“Make of the world one family”

Xaverian Mission
Volume 57 - No. 4 | November 2009
Newsletter
Website: xaviermissionaries.org • MissionBlog: xaverianmissionaries.blogspot.com

“The Church Which Knows Neither Borders Nor Frontiers”

“T he universal Church, which knows

neither borders nor frontiers,
feels responsible for announcing
the Gospel to whole peoples. It is the
duty of the Church, seed of hope by
vocation, to continue Christ’s service in
the world.”

Pope Benedict XVI emphasized these

words in his yearly message for World
Mission Sunday which was celebrated by
all parishes in the USA last October.

He goes on to say: “The Church

wishes to transform the world with the
proclamation of the Gospel of love,
‘that can always illuminate a world
grown dim and give us the courage
needed to keep living and working…
and in this way to cause the light of
God to enter into the world’. It is to
this mission and to this service, that I
call, also with this Message, all the
members and institutions of the Church
to participate.”

A young child in the Philippines searches
for dry land during the recent Typhoon
Ondoy that devastated so much life in
Metro Manila and other areas.
It is with these words that we dedi- sion to spread the Kingdom of God
cate this issue of XMN and bring you and to support missionaries and
stories from the street children of Christian communities involved in
Bangladesh, typhoons and earthquakes mission, in front line, often in situa-
in the Philippines and Indonesia, inter- tions of hostility and persecution.”
religious dialogue in the United States,
news of this great mission from around • “At the same time I ask everyone to
the world. We also want to share with offer as a credible sign of commu-
you a special program of the US Bishops nion among the Churches, financial
and Catholic Relief Services called: assistance, especially in these times
Catholics Confront Global Poverty. of crisis affecting all humanity, to
help the young Churches be in the
Finally, in the Pope’s encouragement condition to illuminate the nations
for the global mission of the Church, he with the Gospel of charity.”
also had two requests:
May our God in Jesus Christ inspire you
• “I therefore ask all Catholics to to be part of this most extraordinary
pray that the Holy Spirit will intensi- mission. U
fy the Church’s passion for the mis-
Catholic in a World of Many Faiths

X averian Missionaries
Provincial Headquarters
Stolen
12 Helene Court
Wayne, NJ 07470-2813
Tel.: (973) 942-2975
Childhood:
Fax: (973) 942-5012
Email: xavwayne@optonline.net Street Kids
of Bangladesh
Xavier Knoll Pre-Novitiate House
4500 Xavier Drive
Franklin, WI 53132-9066
Tel.: (414) 421-0831
Fax: (414) 421-9108
E-mail: xavmissionswi@hotmail.com

Mission Center & Fatima Shrine

101 Summer Street

S
P.O. Box 5857 treet children in Bangladesh are called
Holliston, MA 01746-5857 “Tokai”. In fact, “Tokai kora” in Bengali
Tel.: (508) 429-2144 means collecting things from the gar-
Fax: (508) 429-4793
bage or scrap. “Tokai” is the name given to
E-mail:
holliston.sx@gmail.com people who do this job.

