Click here to subscribe to RSS feed version of Scala| S C A L A |
Giving our lives for plentiful redemption
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| Redemptorist Newsletter | Number 28 |
Rome, Italy
June 16, 2007
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NEWS FROM THE PROVINCES
The Vice Province of Manaus
The Region of Nigeria’s rapid development
Redemptorist Social Programs in Nigeria
A new Church for Kemerov, Russia
THE VATICAN AND REDEMPTORISTS
Theological commission completes study of Limbo
Archbishop Baseotto retires
ACTIVITIES OF THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT
Father General attends the UISG meeting in Rome
Father General writes the Congregation
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Orbis 2006
PHOTO GALLERY (on-line only)
Photos from around the Redemptorist World
FEATURED WEBSITES/VIDEOS
Video clips of the Holy Father visiting Redemptorist shrine of Aparecida (Portuguese with English commentary)
TRANSITIONS
Professions, Ordinations, Anniversaries, Deaths
This month’s issue of SCALA portrays many varieties of Redemptorist missionary dynamism. We have more news about the Papal visit to Brasil and a report from Brasil’s Amazon Valley. I was struck by the contrast between the images of our magnificent Shrine Church of Our Lady of Aparecida hosting both our Holy Father and the Latin American bishops with that of the constant, hidden, harsh, sweating work done by our confreres in the Amazon Valley. One country, two very different Redemptorist apostolates and realities.
We also report on developments in the Region of Nigeria. Even within the region itself, the conditions and realities change from foundation to foundation. From the newly built seminary in Ibadan full of promising seminarians to the shanty town of Ima Valley full of the poorest of the poor, who can possibly adapt mentally, physically and spiritually from one reality to the next in one geographic area? Redemptorists – that is who!
These stories contrast with the story and photos of the new church construction taking place in Kemerov, Siberia, Russia. Redemptorists can be found to span the world from the hottest, most stifling equatorial jungle in the world such as the Amazon, all the way to the coldest northern tundra located in Siberia, Russia.
These three places are only a small sample of our worldwide missionary dynamism. We have many more glorious apostolates and many more hidden, difficult ones. Whatever the conditions, whatever the geography, whatever the culture and language, whatever the temperature, Redemptorists can be found bringing the good news to the poor.
Grace and Redemption for all!
Gary Ziuraitis, C.Ss.R.
Brazil
Vice Province of Manaus
Joseph Butz, C.Ss.R.
In 1943, the St. Louis Province (now the Denver Province) was asked by the General Government to open a Mission in the rain forest of the Amazon jungle. The Redemptorists were given the task, among others, to work in the Prelacy of Coari, located upriver from Manaus, on the Amazon River.
At the time of their arrival there was only one German priest working in the entire area. Our Mission was to develop this abandoned waterway into a “living Church” by serving the poor along the Amazon’s tributaries and lakes in intense jungle heat and humidity. Since that time, many young Redemptorist priests and brothers have accepted the challenge to fight the heat, humidity and insects. Most missionaries have had malaria and/or hepatitis. Some have died and are buried here; others have returned to ministry in the States or gone to other mission assignments. But the work continues to this day.
The people living along the river and its tributaries do so in sparse communities. Many only see a priest once every ten years. But these are the poorest of the poor, tucked away in isolated, distant jungle tributaries. The people we work with sustain themselves by selling bananas, fish, rubber, jute etc., which buys clothes and shoes, oil for lamps and gasoline for their outboard motors (if they are lucky enough to have one). For the rest, they catch the fish they eat, plant the mandioca plant which is turned into Farinha, harvest some fruits and vegetables from the jungle, hunt animals to eat and raise chickens and pigs. A “wealthier” family may even have a cow or two.
The only means of transportation is by riverboat. The small towns of Coari, Manacapuru and Codajás were the original parish hubs of evangelization. From each center, the Redemptorists missionaries, traveling by parish river boat, visited all the river communities in their area. These trips are called "visitas pastorais às rurais." Which means “pastoral visits to the rural areas.”
Generally the priest takes along one nun, a lay catechist, someone who has basic medical skills to cure simple illnesses, maybe someone who has ability in community development skills, and a “boat boy.” The boat boy’s job is to pilot the boat and know where all the sandbars are in the river. Once in a while, to his embarrassment, we get caught and stuck in one!
Constant repair work has to be done on the boats because of floating logs in the Amazon and water damage. Then there is the matter of feeding 5 people per day on these pastoral visits. Besides whatever provisions the pastoral team takes with them, in better off communities, the villagers will catch fish, kill a chicken, or even hunt for wild animals in the jungle to offer hospitality to the missionaries.
The missionaries take along bibles, catechisms, song books, etc. to leave with the communities’ leaders until their return, which could easily be 6 months or more into the future.
