Xaverian Mission Newsletter February 2012

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NewsletterNewsletterNewsletter

XAVERIANMISSIONXXXAVERIANAVERIANAVERIANMMMISSIONISSIONISSION

Make of the World One Family

Volume 60 No 1 February 2012

Website: xaviermissionaries.org Mission Blog: www.global-catholic.org

WWELCOMINGELCOMING CCHRISTHRISTININTHETHEMIGRANTMIGRANT

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

(USCCB) designated the second week of January as

National Migration Week. Welcoming Christ in the

Migrant was observed in dioceses throughout the nation.

Just as on the road to Emmaus, Christ's disciples met

him in the guise of a stranger, this year's theme helps

remind us that Christ makes himself present to each of us

in the lonesome traveler, the newcomer, and the mi-

grant, said Archbishop Jos Gomez of Los Angeles, the

chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration.

The observance of National Migration Week was begun

over a quarter century ago by the US bishops to provide

Catholics an opportunity to acknowledge the wide diversi-

ty of peoples in the Church and the ministries serving

them.

Pope Benedict XVI expressed concern for the millions of

migrants around the world, "I entrust to the Lord all

those who, often forcibly, must leave their homeland, or

who are stateless," the pope said at his noon blessing last

Dec. 4. "While I encourage solidarity for them, I pray for

all those who are doing their utmost to protect and assist

these brothers and sisters in emergency situations, even

if it means exposing themselves to serious hardships and

dangers."


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2 Xaverian Mission Newsletter February 2012

Welcoming Christ...

Xaverian Missionaries

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

Xavier Knoll Mission Center

4500 Xavier DriveFranklin, WI 53132-9066Tel.: (414) 421-0831Fax: (414) 421-9108Email: [email protected]

Global Youth Mission ServicesFatima Shrine

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

Xaverian Mission Newsletter

Official publication ofthe Xaverian Missionariesof the United States

PublisherFr. Carl Chudy,SX

Editorial TeamFr. Tony Lalli, SXFr. Joseph Matteucig, SX

Editor

Mary Aktay

PrintingAlphaGraphics, Totowa, NJ

Email & Web:

[email protected]

www.xaviermissionaries.org

www,guidoconforti.com

www.global-catholic.org

http://www.facebook.com/catholicmissionaries

http://www.twitter.com/worldcatholic

Donation: $5.00 per year

Please Help the Global Mission of the Church. Contact:

Fr. Frank Grappoli, SX12 Helene CourtWayne, NJ 07470Tel: 973-942-2975

or visit: www.xaviermissionaries.org for online donations

Dear Xaverian Family

In Traveling Together in Hope, their Pastoral Letter on Immigration, the Cath-olic Bishops of Wisconsin state:

Over the course of two thousand years, the Catholic Church has developeda special expertise in the area of immigration. Our universal Church hasobserved and participated in migrations all across the globe. We havehelped millions of immigrants Catholic and non-Catholic to prosper innew lands. We have done so and will continue to do so because we seethe image and likeness of God in every human being. From the Prophetsto recent papal teaching, the Church has a consistent message:Welcome the stranger. (Mt 25:35).

As missionaries we are the strangers in foreign lands who are welcomed intothe homes and hearts of the people there. Here at home we recognize thatCatholics, all in good conscience, hold differing views about immigration re-form. We also know that many are dissatisfied with the status quo and arelooking for a workable solution. Our Catholic teaching provides importantprinciples to guide us.

Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed the theme for the 98th World Day of Migrants

and Refugees celebrated on January 15, 2012: Migration and the New Evan-gelization. In his message the pope said the present time calls upon theChurch to intensify its missionary activity both in the regions where the Gos-pel is proclaimed for the first time and in countries with a Christian tradition.

Proclaiming Jesus Christ the one Savior of the world constitutes the essen-tial mission of the ChurchToday we feel the urgent need to give a fresh im-petus and new approaches to the work of evangelization in a world in whichthe breaking down of frontiers and the new processes of globalization arebringing individuals and peoples even closer.