International Theology House In 1995, Fr. Riccardo Tobanelli, Xaverian

1347 East Hyde Park Blvd. Missionary in Bangladesh, along with some
Chicago, IL 60615-2924 Muslim and Hindu supporters, began to offer
Tel. (773) 643-5745
hospitality and support to children forced to
E-mail: xavformation@hotmail.com
live on the streets. Among the poor, chil-
St. Therese Catholic Chinese dren are the most vulnerable. The girls are
Mission exploited as domestic servants in the homes
small organization called Dolet who finds
218 West Alexander Street of wealthy families.
Chicago, IL 60608-0000
ways to support and encourage outcasts
Tel. (312) 842-6777 who suffer prejudice and segregation in
The Tokai survive on the margins of soci-
E-mail: their own country.
ety. They work by recycling garbage, beg-
info_church@sttheresechinatown.org
ging, selling trinkets, washing trucks and
But probably the biggest obstacle that
Xaverian Mission Newsletter courier, or doing anything that is capable of
people in Bangladesh have to overcome is
getting them enough money to eat.
Official publication of the the prejudice that many of them face
Xaverian Missionaries
because of the long established caste sys-
of the United States The life of children forced to live on the
tem and oppression that Bangladeshi women
Coordinating Editor streets is one of the most radical manifesta-
face. Many of the communities are filled
Fr. Carl Chudy tions of injustice, poverty and segregation.
with “untouchables, the lowest level of the
Editorial Team Fr. Riccardo came up with the idea of a
caste system. The children in these commu-
Fr. Tony Lalli shelter for these children huddled in a
nities are often destined for lives as street
Fr. Joseph Matteucig crowded district of the city of Dhaka. They
Fr. Alfredo Turco cleaners simply because that is what their
also provide meals and a school education.
parents and grandparents were and there is
Layout Consultant “Here,” says Father, “these children find a
little hope to be anything else. There is lit-
Diamand Design, safe haven for the evening where they can
Wrentham, MA tle value for education because in the past
meet others who suffer the same kind of life
there has not been many opportunities for
Printing and may find some support and help.”
Rea-Craft Press, Inc.
the people in this caste system.
Foxboro, MA A Missionary Life for the Poor
Since 1994 I dedicated myself to the vic-
E-mail & Web: tims of urbanized slavery, which led many
xaverianmissionnewsletter@gmail.com Fr. Tobanelli worked in Bangladesh for
www.xaviermissionaries.org people to abandon their villages and to lose
more than 27 years. Initially, he says, “My
www.xaverianmissionaries.blogspot.com many traditional cultural values. Life in this
work took me to predominately Muslim com-
Donation: hostile world causes much suffering. The
munities. I worked with a group of outcasts
$5.00 per year family is often destroyed and many children
building small schools and giving life to a

2 Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009

 Xaverian Missionaries in the World

Fr. Riccardo
Tobanelli,
Xaverian
Missionary with
some of the
street children
they service in
a special shelter,
a joint project
with Muslims
and Hindus.

This is the neighborhood where the

newest center for the children is set up.

It is poverty such as
this that gives birth to
most often are left to themselves. the life on the streets.
These children fall into desperate and
tragic circumstances, such as exploita-
tion in sweat shops or work in houses of
prostitution.”

Fr. Tobanelli goes on: “With some of

my former street children who are now
grown, we were able to begin two more
centers. The first is Kaworan Bazar,
near the railroad in one of those neigh-
borhoods where life is nothing short of
inhumane. The other is located at
Savar, in an industrial area where we
offer a night shelter, and during the
day, we opened a nursery to accommo-
date the children of young women who
were abandoned.”
Almost 85 percent of street children
do not get assistance from either the
government or non-governmental orga-
nizations, growing up without education
or other rights. Such deprivation of
rights often forces them into anti-social
activities. A draft report of surveys of
the Ministry of Social Welfare says at
present there are more than 670,000
street children across the country of
Bangladesh.
“One of our tasks is to strengthen
relationships with the police,” says
Father Tobanelli. “Indeed, the tendency
is to stop street children, send them
before a judge, condemn and put them
in jail. After that, it is too easy to lose
track of them. With these groups of
youth, we created a primary care inter-
vention plan. As soon as we become
aware of these cases where our chil-
dren are arrested, we attempt to inter-
vene with the police to release them
and entrust it to them.”
These most vulnerable of the poor in
Bangladesh demand the attention of
Catholics worldwide. For more informa-
tion on how you can help contact us.
We would be happy to put you in touch
with possibilities to serve. U
Contributions from Frs. Fiorenzo Raffaini
& Diego Piovani

Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009 3

Xaverian Missionaries in the World
WHAT IS THE MISSION
OF THE CHURCH:
A Guide for Cathlolics
By Fr. Roger P. Schroeder, SVD
This simple and well thought
out book on the mission of
the Church brings in years of
mission experience, scripture,
church teaching and the
wisdom of Vatican II.
The result is a book to help
individuals, parishes, dioces-
es, and national churches
grapple practically and put
themselves heart and soul
into the mission of being
Christ in our suffering world.
Available at Amazon.com
and other book sellers.
4 Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009
Picking Up the Pieces
in the Philippines and Indonesia
T
he Xaverian Missionaries work in community we also serve, the chapel
both Indonesia and the functioned as a shelter until it was safe
Philippines, scene of some of the for people to return to their homes. In
most devastating fates of nature in Indonesia and the Philippines, our mis-
many years that occurred in the last sionaries witness the hope and strength
days of September 2009. of the people in front of great trials. U
– CC
In Indonesia’s earthquake, with the
center of damage in Padang where we
work, enormous loss of life and damage
resulted. Fr. Fernando Abis, Provincial
Superior in Indonesia, recalled that a
school collapsed with 50 students still
inside. Muslims and Christians assisted
each other in rescue efforts. The hospi-
tal built by the Catholic Church was
severely damaged but continued to
assist the victims of the tragedy. Our
missionaries got a hold of tents that
can hold 20 people to continue the
educational programs of the schools.
Reconstruction plans are underway.
In the Philippines, Frs. Mexicano
and Borelli found themselves waiting
almost 20 hours on a roof top as their
house and office was wiped out in
waters that rose 16 to 20 feet through-
out the parish. There is severe damage
to our parish, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Victims of the floods in the Philippines
in Marakina where the poor suffer the lining up for food and water, items in
greatest losses. In Sitio Militar, a poor short supply