In the beginning, the priorities were many. In the early days 80% of the people could neither read nor write. There was a deep concern for the people’s health and education. Work was done to build and maintain small health clinics and to construct schools. In addition, plans were made to develop brick factories and sawmills in all the main villages. While this was going on in the villages, the parishes had full time missionaries taking care of the spiritual needs of the people by means of evangelization and the Sacraments
All this required a great amount of funds from the States. The American Catholics throughout these many years have supported our Amazon Mission. Now in the year 2007, sixty-four years later, many things have changed. When the Redemptorist Mission started in 1943, the population was 85% rural. The last census states that the population has shifted to close to 82% urban, leaving the rural areas with less than 20% of the population. The result is that the poor in the rural areas are even more abandoned than ever before. The political situation favors the towns with social projects where the people are better educated, leaving the rural population in dire straights.
Today the Redemptorist Mission has the following pastoral priorities:
As our Redemptorists vocations continue to increase, we need money for their priestly education, clothing, housing, food and medical expenses. We have a total of 20 young Redemptorists studying for the ministry in our seminary. Our monthly expense per student is $500. That comes out to $10,000 each month. The Denver province provides 75% of our aid, the rest comes from donations from the States, and some help from our Redemptorist parish of Our Lady of Aparecida in Manaus,
We are dedicated to developing the local clergy to serve the Catholic communities. From a high of 50 American Redemptorists missionaries in the Vice Province in the 1960’s, we now have only nine. The good news is that in the year 2007, we now have 18 Brazilian Redemptorists to carry on the work. We have had three Americans and two Brazilians ordained missionary bishops over the years. Because of our evangelization, the people have come to realize their obligation to support and develop their own church. For example, we have tithing in all of our parishes. Most of the ordinary expenses are presently paid for by the local parishes. The Redemptorists are also helping our new Brazilian Bishop, Dom Joércio Goncalves, to form diocesan priests for the Prelacy of Coari. At present Dom Joércio has 5 priests and 17 seminarians. The future looks bright. Dom Joércio also receives help from the Denver province for his seminarians.
We Redemptorists still travel the rivers, tributaries and lakes of the Amazon by boat. There are six parishes now. The “pastoral visits” are a heavy burden on the parishes. The parish in Coari alone has 196 small jungle communities to visit. To this day, there are no roads, only the muddy waters to navigate. Usually each community can only be visited twice a year due the distances and the time involved. The average cost of the pastoral visits by river comes to $3,500 per month. This includes boat repairs, fuel, catechetical supplies and salaries for the lay catechists.
Since the river rises and falls 30 feet every 6 months (10 meters), some communities cannot be reached by boat during the low periods, so the only way to communicate with them is thru our Radio Station in Coari which can transmit up to a distance of 250 miles. The expenses for the Radio (and local TV station) have been a tremendous drain on us. To continue we definitely need to receive more outside funding. The bishops are pleading with the religious orders not to sell nor abandon their radio stations, but they are unable to give us any funding to help us!
The local parishes have been helping with most of the ordinary expenses of running the parishes. However, there is a need for help with the expenses of the river trips that the parishes cannot handle. There is an urgent need to build more training and catechetical centers to educate our local lay leaders. Though we have fewer priests, our missionary work has continued to grow due to this development of lay leadership programs.
Brother Leo Patin, C.Ss.R. has been running St. Gerard’s Trade School for disadvantaged youth in the town of Coari for the last 15 years. The school gives these youth an opportunity to learn new trade skills, art, music, cooking and health care. Brother Leo needs $5,500 monthly to run the school for the youth.
All this requires funds from generous people. We are being constantly blessed by the Lord here in Brazil, and this is made possible by people who give joyfully to the Lord Jesus. We are here, and have been here, because of the support given to us by so many generous people throughout the world.
Region of Nigeria
Rapid Develop
Bill Cleary, C.Ss.R.
Editor’s note: We have all heard and read about the “The Plan for Africa.” The necessity of such a plan is shown by the rapid development in the Region of Nigeria, an example and source of great optimism for the future.
What follows is a description of our current foundations in the Region of Nigeria:
HOFBAUER HOUSE: (In the Bodeja area of Ibadan) This is the Regional House. It was a duplex that we bought here in Ibadan - close to the buildings that we used to rent for students. I remodeled it into a uniplex. We own it and it serves the needs of the Region at this time. It would be easy to resell, if and when that day comes. Presently we only have three men there: the Regional Superior, the Regional Bursar, and the Vocation Director. There is room for 6 men in the house and the Regional Superior has his own bedroom and office behind the main building.
REDEEMER HOUSE: This is the student residence. It is located 8 kilometers out of Ibadan on the New Ile-Ife road. We own 52 acres of land here. On the back end of the property is Liguori House (see the next item). At present we have about 55 students - Philosophers and Theologians. We also have two missionaries in residence and the pastor of a nearby parish (see this as item ST. MALUMBA). There are three formators and Brother Simeon is our Librarian. We also have about 17 extra rooms in the Theology House, so extra retreatants from Liguori House are housed here. The two institutions are about a city block apart.