We can only echo: Amen!In Christ, through the intercession of St. Guido Conforti,


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3Xaverian Mission Newsletter February 2012

Xaverian Missionaries in the World

Building the Living Church

The mission entrusted to the Xaverians continues to bear fruit. It is agreat joy and challenge ministering the Philippines.

I have been present in this country since 1994 in different stages of

my life. First I was a student of Theology who also shared time in St.Francis Xavier Parish, working with choirs and children. After myordination I was assigned to Vocation ministry. Then I was asked to servein the Conforti Formation House. All these years were full of joys andchallenges indeed.

At present I am one of the confreres who form the Pastoral Team of thenew parish we accepted. This parish is consecrated to Our Lady ofGuadalupe. Most Rev. Gabriel V. Reyes, D.D. Bishop of Antipolo openedthe parish and installed me as its first parish priest on May 9, 2009. It wasa great moment of joy.

The parish began its mission with a lot of vigor and enthusiasm. We immediately worked withsix communities and around 300 people committed themselves as lectors, altar servers,choirs, and parish leaders. They walkedfrom the different corners

of the parish to receive biblical, liturgical and musical formations.Our enthusiasm was challenged by the flood of Typhoon Ondoy onSeptember 26, 2009, just four months after the inauguration of theparish. The water affected the entire parish destroying houses andproperty. It was a total desolation after the flood.

As parish priest I tried to reach the different chapels and thehouses of our leaders but it was impossible due to the damagecaused by the typhoon. At one moment I did not know where I wasso I decided to go back to the main chapel and clean it. I knew thiswould become the center to accept goods and distribute them: Iwas right. By the grace of God we survived the flood and thereconstruction period.

Building our Parish Church would be a great help. We are workingwith some small chapels where the sacraments are celebrated. Wealso rent two houses, one used as the house of the priest and thesecond as the Parish Office. We are planning to buy a lot where wecan build our parish center and the church for the proclamation ofthe gospel.

We are already working in nine communities and ready to open the tenth which will be namedafter our founder St. Guido Ma. ConfortiCommunity. The number of people ministeringour parish is also increasing; I believe they arearound five hundred lay people working in ourparish. We have no money, but we have faith.We have no gold or physical building, but wehave hope and unity. After all, we are buildingthe living church.

This is really a hard task but we know that themission is not ours. God, in His own ways, willcontinue supporting us and leading us to thegreen pastures of His promised land.

Fr. Javier Mexicano Ferrer, SX

(Editors note: Yet another typhoon devastated

the Philippines in December 2011.)


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Xaverian Missionaries in the World

Across Borders and Oceans Gods Word

Knows No BoundariesOrdination of Fr. Lucas Marandi, SX called a milestone.

Thepowerto make the world a

better place is in yourhands.

Help spread the Gospel

with a click!

Share in the Global Mission of the

Church and the legacy

of Saint Guido Conforti.

Visit: www.xaviermissionaries.org

We now accept PayPal and credit

card donations online.

Jesus washed

the feet of His

disciples as a

sign of love. Iwill try to keep

this example of

love in mind

every day and

follow it.

There was great celebration in thediocese of Dinajpur diocese, adistrict in Northern Bangladesh,

when the first indigenous Santal Catho-lic, Lucas Marandi, 36, was ordained aXaverian missionary priest on September9, 2011 by Holy Cross Bishop Moses M.Costa in the Sacred Heart of JesusChurch in Khalippur.

Father Marandis mission ministry will be

in Brazil. Fr.Marandi com-mented on hisvocation:Jesus washedthe feet of Hisdisciples as asign of love. Iwill try to keepthis example oflove in mindevery day andfollow it.

The ordination represented a mile-stone after a century of Catholicism inthe area. It was a historic event forthe Santal community. Foreign mis-sioners evangelized and served theindigenous people for hundreds ofyears. They encouraged diocesan voca-tions to strengthen the local Church.Now with a strong faith and commit-ment to spreading the Gospel, thetorch has been passed.

The Word of God is now proclaimedthrough the hands and hearts of thoseevangelized, just as has been from thebeginning of Christianity. St. Guidosassertion to Make of the world onefamily! has been embraced by Fr.Lucas Marandi, SX in Bangladesh. Nowhe will take the message to Brazil.

