Rome, Italy
Oct. 16, 2008

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FROM THE EDITOR
New photo arrangement for SCALA
Natural disasters affecting Redemptorists
Vietnam crisis worsening
There is Good news from around the Congregaton also!

NEWS FROM THE PROVINCES:
Denver: St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church under restoration
Colombia: New discovery on the icon of “Señor de los Milagros”
Cuba: Eyewitness account of Hurricane Gustav
Haiti: Hurricanes severely damage Redemptorist communities
Campo Grande: Popular Missions
Campo Grande: Moral Theology for the Laity
Vietnam: Provincial Superior in Vietnam reports to all Redemptorists

REPORTS FROM THE SECRETARIATS:
Secretariat for Partnership with the Laity meets in Wittem

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Orbis 2007-2008
Meal prayers for Redemptorists

FEATURED MEDIA:
Slideshow of Señor de los Milagros in Spanish

TRANSITIONS
Professions, Ordinations, Anniversaries, Deaths
Superiors for the Triennium 2008-2011

FROM THE EDITOR:

Advances in internet technology and more powerful computers have encouraged us to now attempt to put our photos in the text of SCALA alongside the articles. As you see, you are now e-mailed a link to SCALA that will take you to the newsletter. This will now also allow the photos to be printed along with the article for those who print out SCALA for others. We hope this is an improvement and ask you to let us know if you have any difficulties downloading the newsletter. Our first effort features one of our most famous churches in the United States undergoing restoration after a serious fire last summer. Other photo stories originate in Brazil about ongoing missionary dynamism.

Both natural and man-made crises have put some confreres in danger as we reported in SCALA specials during the northern summer and continue to report on.

Hurricanes, especially Hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike, ravaged the Caribbean. Although no confreres were injured or lost, many of our foundations, especially in Haiti and Cuba, suffered heavy damage and the people we minister to are suffering greatly. Only minor damage occurred to our foundations along the coastline of the United States.

In Vietnam our confreres are standing up for the right to maintain our monastery and land. Recent government actions have not signaled hopeful results. Each day seems to bring worse news. Threats of punishment and confiscation of land are the most recent developments.The Provincial of Vietnam, Father Vincent Nguyen Trung Thanh, appeals for prayers from our SCALA readers.

On a happier note, many new confreres have taken vows in the Congregation and been ordained for ministry the past two months. New Provincial Superiors are now in place after the flurry of triennial elections.

Sainte-Anne de Beaupré celebrated its 350th anniversary this summer and the Vice Province of Alwaye became the Province of Liguori. The Collegio Maggiore in Rome is bustling with activity for the new academic year. We hope to report on these events soon. Finally, the whole Congregation looks forward to the 2009 centenniel celebrations of the canonization of St. Clement Hofbauer.

Grace and Redemption for All!
Gary Ziuraitis, C.Ss.R.

Index

NEWS FROM THE PROVINCES

USA, Denver Province St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church Built from the ground up, restored from the top down Kyle Fisher, C.Ss.R. as told to Gary Ziuraitis, C.Ss.R. As was reported last year, on August 16, 2007, one of the United States’ most famous Redemptorist Churches, St. Alphonsus “Rock” Church, in St. Louis, Missouri, was struck by lightning and sustained heavy fire damage as well as heavy water damage in the effort to save it. Local television stations broke into their regular programming (cf. video at Scala#30 in Scala archives) to report the fire, and parishioners rushed near the church to pray the rosary for its survival. Saved it was. Recently, I spoke with Father Kyle Fisher of the Redemptorist Community for an update on the restoration efforts. Here is his very interesting inside look.