LIGUORI HOUSE: This is the pre-novitiate and novitiate - also a small retreat house ministry. At present, Fr. Doran is superior and runs the retreat ministry. Fr. Boniface is also involved in retreat ministry full time. Fr. Anayo is pre-novice director (soon to be going to the USA and to be replaced by Fr. Godfrey Udeh). Fr. Noel Eshikena is novice director and Fr. Thiele is his assistant. Brother Vincent Ehugbo is the bursar. One of the students is doing his pastoral year there also, and works mainly in the out-stations of St Malumba parish. (We have been working these small villages for some years now. Each place has about a dozen to 75 or 80 people. There are about 7 of these places up and down the highway; some are a distance of about 2 to 5 miles off the main highway.)
SATELLITE TOWN: This is a parish in Lagos that we started in 1987 - our first foundation. It has developed into a very large parish with about 5 priests and two seminarians working in the parish. They have a new church that seats about 5,000. This is self supporting (which all of our parishes must be) and it is a big help to the other Redemptorist foundations. They have a number of out-stations to cover also, many of them the size of any regular parish - but poor or under developed.
ALABA: This is a break-off parish from Satellite Town. It is mainly a large international market. They also have a new church (almost completed) that will accomodate 3000. They are short on space at Alaba, whereas Satellite Town has plenty of room. Alaba has a number of out-stations and one is about ready to be made a parish as soon as they complete their new rectory. There are about 6 priests and seminarians working in this parish.
ILEMBA: This is the out-station of Alaba and it will be probably be made a parish later this year. The Cardinal has asked the Redemptorists to be in charge of it. It will pick up some of the Alaba out-stations when it becomes independent. They will start with two priests and a seminarinan, just like all the others have in the past.
UGHELLI: This is a new parish in the Warri Diocese. This is oil country. It will develop with time, but I doubt if it will be a wealthy parish. There is a lot of tribalism problems in the area. Right now, they just get along. There are three priests and a seminarian working this parish with its out-stations. They have decent quarters to live in, but the church is in poor condition and needs to be totally replaced. The parish was able to raise the money to buy the land.
ABUJA: This is a new foundation and parish, and already they have lost their parish grounds and are living and working out of temporary quarters. Right now there is just one priest and one seminarian there. This is the federal capital territory. Eventually we will get settled more in the area and develop a parish - but right now things are bleak. The government came in and plowed under what they were using as quarters and a church. Property titles in the area are in disorder and confused. People have built anywhere they wanted to, and so the government is trying to get it all back to the master plan of the territory. At least we have a foothold in the area - time will bring development.
KADUNA: This is in the far north and it is mostly all Moslem in the north of Nigeria. We have a good parish there, in a Christian area of the city, and they tell me it will develop into a very stable, well off parish. We have two priests and a seminarian working this parish. It is new - within the last year. We expect this to become one of our better parishes down the line.
OTUKPO: This is a new parish to the CSSR. It is just out of the city of Otukpo... which is located in the far eastern part of the country and towards the north. It is a very Catholic area. The parish is quite poor - but the men are doing well. We have one priest and two seminarians there at present. Next year they will probably get another priest and only one seminarian. This parish is real Redemptorist ministry.... to the poor in the country area.
ENUGU: (Iva Valley): This is an older parish that’s seen better days. It was a coal mining area, but the mines are shut down. It is poor but it can support a small community. At present there are two priests and a seminarian.(editor’s note: See the following story about Iva Valley.)
BENIN: This is a new parish in that Archdiocese. It is on the outskirts of the large city of Benin and it will be a good solid parish and financially well off down the line. They have a new house to live in, quite large and furnished by the Bishop. Benin is located in the middle of the country and it is about half way to the East (where a good number of our men originate from). At present we have three priests and a seminarian there.
ST. MALUMBA - IBADAN: This is a new parish in the archdiocese. The Archbishop asked the Redemptorists of Redeemer/Liguori Houses to take it on. So, it has a Redemptorist pastor (who lives at Redeemer House) and all of us serve as his associates, working in the parish and the out-stations. The students/novices, etc. work in the outstations also. The actual parish is down the road from us a couple of miles. Being a new parish, and not large, financially they are just getting by. (The Archbishop here has the notion that the religious should develop his diocese for him - along with their money. We have put a good deal of CSSR money into the out-stations, but we will not put it into the parish. They will have to make it on their own. Eventually the pastor wants to get a small house/office on the parish gounds).
As to outside sources of funds: for all practicle purposes, there are none. Fr. Thiele has a mission club that has helped him in his work all thru his many years in both Thailand and Nigeria. With that help he has been able to build some small churches, living quarters, etc. in the out-stations that we serve out of Liguori/Redeemer House. Fr. Cleary has some benefactors who have helped him thru the years and that money has gone to either the development of Hofbauer, Redeemer House, or some of the new foundations. Fr. Doran has gotten some help from Ireland to start a small sewing center to help some women get trained and then have a source of income.