Editors note: Fr. Marandi is now in San

Paulo, Brazil where he is working on the

study of language and culture.


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Xaverian Missionaries In the US

On Mission Sunday, October 23, 2011,Guido M. Conforti, Bishop of Parma,Italy, and Founder of the Xaverian

Missionaries, was declared a Saint by PopeBenedict XVI. St. Peters Square was over-flowing with thousands of people from allover the world, including some 50 of us fromthe States.

Xaverian Missionaries and friends had celebra-tions in honor of St. Guido. Mass was presidedby Bishop George Biguzzi, SX, of Makeni, SierraLeone at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside theWall. We rejoiced at the Cathedral of Parma

where St. Guido had been bishop. All the cele-brations were moving, exhilarating and multi-cultural. In just one occasion I counted 12 lan-guages spoken in prayer and music. The expe-rience was overwhelming.

Meeting each other, we asked: Where are youfrom? Understandable in such circumstances.Yet, connected with the words of St. Guido,to make of the world one family, the ques-tion hit me with unusual force as it brought tomind that same remark in the Gospel.

It was a harassing scene. Jesus had been ar-rested and brought before judges. Outside inthe dark it was very cold. People were sitting

around fires with their hands outstretchedtoward the fleeting warmth of the flames. Awary maid pointed to Peter and said: Youraccent betrays you. Where are youfrom?She tried to classify him by his land, his tribe,and his nation.

Peter denied knowing Jesus. He denied thetruth. Peter shouldhave denied that he couldbe classified any longer as a Galilean, belong-ing to one group, to one land, one nation be-cause he was now a follower of Jesus.

That is what Jesus means when He says: Callno one on earth your father; you have but one

Father in heaven. Do not be classified bydescent, blood, land, tribe, or nation. Thosedivisions are gone. From now on, it is all of us:one descent, one blood, one land, one people,and one nation. Only one is your Father, theone in heaven!

The question is still asked of you and me:Your accent betrays you. Where are youfrom? The answer Jesus gave is for all of us:Only one is your Father, the one in heaven!You belong together; you are brothers andsisters.

Only when this answer is given to that treach-erous question will we be at home togetheron earth. Only this answer can break the darknight in which we are still sitting with ourhands outstretched in the fleeting warmth ofa fire.

Oh, the world tries to fool us. It tells us webelong to a global village. Though we are con-nected in many ways by sat-ellites, telephones, internet,radio, television we remainstrangers, often dividedagainst each other. People

sitting in a bus, train, or planedo not relate to each otherjust because they are usingthe same kind of transport.Being aware that we are flyingthe same spaceship, calledearth, is not much help either.

Jesus gives us a reason to re-late to each other: It is ourcommon divine origin. You have only oneFather, and he is inheaven. We have oneparent; one origin. Weare one family.

Get an atlas and take agood look at the world.Get acquainted withthe family you have andthe earth where we livetogether. Look at thetrails and the achieve-ments of our humanfamily in that spiritJesus introduced toyou, and youll con-clude, as St. Guido did: Yes, we are calledto make of the world one family. St. Guidoleads us to

aspire andlabor to-ward thatend: weare onefamily,and God isour oneFather.

Fr. TonyLalli SX

Where Are You From?Go and preach the brotherhood proclaimed by Christ, which is destined to

demolish all barriers and make a single family of all peoples.

St. Guido M. Conforti to departing Missionaries, 1924

From top: Fr. Tony Lalliwith his friends, JoanBowen and ElizabethBowen Wall at the Romeairport. (photo: M. Mar-raffino)

Fr. Tony with Fr. AlfieroCeresoli, SX, miraclerecipient Thiago Jooand his parents in Par-ma. (photo: M. Aktay)

Xaverian USA Provincepilgrims in front of thePopes summer resi-

dence. (photo: M. Mar-raffino)


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CelebraMMMASSASSASSOFOFOF TTTHHH

CCCANONIZATIONANONIZATIONANONIZATION

On Sunday, December 11, 2we celebrated a solemn mof thanksgiving for the canonizatio

St. Guido Conforti, founder of the

verian Missionaries. The mass was

at St. Bridget's Parish in Framingha

Massachusetts where Msgr. Strahan

pastor. Cardinal Sean O'Malley pre

ed. Bishop McManus of the Diocese

Worcester, MA, concelebrated alon

with Xaverian Missionaries from th

Province and fellow priests from th


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the Time!KSGIVINGKSGIVINGKSGIVINGFORFORFOR

SSSAINTAINTAINT CCCONFORTIONFORTIONFORTI

Archdiocese of Boston and Diocese of

Worchester.

