Mexico to be or-
dained a priest on 23 August
2008 in Los Cabos.
For me to be a missionary
priest means sharing my life
with God and with others.
It also means giving myself
to the service of the king-
dom of God, announcing
and bearing witness to His
mercy and peace. It seems
to that in this way, peace
and unity is possible in a
world often fractured by
division.
I am certain that the mis-
sionary vocation commits us
to this: to allow us to be-
true prophets of peace.
Being a missionary today
means to allow ourselves to
be put at the service of a
project bigger than us: to
proclaim Jesus, Prince of
Peace who transforms our
lives and the whole world
to "make the world one
family in all its diversity.
Become a Partner in Global Mission
“The boundaries be-
tween continents, cul-
tures, races and nations
disappear in order to
have a united attitude
of sincere and universal
welcome, of dialogue
and collaboration
among different peo-
ple…”
Pope Benedict XVI
BUILD THIS WORLD OF
PEACE AS A
XAVERIAN
MISSIONARY
Contact
Fr. Joe Matteucig
508-429-2144
holliston.sx at
gmail.com
Today we live in a world
that seeks peace every-
where, but cannot find it
because this is often by
search by force of arms and
power. Our world urgently
needs of men and women
who proclaim peace, who
are prophets of peace. It is
crucial that people put
their lives in the service of
these dreams and ideals,
following the example of
Christ.
Now I am already in the
Amazons of Northern Brazil:
I'm experiencing new
friends and a new mission,
my new home. I hope to
faithfully follow my ideals
with the Brazilian people.
They are often young peo-
ple that are full of generos-
ity, faith. celebration, and
contradictions.
Xaverian Mission Newsletter ▪ February 2009 9
 World Mission News Digest
The Africa Faith and Justice
Network [AFJN] strives to be a
meaningful voice for Africa in
U.S. public policy. AFJN stresses
issues of human rights and social
justice that tie directly into
Catholic social teaching. AFJN
works closely with Catholic
missionary congregations and
numerous Africa-focused coali-
tions of all persuasions to advo-
cate for USA economic and po-
litical policies that will benefit
Africa`s poor majority, facili-
tate an end to armed conflict,
establish equitable trade and
investment with Africa and pro-
mote ecologically sound devel-
opment.
The Executive Director is
Xaverian Missionary,
Fr. Rocco Puopolo.
Get Involved at:
www.afjn.org
10 Xaverian Mission Newsletter ▪ February 2009
World Mission News Digest
Indonesia
Ferry Sinks, Hundreds Missing
Some 245 people are missing
after a ferry sank en route be-
tween the Island of Sulawesi and
Borneo, said Transport Minister
Jusman Syafii Djamal, adding
that first investigations indicate
that the cause of the disaster
were the bad weather condi-
tions. According to the 22 survi-
vors, the ferry capsized on Sat-
urday night after being hit by
over 5-meter high waves. The
director of maritime security of
Pare Pare, the port on the west-
ern coast of Sulawesi from
where the ferry departed, said
that the ferry flipped over dur-
ing the night when most of the
250 passengers and 17 crew-
members were sleeping. DRC
Democratic Republic of the
Congo
The Catholic Church assists
after the massacres
Caritas International is has sent
aid to 10,000 families in the
north of the Democratic Repub-
lic of Congo, where on Christ-
mas Day, Ugandan rebels of the
Lord's Resistance Army (LRA)
carried out massacres on the
local population. “The rebels
have been terrorizing the people
of northern Congo for several
months. However, the wave of
violence during the holiday sea-
son has left over 400 victims
from a series of massacres car-
ried out by the LRA rebels on
Christmas Day and the days that
followed. Officials said, “We are
shocked by survivor's accounts.
In spite of the presence of sol-
diers in some towns, many peo-
ple fear new episodes of vio-
lence. The inhabitants of the
villages attacked have fled
empty-handed and Caritas is
trying to provide for those who
were forced to flee on Christmas
Day and the days following.”
Up to 150,000 people are
thought have left their homes to
seek safety following violence
which has seen rebels burning
villages, hacking people to
death and kidnapping children
and forcing them to become
soldiers.
Sierra Leone, Africa
Son of Former President Sen-
tences to 97 Years in Prison
‘Chuckie’ Taylor, son of the
president Liberia Charles Tay-
lor, already recognized last
October of being guilty of tor-
ture and complicity in several
homicides between 1999 and
2003: the sentence was issued
by a court in Miami. Born in
Boston, a citizen of the United
States, 31 years, Charles
McArthur Emmanuel was judged
on the basis of a law that au-
thorizes the federal courts over
crimes of torture perpetrated
by US citizens. During the presi-
dency, currently on trial in The
Hague by the UN for war crimes
committed during the civil war
in Sierra Leone, ‘Chuckie’ led
the “anti-terrorism” unit.
Vatican City
Pope Benedict XVI on Gaza:
“Military Options are No Solu-
tion”
“Once again I would repeat that
the military option is not a solu-
tion and that violence, wher-
ever it comes from and what-
ever form it takes, must be
firmly condemned”, said Pope
Benedict XVI in a speech to the
diplomatic corps accredited to
the Holy See. “The birth of
Christ in the poor grotto of
Bethlehem, naturally conducts
our thoughts to the situation in
the Middle East, and first and
foremost to the Holy Land,
where over these last few days
we are witnessing a recrudes-
cence of violence, which causes
damages and huge sufferings
amidst the civilians. This situa-
tion further complicates the
pursuit of a way out of the con-
flict between Israelis and Pales-
tinians, profoundly desired by
many of them and the entire
world”, added the Pontiff.
Taiwan
Our Lady of Wan Jin
The faithful of the Diocese of
Tai Nan are showing their great
enthusiasm and devotion to Our
Lady of Wan Jin, whose image is
on pilgrimage through the vari-
ous dioceses of the island of
Taiwan, in order to “invoke the
Lord's blessing on the country,”
on the occasion of its 150th
anniversary of evangelization.
Cardinal Paul Shan, Emeritus
Bishop of Kaohsiung, on behalf
of all the Bishops of Taiwan who
were on their Ad Limina visit in
Rome, presided the solemn pro-
cession that took place on De-
cember 13, which welcomed the
arrival of the pilgrim-statue of
Our Lady of Wan Jin to Tai Nan.
When the religious procession
passed in front of a Buddhist
temple, even the Buddhists who
were inside the temple praying
came out with their hands in
prayer and bowed their heads in
respect before the statue.
Burundi, Africa
New Religious Congregation
Approved
The Archdiocese of Gitega has
recently approved the new reli-
gious family of the Congregation
of Mary, Queen of the Holy
Priesthood. The Congregation
was founded by diocesan priest
Father Avit Vyumvuhore on Au-
gust 15, 1976, with the mission
of sanctifying the People of God
and bearing witness to the irre-
placeable role of the priesthood
in ecclesial life. The charism
given by the Founder (who was a
missionary in Africa and Europe)
is that of praying and working
for the holiness of all the bap-
tized, especially for the holiness
of priests, spreading the spiritu-
ality of the love Jesus related to
his Disciples: “Love your ene-
mies and pray for those who
persecute you” (Mt. 5:44). The
Institute includes both a mascu-
line and feminine branch (the
latter being a more recent foun-
dation).