We all receive requests throughout the year by many people asking for help and so we help a lot of the poor with what we get from our friends. If we have it, we try to help them. We try to not give the impression that are help is limitless because one of these days we will be gone and those sources will no longer be available. The Nigerian men are good at helping the poor when they are in charge of a parish, and if they have the resources.
When I was building Liguori House I was able to get some grants from Rome (Propagation of the faith) and for some of our out-stations. We haven't gotten any of these in a number of years now.
SO, it comes down to the Denver Province being our main source of development. The one thing that we would really like, but I am sure it is not going to happen soon, is the new chapel at Redeemer House. We are using a large meeting room right now, but we could really use the new chapel. With about 60 + men at Mass each day and a good number of folks who come on Sundays - along with ordinations and professions, etc. - we need a decent place for church and liturgy. Also, it should be the center of our life at Redeemer House, and right now the dinning hall is the center. I suppose it is going to cost around half a million dollars to build it, but that might be able to be brought down in price.
I hope this will help you get a feel for what is going on over here. The Region has developed fast and quite well. We are ready to be a Vice Province - and to continue to consolidate our new places.
Oh yes: we have two men in Rome (they will finish this summer) two men in Dominica helping the C,Ss.R. there; one in the Amazon, and we are working on putting two men in Thailand to help the C.Ss.R. there. We also have one in the USA.
Thank you for your support of the Redemptorists of Nigeria.
Region of Nigeria
Iva-Valley
Wilfred Chiwetalu, C.Ss.R.
Iva-Valley is populated by retired coal miners. In the history of Enugu metropolis, the city actually began at Iva-Valley. Significantly, Enugu is called the Coal-City. This derives from the abundant coal deposits in Enugu.
In those days, the Nigerian economy rested on coal. But upon the founding of crude oil deposits in Nigeria, the coal industry was abandoned. Consequently, the coal-miners lost their jobs. Most of them are artisans: brick-layers, carpenters, electricians, welders and diggers. Had they been given job training outside the coal industry they would have adapted to the society and competed favourably.
But the Government continued giving them false promises that they would be paid retirement benefits such as gratuities and monthly pensions. But, sadly, they were not paid or given any benefits. As a result, they became impoverished and now live in Iva-Valley in squalid and rickety buildings. The houses in Iva-Valley are old structures built by the colonial British. Most of these houses are dilapidated. The inhabitants live there because they have no other option. Sewage toilets are very rare and the neighborhood smells of human waste. Waste disposal is non-existent.
In July 2005, the Redemptorists were called to take over Our Lady of Mercy, Iva-Valley. Iva-Valley looks like a grave yard. But it is thickly populated by the abandoned and impoverished people, whose income is less than $5 in a month. They form the bulk of the parishioners of Our Lady of Mercy Parish. The Church has some blocks of bungalows that are now in a dilapidated state. According to Fr. Silas, he plans to renovate them, but lacks the fund. The renovation will cost a lot of money owing to the cost of building materials in Nigeria. But it is a worthwhile venture, considering the number of people needing accommodation.
Nigeria has two climatic seasons: rainy and dry season. Usually, in the dry season,roofs are put in order against the coming rainy season. Unfortunately, almost all the roofs in our neighborhood are leaking. To help our people repair their roofs against the rainy season would be a great blessing.
The parents are aged and the children are without work, and mostly illiterate or semi-illiterate. But the Church has a kindergarten/primary school. The Redemptorists inherited this old kindergarten/primary school, poorly managed and run by the indigent parishioners. Most of the kids could not afford the school fees. The reason for this is their parents are very poor. Because there is no money to pay the teachers, the Pastor, Fr. Silas asked for volunteer teachers. Some residents volunteered to teach because: (1) they have no jobs and (2) because the kids are their siblings. The fact is that the volunteers themselves need proper education to enable them to escape the cold grip of poverty. Otherwise, continuously using their services means enslaving them into believing that they have a job, whereas they have none. The parish pays each volunteer a stipend which is less than $5 a month. It is better to have something than nothing.
Computer School
Fr. Silas has opened a computer school. The school is located in the Parish car park.It has two computers. A sister of the Christian Services, an indigenous Congregation, is helping in the school. She is the only staff of the school. The school has two desk-top computers. These computers are outdated and need to be upgraded.
When the school initially started, about 50 students joined. They took turns to use the computers. The influx was as a result of the false belief that the course was free. When eventually, the school asked for a little tuition money for the lessons they all left. The sister is now alone, and the project is almost abandoned.
