A CATHOLIC MISSION MAGAZINE ISSUE 23
Little Angela’s Christmas wish A blessing for St Michael’s Primary One coco, full basket Bougainville or bust
Opening doors
and hearts
Message from the National Director
In this issue… JOIN US ON THE RIDE TO REACH OUT
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LITTLE ANGELA’S CHRISTMAS WISH
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PULL-OUT POSTER
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FROM SORROWS TO HOPE
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A BLESSING FOR ST MICHAEL’S PRIMARY
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ONE COCO, FULL BASKET
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BOUGAINVILLE OR BUST
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Cover image: A young girl whose mother benefits from vocational training in Michaelpuram, India.
Catholic Mission acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which this magazine was published.
Greetings to you on behalf of Catholic Mission. In our increasingly busy world, each year seems to pass ever more rapidly, and already we find ourselves in the Holy Season once again.
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ach new day presents a fresh opportunity to make a difference in your world, whether that is at home, at work or in the schoolyard. Similarly, each new season presents different ways in which you can be the best Christian you can be. For many throughout the Holy Season, this simply means being with friends and family—if we can—and sharing the love and spirit of Jesus Christ at Christmas. If we cannot be with the ones we love, we can always spare a thought and a prayer. As a valued supporter of Catholic Mission, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your contribution to our work this year. Throughout this issue of Mission Today, you will find stories of the lives you have helped to change for the better. These stories are broadranging and feature children, communities and church leaders from as near as Papua New Guinea and as far as Jamaica. I also encourage you to view our 2015/16 annual report online. Although the Jubilee Year of Mercy has come to a close, I hope that its essence remains with you and inspires you in the transition to a new year. Perhaps you will consider an additional gift to support those featured in this issue and many others around the world this Christmas. Or you may like to browse our Life-Giving Gifts catalogue for the perfect present for a loved one. If you would like to know more about leaving a lasting legacy in your will, please give us a call or check out our website. Please remember our missionaries, and the people they serve, in your prayers this Holy Season. However you choose to mark the occasion of the Nativity of Christ, we thank you for your generous and ongoing support. Wishing you and yours a blessed Christmas and New Year,
PO Box 1668 North Sydney NSW 2059 T: 02 9919 7800 F: 02 8904 0185 E: admin@catholicmission.org.au
Freecall: 1800 257 296 catholicmission.org.au
Fr Brian Lucas National Director
A multi-sector dialogue on living the joy of the Gospel and leading mission
“Love opens our eyes and enables us to see, beyond all else, the great worth of a human being.” Pope Francis
Register now!
15–17 May 2017 SMC CONFERENCE & FUNCTION CENTRE 66 GOULBURN ST, SYDNEY
1800 257 296 mohmv.com.au
Join us on the Ride to Reach Out
Imagine cycling dusty roads within the Mekong Delta, open to the exquisite and ever-changing scenery of Cambodia, the jewel of Southeast Asia, knowing that with every kilometre you cover, you will be raising funds for Catholic Mission to continue its important work for children.
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rriving in Siem Reap, over the next 12 days you will embark on an incredible cycling adventure, with every kilometre revealing new splendour. From hidden jungle temples and sugar-palm plantations to ancient ruins and bustling cities, on this once-in-alifetime adventure you’ll cycle beyond the city limits into the unfolding countryside: through rice paddies, sugarpalm plantations and small villages where children run out to greet you. Walk the tree-lined boulevards of Siem Reap; gaze upon the magnificent spires of historic Angkor Wat; cruise the waters of Tonle Sap Lake; and experience the weight of Cambodia’s solemn past at the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. In Phnom Penh, you’ll have the opportunity to explore the bustling streets of Cambodia’s vibrant capital city on the banks of the mighty Mekong River.
Highlights: • G ive the gift of education and transform the lives of disadvantaged children, and see firsthand some of the life-changing projects your funds make possible • E mbark on an incredible Cambodian adventure from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh • I mmerse yourself in traditional Khmer culture as you cycle across exquisite countryside, into traditional communities and bustling cities • E xplore impressive jungle temples and gaze upon the majestic spires of the World Heritage-listed Angkor Wat.