After the multilingual liturgy, about 250

friends gathered for a meal of thanks-

giving. We are grateful to all who havemade this celebration possible. Thanks

too to Mr. Mike Marraffino for the pho-

tos.

May this happy occasion be a way to

deepen and enliven the global mission

of the church.

Fr. Carl Chudy SX


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Global Mission Spirituality

Pope Benedict XVI traveled to Benin, Africa in November on a very symbolicand important journey for the Church of Africa, and for us all. Benedict XVIs

visit to Benin and the apostolic exhortation, Africae Munus (Treasure of Africa),which he signed in Ouidah make an important contribution to world coexistence andoffer real support for the Catholic Churchs commitment. A commitment which is notforeign to the continent that provided exile to the Holy Family fleeing persecutionand where Christianity has very ancient roots. A history which the Pope underscoredseveral times, recalling the importance of the school of Alexandria, evoking the an-cient African Christian writers in Latin and especially repeating, again to journalistson the airplane to Cotonou, that in the 21st century the announcement of the Gospelon the continent should not seem like a difficult and European system, but be ex-pressed in a universal message, at once simple and profound, that God knows usand loves us and that concrete religion provokes collaboration and fraternity.

Why couldnt an African country show the way tothe rest of the world? Benedict XVI left Benin witha question which involves more than just that con-tinent which he visited for the second time in lessthan three years. Clarifying that it is a way of liv-ing in authentic fraternity, founded on the familyand work, the Popes final speech in Benin servedto strongly encourage Africa and admonish thosewho continue to exploit it through ill-concealedforms of neocolonialism.

Fr. Carl Chudy SX

W

ith this document I wish to make available the encour-aging fruits proposed by the Synod, and I invite all

people of good will to look to Africa with faith and love, to helpit becomethrough Christ and through the Holy Spiritthelight of the world and the salt of the earth (cf. Mt 5:13-14). Aprecious treasure is to be found in the soul of Africa, where Iperceive a spiritual lung for a humanity that appears to be ina crisis of faith and hope, on account of the extraordinary hu-man and spiritual riches of its children, its variegated cultures,its soil and sub-soil of abundant resources. However, if it is tostand erect with dignity, Africa needs to hear the voice of Christ

who today proclaims love of neighbor, love even of ones ene-mies, to the point of laying down ones life: the voice ofChrist who prays today for the unity andcommunion of all people in God. (cf. Jn17:20-21).

Africa: Salt of the Earth & Spiritual Lung for Humanity

A precious treasureis to be found in the

soul of Africa,

where I perceive a

spiritual lung for

a humanity that ap-

pears to be in a cri-

sis of faith and

hope,


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The Missionary Dimension of the Priestly Vocation

Witnesses of God: Missionary Priests & Consecrated Religious

The Pontifical Missionary Union ofPriests and Religious celebrated

a prayer vigil for the Day of MissionaryPriests and consecrated Religious onDecember 3, the day the Church com-memorates St. Francis Xavier, patronsaint of the missions. The theme chosenis the same as the missionary intentionof the month of October lastyear: "Witnesses of God."

The recent canonization of Guido MariaConforti, co-founder and first presidentof the Pontifical Missionary Union ofClergy, offers us an opportunity to re-flect on the missionary dimension of thepriestly vocation. Saint Guido MariaConforti was priest and bishop not onlyto his diocese, but to all the world.

Bishop Conforti's concern for the Churchentrusted to him never distracted himfrom the concern for those parts of theworld where the Word of God had notyet been proclaimed. He was con-vinced that the proclamation of the

Gospel ad gentes (to the nations), wasthe most effective way of re-evangelizing his own people. He wasuntiring, therefore, in his commitmentto mission evangelization and promo-tion, both through the work of his ownmissionary family, as well as supportingevery missionary animation initiative inItaly and throughout the world.