The school, according to Fr. Silas, was established to train the mass number of youths who roam the streets and who specialize in pick-pocketing. Some of them usually snatch people’s hand-sets in the early hours of the morning. Whether the young ladies engage in prostitution is another thing. We cannot establish the fact, but there is a likelihood of such behavior prevalent in that kind of environment. So the school provides the youth a way to stay busy with both their minds and hands. Unfortunately, they cannot pay the fees even though it is heavily subsidized compared to what is available in the city.
Piggery
Fr. Silas has begun some piggery to augment the protein needs of the people. But he lacks the money to employ a veterinary doctor to take care of the piglets. As a result, he has lost a lot of the sows and piglets.
Prevention of River Blindness Through Reticulation of Water
This very problem of river-blindness came as a result of a Redemptorist student, Michael Ugboh, C.Ss.R who went to Umana-Ndiuno a suburb of Enugu for Apostolic work.
The community has been assisted by the World Bank and the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Both jointly drilled a bore-hole for the community. They also provided them with an electrical generating set for the pumping of the water into a reservoir built by the government and the World Bank. To a certain extent water has been reticulated.
The problem is that the villagers have to buy diesel to power their generator, but diesel is too costly and the villagers cannot afford it. They have then gone back to their former status quo, drinking of polluted water which has the capacity of causing river-blindness. To this extent, the aim of the World Bank and the Federal Republic of Nigeria is being defeated. Corrupt politicians could not help these poor people. As it is, what the villagers need is to install a transformer and step-down the High Tension grid to pump their water. And if they do this, they will say a goodbye to diesel.
Russia
Region of Russsia/Kazakstan
Tony Branigan, C.Ss.R.
We Redemptorists have been in Kemerovo since the end of 1996. Now we are a community of three Redemptorists (Fr. Zenon Gieniec, Fr. Andre Legiec and Fr. Anthony Branagan). The community is part of an official Region of the Polish Province in Russia and Kazakhstan.
Kemerovo is in the center of Siberia. The population is approximately 600,000 people. It was founded at the time of the Communist Revolution and the apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima and is the capital of the Kuzbass Region, which has a population of 3,000,000. An estimated 1% of the population is Catholic and they are largely of German, Ukrainian, Polish and of Baltic country origin. In general these peoples were deported to Siberia in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Redemptorists priests have been living and working in Kuzbass since 1959. The first were from the Ukraine and they attended to Ukrainian Catholics of the Byzantine Rite who were brought to Siberia in the mass deportations of the 1930’s and 1940’s under Stalin. They lived in Prokopievsk and, in secret, ministered to Catholic communities in several cities of the Region. After the break-up of the Soviet Union the newly appointed Bishop of Siberia, Joseph Werth S.J., asked Fr. General of the Redemptorists to send more priests to Kuzbass and as a result of that request three more arrived in 1996: At the end of 1966 two of these began to live and work in the city of Kemerovo and attend to the Latin Rite Catholics of the northern part of Kuzbass Region. In 1997 the first Catholic parish was founded in Kemerovo and the Administration of the city, at the request of Bishop Werth, promised a site to build a Catholic church.
Our apostolic activities are carried out in the northern half of Kuzbass Region with the city of Kemerovo as a center. We attend to fourteen communities within a radius of 250 kilometers of Kemerovo. First we searched out Catholics who lived scattered in the cities, towns and villages of the Region. Now we are involved in the building up of the communities that have been founded. Children, youth and adults are prepared for Baptism. Catechists are formed and there is continuous Christian formation for children, youth and adults. Charity and promotional activities are among the priorities of our pastoral plans. We are reaching out to invalids, homeless, those who live alone, poor children, single mothers, the sick and those without work. Each year summer camps for children, youth and adults are organized. These are called ‘’Holidays with God”, as religion has a large part in the program and is very much appreciated by the participants. Artistic presentations have their place in our community life and the groups even travel to entertain and inspire other communities.
The Catholic community meets in an apartment which was bought and refurbished with a grant from Renovabis in 1998. From the beginning of our presence we realized the pressing necessity of a Catholic church in Kemerovo, a city of 600,0000 people.
In 1997 the Municipal authorities promised a site for the construction of a Catholic church, parish center and residence under the same roof, dependent on the approval of the building project by the various administrative departments. The project was drawn up at the end of the year 2002 by a local construction planning firm. This project was drawn up and approved in collaboration with Bishop Werth and Redemptorist Superiors. In December of 2005 the project received the final approval from the City Administration and permission was granted to build on the promised site.
The location of the site near the center of the city and also to the central railway and bus stations will facilitate the presence of Catholics not only of the city but also of the surrounding towns and villages.
This Catholic church, besides being a place of worship and service for the people´s spiritual and social needs, will be a strong symbol of faith and hope for the Catholics of the whole Region of Kemerovo who suffered such persecution and harrowing conditions during the seventy years of the atheist regime.
The Vatican Web site has posted the document "The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized," published by the International Theological Commission. Father Tony Kelly, C.Ss.R., a teacher of theology at the Australian Catholic University (Australia) is a member.