Best of all, as part of this incredible adventure, you’ll raise vital funds for Catholic Mission to continue facilitating education projects in Cambodia, and see firsthand some of these life-changing projects. Join us on the Ride to Reach Out and give the gift of education to local Cambodian children in need and transform the lives of those living in disadvantaged communities. For more information, visit www.inspiredadventures.com.au/events/catholicmissioncambodia-2017
The Ride to Reach Out offers participants a unique opportunity to challenge themselves physically, while raising money for our vital work. I am very passionate about our work in Cambodia and I am excited for participants to learn more about our life-changing projects and meet with some of the people to whom we reach out. Father Brian Lucas, National Director PAGE 4
MISSION TODAY A Catholic Mission Magazine
Looking ahead
PHILIPPINES
Little Angela’s Christmas wish
For many Australian kids, a new bike or a pair of football boots might top the Christmas list. But one little girl in the Philippines is praying for a blessing of a very different kind.
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atholic Mission’s Children’s Appeal is held throughout the Holy Season to raise funds for children in developing communities around the world. This year the focus is on a struggling family living in the Philippines capital, Manila. At six years of age, little Angela from Tondo, a suburb in the north of the city, weighs just nine kilograms—the same as a healthy eleven-monthold baby. She still bears the scars of fractures to nearly every bone in her tiny body, a result of brittle bone syndrome and malnutrition. Her only wish at Christmas is to lead an independent life. Because of her malnutrition Angela is especially susceptible to tuberculosis, a potentially fatal condition that is highly contagious given the extremely unhygienic conditions of Tondo. Each day, Angela relies on her 66-yearold grandmother Heidi to carry her to MISSION TODAY A Catholic Mission Magazine
and from their tiny home in one of the poorest areas of Manila, with her little brother Daniel in tow. Together, they walk to day care for Daniel, or to the school or medical clinic for Angela.
Thanks to the generosity for which our supporters are renowned, the Canossian Sisters can ensure that Angela, Heidi and Daniel are happy and healthy this Christmas. The medical clinic, which has become a place of refuge and respite for Heidi, is run by Sister Susan Imperio and the Canossian Sisters. They operate one of the only dedicated tuberculosis treatment and prevention programs in
the region, and they offer full medical check-ups for Angela and Heidi at whatever price they can afford. Catholic Mission is appealing to supporters to open their hearts at Christmas and in the New Year to struggling families in the Philippines and around the world. A small contribution, says National Director Father Brian Lucas, can help to change a life. “Angela is one of millions of children around the world who will do it tough this Christmas,” he said. “But thanks to the generosity for which our supporters are renowned, the Canossian Sisters can ensure that Angela, Heidi and Daniel are happy and healthy this Christmas.” There is always time to make a contribution in the name of a loved one. For more information on Catholic Mission’s Children’s Appeal, please visit catholicmission.org.au/ christmas2016. ■ PAGE 5
In Kiunga, deep in the heart of Papua New Guinea, a father accompanies his son at a small medical clinic where the boy awaits treatment following recent malaria and dengue fever outbreaks. The increasing prevalence of fathers taking on such roles is seen by local community leaders to reflect a positive attitudinal shift in PNG society.
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MISSION TODAY A Catholic Mission Magazine
MISSION TODAY A Catholic Mission Magazine
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PHILIPPINES
Work with Children
From Sorrows to hope As the heat haze lingers in the warm light of a summer’s morning in Manila, Leonore Mendoza Loor and Father Socrates Montealto huriedly set up chairs and tables inside the tiny hall next to Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Pasay, a small but densely populated suburb in the south of the city. Within the next couple of hours, anywhere up to 500 children could be packing out the hall; it’s just another day at Our Lady of Sorrows Foundation. One student who is doing just that is 19-year-old Brent. After his mother passed away when he was just 12 years old, and with his family no longer able to afford his school fees, Brent feared that he would end up out of school and on the streets like many of the other children in his neighbourhood. “It was a great financial struggle when my mother died,” he recalls, sadly. “But now because of Our Lady of Sorrows I am able to continue my studies. The foundation has helped me with my values and self-confidence.”
Leonore (far left) is very proud of her scholarship students Brent, Althea and April
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n any given week, Father Socrates, parish priest, and Leonore, the head social worker at the parish welcome hundreds of children from around the local streets of Pasay as part of their innovative, three-pronged outreach program. Now in its 30th year, the program had humble beginnings, says Leonore. “What we had at first was a very simple program, and then we expanded it to look at the children’s broader physical and family needs.” Today, there are three major components: health and nutrition; skills training and livelihood; and educational scholarships. Adjacent to the hall is a small clinic, where the foundation provides dental and general healthcare for local children and their families. Trained doctors and community health volunteers assist at the clinic, providing not only care, but PAGE 8
crucial health education in areas such as nutrition and hygiene.
Whatever good these children encounter, it is because of God.. The heart and soul of the foundation is in its scholarship program. Initially catering for 120 children before needing to downsize due to costs, the scholarship program provides a clear pathway for local children— many of them coming from very disadvantaged backgrounds and living on the streets—from elementary school through secondary and into tertiary studies. The foundation is partnered with De La Salle University, 15 minutes up the road, which means the students can consider study options and work towards them.
