the regions where CNEWA works. This issue also includes a report on the near collapse of the health care network in Gaza; the commitment of the church in Ukraine to form lay leaders and professionals in the shadow of the fourth anniversary of Russia’s war on Ukraine; the work of the Syro-Malabar and the SyroMalankara Catholic churches in health care and social services in southern India, despite the growing affluence in the region; and a feature on the enormously popular Shrine of St. Charbel in Lebanon and its patron, a monk of international renown. As with previous issues, ONE also has planned features for publication online only, namely on the increasing daily challenges of Ukrainians under ongoing Russian attacks, and the growing devotion to the Rev. Miklos Soja, a Hungarian Greek Catholic priest, whose life was dedicated to the pastoral care of the Gypsy community in eastern Hungary, by Laura Ieraci, editor of ONE. My column in December 2025 offered reflections on how we might approach the centennial. My hope is that we will remain open to the movement of the Spirit, the intercession of the Virgin Mary, and God’s daily graces to guide our journey, our partnerships and our strategies. My hope in this 100th year is that we will remain open and strive to broaden the opportunities to build a culture of encounter and dialogue on ecumenical and interfaith levels. My heartfelt prayer is that the Scripture passage from the Book of Revelation quoted above will provoke a deep passion within each of us to be agents of healing and hope in realizing that God’s dwelling is with us! God dwells with us, here and now, today! Are we not called to be God’s missionary servants in wiping away the tears of those who suffer and live in fear: victims of war, religious persecution or natural disasters; migrants, refugees and the internally displaced; those in need of health care, psychosocial
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, right, greets then-Bishop Ronald A. Hicks of Joliet, Illinois, at a news conference on 18 December, announcing Bishop Hicks as the next archbishop of New York.
counseling or education, and victims of human trafficking in any of its pernicious forms? Permit me to share with you some events we have planned later this year to mark our centennial: 13 December: Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, New York City, 10:15 a.m. 15 December: CNEWA Centennial Gala Dinner The guest of honor will be Frà John Dunlap, 81st grand master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. CNEWA’s Faith & Culture Award recipient will be Her Excellency Sister Raffaella Petrini, F.S.E., president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and president of the Governorate of Vatican City State. The gala will be held at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. With my gratitude and prayers for your support of the mission of CNEWA/PMP!
Peter I. Vaccari President
100 YEARS OF HEALING & HOPE
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