Argentina
The Holy Father accepts the resignation of the military bishop, questioned by the Argentine government
For reasons of age, as the Holy See clarifies.
Zenit
Benedict XVI accepted the resignation presented by Mons. Antonio Juan Baseotto C.Ss.R., military ordinary for Argentina, for reasons of age, the Press Room of the Holy See announced this Tuesday, May 15th.
On March 18, 2005, by a decree, the Argentine government removed its endorsement and wages from Mons. Baseotto, who on April 4, 2006 completed 75 years of age, date in which, as Canon Law prescribes, he should present his resignation to the Holy Father.
On March 19, 2005, the former spokesman of the Holy See, Joaquim Navarro-Valls, said that if the government "hinders a bishop legitimately nominated by the Holy See, according the norms of the Canon Law and of the present agreements, from exercising his pastoral ministry, it would be considered a breaking of religious freedom, as well of such agreements."
The controversy appeared when the minister of the Health of the Nation, Ginés González García, spoke in favor of the legalization of abortion (the Argentine Constitution guarantees the defense of the human life from its conception), on February 14, 2005, in an interview granted to a periodical.
Three days after, Mons. Antonio Baseotto, wrote the minister a letter warning him that he could incur a penalty for advocating abortion.
The prelate also indicated in the letter that, when he saw the Health Minister publicly distributing condoms among the young people, what came to mind was the gospel sentence in which Our Lord affirms that one who scandalizes the small ones deserves “that a millstone be hanged about his neck and that that he be drowned in the depth of the sea.”
The gospel quotation had innumerable journalistic interpretations; some have tied it with the so called "flights of death", the practice of hurtling people into the sea from aircraft that is attributed to the Argentine Army in the Seventies.
The minister reacted characterizing Mons. Baseotto as "a liar protected in the Church" and suggested that he had ties with the last military dictatorship.
Two days later, the Episcopal Argentine Conference sent out an official notice in which the military bishop expressed "his regret for the confusion and malaise produced by the inclusion of the gospel quotation" and declared "that he did not want to stimulate a violence act nor to offend the authority of a member of the national government."
On the same day, president Nestor C. Kirchner called the chancellor Rafael Bielsa to ask him to request of the Holy See the resignation of Mons. Baseotto.
Immediately, and before the Apostolic Nuncio was informed, the Press Room of the Presidency of the Nation made public the presidential determination to remove the recognition of Mons. Baseotto.
Until the nomination of the new military ordinary, on the basis of Article IV, paragrah 3 of the Agreement between the Argentine Nation and the Holy See, of June 28, 1957, the general vicar, Dom Pedro Candia, will substitute for Mons. Baseotto in the government, explained the Apostolic Nunciature in Argentina in a note.
ACTIVITIES OF THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT
Rome, Italy
UISG Plenary Meeting
May 6 to 10, 2007
Father General, Vice President of the USG, the Union of Superiors General of men, was a participant at the women’s International Union of Superiors General Plenary held in Rome from May 6 to 10th. Over 800 women Superiors general were in attendance. The UISG is a worldwide, canonically approved membership organization for superiors general of institutes of Catholic women religious. Established in 1965, the Union has its headquarters in Rome. The purpose of UISG is to promote an understanding of the religious life of Catholic women religious throughout the world and to foster its development in the Church and in society.
A Eucharist ushered in the third day of the 2007 UISG Plenary. Father General was the main celebrant and in his homily, invited the participants to give witness to their calling. Using the image of postcards which persons send to those they know and could not be there, he said that religious should be like postcards, sent to others so that by their lives they may give witness to the Church.
The prevous day, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, welcomed the participants of the 2007 UISG Plenary during the audience held at the Aula delle Benedizioni (Hall of Blessings) at the Vatican. In his message, Pope Benedict XVI, thanked the religious gathered for the occasion and those who work in different parts of the world for the great witness of love for Christ, in the areas of evangelization, education and social services.
To the Members of the
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Superior General
Roma, 4 May 2007
Dear Confreres,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time (1 Pt 1, 3-5).
I am happy to write this letter at the height of the season of Easter, a time when the Church contemplates the abundant life that God has bestowed on us in the paschal mystery of Jesus. These days are also a time of dramatic changes in nature: spring arrives in many parts of the North while autumn is revealed in the South. The rhythm of the liturgy as well as changes in the natural world reminds us of the passage of time.
The Congregation has moved into the second half of the present sexennium. While no dramatic event marked this transition, the passage of the milestone of the mid-sexennium did not pass unnoticed. The Congregation concluded the first half of the six-year period between General Chapters by taking a look at itself. The six regional meetings during 2006 examined the state of the Congregation in the light of the program charted by the XXIII General Chapter in 2003. These gatherings, which included the major superiors of the Congregation, members of the General Government, lay missionaries and others, were memorable experiences of brotherhood as well as occasions for a humble and honest discernment of the signs of times and places.