	Because of a series of providential occurrences, this famous St. Louis landmark Church, built from the ground up in 1866 with the help of Redemptorist brothers, out of native rock from which it gets its name, which once served as the provincial headquarters of the old St. Louis Province, which continues to be a famous center of devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, and which was a former training ground for newly ordained Redemptorists, is presently being rebuilt, but this time - from the top down.
The Church might have been lost if it were not for the fast action of the Fire Chief of St. Louis who mobilized eight fire houses to battle the rooftop blaze and ordered the fireman not to break any of the stained glass windows while pumping water into the church. He ordered the firefighters to keep the flames from reaching the tower, where it would have acted like a chimney and accelerated the fire. The saving of the Church’s tower and 19th century stained glass windows (Mayer Company of Munich Germany), was an important factor in deciding to restore the Church even though it was considered a total loss.
	Another providential occurrence was that a man by the name of Mark Kamp, a parishioner of the Rock, and owner of Wachter Construction Co., which later became the General Contractor, came to the Rock the night of the fire. As he watched the church burn, he was also on his cell phone. The following morning we found out why he was on the phone. The next morning by 7 a.m. he had 25 workers from his construction company onsite and they immediately began to board up the doors and windows for protection and safety.       Then there was the Woodard Restoration Co. who immediately began the monumental task of drying out the church. To do this they had two huge machines, the size of a semi-truck, one blowing hot air into the church and the other a dehumidifier to protect the walls and the interior of the church from mold and mildew. Before any serious or major reconstruction could begin, the church had to be dried out and it took over 8 weeks to do it, with those giant machines running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
In the weeks ahead the charred-and-hole riddled roof left open to the sky was covered by a temporary roof. Unmovable interior features like the marble altars were enclosed in wooden casings, and the stained glass windows were boarded up to protect them. The workers who began the restoration work soon came to look upon their labors as “not just another job,” but a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to exercise their various skills in restoring a building built 140 years ago in another era with much different techniques and tools than are available today. They learned the history of the Church, not only the structural history, but the sociological history of why this Church was so important to the city of St. Louis and to the surrounding inner-city neighborhood through very lean years.
It is noted that between the seven or eight trade unions represented in the restoration work, there has been no disputes nor major incidents in getting the work done. One skilled plasterer even came out of retirement for the opportunity to work on such a unique project. The General Foreman of the project said: “I’ve never worked on a project where there has been so many surprises and challenges. This project has changed my life.”

Some interesting facts and statistics:

The booms used to lift equipment and workers to do the repairs on the exterior of the Church can reach a height of 135 feet

There were 95,000 pieces of wood used to repair and replace the roof and ceiling. Some of them were 8 inches wide, 16 inches in height, and 25 feet in length, weighing 350 lbs, which had to be lifted up to the roof to replace the old beams.

The slate-roof tiling was half saved and is now half new.

The church is 80 feet high, 135 feet long and 52 feet wide and over 80,000 pieces of scaffolding where needed to scaffold the interior of the church and its naves.

On one particular restoration day, 4,000 lbs. of plaster where applied to the ceiling, so you can just imagine how many pounds of plaster have been applied to the ceiling of the church since that day.

The console of the WICKS CHURCH PIPE ORGAN, one of only 4 of its kind in the world, was destroyed, and there was fire and some water damage to the pipes. The Wicks organ company still exists today and is only 50 miles from St. Louis, so they came and took the organ apart piece by piece and the organ is being completely restored.

A major challenge was providing temporary electrical power to the church for lighting and to run all the tools the workers needed to do their work. A major expense to the restoration will be the electrical work needed to bring the church up to code. By Christmas of 2007, 21 miles of electrical wiring was strung in the church and over seven miles of conduit tubing.

The neighborhood civic development organization, Grand Center, has committed to light up the restored Church tower at night and pay for the cost for the next ten years. The Rock Church tower, already tolling the Angelus once again, will also be a night time sign of faith and perseverance to the surrounding neighborhood.

The miraculous image of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, one of the five original images that came from Rome to the United States, was unharmed in the fire and stored away for safetey until the re-opening of the Church.

The Redemptorists Involved:

The Redemptorist Community members most involved in the restoration at this time are: Father Kyle Fisher, a former pastor who resides now at the Rock, who has shouldered much of the day to day details of restoration; Brother Terry Burke, who has been stationed at the Rock Church for many years and knows every nook and cranny, making him invaluable to the restoration effort; and the pastor, Matthew Bonk, who has continued to encourage and uplift the parishioners through the many ups and downs of uncertainties, temporary worship space in the gymnasium, and the long wait to re-enter the Church building for worship.

