Vol. 72, No. 2 Spring 2014

The Society for the Propagation of the Faith

St. Matthias Mulumba Senior Seminary, Kenya gets a renovation

Pope Francis: “Wake Up the World”

Evangelization in China’s Shaanxi Province

Holy Childhood 2013 Year in Review

And more….

St. Matthias Mulumba Senior Seminary, Kenya gets a renovation

Pope Francis: “Wake Up the World”

Evangelization in China’s Shaanxi Province

Holy Childhood 2013 Year in Review

And more….

“And the one who received the seed in rich soil is the man who hears the word and understands it; he is the one who yields a harvest.”

Matt 13:23

“And the one who received the seed in rich soil is the man who hears the word and understands it; he is the one who yields a harvest.”

Matt 13:23

2 MISSIONS TODAY

Happy New Year to each of you! We move forward to the year 2014 and the Holy Father Pope Francis reminds us of our missionary identity as bap-tized members of the Univer-sal Church. Baptism, he said, makes us missionary disciples, called to bring the Gospel to the world. The Sacrament of Baptism initiates us into a com-

munity of believers, the people of God who share the beauty of the experience of a love that precedes us but calls us to be channels of grace for one another. This communitarian dimension, Pope Francis said, “Is not just a frame, an outline but an integral part of Christian life, of witness and of Evangelization.”(Wednesday January 15, 2014 General Audience)

The Church, the people of God is called during the world day of migrant and refugees to embrace all people and bring to them the Good News, for the face of each migrant/refugee bears the mark of the face of Christ. It is in this realization that we find the deep-est foundation of the dignity of the human person which must always be respected.

Last year, November during the 82nd General Assembly of the Union of Superiors, Pope Francis admonished Religious men and women to awaken the world and light up the future. He remind-ed them that God is asking us (RELIGIOUS) to leave the nest that holds us and go out to the frontiers of the world; avoiding the temptation of domesticating them. Pope Francis urged the supe-riors to live up to the Charisma of their founders. He called us to

Missionary Prayer IntentionsMARCH: That many young people may accept the Lord’s invi-tation to consecrate their lives to proclaiming the Gospel.

APRil: That the Risen Lord may fill with hope the hearts of those who are being tested by pain and sickness.

May: That Mary, Star of Evangelization, may guide the Church in proclaiming Christ to all nations.

go to the Outskirts to understand the experiences of the people. Missionaries bring a message that God is alive, not in some ob-scure place but alive in us personally, alive on the margins of life with those who are most rejected. The Christian message that we carry as missionaries is so life giving and so deeply integrated with simple human liberation that must be shared in friendship with those who have not heard it. To discover that to be truly human is to be truly divine is such an enriching message that must be shared with all in many different ways in the life of missionaries through education, health care, feeding programs and above all through faith in Christ.

At the beginning of 2014, our January/February edition leads us to the frontiers where missionaries experience the face of Christ in the lives of so many who are in search of living water. Thank you so much for being a missionary through your faithful donation to the Missions as presented in the activities of Pontifical Missions Societies. Through our men and women on missions, you sup-port numerous communication programs, Seminaries, catecheti-cal programs and restoration and building of Churches. Please pray for our missionaries. Remember all these we do in memory of Him.

Father Alex Osei CSSp.

National Director’s MessageMission Today Message Spring 2014

Remembering the Missions in your Will

Help the missionaries of the future through • a specific bequest amount• securitiesbequest• all or part of the residueof your estate • realproperty(e.g. a building) bequest

InyourWilluseourlegalname:

SocietyforthePropagationoftheFaithforCanada,EnglishSector

Registered Charity BN 12888 2883 RR0001

MISSIONS TODAY 3

In This Issue…Vol. 71, No. 3 Summer 2013

The National Director’s Message ............... 2

The Society of Saint Peter ........................... 4

Letters from Abroad: Refurbishing a Seminary in Kenya ............... 5

Across the Globe ........................................... 8

Pope Francis calls us to “wake up the world” ................................... 10

Evangelization in Shaanxi Province, China............................................ 12

Holy Childhood Association:..................... 14 - Summary Report on our activities in 2013 - Niagara Region takes a walk for missions - A look inside the Infant Jesus Children’s Centre in Antipolo City, the Philippines.