I trust that the superiors have already informed the members of their respective units regarding the work of the regional meeting. In this letter, I would like to offer some thoughts on four issues that appeared on the program of each of the six meetings: restructuring, consecrated life, Africa and the XXIV General Chapter. These same themes have appeared regularly on the agenda of the General Council, so I am able to inform you about some recent developments.
(Go to: http://www.cssr.com/english/whoarewe/Docs%20and%20Comms/2007-1TobinLetter-EN.shtml to read the rest of Father General’s letter)
Rome, Italy
ORBIS 2006
The 2006 edition of ORBIS has been printed and is on its way to all the provinces via your unit headquarters. We have shipped enough books for each community to have 3-5 copies. We ask the unit superiors to re-distribute ORBIS to your communities in a timely manner.
1. Kemerov Church. At the end of 2000 the City Administration allotted us a site for the building of a church, a parish/social center and a residence for the Redemptorist community and permission to project and plan the building. That projecting and planning with the necessary permissions were completed last year (2006).
2. In May of last year Bishop Joseph Werth came to Kemerovo for the digging of the first sod and the blessing of the site. A number of Redemptorists joined the parishioners for this longed for and joyous occasion.
3. After that a protective fence was put up around the site and in September we started the first stage of the actual work.
4,5. This was the major job of re-routing and installing the city network connections of electricity, hot and cold water piping and the city water heating piping.
6. This work was completed by the middle of December with the Siberian Winter well under way.
7. In March the second stage was begun and continues. That consisted in the excavation of the site the driving of the foundation pylons and the connection of these pylons with reinforced cement. Now in the middle of May the basement is being built on top of these foundations.
8. Father Tony Branigan looks upon the progress being made in building the Kemerov Church. Depending on continued financing, they hope to complete the structure by the end of the year.
9. Father General celebrates the Eucharist for the over 800 women UISG General Assembly held in Rome from May 6-10.
10.UISG meeting
11.UISG meeting
Featured Videos:
This month we offer you four video clips of the Holy Father’s visit to Aparecida, Brazil.
http://www.cssr.com/scala/video/cssr/
1,2, 3: Father Carlos Artur Annuniação, C.Ss.R., São Paulo Province, served as Master of Ceremonies, preparing and instructing the faithful during the Papal Liturgy.
4: Cardinal Julio Terrazas Sandoval, C.Ss.R. is introduced to the Holy Father.
Recent noteworthy events in the Redemptorist Family. For a complete record of transitions visit the Officialia site
First Profession of Temporary Vows:
Wilson Marques Dias, Province of Campo Grande, February 18, 2007
Christian Jerome Aquilan y Dimaano, Vice Province of Manila, May 12, 2007
Mark Khristian Antonio y Bernardo, Vice Province of Manila, May 12, 2007
Leo Mar Arenillo y San Jose, Vice Province of Manila, May 12, 2007
Raymond Urriza y Racedlis, Vice Province of Manila, May 12, 2007
Profession of Perpetual Vows:
Constancio Alipio Flores Nina, Province of Bolivia, March 7, 2007
Román Oscar Ibarra Aguilar, Province of Bolivia, March 7, 2007
Daniel Pacheco Vargas, Province of Bolivia, March 7, 2007
François Ouermi Somdella, Vice Province of Burkina-Niger, April 9, 2007
Pascal Sorgho, Vice Province of Burkina-Niger, April 9, 2007
Jan Ivens, Province of St. Clement/Region of Flanders, May 15, 2007
Alex Bercasio y Samiana,l Vice Province of Manila, May 12, 2007
Dennis Despues y Caunceran, Vice Province of Manila, May 12, 2007
Brian Espejo y Lajara, Vice Province of Manila, May 12, 2007
Remar Soliza y Maullon, Vice Province of Manila, May 12, 2007
Anderson Trevenzoli Assireu, Province of Rio de Janeiro, May 18, 2007
Ordination to the Priesthood:
Omar Alberto Díaz, Province of Buenos Aires, April 14, 2007
Sergio Francisco Elías Stang, Province of Buenos Aires, April 14, 2007
Osvaldo Alfredo Reyna, Province of Buenos Aires, April 14, 2007
José Wilker Rosário Nunes, Province of Rio de Janeiro, April 21, 2007
Francisco Javier Caballero Ävila, Province of Madrid, April 29, 2007
