Spring/Summer 2019
Wise Words that help people co-exist Love, joy, peace, patience, compassion, sympathy, kindness, truthfulness, gentleness, self-control. Humility, poverty, forgiveness, mercy, friendship, trust, unity, purity, faith, hope, understanding, discernment, wisdom. I love you, I miss you, thank you, I forgive, we forget, together, I am wrong, I am sorry. If you are right you need not get angry, and if you are wrong; then you don’t have any right to get angry. Don’t think hard about the past; it brings tears and don’t think more about the future; it brings fears. Do you know why God created gaps between fingers, so that someone who is special to you comes to fill those gaps by holding your hand forever? The greatest power, which can bring a just peace in the world, is LOVE, for GOD IS LOVE. + Bishop Paride Taban Abraham Kenyi
Founder of Holy Trinity Peace Village, Kuron South Sudan in a letter to the President of South Sudan.
is Sc 30 L
Tho
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+ Bishop Paride Taban Abraham Kenyi.
Contents Page 5 Violence Continues in Cameroon
Editorial
Page 8 Hatred and Love in Pakistan Page 11 Miracles DO Happen Page 14 New Hope for South Sudan Page 16 Coming Events Page 19 Loyoro: mission to the cattle herders Page 22 Silver Circle Page 23 Luanda Rehabilitation Centre Page 26 Mark Connolly Celebrates 40 years Page 28 Going to Confession Page 30 St Joseph: Man of Dreams Page 31 Obituaries
Acknowledgments Contributors: Fr Fons Eppink mhm Fr Bernard Fox mhm Fr Mark Connolly mhm Patrick Ndzedzeni mhm Photo Credits: Fr Fons Eppink Fr Mark Connolly Cover photos: Front: Fr Connolly and students. Back: Flowers for the infant Jesus.
St. Joseph’s Advocate
is the magazine of the Mill Hill Missionaries in Scotland, published from St. Joseph’s House, 30 Lourdes Avenue, Cardonald, Glasgow G52 3QU. Tel: 0141 883 0139. Email: tollanmhm@yahoo.co.uk Registered Charity Number: SCO39809 Produced by: Burns Print Management Ltd., Caledonia Business Centre, Thornliebank Industrial Estate, Glasgow G46 8JT Tel: 07799 645 420 Email: frank.burns@burnsprintmgt.co.uk
Fr. Bill Tollan, mhm, Editor
Christians and Muslims – called to be brothers and sisters, children of the One God Recently (3-5th February) Pope Francis visited the United Arab Emirates – the first time a Pope has set foot on the Arabian peninsula – the cradle of Islam. The visit was partly to affirm the faith of the thousands of Christians who as ‘guest workers’ are employed in hitech industries or as domestic servants or in the building industry in the UAE. They come from the Philippines, India, and many other countries. The visit was also to build bridges with the Muslim world. Christians form 2.2 billion of the world’s population; Muslims 1.6 billion. Together they account for about half of the human race. What a source for good we could be if we leave behind centuries of intolerance, hatred, misunderstanding, and persecution. Yet, as the western world has become increasingly secularised there is an increasing ignorance of the importance and relevance of religious belief. At the same time, there is a great struggle going on for the soul of Islam –
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with Islamist extremists instilling fear and terror in many parts of the world. Pope Francis took part with the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Ahmed elTayeb, in a ‘Global Conference on Human Fraternity’ which resulted in a document on ‘Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together’. This was hailed as a milestone in relations between Christianity and Islam. “Faith leads a believer to see in the other a brother or sister to be supported and loved.” In his address to the Conference, Pope Francis referred to the visit of St Francis 800 years ago to the Sultan of Egypt; they engaged in friendly dialogue and showed mutual respect. This was at a time when Crusaders and Muslims were engaging in bloody conflicts. “True religious piety consists in loving God with all one’s heart and one’s neighbour as oneself” said the Pope. “Freedom of religion goes beyond freedom of worship and involves seeing others truly as brothers and sisters.” He went on to call for dialogue, understanding, the promotion of a culture of tolerance, and citizenship based on equality of rights and duties under which all enjoy justice. On his return to Rome Pope Francis said, “I and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar affirmed the common vocation of all men and women to be brothers and sisters as children of God. We reject every form of violence – especially that committed in the name of religion, and we dedicate ourselves to defending authentic values and peace in the world.” Terrorist attacks in this country have led many people to be suspicious of Islam, and indeed of all ‘religious’ people. Opposition to ‘immigrants’ since ‘Brexit’ has often been linked to ‘Islamaphobia’; the impression has been given that the native population is being ‘swamped’ by aliens.
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• In reality, Muslims make up only 1.45% of Scotland’s population, i.e. 76,737 people or 1 in 70. • Catholics in Scotland number 841,053, i.e. 15.88% of the population; • members of the Church of Scotland number 1,717,871, or 32.44%; • other Christians number 291,275, or 5.5%. • Those declaring they have no religion number 1,941,116, or 36.66% of the population. It is clear that soon the majority of people in Scotland will have no religious belief. It is likely too that the number calling themselves Christian will continue to decline. Just as we have been led to find how much we have in common with Protestant Christians, so in years to come we may recognize what binds us together with our Muslim brothers and sisters: our common belief in the One Merciful God, our commitment to regular daily prayer, and our concern for the poor. Muslims also have a great respect for Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Already in 1076 Pope Gregory VII wrote to Anzir, the King of Mauretania, acknowledging that Christians and Muslims worship the same God “for we believe and confess one God although in different ways, and praise and worship God daily as the creator of all ages and the ruler of the world.” Our Mill Hill Missionaries have encountered Islam in many parts of the world where we have worked– in India, Pakistan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sudan, Uganda, Kenya. Particularly challenging have been Pakistan and Sudan where Muslims form the majority of the population. And yet our mission in these countries has borne fruit. The recent acquittal of Asia Bibi, and the celebrations for the 800th anniversary of the encounter of St Francis and the Sultan, offer signs of change and hope for the future of Christian-Muslim relations.