News from our USA Communities
Sharing Missionary Lives on College Campus
M
issionaries who
work many years in
far flung places
worldwide have the for-
tune to “bring home”
these rich, eventful ex-
periences in order to share
them with us and to help
us know the global links
we all have as Catholics.
Fr. Adolph Menendez
worked for 23 years in
Mexico and before that,
more than seven in Japan.
From there he came to the
Eastern Illinois University
and finally to the Univer-
sity of Illinois in Cham-
paign/Urbana to work in
campus ministry. Presently
he serves the mission edu-
cation program of the
Catholic student center
and the Hispanic Aposto-
late.
Fr. Adolph, whose warm
Fr. Victor Mosele talks with students at the FOCUS confer-
ence, a meeting of Catholic college students nationwide.
From our USA Communities
Soup and Mission
and friendly Program for Lent 2009
approach
Presents
with the
students,
brings an The Xaverian Missionaries in the
important Democratic Republic of the
dimension to Congo
ministry
By Fr. Pascal Kamanzi Kasanziki
with the
Rector of our International
Catholic
students of Theology Program in Chicago
the campus.
He says that Saturday, March 28
in sharing
his mission- Our Lady of Fatima Shrine
ary life and Fr. Adolph Menendez with some international students at a 101 Summer Street
the mission special program at the University. Holliston, MA
of the Call 508-429-2144
Church, they come to un- horrors of war, was kidnapped for reservations
derstand their lives as a by rebels there and eventually
gift of God given for the found freedom. He brings this
benefit of others. Also, he rich faith experience to Illinois
enjoys to see the signs of State University in Normal/
wonder in them as they Bloomington, Illinois.
come to know more of the
ways of God. On staff at the Catholic Stu-
dent Center, he assists with
Fr. Victor Mosele, another the sacramental life of the
Xaverian students and is present to
Mission- them for counseling and
ary work- friendly chats. Fr. Victor says
ing in that many of the students
campus have little idea of what the Margaret Toner, founder of the
ministry, missionary commitment of the Xaverian Mission Guild of
Kearny, NJ more than 40 years
worked Church in the world is really
ago passed away on January 8,
for more all about today. He tries to 2008 at the age of 93.
than 30 “fill the gap” of knowledge
years in and appreciation for mission in Fr. Maloney remembers her: “I
Sierra order to help the students recall her enthusiasm, her
Leone, understand their commitment gentleness, her spirited antics,
West of global solidarity as Catho- her willingness to be there for
her children and for her
Africa, lics.
neighbors and friends and for
where in
Check out Fr. Victor’s Book, her relatives still in Scotland.”
his last She worked tirelessly for many
years Running for My Life, at Ama-
years in the support of the
experi- zon Bookstore. (See details on missionary work of the Church.
enced the page 12) She will truly be missed.
Xaverian Mission Newsletter ▪ February 2009 11
 Xaverian Mission Newsletter ▪ February 2009

This Lent, consider

donating your time,
talent and treasure
Lenten Reading Suggestion with us as you reach
Running for My Life
by Fr. Victor Mosele, SX
Breathtaking and cruel, the 11-year
out to the world in
civil war in Sierra Leone, Africa,
becomes frighteningly real with the
capture of Catholic missionary Fr.
Victor Mosele. His true story of sur-
Christ’s name.
viving two harrowing kidnappings
and the risks ordinary people took Contact the local
to save him are testimony to the
triumph of the human spirit. Go to: community closest to you
http://www.amazon.com/Running-Life-
Victor-F-M-Mosele/dp/1893757528
(see page 2)

The Xaverian Missionaries are presently serving in:

Bangladesh [ Brazil [ Burundi [ Cameroon [ Chad [ Colombia Democratic Republic of Congo [ France [ Great Britain
Indonesia [ Italy [ Japan [ Mexico [ Mozambique [ Philippines [ Sierra Leone [ Spain [ Taiwan [ United States

Return Service Requested

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