Juan Carlos Balladares Ramos, Province of Santiago, April 29, 2007
Mariusz Brzóska, Province of Warsaw, May 26, 2007
Dariusz Drazek, Province of Warsaw, May 26, 2007
Przemyslaw Ilski, Province of Warsaw, May 26, 2007
Andrzej Jodkowski, Province of Warsaw, May 26, 2007
Andrzej Kulik, Province of Warsaw, May 26, 2007
Przemyslaw Raczkowski, Province of Warsaw, May 26, 2007
Wojciech Wilgowicz, Province of Warsaw, May 26, 2007
Grzegorz Wos, Province of Warsaw, May 26, 2007
Pawel Zyskowski, Province of Warsaw, May 26, 2007
Deaths:
Rev. Silvio Copetti, 93, Province of Porto Alegre, November 12, 2005
Most Reverend Michael Sabryha, 65, Province of Lviv, June 29, 2006
Br. John William (Gregory) Groves, 81, Region of Aotearoa, March 26, 2007
Br. Fernand (Gilbert) Boudreau, 73, Province of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré, April 29, 2007
Rev. Georges Laugel, 83, Province of Strasbourg, May 3, 2007
Rev. Joseph Oriez, 92, Province of Lyon-Paris, May 4, 2007
Rev. Petrus (Piet) Dera, 80, Province of St. Clement/Region of the Netherlands, May 17, 2007
Br. Hubertus (Didacus) Reep, 85, Province of St. Clement/Region of the Netherlands, May 23, 2007
Rev. George William Dawson, 83, Province of Denver, May 26, 2007
70th Jubilee of Ordination:
Albert Stoeckel, Province of Bolivia, June 20, 2007
60th Jubilee of Profession:
Angelo Pizzamiglio, Province of Rome, June 25, 2007
Alose Pinsch, Province of Strasbourg, June 22, 2007
60th Jubilee of Ordination:
Louis-Philippe Bélanger, Province of Saint-Anne de Beaupré, June 1, 2007
Rosaire Boucher, Province of Saint-Anne de Beaupré, June 10, 2007
William Joseph Biffar, Province of Baltimore, June 22, 2007
Philip Cabasino, Province of Baltimore, June 22, 2007
Edwin Gerard Foley, Province of Baltimore, June 22, 2007
Raymond Philip Patrick McCarthy, Province of Baltimore, June 22, 2007
Andrew Herman Skeabeck, Province of Baltimore, June 22, 2007
Francis Joseph Sands, Vice Province of Richmond, June 22, 2007
James Mallen, Province of San Juan, June 22, 2007
James Lundy, Province of Campo Grande, June 22, 2007
Viktor Schneiderka, Province of Prague, June 29, 2007
Stefan Zalewski, Province of Warsaw, June 29, 2007
50th Jubilee of Ordination:
Richard McMahon, Province of Dublin, June 15, 2007
John Stanislaus Mellett, Province of Dublin, June 15, 2007
Osmund D´Souza, Region of Mumbai, June 15, 2007
Ramón Fruto, Province of Cebu, June 15, 2007
Russell Rosario Abata, Province of Baltimore, June 23, 2007
Robert Cheesman, Province of Baltimore, June 23, 2007
Robert John Lennon, Province of Baltimore, June 23, 2007
Thomas Loftus, Province of Baltimore, June 23, 2007
Jean-Eudes Gagné, Province of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré, June 23, 2007
Hervé Gendron, Province of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré, June 23, 2007
Normand Sliger, Province of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré, June 23, 2007
Réginald Tardif, Province of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré, June 23, 2007
Emmanuel Joseph Demerah, Province of Edmonton-Toronto, June 23, 2007
Stanislaw Dutka, Province of Warsaw, June 29, 2007
Edmund Morawiec, Province of Warsaw, June 29, 2007
Stefan Pegiel, Province of Warsaw, June 29, 2007
Kazimierz Plebanek, Province of Warsaw, June 29, 2007
Alojzy Wzorek, Province of Warsaw, June 29, 2007
Antoni Bradlo, Vice Province of Resistencia, June 29, 2007
José Herger, Province of Bolivia, June 29, 2007
25th Jubilee of Profession:
Erenius Ekka, Province of Bangalore, June 27, 2007
Clement (Sunny) Vadakkedath, Vice Province of Alwaye, June 27, 2007
Nelson Antonio Santos, Region of Mumbai, June 27, 2007
Richard Martin David, Mission of Kenya, June 27, 2007
Ebertus Toppo, Mission of Kenya, June 27, 2007
25th Jubilee of Ordination:
Michal Onik, Province of Warsaw, June 13, 2007
Wojciech Skroboszewski, Province of Warsaw, June 13, 2007
Tadeusz Slaby, Province of Warsaw, June 13, 2007
Jerzy Wesolowski, Province of Warsaw, June 13, 2007
Zenon Jankowski, Vice Province of Resistencia, June 13, 2007
Francis Ezhanikatt, Province of Bangalore, June 24, 2007
George Mathew Karikkanazhum, Province of Bangalore, June 24, 2007
David Raju Maddineni, Province of Bangalore, June 24, 2007
Joseph Noel Paul, Province of Bangalore, June 24, 2007
Francis Assisi Saldanha, Province of Bangalore, June 24, 2007
Gilbert Lévesque, Province of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré, June 26, 2007