It is hoped that the restoration of the Rock Church will be completed by early May.

Index

Colombia,
Basilica del Señor de los Milagros (Lord of the Miracles)
Guadaljara de Buga,
Noel Londoño, C.Ss.R.
 
The Redemptorists who have charge of the Sanctuary del Señor de los Milagros (the Lord of the Miracles) inform us of the following:
 
They have carried out a restoration of the silver rays of the Cross that has the image of the Lord of Miracles. During the restoration they discovered that what looked like tin at the back of the image was in fact very old genuine silver in relief, probably dating back to 1748 (cf. Featured Media). This required also the restoration of the decorations and the placing of the older wooden Cross in front.

We are interested in acquiring a property at the end of the Avenue of Señor de los Milagros, that is, on the western side of the Cali-Cartago highway. The project to be developed includes a religious theme park (‘The Land of the Lord’) and a hall capable of accommodating 12,000 - 15,000 people. We shall be giving further information on these plans.

The feast of the Lord of Miracles was celebrated this year on September 14th. The traditional Novena that precedes it began on September 5th with the rosary at dawn, followed by the Eucharist and Novena sermon. There was also a sermon at all the Masses especially the evening Eucharist. On this occasion, because of the Jubilee Year in honor of St. Paul decreed by Pope Benedict, the Bishop granted a plenary indulgence to all the faithful who took part in the Basilica devotions on Sept.13th or 14th subject to the usual conditions for gaining an indulgence.

Index

Cuba
Hurricane Gustav
Sergio Campara, C.Ss.R.

Editors note: This summer Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba were struck by Hurricanes Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike. This account of Hurricane Gustav in Cuba is typical of the devastation and hardship caused by all these storms in the Caribbean..
 
I write from L’Isola della Gioventu, Cuba (the Island of Youth). We are still alive but our people do not know if or how they can survive. Roofs and old houses were blown away like straws in the wind. It is impossible to imagine a phenomenon so violent and destructive. I have only photographic memories of the tsunami of 2006 or Hiroshima after the bomb but to look around us here is simply terrifying.

Everything is flattened; all is death and destruction. The streets are covered with filth and sewage with the risk of an epidemic that we fear has already begun. The radio and T.V. gave unrealistic reports about the efforts being made to bring aid to the people who have nothing to eat or drink. The reality is that 85% of the houses have been damaged. At least 20% are roofless and the same number homeless. (cf. Scala slide show at: http://scalanews.com/scala/cuba/photos/)

Saturday, August 30, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. was a real inferno. The storm was more serious than foreseen. I spent two hours trying to clear the water from my room. Then my confrere and myself endeavoured to strengthen the doors of the Church but it was impossible in a gale of 350 km an hour. When the hurricane’s eye moved over there was a short respite and the sun came out on what was a ghastly scene. This was followed by an even more violent wind as the tail of the hurricane struck. I have never imagined anything so horrible. My stomach is still sick as I have never had the experience of a hurricane. There was nothing we could do to repair the damage, not having boards or nails. We sought refuge in our rooms at the risk of our lives.
 
Daybreak found us alive amid inexplicable chaos, death and destruction. I went to the Church whose doors were thrown open to try and arrange the benches and clean them of the leaves and other filth deposited on them. In the evening I could not celebrate Mass nor eat anything. A bishop who is a friend called me from Havana to find out how we were and to inform the Cardinal who also called me personally before bedtime.
 
We are in urgent need of every type of aid. People even ask us for candles for the night and we have none! Two distant and poor dioceses have already sent help. Foreign embassies have promised aid as soon as possible. We know that the situation is even worse in Haiti with many dead and missing.
 
Let us pray that these cataclysms and suffering may serve to create a better life with greater solidarity and humility. Suffering joined to love produces miracles. Pray for us and for those who assist us that they may do so efficiently and in a disinterested spirit.