Mission Conversations with the Editor ... 18

In Remembrance: Our Deceased Donors ................................ 19

Neptunia Oleracea – flower found in Nagaland, India Photo by C.T. Johansson [CC-SA-BY-3.0], wikimedia.org

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4 MISSIONS TODAY

Society of Saint Peter the Apostle

Last May Pope Francis was presented with the 2013 Pontifi-cal Yearbook, which, as its name implies, is a collection of all things Catholic. It acts as a summary of what is going on in the Catholic World across the globe.* I find most interesting what it says about the growth of the Church in areas of the world where Pontifical Mission Societies Canada is most involved.

PMS Canada, through the Society of Saint Peter the Apostle, has played a significant role in supporting, encouraging and sustaining the priesthood and professed religious around the world, but particularly in Africa. Last year alone, through your

generous support and prayers, we were able to support 23 semi-naries in four African countries. (As well as working on behalf of an additional 16 seminaries in Asia). Therefore, I find it en-couraging seeing the growth of both groups reflected in the lat-est yearbook that compares numbers over the past two years.

Here are a few of the Pontifical Yearbook’s findings:

• Africa has seen its Catholic population grow by 4.3%• There has been a 39.5% increase in the number of priests• There has been an 18.5% increase in the number of

professed religious• Candidates for both diocesan and religious order priesthood

has increased 30.9%

Your active involvement is clearly making a difference in helping to build the missionary Church in Africa. Thank you!

Please note: Sister Christa Mary Jones CPS will return with her regular column in the Summer 2014 issue.

Photos: PMS Canada

*For more information on the Yearbook, visit: http://www.cath-olic.org/international/international_story.php?id=50927

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For more information contact: National Director

416-699-7077 or 1-800-897-8845or write

Society for the Propagation of the Faith2219 Kennedy Road, Toronto

Ontario M1T 3G5

MISSIONS TODAY 5

October 28,2013

Very Rev. Fr. Alex Osei, CSSp,

National Director,

Pontifical Mission Societies

Dear Fr. Alex,

Greetings and best wishes from St. Matthias Mulumba Senior Seminary, Tindinyo. It is with profound appreciation that I

write on behalf of the Seminary community, to inform you of the completion of the seminary renovations. As you are already

aware, the renovations were delayed due to weather conditions in the area where the seminary is situated. In our earlier report

I mentioned that due to too much rain we were unable to remove and replace the iron sheets on the roofs of our buildings as

was expected.

However, with a lot of difficulties the renovations started in December 2012 and progressed satisfactorily well despite the

heavy rains most of the time.

The project was divided into two phases. The first phase which included renovations of the main chapel, sacristy, dean of

studies block, and the three hostels for seminarians in residence were completed in May, 2013.

The second phase included the renovations of three additional hostels; washrooms and the overhead water tank were com-

pleted in October, 2013.

After the renovations, the seminary looks new and attractive. All the formators, seminarians and support staff members are

very happy with the good work which will provide a favourable atmosphere for the formation of future priests.

We are grateful to the Society of St. Peter the Apostle, Pontifical Mission Societies – Canada and the Missionary Sisters of St.

Peter Clavers, Rome for the support you gave towards the realization of this noble project.

Enclosed please find a narrative, financial report and photographs of the completed seminary renovations.

While assuring you of our prayers for the success of your work, we remain,

KapsabetTindinyoKenya

Letters from AbroadGreetings and a very grateful thank you from St. Matthias Mulumba Senior Seminary, Tindinyo – Kapsabet, Kenya

6 MISSIONS TODAY

Letters from AbroadSt. Matthias Mulumba Senior Seminary, Tindinyo Seminary Chapel Renovation

St. Matthias Mulumba Senior Seminary, Tindinyo Renovation of the main Chapel, Sacristy, Students’ Refectory (dining hall), Office Block and Dean of Studies’ Block

Repairing the trussPutting New Iron Sheets on the Chapel Roof

Removing the old roof

Chapel roofing almost complete

Back Side of the Main Chapel New Students’ Refectory (Dining Hall) Back Side of the Extended Sacristy

Completed Chapel

MISSIONS TODAY 7

St. Matthias Mulumba Senior Seminary, Tindinyo Photos showing renovation of the Seminarians’ Dining Hall

St. Matthias Mulumba Senior Seminary, Tindinyo Seminary Dean of Studies’ Office and lecture Hall’s Renovation

Old leaking dining roof

Repairing the Roof

Repairing the Trace

Removing the Old Roof

Newly Completed Dean of Studies’ Office

Open Roof Being Repaired

Side View of the Completed Roof

8 MISSIONS TODAY

Across the Globe

NiGERiA - “i am happy to be a Catholic” Holy Child-hood celebrates the Year of Faith

Makurdi - “I am happy to be a Catholic” was the theme chosen by the Holy Childhood Association of Nigeria for the celebration of the Year of Faith, which was held at the “St. Thomas Aquinas” Major Seminary in Makurdi.