He was particularly committed to assist-ing in the foundation and spreading ofthe Pontifical Missionary Union of theClergy. In fact, in 1916 Guido Conforti

got together with Fr. Paolo Manna of thePontifical Institute of Milan MissionarySociety. The idea was to mobilizepriests around the world to reawakentheir awareness of having been ordainedfor the whole world and encouragethem to heighten their people's commit-ment to spreading the Gospel. It was tobe another legacy to the mission of theChurch.

PRAY FOR PRIESTSAND ENCOURAGE

THEM TO BRING THE

GLOBAL MISSION PER-

SPECTIVE TO THE

VALUABLE MINISTRY

THEY PROVIDE TO

THE CHURCH.

The Bishop of Parma was almost like amagnet to those who felt the urgencyof missionary formation of the peopleof God. The missionary heart of Fr.Manna had the intuition that onlythrough the personal conversion ofpriests and bishops to the universalmission of the church could he hope fora missionary re-launching. Bishop Con-forti joined wholeheartedly the Mission-ary Union of the Clergy.

It was provi-dential thatFr. PaoloManna hadthe supportof the holyBishop Con-forti at thetime of thefoundation ofthe Mission-ary Union ofthe Clergy.Conforti notonly offered

valuable advice and help to the Unionin its infancy stages; he also used hisauthority to ensure that it gained papalapproval. (Pope Paul VI)

Fr. Alfredo Turco SX

Above: Pontifical Delegate Cardi-nal Tosi visits the Xaverian Insti-

tute with Bishop Conforti.

Below: Diocesan and Religious

Priests join Xaverians for the

Canonization Thanksgiving Mass

in Framingham, MA. (photo: M.

Marraffino)


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World Mission News Digest

World Mission News Digest

brates his silver jubilee,

becoming Bishop Emeri-tus hands this churchover to the clergy ofMakeni and Sierra Leo-ne. Now that peace hasreturned after the hor-rible 10 year civil war,Bishop Biguzzi handsover to the people ofSierra Leone a ratheradult Church.

ASIA/TAIWAN

More prayer, reflec-

tion and action in the

new year after 150years of evangeliza-

tion

Taiwan (Agenzia Fides) Inan editorial entitled "Letsmove forward in 2012,"the weekly Catholic bulle-tin of the Archdiocese ofTaipei invites the faithfulto pray, reflect and actmore in the new year,because "The Church mayalways be the light andsalt, so that all may

change in the light thatleads to Christ." The textreads: Thanks to the newstrength and missionaryzeal resulted from thecelebration of the 150years of evangelization inTaiwan, and the exampleof great Cardinal PaulShan, we felt full of theLords grace. So we have

AFRICA/SIERRA LEONE

Birth and develop-ment of the African

Church, which cele-

brates 50 years: the

diocese of Makeni

Makeni (Agenzia Fides) In 1950 four Xaverianpriests landed in the portof Freetown and giventhe missions of Lunsar andMakeni. The "NorthernProvince" became thefoundation of a new Afri-

can Church. The group wasled by Father Augusto Fer-mo Azzolini (1908-1992). In1962 Makeni was elevatedto a Diocese, with Msgr.Azzolini consecrated itsfirst Bishop. He remainedat the helm for 25 yearsand was succeeded by Mgr.George Biguzzi, also a Xa-verian missionary. BishopBiguzzi headed the diocesefor 25 years, until January7, 2012, when the new

African Bishop Aruna Hen-ry, of the Diocese ofKenema was elected.

Now, after 50 years of ap-ostolic work, thanks inlarge part to Bishop Biguz-zi, the local clergy can seeto the requirements of thisdiocese.

Bishop Biguzzi who cele-

the trump card to go for-

ward with confidence. Butwe must pray more, torenew our lives and dailywork We must do morefor democracy, we mustact according to truth andjustice of God, allowingthe construction of a morejust and fraternal society.