Index

Haiti,
Hurricane Hanna
Adonai Jean Juste, C.Ss.R
 
We are still living in critical times as a result of the cyclones. We have experienced the horrible passage of cyclone Hanna at Carrefour Feuille and Port-au-Prince. What happened at Gonaives was even worse than what occurred during the passage of Hurricane Fay. Since yesterday evening the people are crouched on the roofs of their houses while the rain comes down in torrents. There is nobody to come to their aid. Are they all to die like this? The rain is still pouring down.
 
Our monastery and Church are unrecognizable. Uprooted trees, ceilings down, chaos! Huge trees fell on the Church causing frightful damage. The beautiful trees that lined the avenue in front of the monastery where the merchants had their stalls are all down. St. Gerard’s is unrecognizable. Fortunately for us there has been no loss of human life. The confreres are safe and well where they are, though Daniel is stranded at Port-au-Prince.
 
It is the same story at St. Clement’s. The huge tree beside the House has fallen on the chapel. We are trying to clear the approach and the chapel. There are many dead in Port-au-Prince and all over the country. The raising of the level of Lake Miragoane has cut off the south from the rest of the country. We are in a state of shock! Maybe worse is to come! There is talk of the proximate arrival of another cyclone called Ike. We ask for the prayers of the confreres.

Index

Brazil

Preached Popular Missions.
Redemptorists of the Province of Campo Grande, Brazil
Intuition of St. Alphonsus and the effects of the Document of Aparecida
Pe. Gelson Luiz Mikuszka, C.Ss.R

(Editor’s note: The “Document of Aparecida” to which this article refers is the fruit of the 5th General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean, held in May of 2007, in Aparecida, Brazil, and opened by Pope Benedict XVI.)

The Document of Aparecida strongly exhorts the necessity of renewal within the structures of parishes in order that they may be “living networks that connect large communities with smaller groups.” (# 372). Ever since the first years of Vatican Council II, adhering to the teachings of the Church, the Redemptorists in Brazil have nurtured a structure of preached Popular Missions that follows four steps. The first and second steps give new life to a missionary parish through the very infrastructure of an intimate prayer life in smaller groups, or sectors, within each  larger community. (cf. # 372, 518c.)
	Having evolved from the past type of centralized Popular Mission that waited for the People of God to come to the church building, the Popular Mission has now evolved into one that interacts within the very communities and families. It is a true transformation of the parish, into “smaller communities within larger communities” (cf. # 517). It entails a direct approach to the families through the socio-religious element, the more personal division of the neighborhoods and the enhancement of smaller missionary communities. Thus the small domestic seed is planted which has the capacity of growing into a missionary parish, completing an expansive and full missionary cycle.The land is prepared, yes, but done so in order to have an effect, one that creates bonds of intimate relationships between persons, bonds of true community among neighbors, who may not have even have known each another prior to the experience, and catechetical and evangelical bonds among the laity themselves.(cf. # 99c).
	Thus the parish goes through a reorganizing of its structures, “becoming a network of small communities, capable of expressing the fact that its members truly feel to be and are disciples and missionaries of Jesus Christ who are intimately in communion with the Church.” (# 172). So comes the explicit personal invitation to be a living sacred place where the Word of God is received and welcomed; thus allowing oneself to be enlightened by the same Word.The preached Popular Mission become an extraordinary means of Pastoral Ministry that reaches far and wide, touching those who do not normally participate in the life of the Church, those who have separated themselves, and those who do not recognize nor understand the ways of the Church, including non Catholics who end up being nourished by this spirituality of the preached Popular Mission. (Cf # 226d). In a direct way, it reaches out to men and women, young adults and children.
Also, the preached Popular Mission reaches out to influence public opinion and means of communication in ways never before imagined. (cf. # 485). People frequent the sacraments considerably more, especially the sacraments of reconciliation and Eucharist, a result of a personal encounter with the Risen Christ. It is a living and extraordinary renewal in the life of the parish. The smaller missionary communities are typical examples of this dynamism. Some may still be of the opinion that the preached Popular Mission is but a mere fleeting moment of contagious emotion of masses of people. The truth is, the great multitudes that come together in the enormous night time processions of light in the main plaza in front of the parish church, or at the raising of the large mounted cross, in the third phase of the mission, is not merely a gathering of bodies, blindly reacting to emotions, but rather, it is a confluence of small communities that during many previous months have avidly listened to and received the Word of God. It is impressive to see the missionary communities in their witness and Catholics living and accepting with eagerness the Gospel that is presented to them, resulting in both personal and communal conversion. (cf # 248). The preached Popular Mission calls forth and forms priests and laypersons , all missionaries, to a long lasting, persevering evangelization in the communities, which is unfolded in the fourth phase of the preached Popular Mission. St. Alphonsus Liguori founded the Congregation to be essentially missionary, with an innovative method of preaching missions; after all, the objective was not simply to bring back to the fold those who were away from the life of the Church, but primarily to take the Church to those who had left Her behind. To adapt our Alphonsian inheritance to the daily life of the Church is to strengthen Her unity and evangelization efforts. Thus, The Popular Redemptorist Mission partakes of the Church’s richness and moves toward a deepening missionary parish spirit, making of the parish itself an ecclesial powerhouse, one that is empowering, dynamic and evangelizing. In this sense, the Redemptorist Brazilian Province of Campo Grande has sought to strengthen, during the year 2008, this ministry of the preaching of Popular Missions, and has two well structured Mission Preaching teams.