Fr. George Ajana, National Director of the Pontifical Mission So-cieties (PMS) in Nigeria, reports that the meeting, which was held from August 5 to 9, was attended by over 400 children and young people from 46 Nigerian dioceses, who were led by sixty anima-tors, about forty nuns and thirty priests, including the national Coordinator of Holy Childhood and the National Director of the PMS.

In the four days of intense activities, the children took part in the National Quiz competition and a retreat, during which they were led to reflect on the theme of the meeting and how a child can bear witness to Jesus in their own home, at school, in church and in society. In addition to the moments of prayer, such as the Mass, the Mission Rosary, the Eucharistic adoration, the celebration of the sacrament of penance, the children watched a film and at-tended the award ceremony of the winners of the quiz. The litur-gies were animated by the children, and celebrated in the Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa and English languages, depending on the diocese engaged in the animation. An edited version, taken from Agenzia Fides 09/20/2013.

CONGO DR - Congolese nun wins the 2013 Nansen Refugee Award

Kinshasa - “She is a true heroine”, said António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, in announcing the Nansen Refugee Award to Sister Angélique Namaika, a Congolese nun who works in the war-torn north-east part of the Democratic Re-public of Congo (DRC) with female victims of the LRA (Lord ‘s Resistance Army).

“Sister Angélique shows that a single person can change the lives of families torn apart by war”, Guterres said.

“The Center for the reintegration and development of Dungu, led by Sister Angélique, has changed the lives of more than 2000 women and girls who had been forced to flee “says a note from the UNHCR.

Most of the women welcomed at the Center talk of abductions, forced labour, murders, and sexual violence. “It is hard to imagine the suffering of these women and girls in the hands of the LRA”, said the nun on learning that she had received the award. Ac-cording to Sister Angélique the award will mean “other displaced people in Dungu will receive the help they need. I will never stop doing everything possible to restore their hope and offer the chance to live again”.

In the center, created in 2008, guests can receive an education and learn a trade.

According to UNHCR figures, in the Eastern Province of the DRC since 2008, 320,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. The Nansen Refugee Award is given annually by UN-

MISSIONS TODAY 9

HCR to individuals or groups in recognition of “outstanding service to the refugee cause”. The award is named after Fridtjof Nansen, the famous Norwegian explorer, scientist and politician, who was the first High Commissioner for Refugees of the League of Nations, the predecessor of the United Nations.

Sister Angélique will receive the Award on 30 September in Ge-neva. On October 2, she will be in Rome where she will be re-ceived by Pope Francis. An edited version, taken from Agenzia Fides 09/17/2013.

PHiliPPiNES - Filipino priests ordained amid ty-phoon ruins

Manila, Philippines - Seven Catholic priests were ordained on Monday, November 25, amid the ruins of the centuries-old ca-thedral in the archdiocese of Palo, Leyte province, which was devastated by Super Typhoon Haiyan on November 8.

“We may have lost everything, but our faith is becoming stron-ger ever. No trial or storm or typhoon can destroy our resolve to have faith in Jesus. And it should be manifested in action,” stated Father Amadeo Alvero, the archdiocese’s spokesman.

He said the ordination of the seven new priests is a “concrete action” to show the people’s faith in God despite the devastation brought about by Typhoon Haiyan that, according to the latest count, has killed more than 5,000 people and affected 11 million others.

Up to 95 percent of structures in the town, including churches were destroyed by the typhoon. “We are still not so sure where we will get the funds for the repairs considering that everybody here is a victim,” Alvero said. He was speaking two weeks after the typhoon battered the provinces of Samar and Leyte, as people slowly start to build their lives anew. An edited version, taken from ucanews.com 11/26/2013.

HAiTi – Children for a new Haiti, four years after the earthquake

Madrid - A group of Haitian children, helped by a Spanish NGO, has made a documentary to convey an optimistic view regard-ing Haiti and its future, on the occasion of the fourth anniver-sary (01/12/2010) of the earthquake that killed about 300,000 people in the Caribbean country. The promotional spot of the documentary “Me llamo Haiti”, by the NGO “Educar desde la Infancia”, can be found on the internet: we are talking about a 28 -minute video made entirely by children.