Fr. Carl Chudy (center) together with families of
Bahadir Ekenci (right) and Kadir Okatan (left).
I
raised my hands in prayer before
ample servings of Turkish tea and
stuffed grape leaves, a vegetable dish
and handfuls of flat bread. I sat down,
with two Muslim families in Clifton,
New Jersey, to join them as they broke
the fast of Ramadan, together with
Muslims worldwide, stretched across
the continents where our missionaries
also serve.
Upon my return to the US Province
from the Philippines over two years
ago, I developed a great interest in the
search for ways to share the Catholic
missionary spirit in the contemporary
American scene, and what better way
than through interreligious dialogue.
My short relationship with the
Interfaith Dialogue Center of New
Jersey helps me to find opportunities
of interreligious dialogue throughout
the Northern New Jersey area. At the
end of October, I also attended the
national conference of the Interfaith
Youth Core in Chicago where college
students from all faiths gathered for a
few days, looking for ways to connect
across faith boundaries in order to
serve the world based on common faith
values. It was also an opportunity to
understand how we can collaborate
with this great movement of dialogue
among the youth.
I often preach in parishes that one
of the great challenges of the American
Xaverian Missionaries in the USA
Interfaith Dialogue Center
Breaking
the Fast
of
Ramadan
Catholic parish of the 21st Century is to
reach out beyond its boundaries of
faith, to the great faiths all around
them in their own community. Their
children’s classmates even wear the
“hajib” to school. “We run the risk,” I
have said, “…to become little Catholic
islands with no real meaningful faith
connection to the rest of humanity who
are not Catholic, and even not
Christian, which by the way, is most of
the world.”
The Vatican’s message to the Muslim
people at the end of Ramadan empha-
sizes this when it said: “In giving every-
one the riches of a life of prayer, fast-
ing and charity of one towards the
other, is it not possible for dialogue to
draw on the living forces of those who
are on the journey towards God? The
poor question us, challenge us, but
above all they invite us to cooperate in
a noble cause: overcoming poverty!”
(7)
As I ate and spoke of faith with my
Muslim friends in Clifton, New Jersey,
they asked me if I could help them find
a poor family to give groceries to, a
mandate of the end of the Ramadan for
them. Together we reached out to one
poor family, with a small token of our
concern and compassion, radiating
from both our faiths. U
– Fr. Carl Chudy
Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009
of New Jersey – Idcnj.org
Interfaith Youth Core
Ifyc.org
TASTE OF MISSION
Indonesian Salad
(Gado-Gado) Serving Size : 6
DRESSING
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 cup hot water
1 onion - chopped
1 clove garlic – finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. peanut oil
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
SALAD
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup cabbage – shredded
4 oz bean curd – drained and cut
into 1” pieces
2 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
1 cup potatoes – cooked, peeled
-and sliced
1 cup green beans – cooked
1 cup carrots – cooked & sliced
1 cucumber – sliced
2 hard-boiled eggs – peeled and
sliced
To prepare Dressing, place coconut
in blender container. Add 1 cup hot
water. Cover and blend on high
speed about 30 seconds. Cook and
stir onion and garlic in oil in
2-quart saucepan about 5 minutes.
Stir in coconut and remaining
ingredients. Heat to boiling, stir-
ring constantly. Reduce heat.
Simmer, uncovered, stirring occa-
sionally, until slightly thickened,
about 3 minutes.
To prepare salad, pour enough boil-
ing water over bean sprouts and
cabbage to cover. Let stand 2 min-
utes. Drain. Cook bean curd in oil
in 10-inch skillet over medium
heat, turning pieces gently, until
light brown. Remove with slotted
spoon. Drain. Cook potatoes in
same skillet until light brown.
Drain. Arrange bean sprouts, cab-
bage, bean curd, potatoes and
remaining ingredients on platter.
Pour warm dressing over salad.
5
 Catholics Confront
Getting some help after the typhoon
in the Philippines
The brutal work of diamond mining in Sierra Leone, West Africa
T
Be one in a he Catholics Confront Global
Poverty Initiative is inspired by
Million Pope Benedict XVI’s 2009 World
Day of Peace Message: Fight Poverty to
Build Peace. Our Holy Father declares:
Catholics “Effective means to redress the margin-
alization of the world’s poor through
Confronting globalization will only be found if peo-
ple everywhere feel personally out-
Poverty raged by the injustices in the world and
by the concomitant violations of human
rights.” To fight poverty effectively we
also need to know the many faces of
poverty.
Church Teaching and Experience
For Catholics the plight of people liv-