 Index

Brazil
Post Graduate Moral Theology Course offered to Laity
Province of Campo Grande

The professors are the Redemptorists of the Campo Grande Province who, inspired by the teachings of Saint Alphonsus, seek to teach Moral Theology from the Gospel perspective of mercy and from a critical vision of the contemporary world.  In view of the fact that corruption and disregard for the common good are weakening the social fabric, the Redemptorist can give a great contribution to Church and to Brazilian society. Because it meets the standards of the Ministry of Education,  those who complete the curriculum will be able to use their degree in education or in any other professional venue. They will acquire the capacity of critical analysis from the standpoint of Moral Theology.  In this way, the Redemptorists, having as their founder the Patron Saint of Moral Theologians, will help underscore the great role of St. Alphonsus in the Church which is Moral Theology in the perspective of Plentiful Redemption

Index

Vietnam
Vincent Nguyen Trung Thanh, C.Ss.R.
VietCatholic News

The Provincial Superior of the Redemptorists in Vietnam reports to all Redemptorists in Vietnam and around the world that great efforts have been made to dialogue with the government but his hope is vanishing.

Fr. Vincent Nguyen Trung Thanh warns his Vietnamese Redemptorist brothers in a letter released on Sunday Sep. 14, in which he tells them that results from talks with the government are void.

“We had opportunities to talk with the leaders of the nation who are in charge of the Committee For Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security... to present our aspiration for justice and peace.” In detail, Fr. Vincent Nguyen requested the government “to stop all reports on newspaper, radio and television delivering false accusations to defame us,”, “to release all those who have been arrested,” and “to dialogue seriously on the Thai Ha dispute and return the land to us.”

“There were promises [from state officials],” he reports. But, unfortunately, “even the simple promise to stop the assault of state-run media against us has never been respected!”

In this situation, “Please recite continuous nine days of Novenas to Our Lady of Perpetual Help,” the Provincial Superior asks his Redemptorist brothers.

In conclusion, Fr. Vincent Nguyen asks “Saint Alphonsus Liguori, all Redemptorist Saints and Blesseds, in particular, Blesseds Ivan Ziatyk, Dominik Trechka, Vasil Velechkovskyi, Nicholas Charnetsky, Zenon Kowalyk - witnesses to the faith in the twentieth century” to intercede for Vietnamese Redemptorists in this difficult time.

Index

REPORTS FROM THE SECRETARIATS:

Witten, Netherlands
Redemptorist General Secretariat for Partnership in Mission
Ray Douziech, C.Ss.R.