“It is important that people continue to think of Haiti, because much help is still needed and children are lacking in many things”, says the president of the NGO, Mar Dominguez to Fides. “We went there and we prepared audiovisual workshops with children. The 25 chosen children learned how to write a screenplay and to work with small cameras, so they have become creators of their own documentary project”, he added.

Children between 9 and 13 years of age talk about growing up in their country while it is being rebuilt. Among other issues, they also speak of the difficulties in obtaining drinking water, of the lack of health centers and, more positively, their progress at school. An edited version, taken from Agenzia Fides 01/10/2014.

lEBANON - Missionary Childhood children in leba-non help Syrian refugee children

Beirut - Missionary Childhood (IM) Day will be celebrated on Sunday, January 26th, which has always had the motto “Chil-dren help children”. Among their various initiatives, the young children of IM in Lebanon have organized themselves to help refugee children. The Director of the Pontifical Mission Societ-ies, Fr. Paul Karam, and the secretary of the IM of the country, Nada Hajjar, declared that this aid will consist of clothing, fund-raising, and visits to refugee families.

In Lebanon, the IM numbers about 15 000 children who, in 2013, raised more than $ 15,800.00 which combined with do-nations, will go to aid children in Sudan, Iraq and Madagascar. Fr. Karam reported the presence in Lebanon of a half million Syrian refugees, almost all Muslims. This massive presence leads to further difficulties in the small country which is not capable of sustaining many immigrants. “The Church has the duty to awaken the conscience of the international community in order to promote a path of peace and take responsibility towards refu-gees”, added Fr. Karam. An edited version, taken from Agenzia Fides 01/10/2014.

CHiNA - New priests are a sign of hope for the mis-sion of the Church in China

Beijing - The Diocese of Kai Feng and the Diocese of Zhu Ma Dian, in He Nan province in mainland China, had the joy of welcoming six new priests at the beginning of the year, a sign of hope for the mission of the Church.

Over a thousand faithful attended the priestly ordination of three deacons of the Diocese of Kai Feng and one from Xing Tai. The solemn celebration was held on January 2, presided by His Exc. Mgr. Lian Jian Sen, Bishop of the Diocese of Jiang Men, the new church dedicated to the Sacred Heart. Fifty priests concelebrated the Ordination Mass. for the diocese of Zhu Ma Dian the two ordinations held on January 1 represents the first ordinations since 1933.

The report to Fides pointed out that, “both the dioceses, like many other continental communities, had to deal with the lack of priestly vocations. These ordinations are obviously a source of great joy and hope for the local community and for the entire Church in China, which is doing her best in the field of evange-lization with limited human and material resources”. An edited version, taken from Agenzia Fides 01/14/2014.

10 MISSIONS TODAY

On November 29, 2013, Pope Francis met with representa-tives of 120 religious orders. Over the course of the meetings, he clearly articulated his expectations of the role needed to be played by religious all over the world. Missions Today Maga-zine has made many references to the New Evangelization first proposed by Pope Benedict XVI. Evangelization is the respon-sibility of all members of the faith. Now, Pope Francis calls for all religious orders to re-think their role. The two situations I provide below for your consideration, one from South Sudan and the other from Guatemala, are strong examples of what our new Pope wishes to see happening in our Church.

Before you read the two stories, take a moment to reflect on these comments made by Pope Francis during the meetings in November.

Today’s religious men and women need to be prophetic, “capa-ble of waking up the world”, of showing they are a special breed who “have something to say” to the world today.

“The church must be attractive. Wake up the world! Be witness-es of a different way of doing things, acting, and living! (Show) it’s possible to live differently in this world.”

It’s necessary to spend time in real contact with the poor. For me this is really important: it’s necessary to know from experi-ence what’s real, to dedicate time going to the periphery to truly know the situation and the life of the people.”

Without firsthand experience with people’s lives, “then one runs the risk of being abstract ideologues or fundamentalists, and this is not healthy”.

A charism needs to be “lived according to the place, times and people. The charism is not a bottle of distilled water. It needs to be lived with energy, rereading it culturally, too.”