ing in poverty is a priority. The Catholic
Church has a long tradition of standing
in solidarity with poor persons and
communities. The Church’s approach to
poverty is shaped by both its teaching
and experience.
Rooted in the scriptural emphasis on
“the least of these” (Matthew 25:40),
the Church champions the “option for
the poor” as a principle of Catholic
Social Teaching flowing from a commit-
Public transportation in Africa
6 Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009
ment to the life and dignity of the
human person. In his encyclical, Deus
Caritas Est, Pope Benedict XVI teaches:
“Jesus identifies himself with those
in need, with the hungry, the thirsty,
the stranger, the naked, the sick and
those in prison…Love of God and love
of neighbor have become one: in the
least of the brethren we find Jesus
himself, and in Jesus we find God.”
(#15)
Today the Church’s solidarity with
those struggling in poverty finds expres-
sion in numerous Church institutions,
including schools, health facilities,
charitable programs, advocacy organi-
zations, and relief and development
agencies, including the Xaverian
Missionaries, our own institute.
The Church links charity and justice.
In Deus Caritas Est, Pope Benedict
proclaimed that the Church “cannot
and must not remain on the sidelines in
the fight for justice.” The Church also
links justice to peace. As Pope Paul VI
taught: “If you want peace, work for
justice.”
Global Poverty
The Many Faces of Poverty
Poverty has many faces. It is the
face of anguished parents watching
their children languish in hunger. More
than 140 million children are under-
weight in the developing world. Hunger
stunts their growth and makes them
more vulnerable to disease. Hunger
compromises the ability of women to
provide for their families and to birth
and nourish healthy children. Hunger
robs people of their productivity and
creativity. The food crisis, character-
ized by a dramatic rise in prices, is
exacerbating hunger in developing
countries.
The faces of poverty are related to
one another, like the members of a
family. Malnutrition exposes individu-
als, especially children, to greater risks
of disease. Hunger frustrates the best
laid plans for education. The absence
of sanitation facilities drives disease.
Diseases hamper productivity and the
ability of people to support their fami-
lies. Illiteracy means poor persons may
not know how to safeguard against the
spread of disease. War deepens every
facet of poverty. And there are a thou-
sand other connections.
But there are proven ways to reduce
the many dimensions of poverty. In the
end, the faces of poverty are as pro-
found and complex as the hopes and
aspirations of human persons. The
human spirit is remarkably resilient,
and poor persons and countries, in
partnership with people in richer coun-
tries, can alleviate poverty and help
people to flourish.
All Call to Action
What can we do? Catholics can con-
front global poverty! We can pray, sup-
port the important work of Catholic
Relief Services, and advocate with pub-
lic officials for policies and programs
that help poor persons and communi-
ties to help themselves. Key elements
of U.S. foreign policy should address
the “many faces of poverty:”
In the Short Term:
Support funding for poverty-focused
foreign assistance that meets short-
term hunger and humanitarian
needs caused by natural and human-
made disasters and invests in long-
term development, including agricul-
ture, health care, education, and
clean water and sanitation.
• Finish the agenda of debt relief for
poor nations so that they can invest
in the development of their own
people.
• Support U.S. contributions to U.N.
peacekeeping operations to reduce Fr. Javier Mexicano with some kids
violent conflict. in his parish after the typhoons
in the Philippines
Over the Long Term:
Meet our nation’s commitment to
increase foreign aid toward .7% of
national income.
• Promote comprehensive foreign
assistance reform that elevates
development as a priority and
emphasizes integral human develop-
ment, poverty reduction, and gov-
ernment transparency and the par-
ticipation of civil society.
• Address global climate change with
Join CCGP
a particular focus on helping poor You Get:
countries to mitigate and adapt to
climate change. • Action Alerts
• Promote reform of U.S. trade and • News
agriculture policies to stimulate
sustainable development in poorer • Resources to pray,
nations and protect poor farmers learn and share
overseas and small and medium-
sized farmers in our own nation. • CCGP Blog
• Support transparency, participation • Video Podcasts
and consent of local communities in Contact us for ideas
natural resource development so to get involved
that these activities lead to integral
human development. U Webcast Seminars
Go to:
usccb.org/sdwp/global poverty
Joint Project of the US Catholic Bishops
and Catholic Relief Services
Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009 7
 World Mission Spirituality