The Redemptorist General Secretariat for Partnership in Mission met at Wittem, the Netherlands June 16-19, 2008. This was the fifth meeting of this secretariat, and it proved to be the final one for the present sexennium.

The secretariat dealt with three major items: 1) the foundational document they have been working on since their second meeting, 2) a report of the work of the secretariat for the 2009 General Chapter, and 3) concerns about continuation of the work begun and ensuring continuity with a new secretariat.

The foundational document

The secretariat has prepared a “foundational document” with the title Called into Communion for Mission: Redemptorists and Lay People Together Proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ to the Most Abandoned – a Step Forward.

The document, in four parts, reflects on two foundational principles for all Redemptorist collaboration: Communion and Mission. It also reflects on the movement in Institutes of Consecrated Life toward sharing their life and mission with lay people, and it offers a schema or framework to clarify the different ways and degrees in which Redemptorists and lay people in fact share spirituality and co-operate. Finally the document raises a host of questions and concerns that face Redemptorists and those associated with them as they move forward.

A small committee will proofread the document and prepare it for publication. Individual members of the secretariat also agreed to see about translation of the document into Spanish and Portuguese.

Report to 2009 General Chapter

Using flip charts and following a process suggested by the chair, the secretariat made a summary of its work during this sexennium. It included accomplishments, challenges, evaluation and suggestions for the future.

The report will begin with a brief and pointed summary statement of what the members of the secretariat believe and what they propose. This “Abstract” was agreed upon:

We, the General Secretariat for Partnership in Mission:
- are convinced that Redemptorists working together with lay persons is essential to effectively carrying out our mission in the world;
- are convinced that our activities over the sexennium have helped to raise awareness of this essential role especially through the development of our website and the publication of a foundational document;
- wish to inspire and encourage lay persons to continue on their journey of working with Redemptorists to develop new approaches to mission in today’s world.

We want to strongly advocate that Redemptorists, through the General Chapter, continue to affirm and support the role of lay men and women in our mission through:
- a clear declaration that each unit and region of the Congregation take the necessary steps to have adequate formation and clear structures for the association and cooperation of lay persons;
- the establishment of a General Secretariat for Partnership in Mission for the next sexennium;
- the appointment of a full time permanent secretary to coordinate and promote the role of lay men and women in our mission;
- promoting the foundational document as a basis for discussion in chapters, assemblies, communities and formation houses; and,
- the continued development of the website (www.cssrpim.com) as a resource for the whole Congregation.

The secretariat also formulated a postulatum to be presented to the 2009 General Chapter.

The future

The members of the Secrtariat expressed their hope that the next General Government will find ways to continue and build on the work already done to better understand and implement Redemptorist co-operation with lay people in promoting the Redemptorist charism and carrying out the Redemptorist mission.

The question was raised about what will happen to the website this Secretariat has set up. Who will take responsibility? How will continuity be ensured?

There was a suggestion that You Tube be used to make five-minute interviews with various Partners in Mission in different languages – or perhaps short “homilies” reflecting on the whole issue of collaboration between Redemptorists and lay people.

If there is a new secretariat appointed in the next sexennium, the present secretariat suggests that it focus on formation for Partners in Mission (especially Lay Missionaries of the Most Holy Redeemer). With appropriate expertise, perhaps some sort of general ratio formationis for Lay Missionaries of the Most Holy Redeemer could be developed.

A new secretariat should also work in closer co-operation with other secretariats (spirituality, formation, evangelization….), since there is already much overlap in their mandates and concerns.

The meeting concluded with votes of thanks, expressions of appreciation for the spirit of co-operation among secretariat members, and fond farewells.

Index

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Unit Superiors should soon be receiving their shipment of ORBIS 2007-2008. We hope they will quickly re-distribute them to the local communities. This year's issue is a commemorative pictorial edition in honor of our Congregation’s 275th anniversary. Thank you to all the units that were able to respond to our repeated requests for photos. We hope you will enjoy this “snapshot” of Redemptorist life around the world.