*SOUTH SUDAN - Catholic priests and Protestant pastors in the forefront to save lives

South Sudan’s location within Af-rica – map by Alvaro1984 18, wi-kimedia.org

Location of key towns mentioned in this story. Juba is the capital city. Map by

Pope Francis calls us to “wake up the world”

AweilBentiuMalakalJubaSouth Sudan

MISSIONS TODAY 11

Juba - The ongoing political conflict in South Sudan between President Salva Kiir and former Vice Presi-dent Riek Machar, has now put the two main tribes in the country, the Dinka and the Nuer, in conflict with one another.

But according to testimony gath-ered by Fr. Mark Oper Omolm, a South Sudanese priest, and sent to Fides Agency, several religious of both ethnic groups have worked to protect and save many lives. “What these people have done deserves to be told publicly to strongly empha-size the role that Churches can play in shaping the future of our Coun-try”, says Fr Mark.

Here are the episodes reported by the priest:

“Abraham Makuac, an Evangelical Pastor from Dinka saved the lives of several Nuers in the aftermath of the fighting in Juba. Despite having lost a brother in the fighting he opened his house and Church to protect and save innocent civilians.

Micheal Abang, a Presbyterian pastor from Shilluk, also worked strenuously to save human lives during the fighting in Malakal. He generously offered shelter and safety in his house and Church to displaced families representing both tribes. In the aftermath of the fighting, he was seen participating in the collection of dead bodies and arranging for their burials.

Fr. Paulino Lual, a Catholic priest of the Franciscan Order, who is Dinka, set up a network of volunteers from his people to pro-tect the Nuer population in Aweil. This priest is known for his courage and firmness in condemning tribalism and corruption in the country. He narrowly missed being murdered by soldiers from his own ethnic group, who were angered by the protection he was providing for Nuer civilians.

Fr. Joseph Makuei, a Catholic priest of the Nuer tribe, also or-ganized volunteers from his ethnic group to protect and save human lives in the town of Bentiu. He, together with his vol-unteers, participated in accompanying members of the Dinka community to the UN premises for their safety. An edited ver-sion, taken from Agenzia Fides 01/08/2014.

**GUATEMAlA - Religious women involved in the protec-tion of young orphans

Mixco - Every day, a group of 180 children are assisted, helped and protected in the Hogar Nuestra Señora Consoladora, (Chil-dren’s Home of Our Lady of Consolation) founded 33 years ago to protect orphans. The structure is located in the area of Mixco, adjacent to the Major Seminary in Asunción. Children between the ages of 3 and are educated, fed and clothed with the support of volunteers, donors and benefactors. Sister María Eva Amortegui, deputy director of the house who is in charge of the Little Apostles of Redemption, explains that the aid offered consists of food, footwear and clothing, and in some cases there are people who adopt children and adolescents. “Here we see teenagers from broken homes, children abused, abandoned and poor, while in the other places such as Santa Rosa and Sumpan-go, we try to give them a bit of maternal love”, comments Sister Amortegui. At the age of 13 boys are transferred to a vocational center, where they can continue to study or be adopted. In total, 28 nuns and 7 novices give lessons to the children. Hogar Nues-tra Señora Consoladora has assisted close to 10 000 orphans since its opening. An edited version, taken from Agenzia Fides 01/08/2014.

*Check out our Spring 2011 issue for more information on the church in South Sudan.

** For more information on Hogar Nuestra Señora Con-soladora, visit YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifDjIrWZXVM

MixcoGuatamala City (Capital)Guatamala

12 MISSIONS TODAY

Note: This is an edited version of a report which first ap-peared on ucanews.com 11/29/2013.

Much of the data we have on Chinese Catholics is so skewed by politics it becomes meaningless.

In the mid-17th century at the beginning of the Qing period, the last of China’s dynasties, there were about 300,000 docu-mented Catholics in China, about half of them in Shaanxi. This central province south of the Great Wall was the Vati-can’s strongest foothold in the Middle Kingdom at the time.

With the number of Chinese increasing roughly tenfold since, the government today claims six million Catholics country-wide. Researchers outside the Chinese mainland have pro-duced much higher figures. The Holy Spirit Study Center, an organ of Hong Kong diocese, says there are 12 million Catholics in China, while the US faith ministry, Asia Harvest, posted in 2010 the highest recent estimate at some 21.3 million.

Pockets of Shaanxi province are heav-ily populated with villages made up al-most entirely of Catholics. Driving out of Xian to the southwest of the city, the landscape soon changes to rows of grape vines for making wine – some of it for Communion – and church spires dot the horizon. In this area where Liu lives, many villages are almost entirely Cath-olic and have remained so ever since European missionaries began to convert people here a century or more ago.