the Lord gather wisdom and strength to

set the fate of the Catholic world.”

THE SPIRIT Although the founder of a missionary

institute, Archbishop Conforti always
OF A felt like the “unprofitable servant.”
Devoted so convincingly to Christ cruci-

MISSIONARY fied, it was a fundamental choice of

deep desire and faith to love, suffer

LEGACY: and work with Him and for Him. His

Institute had to be a living monument
to Christ the Redeemer, and as such, a
Blessed call to duty for all Christian people.

Guido Maria Sensing the importance of the press

and cinema, even in those early years
Conforti of the twentieth century, Archbishop
Conforti immediately wanted his mis-
sionaries to learn to use this new media
as an instrument to share the urgency
of the mission of the Church.

E
very November 5th, Xaverian
Missionaries and friends honor the
memory and legacy of Blessed
Guido Maria Conforti, founder of the
Xaverian Missionaries, who died on this
day in 1931.
He was indeed a Bishop with a vision
of Church which began in his Diocese,
but did not end there. The mission of
the Church begins in the diocese, and
moves beyond its borders to the world-
wide plan of God.

The Founder, fourth from the right,
poses with Bishop Calza, first Xaverian
Bishop in China, and other priests and
friends in China.
The events that led to the founding
of our missionary institute and its first
missions in China is remarkable when
you consider he was also Bishop of a
large diocese in Italy with endless
responsibilities. What most impressed
many was his ability to combine relent-
less and selfless service to his diocese
as well as to share his missionary zeal
for the global mission of
the Church.
His intuition in his time was to see
the importance of media is unique.
What would he think of the power of
the internet? Through social network-
ing, advocacy for global issues in the
internet, opportunities to involve many
through cyberspace, and much more,
let us create a new tidal wave of com-
mitment to mission. U

The Founder, center, with other
fathers and friends in the precursor to
the subway in China, 1928.
Archbishop Conforti
was convinced that the
Church needed to renew
the task of mission in the
world. He did not hesi-
tate to write Pope Pius XI
and suggest the opening
of a Council to tackle this
enormous challenge he
saw. Among the reasons
he listed for the Holy
Father, he wrote: “The
new moral, social and
international issues
emerging in the world
today require the atten-
Elsa Bacchioni, Hugo Bacchioni, and Maria Franceschini,
tion and guidance of the who received the Sacraments of Communion and
Church. Believers and non- Confirmation by the Founder in 1930, pose at the Mission
believers who turn toward Banquet in Queens, New York this past October 2009.

8 Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009

 Following Jesus in Global Mission

Point, Click and Pray

L
OOKING FOR A PRAYERFUL break walks of life who are dedicated to con- The parts of the Liturgy of the Hours
during a busy day of work or study? templative prayer. are available in different formats on
You’re not alone. Websites devoted these sites. The Liturgy of the Hours,
to online prayer and meditation are also known as the Divine Office, is the
ww.pray-as-you-go.org
becoming increasingly popular and a prayer and scripture-reading regimen
full-fledged ministry for a number of A new prayer session is produced adhered to by monks as well as laity,
religious communities. Go ahead and every day. It is not a ‘Thought for the priests, and religious of the Catholic
see for yourself. A mini retreat is just a Day’, a sermon or a bible-study, but Church. Prayday publishes the Liturgy
mouse click away. rather a framework for your own of the Hours in five languages. U
prayer.
www.bustedhalo.com Thanks to Carol Schuck Scheiber,
Lasting between ten and thirteen content editor of Vision:
A lively Catholic spirituality site for minutes, it combines music, scripture Catholic Religious Vocation Network
young adults, with everything from arti- and some questions for reflection. The
cles on relationships to listings of aim is to help you to: become more vocation-network.org
youth-oriented parishes. Sponsored by aware of God’s pres-
the Paulist religious order, users can ence in your life, listen
click on “faith guides,” then “prayer to and reflect on God’s
pilot” for short, readable articles on word, and grow in your
prayer, including hints on understanding relationship with God.
prayer, different ways to pray, common It is produced by Jesuit
questions on prayer, and others. The Media Initiatives, with
tone is encouraging, and the emphasis material written by a
is on starting to pray wherever you number of British
already are in your spiritual life. Jesuits and other
experts in the spiritual-
www.sacredspace.ie ity of St Ignatius of
Loyola.
Maintained by the Irish Jesuits, this
website is set up so that users read
meditations and scripture passages and www.nccbuscc.org/
pray right at their computers. “It might nab/index.htm
seem strange to pray at your computer For those who enjoy
. . . . But God is everywhere, all prayer and meditation
around us, constantly reaching out to centering on the daily
us, even in the most unlikely situa- scripture readings, this
tions,” the sponsors write. Users will site is an easy-to-use
find a daily prayer session, in six stages, resource. Provided by
culminating in reflection on a scripture the U.S. Catholic
passage. Conference of Bishops,
this web page provides
www.centeringprayer.com a three-month calendar
graphic; click on a day,
The contemplative prayer style and the day’s readings
known as centering prayer is explored appear.
at many different levels on this web-
site. Users will find articles about cen-
tering prayer, an online bookstore with www.universalis.com
books on the subject, information www.liturgyhours.org
about conferences and pilgrimages, and www.prayday.com
opportunities to meet with people in all

Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009 9

 World Mission News Digest
World Mission News Digest
PHILIPPINES
Father Michael Sinnott, an
Irish Columbian missionary,
was kidnapped by gunmen
near Pagadian City in the
Zamboanga del Sur province.
The abduction, referred by
different sources and con-
firmed by the police, took
place last night in the same
area where the Italian mis-
sionary, Fr. Giancarlo Bossi,
was kidnapped in 2007.
“...the Church Based on a first reconstruc-
tion and witness accounts,
has remained Fr. Michael’s home was
the only support attacked by six gunmen who
forced the missionary onto a
for a people
minivan, later found torched
who are terror- in a coastal area, escaping
on a small boat. The identity
ized, humiliated, of the kidnappers and
motive of the abduction
exploited and remain unknown, though
dominated, and Muslim separatists active in
the region are suspected. Fr.
that they would
Sinnott, 80, originally from
like to silence.” Barntown in the Wexford
County, was ordained priest
in 1954 after completing his
studies in Rome. He carried
out his service in Mindanao
until 1966 and after a
10-year period in Ireland
returned to the Philippines
in 1976.
AFRICAN SYNOD—ROME
The African family is being
undermined by violence,
AIDS and Western ideas that
upset the traditional rela-
tionship between men and
women, some African bish-
ops warned. Support for par-
ents, better attention to the
moral education of children
and resistance to modern
ideologies that diminish
Christian family values are
10 Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009
necessary, they told the
Synod of Bishops for Africa.
Guinean Archbishop Robert
Sarah, secretary of the
Congregation for the
Evangelization of Peoples,
said Oct. 7 that the Western
concept that biological gen-
der identity “is not intrinsic
to the person but is a social
construct” is contrary to
African culture. The ideology
also “denies God’s plan” for
humanity in creating people
male or female and has a
negative impact on the cen-
trality of traditional mar-
riage and of motherhood and
fatherhood, he said.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF
THE CONGO
The serious situation in
South Kivu, in the eastern
part of the Democratic
Republic of Congo, has led
Archbishop Francois Xavier
Maroy Rusengo of Bukavu to
have to leave the Special
Assembly for Africa of the
Synod of Bishops, to return
to his Archdiocese.
The recent episodes of vio-
lence have led to the kid-
napping of a priest and a
seminarian, freed after the
payment of a ransom.
Archbishop Rusengo, in his
final intervention in the
Synod, affirmed: “While we
are talking in this meeting,
the pastoral workers in my
archdiocese are being
attacked by enemies of
peace. One of our parishes
was set on fire Oct. 2, some
of the priests were mistreat-
ed and others were taken
hostage by uniformed men
who demanded a large ran-
som, which we were forced
to pay in order to save the
lives of out priests that they
threatened to massacre.
With these activities, the
Church has remained the
only support for a people
who are terrorized, humiliat-
ed, exploited and dominat-
ed, and that they would like
to silence.”
JAPAN
With great joy and pride, the
Church in Japan has recently
presented and distributed
the New Catholic
Encyclopedia in Japanese:
four volumes of nearly 1,500
pages each, nearly 30 years
in the working, having begun
in 1981. A copy has also
been presented to the Pope,
who showed his great appre-
ciation for the publication.
The work was carried out by
the Jesuit Order. A note sent
from Fr. Shunichi
Takayanagi, director of the
work says: To meet the
needs presented by these
changes, the administration
of Sophia University (the uni-
versity of the Jesuit Order in
Tokyo) decided, in accord
with Fr. Joseph Pittau to
prepare a new Catholic
Encyclopedia for Japanese
readers.” U
 From our USA Communities