Brent is now on track to complete an undergraduate degree in science with a major in information technology. He hopes to use his training to help the foundation. “It would be a great opportunity and a great honour to work here. My ultimate goal is to help other kids like me to study too.” Leonore is immensely proud of the progress that Brent and others have made on the back of the faith and values formation the foundation has provided. “Whatever good these children encounter, it is because of God,” she says. “They are strong through adversity because God is with them.” The challenge now for the Our Lady of Sorrows Foundation is to continue their life-changing programs and expand them to incorporate more of the thousands of children and families in need in the neighbouring barangays, or neighbourhoods, of Pasay. With your help as a Children’s Mission Partner, Leonore and Father Socrates can make their dream a reality. ■ MISSION TODAY A Catholic Mission Magazine
Work with Children
INDIA
A blessing for St Michael’s Primary
A crowd of hundreds of children line a wall at St Michael’s Primary School in Michaelpuram, a small town to the south-west of Chennai in India. Today they are celebrating the first day in their new school building, which has come at long last and to the delight of the local population. One of the school’s teachers, Sister Malarvizhi, says the school building will make a difference for generations to come. They don’t do celebrations by halves in India, and here in Michaelpuram the opening of the new school building has been long-anticipated. So it is no surprise that this casual, morning event follows Sunday’s more formal dedication and blessing. At that event, Archbishop of Pondicherry and Cuddalore Antony Anandarayar was joined by a host of community and church leaders to officially bless and open the school building that he was largely responsible for securing. Catholic Mission’s Children’s Mission Partners will recall the story in a previous Mission Today about the dilapidated condition of St Michael’s Primary School. The conditions became almost unbearably dangerous, with falling roof tiles, cracked walls and leaking ceilings making the 70-year-old mud and tile school building a precarious place to learn. Today, hundreds of excited children are streaming into the grounds of the school to inspect the freshly painted walls and new blackboards. They’ll soon be seated in MISSION TODAY A Catholic Mission Magazine
comfortable chairs, learning English, mathematics, science and religious studies. Sister Malarvizhi, a Salesian sister and teacher at the school, says the arrival of the new building brings new hope for these children. “The new school building, constructed with the help of Catholic Mission, gives us happiness, comfort, safety, space and protection from dangers like insects and monkeys,” she says. “It’s facilities also help the children to keep hygienic, focused and disciplined.” She says there are now 365 children of diverse backgrounds studying in the school; some who travel up to four kilometres each day to and from their home. “Children who belong to different religions like Hinduism, Christianity and Islam are studying here. We teach them the value of education and form them as good … honest citizens.” Aside from the school curriculum—it is one of the few in the state that offers English tuition at an affordable rate—
students also engage in many activities that develop their intellectual, social and physical abilities. “The students are studying very well,” says Sister Malarvizhi. “They are also interested in games like kabaddi and chess, while others enjoy singing, dancing, drawing and writing.” She says the entire school community is grateful for the support that Catholic Mission has provided: “Father Magimai, Sister Clara Deveraj, the staff, the children and their families are all extremely happy and grateful to Catholic Mission and its donors for their sacrifice and generous contribution.” ■
Sister Malarvizhi with students
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Work with Communities
JAMAICA
One coco, full basket Like anywhere, Jamaica, with its palm trees, beautiful beaches and iconic steel drums, has a dark side. An ongoing struggle with serious crime is continually claiming lives and threatening to destabilise the entire country. Australian Marist missionary Sister Anne Quinn has been working for two decades to bring positive change to the country. She tells of how an island adage perfectly sums up what your support as a Friend in Faith means to her and those she serves.
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ifteen years ago, when I arrived in Jamaica, I found the place to be very pleasant, although I was to work in an area that was rife with violence and drugs,” says Sister Anne Quinn, an Australian Marist missionary based in Jamaica’s capital Kingston.