But with China’s rapid urban migra-

tion, many villages are emptying, adding another complication to the task of tracing Catholics, and challenging the Church to rethink evangelization.

The Church in changing China

On a recent Sunday, Xi’an Cathedral just inside the old city walls was packed. About 450 people were crammed inside, some standing in the aisles. Outside, latecomers pulled plastic chairs from a tall stack and sat down opposite the front door. The plastic chairs have been used for the past five years or so as the congregation has swelled with villagers coming to the city to seek work.

“There are two types of migrants: Some feel lonely when they get to the city and so they are active in seeking out the Church and they become more devout,” says Xian Bishop Anthony Mingyan Dang. “Some lose their faith.”

Bai Yunchuan, a migrant from a village 90 kms from Xian, goes to the cathedral every Sunday but attends Mass far less than she used to, she says.

Since she left her village six years ago, Bai has worked in city restaurants. In March, she opened her own noodle shop while her husband did the same close by, just five stops apart on Xian’s intercity bus network.

Evangelization in Shaanxi Province, China Tracing evangelization a tough task in China Focus on: Shaanxi Province

St. Francis Cathedral of Xi’an – photo by Peter17, [CC-SA-BY-3.0], wikimedia.org

Shaanxi Province

MISSIONS TODAY 13

“In the village you just stop your work and go to church in the evening,” says Bai. “Here you cannot stop because people are still eating.”

Her 14-year-old son lives back in the village with her grandparents where the number of people is dwindling. Similarly, congrega-tion sizes are becoming smaller. Like many Chinese wives, Bai found her husband in a nearby village and left her home to move in with him. Her parents were adamant that she should marry another Catholic. “It was a must,” she says.

Father Stephen Chen Ruixie, director of the Catholic Social Service Center based within the compound of Xian Cathedral, says it’s this kind of attitude that the Church must abandon if it is to begin to see a greater uptick in evangelization, especially as Catholics fan out ever more widely in search of work.

It’s a way of thinking which has been slow to change in rapidly developing China, he says. Although Fr Chen says that this attitude is starting to die among priests, a few still preach that the faithful should only marry fellow Catholics. “Some try to stop the sacraments [for those that marry non-Catholics],” he says.

When Fr Chen’s nephew became friendly with a non-Catholic girl in high school, most of the family didn’t encourage their relationship. “But I said ‘no,’ its okay,” he says. “Now they are married.”

While many of the challenges facing the Church are cultural, perhaps the biggest obstacle remains the government. Like al-most every corner of China, Shaanxi has had its fair share of problems with the authorities.

Facing restrictions

In September 2006, government officials detained Wu Qin-jing, an illicitly ordained bishop in Xian, reportedly striking him as they forced him into a vehicle. Six days later a hospi-tal diagnosed him with a concussion. The following March, the bishop was reportedly sent to government reform through education for three days, enforced indoctrination which the Communist Party recently promised to abolish.

Bishop Wu has still not been approved by the Party-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association, which has three of its staff placed at offices within the compound of Xian Cathedral. The bishop remains unable to travel outside of Xian without the express permission of authorities, meaning he cannot reach Catholics in Zhouzhi diocese, however many there may be.

Local cadres are asked how many Catholics live in their area and these numbers are sent back to Beijing, passing through the various stages of county-level and provincial authority. With religion still viewed as an alien threat to the party and state, local Chinese cadres have an automatic predisposition to play down the numbers with higher-ups and, in turn, justify and maintain their validity.

By the end of the Qing Dynasty, a century ago, there were about 300,000 documented Catholics in the province.

The population in 1912 was about a third of what it is now so the percentage of Catholics in this province today is down considerably. But the fact Shaanxi has recovered to about the same numbers, and these are growing, represents progress in a province once home to more Catholics than any other in the country, he says.

After the dark days of Chairman Mao, Catholicism here may finally “be starting to recover,” he adds.

Interior view of St. Francis Cathedral of Xi’an – photo by Peter17, [CC-SA-BY-3.0], wikimedia.org

Dutch Mission School for girls circa 1929-1939 – photo credit: Tropenmuseum of Royal Tropical Society, wikimedia.org.

14 MISSIONS TODAY

Holy Childhood Association

MISSIONS TODAY 15

Students’ Corner

Niagara Walk-a-thon for the Holy Childhood Association keeps moving on!