News from our USA Communities

W
e warmly welcome to our
seminary at Xavier Knoll
near Milwaukee Renato
Yapaulo and Tyler Hagan. Welcoming
Renato was born and raised in
Indonesia and migrated to the
New
United States in 2002. He attend-
ed the University of Wisconsin in
Seminarians
Madison and attained a Bachelors
and Masters Degrees in science and
and mechanical engineering.
During this time he had a chance
Saying Goodbye
to meet Fr. Mosele, a Xaverian to Others
working in campus ministry at the Renato Yapaulo (left) and Tyler Hagan (right) joined
school. Edified by his example, our seminary program in the Milwaukee area this year.
Renato began to seriously thing
about missionary priesthood for
his studies first for English in our com- also arrived, along with Harno, to tack-
himself.
munity of Milwaukee, and afterward, le the English language and to study
transferred to Chicago where he stud- theology. After the completion of his
Tyler, on the other hand, is from
ied at Catholic Theological Union. He studies by Christmas, he will be
Wichita, Kansas, and attended
earned both a Masters of Divinity and a assigned to one of our missions in
Benedictine College in Atchison,
Masters of Arts in Theology. Upon com- Northern Brazil.
Kansas. There he gained a Bachelors
Degree in history and psychology. Tyler pletion of his work by Christmas, he
We are grateful for the presence of
feels his attraction to missionary priest- will return to Indonesia for a new
assignment. Br. “Harno” took his final these good young men who wish to give
hood comes from the witness of priests
vows with us. their lives to Christ and His mission.
he met and knew who showed extraor-
Renato, Tyler, Harno, Pascal and Fr.
dinary examples of sharing themselves
Br. Bekububo Pascal Atumissi, from Gabriel ask for your prayerful support
for others.
the Democratic Republic of the Congo as they embark on new roads. U
As we welcome these new seminari-
ans, we also sadly say goodbye to oth-
ers who have completed their studies
and formation with us.
During the month of
October friends of the
Br. Johanes Leonardus Suharno, missions gathered in three
who also comes from Indonesia, began separate Mission Banquets:

The Mission Banquet

F
r. Gabriel in New York - Oct 4
Basuzwa, a
Xaverian mis-
sionary priest for The Mission Banquet
more than 24 years in Milwaukee - Oct. 16
hails from the
Democratic The Mission Banquet
Republic of the in Holliston, MA - Oct. 17
Congo in Africa. He
has worked most recently in Cameroon Many thanks and prayers
and is presently finishing a Doctor of Our theology students at their graduation, for our friends who made
Ministry Degree at Catholic Theological from left to right: Pascal Altumissi from these events possible and
Union. We are grateful for his presence the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
in the Province and we wish him all of who give such great help
Leonardus Suharno (Harno) from Indonesia, to the Missions.
God’s blessings as he returns to the mis- and Francois Noah from Cameroon who
sions. will finish his studies next Spring.

Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009 11

 Xaverian Mission Newsletter • November 2009

Help the victims of the

earthquake and typhoon
in Indonesia and the
Philippines.
Please share your
prayers and donations.
Contact:
Fr. Frank Grappoli, sx
Xaverian Missionaries
12 Helene Court
Wayne, New Jersey 07470
973.942.2975
usasxprocure@hotmail.com
Fr. Emanuele Borelli, a Xaverian Missionary, in the Philippines, holds an umbrella during
Typhoon Ondoy perched on a roof during the great floods in his parish.

The Xaverian Missioners Are Presently Serving In:

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

Return Service Requested

happiest New Year

most blessed Christmas and
May you and family have the

Missionaries
Xaverian
PAID Holliston, MA 01746-5857
101 Summer Street
U.S. Postage
Non-Profit Org. X averian Missionaries