Index

Redemptorist meal prayers, authored by Vicar General Serafino Fiore, are now available on our cssr.com website for downloading and use in communities. Go to your language version and in the main menu click on “General Government” and then “Documents” for the link.

Index

FEATURED MEDIA

Slideshow of Señor de los Milagros (spanish language) in PowerPoint

Slideshow of Señor do los Milagros (spanish language) in html

Index

TRANSITIONS

First Profession of Temporary Vows:
Nathaniel Natinger Aredain, Province of Cebu, May 24, 2008
Thomas Ha Trong Tuan, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2008
Vincent Hoang Van Bao, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2008
Augustin Le Q uy Phi, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2008
Pierre Nguyen Anh Kiet, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2008
Michel Nguyen Be, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2008
François Nguyen Duc Hoan, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2008
Joseph Nguyen Manh Tuong, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2008
Joseph Nguyen Nhat Thang, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2008
Joseph Nguyen Quoc Khai, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2008
Joseph Nguyen Van Toan, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2008
Joseph Nguyen Van Tuan, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2008
Vincent Pham Van Hau, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2008
Vincent Pham Van Long, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2008
Jean Phung Ba Trung, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2008
Jean Baptiste Tran Duc Thong, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2008
Joseph Vu Van Tuan, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2008
Pierre Ho Si Huan, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2008
Jorge Javier Livio, Vice Province of Resistencia, July 25, 2008
Vicente Javier Ovando, Vice Province of Resistencia, July 25, 2008
Jean Joseph François Tétreault, Province of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré, August 2, 2008
James Patrick McCabe, Province of Baltimore, August 4, 2008
Bruce Raymond Davidson, Province of Denver, August 9, 2008
Theodore James Dorcey, Province of Denver, August 9, 2008
Marino Gonzales-Victoriano, Province of Denver, August 9, 2008
Herman Holtkamp, Province of St. Clement/Region of Cologne, August 12, 2008
Jozef Mihok, Vice Province of Bratislava, August 15, 2008
Marek Vyrostko, Vice Province of Bratislava, August 15, 2008
Rafał Wojciem Nowak, Province of Warsaw, August 15, 2008
Szymon Pedryez, Province of Warsaw, August 15, 2008
Edvard Piatselchyts, Province of Warsaw, August 15, 2008
Marcin Krzystof Surga, Province of Warsaw, August 15, 2008

Profession of Perpetual Vows:
Marcos Antonío Mota Moraes, Province of Porto Alegre, August 1, 2008
Darwin Omar Espinal Estrada, Vice Province of San Salvador, August 3, 2008
Thomas Augustine Ha Quoc Dung, Vice Province of Extra Patriam, August 3, 2008
Joseph Ho anh Ngia, Vice Province of Extra Patriam, August 3, 2008
Dominic Nguyen Ngoc Khanh, Vice Province of Extra Patriam, August 3, 2008
Alphonsus Nguyen Phuoc Hanh, Vice Province of Extra Patriam, August 3, 2008
Jozef Troja, Vice Province of Michalovce, August 15, 2008
Peter Labant, Vice Province of Michalovce, August 15, 2008
Viktar Bokhan, Province of Warsaw, August 15, 2008
Lyudvih Labuda, Province of Warsaw, August 15, 2008
Stanislaw Mateusz Madejczyk, Province of Warsaw, August 15, 2008
Krzysztof Emil Makowski, Province of Warsaw, August 15, 2008