The Niagara Catholic District School Board has long been a keen supporter of the goals of the Holy Childhood Associa-tion and 2013 was no different. Each autumn, the schools hit the streets for the annual walk-a-thon in support of children around the world. Here are just a few snapshots of various school staffs and students out on the walk.

HCA Canada gratefully acknowledges your on-going support. You are an example for us all!

ABOVE is a picture of students from the Mr. David Watson’s grade 3 class at St. Christopher Catholic Elementary School presenting to the student body the day before our Halloween Holy Childhood Walk. Photo courtesy of Roger Demers, Principal.

“Dear little children, boys and girls, through your prayer and your commitment you co-operate in the mission of the Church. I thank you for this and I bless you”!

- Pope Francis I, on the Feast of the Epiphany Jan.6, 2014 which also marked Missionary Day of Children in Italy.

Do you want to see your class on this page? Send us your photo.Holy Childhood Association, 3329 Danforth Ave., Scarborough, ON M1L 4T3

16 MISSIONS TODAY

Holy Childhood AssociationThank You to all the members of HCA Canada! Our report on page 14 outlines all the good things we were able to accomplish in 2013 thanks to the generous support of our HCA family all across Canada. HCA members know that many children around the world lack the basic necessities that make up a normal life. This is especially true with regards to proper nutrition and feeding. That is why HCA Canada works to provide these children with the proper food so that they can grow to their full potential, to love and serve Jesus.

This issue, we feature the good work being done by the order of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Infant Je-sus, who runs the Infant Jesus Children’s Center in Antipolo City, the Philippines. We received a letter of gratitude from Sister Sara P. Molo, fmij, in which she “thanks us very much for this great help that you shared to these little ones. We will continue to pray for the Pontifical Mission Societies and the Holy Childhood Association.”

Here is a portfolio of the children at the centre and their grateful responses to you, the Canadian members of the HCA.

Manila

(Capital City)

Antipolo City

MISSIONS TODAY 17

18 MISSIONS TODAY

“No one is saved by themselves. We are a community of believers and in this community we feel the beauty of sharing an experience of love that precedes us all, but that at the same time asks us to be ‘channels’ of grace for one anoth-er, in spite of our limits and our sins. The communal dimension is not only a ‘ frame’ or an ‘outline’ but an integral part of the Chris-

tian life, witness, and evangelization.” – taken from Pope Francis’s catechesis at the general audience on January 15, 2014.

Are you getting a little tired of all the talk about the “New Evangeli-zation”? Do you feel it isn’t your place or role to get out and bring people into your church commu-nity? Perhaps the very thought of evangelizing others causes you to cringe. Blame Pope Benedict XVI. As maligned as, at times, he has been, we owe him a great debt of appreciation for his realization that things needed to change in the Catholicism of the First World if the Church was to survive. Doing things as we had done and expect-ing the laity to follow along was not working. Attendance at all forms of liturgy was in rapid decline and the divide between ‘con-servative’ and ‘liberal’ Catholics was growing wider. Our Church was devolving into a collection of “interest groups”, each with a focussed agenda. Latin Mass? Check. More incense? Check. Fast-track liturgies with no homilies? Check. Women priests? Work-ing on it. No priests? Getting there. Sin? Check. No sin or guilt? Check. I think you can see my point.

Pope Benedict recognized the need for a regeneration of the Cath-olic movement across Europe and North America. He recognized the damage done to the Church by skepticism and cynicism, while acknowledging the self-inflicted wounds done to it through the sins of a sometimes corrupted clergy and a self-satisfied, compla-cent attitude on the part of its leaders.

With Pope Benedict’s retirement and the subsequent election of his successor, Pope Francis I, the push for a renewed evangelization has increased. Pope Francis has called upon all Catholics to lead by example and thus be witnesses of faith to those we encounter. His call for a new, fully authentic life of faith is not lip-service. His actions during this first year of his pontificate clearly show that he intends to lead by example and that he expects us to do the same.

The common thread that runs through much of what he publicly has done and said is grounded in his strong belief in the power and attractiveness of community. He calls us to be like the early follow-ers of the disciples: a people together, united by their love of God and desire to serve others. “All of us”, he says, “even the smallest, is a missionary.”

So how does this apply to me? Do I stand on the corner and call out to those who pass by that I have been saved and if you will only listen to me I can save you as well? I’m afraid that is too Pharasitic (Ed.indulgence) for me. If not, then how to evangelize? Better to stay quiet and stick to my usual pew. No, this is not what Pope Francis means when he calls us to be missionaries.