CARIBBEAN/ HAITI

The Catholic Church is

not Discouraged

Port au Prince (AgenziaFides) - The Apostolic Nun-cio, Mgr. Bernardito Auza,describes the situation inHaiti two years after thedevastating earthquake:"The reconstruction inHaiti is particularly diffi-cult and expensive be-cause everything is im-ported, even the sand....There are still about600,000 people in tents,

including seminarians. TheChurch has dozens of re-construction projects. We

must considerfunding and priori-ties. Meanwhile,the serious prob-lems of Haiti,which existed be-fore the earth-quake, persist:firstly, the materi-al and social pov-erty. Many children

do not attend school be-

cause their parents haveto pay school fees andapproximately 90% ofschools are private! TheCatholic Church is notdiscouraged, however, andcontinues to work in favorof the smaller and poor-er.

AMERICAS/MEXICO

Sad record for thecity of Oaxaca: 1500

children die everyyear.

Oaxaca (Agenzia Fides) -According to World HealthOrganization the maincauses of childhood deatheach year are due to in-fections and accidents.The leading cause amongchildren aged 5 to 14 isroad accidents, while chil-dren between 1 and 5 diemainly from infectious

intestinal disease. Inthe city of Oaxaca in2011, 1500 childrendied. The most vulner-able group includessmall children andelderly people who fallill mainly due to bac-teria, viruses or para-sites that enter thebody through contami-nated food and water.


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From our USA Communities

News from our USA Communities

A Tribute to Father AlfredoFrom His Franklin Community and Friends

Fr. Alfredo Turco SX came to Xavier Knoll, Franklin, WI directlyafter his ordination on September 25, 1988. He has such awonderful personality that people naturally gravitate toward him. He

raised significant funds for the Xaverians, simply on the strength of that

personality and his ability to develop contacts by relating to people on

so many levels. Moreover, he saved substantial amounts of money by

being able to do so many things by himself. For our annual mission ban-

quet, for example, he would format the tickets and letterheads, as wellas develop the center photo collage and layout the ads for the banquet

booklet. All of his computer skills have been self-taught. He loves to

learn and try new things. He is extremely talented in many, many areas.

He can do everything from fixing the plumbing to setting up and updat-

ing our website. He is also an accomplished musician both keyboards

and stringed instruments and he possesses a lovely baritone voice. It

seemed he, like the Energizer bunny, never stopped working in one way

or another when he was here.

He is extremely selfless. He was also the first to visit people he knew in

the hospital or in nursing homes whether for rehab or permanently.

He will push himself to an extreme to help someone in need.Many parishes began to call us for ministry help-out over the past years

because he has a very special way of relating to other priests, whether

they are diocesan or another religious order. He often took four or more

Masses and/or confessions on the weekends when parishes in the area

(or even parishes an hour or more away) asked for help, and the

other Fathers were already scheduled. In addition, several high

schools in the area would call to have him, specifically, celebrate

Mass on holy days because he has such a special way of relating

to young people. He was also the Chaplain for the South Milwau-

kee Council of the Knights of Columbus, as well as their Ladies'

Auxiliary, and, we were told all of those folks would walk bare-

foot on hot coals for him. A number of very emotional phone callsand messages were received after it was announced that Fr. Al-

fredo had been reassigned!

We will all miss his sense of humor and goofy laugh. We will re-

member most the fact that he was ALWAYS there for all of us,

for our families, for friends, even for strangers for anyone who

asked. That's just the kind of guy he is.From Top: Fr. Alfredo at the 2011 Mission Banquet in Franklin, with

Thiago Joo in Parma, and the 2011 Mission Festival in Franklin.


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The Xaverian Missionaries serve in:

Xaverian Mission Newsletter February 2012

XAVERIANMISSIONARIES

12HeleneCourtWayne,NJ07470-2813

Non-ProfitOrg.U.S.Postage

PAIDPermit#52Wayne,NJ07470

turnServiceRequested

Christ has no body but yours;

no hands, no feet on earth but yours.

Yours are the eyes with which He looks

compassion on this world.

Yours are the feet with which

He walks to do good.

Yours are the hands

with which He blesses all the world.

St. Teresa of Avila

Documents

Xaverian Mission Newsletter February 2012