Ordinations to the Priesthood:
Geo Tom Nampudakathu, Vice Province of Alwaye, April 10, 2008
John Varghese Kooran, Vice Province of Alwaye, April 12, 2008
Cristóvão Przychocki, Vice Province of Bahia, May 31, 2008
Alexander Wojtanowski, Vice Province of Bahia, May 31, 2008
Carlos Augusto Ferreira de Sousa, Vice Province of Fortaleza, June 13, 2008
Ignatius Bem Michael Gede, Vice Province of Nigeria, June 26, 2008
Jude Ebeto Gibah, Vice Province of Nigeria, June 26, 2008
John Cross Uduak Sebastian, Vice Province of Nigeria, June 26, 2008
Prayer Hime Odede, Vice Province of Nigeria, June 26, 2008
Luke-Mary Okechukwu Okwaraudu, Vice Province of Nigeria, June 26, 2008
Cletus Kelechukwu Stevents, Vice Province of Nigeria, June 26, 2008
Callistus Iheanyichukwu Onyenusi, Vice Province of Nigeria, June 26, 2008
Jozef Novák, Vice Province of Bratislava, June 28, 2008
Júlio Miguel da Silva, Vice Province of Recife, July 5, 2008
François Ouermi Somdella, Vice Province of Burkina-Niger, July 5, 2008
Pascal Sorgho, Vice Province of Burkina-Niger, July 5, 2008
Leonardo Valdez Ibarra, Vice Province of Asunción, July 19, 2008

70th Anniversary of Profession:
Gerald Crotty, Province of St. Clement/Region of Netherlands, October 16, 2008

60th Anniversary of Profession:
Rocco Di Masi, Province of Naples, October 3, 2008

60th Anniversary of Ordination:
Rubem Leme Galvão, Province of São Paulo, October 2, 2008

50th Anniversary of Profession:
Jacques Pardon, Province of Lyon-Paris, October 16, 2008
Joseph Touraynne, Province of Lyon-Paris, October 16, 2008

50th Anniversary of Ordination:
Michael Creech, Province of London, October 19, 2008
Ezio Marcelli, Province of Rome, October 26, 2008
Angelo Gabriele, Province of Rome, October 26, 2008
Angelo Divona, Province of Rome, October 26, 2008

25th Anniversary of Profession:
Dominique Nguyen Duc Thong, Province of Vietnam, October 16, 2008
Joseph Pham Van Bao, Province of Vietnam, October 16, 2008
Paul Tran Huu Dung, Province of Vietnam, October 16, 2008
Joseph Tran Minh Quang, Province of Vietnam, October 16, 2008
Thomas Truong Dinh Son, Province of Vietnam, October 16, 2008

Deaths:
Br. José Guadalupe Suárez Castillo, 81, Province of México, August 14, 2006
Rev. Jesús Sepúlveda Bárcenas, 81, Province of México, October 16, 2007
Br. António Teixeira de Magalhães, 74, Province of Lisbon, June 25, 2008
Rev. Laurentino Miguélez Rodríguez, 82, Province of México, June 27, 2008
Br. Manuel (Joaquín) Gómez García, 97, Province of Madrid, June 28, 2008
Rev. Giovanni Battista Semenzin, 80, Province of Rome, July 4, 2008
Rev. Jan Bartos, 72, Province of Warsaw, July 6, 2008
Br. Vladimir (Basil) Pylypa, 88, Province of Yorkton, July 17, 2008
Rev. Roger Schaller, 85, Province of Bolivia, July 24, 2008
Rev. Heribert Küper, 83, Province of St. Clement/Region of Cologne, July 25, 2008
Br. Michael (Vasyl) Stets, 99, Province of Lviv, July 28, 2008
Rev. Antonio Fele, 56, Vice Province of Port-au-Prince, August 3, 2008
Rev. Seán Horgan, 83, Province of Dublin, August 16, 2003
Rev. Bernard George Rooney, 75, Province of Denver, August 25, 2008
Most Reverend Michael Kuchmiak, 85, Province of Yorkton, August 26, 2008
Rev. José Guadalupe Torres Guzmán, 73, Province of México, August 26, 2008
Rev. Fridolin Günter, 89, Province of St. Clement/Region of Helvetica, August 27, 2008
Rev. Michael Robin Van Der Spuy, 67, Province of South Africa, August 29, 2008
Rev. Robert. C. Simon, 84, Province of Denver, August 29, 2008

Electoral News:
Gonzalo Ráscon Rivera elected Vicar Provincial of the Province of México. Confirmed July 18, 2008.

Nestor Gaspe elected Vicar Provincial of the Province of Cebu. Confirmed July 21, 2008.

Results of the Unit Elections

Index