To be an evangelizer means to take every opportunity to live Christ’s message: love one another, with the full understanding that we will often fail to do just that. Con-fusing? Not really. We reach out to others when we are conscious of their need, however small it might be. Try holding the door for oth-ers at every instance for a couple of days and see the reaction you will get. Stop to help the young mother struggling with the baby carriage on the steps of a building.

Say ‘good morning’, ‘good afternoon’, ‘good evening’ through-out the week and see how good it makes you and others feel. Do things without any expectation of recognition. Offer help before it is asked of you. Simple things, really, but perhaps because these gestures are simple, we sometimes overlook their importance.

Next time I want to describe for you a faith experience I had visit-ing a nephew in Iowa. The Holy Spirit is alive and well, and com-ing to a soul near you!

Paul Coady Editor

Mission Conversations with the EditorNo One is Saved by Themselves

Derivative work by César, from photos by Dilma e Francisco/Roma Udi-enzaPapa, [CC-SA-BY-3.0], wikimedia.org.

MISSIONS TODAY 19

Missions Today is always interested in hearing from you. If you have any comments on the articles we have used; the new structure of the magazine; or anything you would like to see us

explore in future issues, please get in touch with us!

Contact the Editor via email at: editor@missionsocieties.ca

Or write us at: Editor - Missions Today Magazine

2219 Kennedy Road Toronto,

Ontario M1T 3G5

Don’t forget to visit our web-site.www.missionsocieties.ca offers: access to feature stories from our magazine, Missions Today, child activities and news from Holy Childhood, and direct links to World Mission TV (RomanCatholicTelevision) where you can find stories of mission work from across the globe in documentary formats complete with teacher/student guides and activities. Our site also makes it easy to donate in a safe and secure way. Visit us today!

Robert Lemke ......................................................Elbow, SK

Leota MacIssaac ...............................................Sudbury, ON

Patrick MacNeil ................................................Benacad, NS

Denis O’Connor ......................................Corner Brook, NL

Marie Ouang ................................................... Toronto, ON

Roger Plante ...................................................Binscarth, MB

Margaret Reid ..............................................Miramichi, NB

Viola Specht ..................................................Winnipeg, MB

Robert Staysko ...................................................Calgary, AB

Gerald Sullivan .................................................Capreol, ON

Anna Sunder ......................................................Mission, BC

Viola Taylor .......................................................Ottawa, ON

Peter Ternes ........................................................Calgary, AB

Shun Tsear ................................................Scarborough, ON

Alda Vandenhurk ...............................................Calgary, AB

Alice Wickey .................................................Edmonton, AB

James Young ............................................... Mississauga, ON

Rosella Zimmer ...................................................Regina, SK

Please remember in your prayers the recently deceased members of the Pontifical Mission Societies

Mavis Barnes ......................................................Calgary, AB

Erna Basarab ...............................................Chemainus, BC

Joseph Benson .................................................. Oshawa, ON

Michael Black .............................................Woodstock, ON

Theodore Bruseker .............................................Calgary, AB

John Buis ................................................St. Catherine’s, ON

Sidney Chevalier ................................South Woodslee, ON

Henri Cloudt .................................................... Oshawa, ON

Margaret Condon ..................................St. Catherine’s, ON

Mary Connors ..............................................Royal Oak, MI

Marie Demers ................................................ Brandon, MB

Anna Galama ................................................Caledonia, ON

Mrs. E.C. Garrard .......................................Coquitlam, BC

Peter Gruber .................................................. Etobicoke, ON

Gerald Heaney ..............................................Edmonton, AB

Robert Houle ........................................................Oliver, BC

Jean Hudder ............................................... Barry’s Bay, ON

Anne Hughes ...........................................Thunder Bay, ON

Mary Jessop ..................................................... Windsor, ON

Grant Johnson ......................................................Virgil, ON

Edward Jorger ....................................................Mission, BC

Roxane Jorger .....................................................Mission, BC

Violet Kitts ....................................................Moose Jaw, SK

Henry Kline ....................................................... Halifax, NS

In Remembrance Our Deceased Donors

The PMS National Of-fice also asks for your prayers for the repose of the soul of Janina Koller, a former employee of the office. Janina worked with us in our mail room before retiring in 2012.

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“Each of us is a link in that chain, a step forward always, like the river that irrigates.”

Pope Francis i

“Each of us is a link in that chain, a step forward always, like the river that irrigates.”

Pope Francis i