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For decades a rampant drugs and firearms trade has been a significant issue for Jamaica. The island is situated precariously in a hotbed region for such criminal behaviour. In particular, the illicit guns-for-drugs trade with Haiti has contributed to Jamaica’s gun murder rate being among the highest in the world. Sister Anne says that the rising crime levels are a concern, but they have not affected the mission of the Catholic Church in Jamaica. “By and large, we continue to do the same work, one example of which is to provide people with the skills they need to gain employment, particularly in hospitality.” Once in charge of the vocational training centre in troubled Montego Bay, Sister Anne’s focus has in recent years returned to the youngest hearts and minds in the country. “Since 2012, I have been the chairperson of a school called St Anne’s in West Kingston, which is a very volatile area.” She says that the school is a sort of safe haven for the children in the area. Its ten-foot walls, barbed wire fence and security guards are testament to that. Many students come from single-parent families, and the school is like a home for these vulnerable young people. “Our big effort is still to provide these children with a childhood,” says the former Melbourne schoolteacher. “We want to provide a place where a child PAGE 10
Marist missionary Sister Anne Quinn has seen positive change in Jamaica over 20 years
knows he or she is loved, is cared for, and is encouraged to study and move on in life.”
Our big effort is still to provide these children with a childhood. With the support of Catholic Mission, which has funded computers for the school, Sister Anne has led the introduction of programs of literacy and numeracy that introduce students to the most up to date concepts while allowing them to learn at their own pace, a crucial requirement for young people who are starting their education from a disadvantaged position. She has also employed teachers who tutor senior students in vocational courses, like sewing. “We would like to make the school an oasis for the whole community to come and try to better themselves. Many
people in disadvantaged situations still have ambition, just not the means.” The task is great, but Sister Anne works tirelessly to ensure that when she eventually returns to Australia, a strong, sustainable structure will remain in Jamaica. “I’ve found that, due to the introduction of more creative methods of teaching, the children become more absorbed in trying to learn a new skill, and it does in some way temper that [violent] reaction. They know within themselves that they can achieve.” Your support of Catholic Mission’s work with communities makes Sister Anne’s vision possible. She says even the smallest contribution makes all the difference. “The Jamaican people have a great saying that comes from selling coffee and coconuts: “One coco, full basket.” It means that no matter what you have stored up, it’s always the last one that makes it complete. “For our donors, it is not how much, but how little that makes up a tremendous impact in what we do.” ■ MISSION TODAY A Catholic Mission Magazine
Work with Church Leaders
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Bougainville or bust
The sound of gunfire rips through the thick forest on the Pacific island of Bougainville, off Papua New Guinea, as Kingsford Thraitsi is loaded into the waiting car by his anxious mother. It’s late-1989 and fighting between the Bougainville government and resistance forces has intensified. Five-year-old Kingsford watches as his father, a resistance leader, bids a tearful goodbye. The young boy promises himself that he will one day return to Bougainville.
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ingsford’s memory of those days plays out like a dramatic war film. He recalls being whisked from their private vehicle to the wharf, where a docked ship would eventually take them away from Bougainville. “As we pulled out from the shore, I looked back and could see the Bougainville Resistance Army planes firing at the Papua New Guinea forces,” Kingsford says. “I didn’t see my father again for 15 years.” Now, almost three decades on from his daring escape, Kingsford is nearing the end of his formation at the Holy Spirit Seminary. He says his inspiration to become a Catholic priest came when he returned to Bougainville later in his childhood. “When my family and I returned, at the end of the Bougainville Crisis, we could still see people carrying guns and other weapons constantly,” he says. “They were still traumatised and could not trust each other. They could kill each other very easily based only on suspicion. “I wanted to change this situation; to be a ‘middle man’ and relieve the tension among these people. For me,
MISSION TODAY A Catholic Mission Magazine
being a priest was the most natural way of becoming that person.” Now in his third year of theology study, Kingsford is putting the finishing touches on his nearly decade-long formation. There are no prizes for guessing where he’d most like to serve as a priest. “The most urgent thing I would like to do,” says Kingsford, “is to help those with great spiritual need following the Bougainville Crisis.”
The best way to help the people is to educate them. Without education, it is almost impossible to change attitudes. Having had his family torn apart when he was barely school-aged, Kingsford is very interested in ensuring it doesn’t happen to other families in his homeland. “I still hold deeply in my heart that separation with my father, and because
I was so affected by it, I understand just how important it is for children to be properly cared for. For this reason, I will particularly look after those children who are at risk of being neglected.” He also wants to promote intercultural dialogue. “I want to help change the attitudes when cultures encounter one another,” he explains. “My aim is that they won’t clash anymore, but can instead accommodate other cultures and traditions. All cultures have uniquely positive traits." Kingsford believes that education is the key to achieving this goal. “The best way to help the people is to educate them. Without education, it is almost impossible to change attitudes.” Due to be ordained next year, the keen gospel music fan is thankful to his Australian supporters who have helped to provide for both the Holy Spirit Seminary and the committed young men who study and live within. “Thank you very much for your support,” he says. “With your donations, you help the seminarians and you help the Church.” ■ PAGE 11
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