Continuing violence in Cameroon The Killing of Fr Cosmas mhm
Fr Cosmas, shot by the military as he stood by the Church.
The stand-off between the Government and the Army on the one side, and the separatist ‘Ambazonian Defence Forces’ (‘Amba Boys’) continues to wreak havoc in Cameroon. Parts of the Anglophone NW and SW Provinces are under the control of the separatists, with resultant restrictions on movement of people and goods. Auxiliary Bishop Michael Bibi was held up, detained, robbed, on two occasions in December 2018 as he travelled between Northwest and Southwest Provinces while he was on official Church business. The local economy is in ruins, the education system paralysed, yet appeals to the Government for dialogue have met with deaf ears. In an e-mail of 20th January 2019 Cameroonian Franciscan Sister Hedwig Vinyo wrote of the worsening security and economic situation especially in the Kumbo area of NW Province. “Yesterday one of our Shisong staff was shot dead on her way to work; she was seven months pregnant.” [Shisong, near Kumbo, has a large hospital run by the Sisters.] In another troubled part of the NW Province lies the small village of Ngwah, which is not far from the administrative centre of Fundong where the MHM’s are in charge of the parish. Early on a December morning, just after dawn, the military arrived in force on a burn and destroy mission. They suspected that the villagers had been supporting a nearby camp of separatists calling themselves the ‘Ambazonian Defence Forces’. Most of the villagers fled into the bush at the first sign of trouble. The assistant chief and his wife, and an elderly villager (and father of MHM Fr Cyprian Taah, serving on mission in Kenya) were caught in their own homesteads. The assistant chief was accused of not raising the national flag, and planning to raise that of the rebels.
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is now the longest-serving president in Africa. The Government claimed he had won 71% of the vote – a figure disputed by many, including the Cameroonian Bishops
The Murder of Fr Cosmas Bp Michael Bibi visiting a parish.
The two men were taken out to the main road and ordered to kneel and raise their hands. Cyprian’s father refused saying “I will only raise my hands to praise God.” The two men were then shot dead, their bodies discovered later that day when the soldiers had left – leaving behind a scene of chaos and devastation. On October 4th 2018 in the village of Bamessing a 19 year old seminarian, Gerard Anjiangwe, the only child of his parents, attended Mass in the Church of St Teresa. Afterwards, as he stood in front of the Church with some parishioners, a military truck arrived from the nearby town of Ndop; the soldiers disembarked and started shooting at random. The Parishioners hastily barred themselves inside the Church, while Gerard lay down on the ground outside and began to pray the Rosary. The soldiers tried to prise open the Church door, and then ordered Gerard to get up, which he did hesitantly. He was then interrogated and told to kneel; they shot him three times in the neck – and he died instantly. Early in November 2018 a recently-arrived Baptist missionary was shot dead as he drove through the village of Bambui (where the Regional Major Seminary is located). Many others have been killed, their property destroyed; hundreds of thousands have fled to safer parts of the country, or across the border into Nigeria. In October President Paul Biya was elected for a seventh term of office; he has been President since 1982, and
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The village of Kembong, near Mamfe town, in SW Province has been the centre of clashes with the Government forces. Peaceful demonstrations calling for change were met with heavy-handed brutality, destruction of property, and the flight of most of the villagers. Our MHM’s had returned to the parish to encourage the people to return and rebuild their lives. On November 21st, Kenyan MHM Fr Cosmas Omboto Ondari, assistant priest at St Martin of Tours Church in Kembong, was shot dead by the military as he stood at the front of the Church. The soldiers had fired from a speeding military vehicle, spraying the front of the Church in a hail of bullets. Next day the Bishop of Mamfe, Bp Andrew Nkea visited the scene of the murder, and counted 21 bullet holes in the Church building. The blood stains were still visible on the front steps of the Church. A Congolese Mill Hill seminarian, Guylain Agbasoa, on pastoral placement in Kembong, had been with Fr Cosmas in the house shortly before he was shot dead. He recalled the last conversation they had. Cosmas spoke of how happy he was to be a priest, and went on to say: “You still have some way to go, but you will be a good priest. You will come back here when you finish your studies.” When the shooting began Guylain went to look for Cosmas – only to find him bleeding to death in front of the Church. The body of Fr Cosmas was flown back to Kenya, and he was buried in his home parish of Nyabururu – alongside pioneer MHMs who had first brought the faith
Fr Vuni on the steps of the Church at Kembong whee Fr Cosmas died.
Burial of Fr Cosmas in Nyabururu.
to that part of Kenya. May he rest in peace…and may the example of his life and witness help bring about peace and reconciliation in Cameroon.
Postscript: The Parish Priest of Kembong, Fr Tiberius Vuni mhm, had been on leave when Fr Cosmas was killed, but insisted on returning; “I must be with my people” he said. Local MHM superior Fr Richard Njoroge wrote: At last what a joyful occasion it was in Kembong Mission, when Tiberius Vuni mhm arrived back on 24th January 2019, after two months away on home leave. Immediately Fr Vuni got to Kembong from Bamenda word got round the village like bush fire. People in hiding returned, exclaiming ‘Big Father don come!’ With tears of joy they gathered in the mission compound to welcome him. Having prayed on the Church steps where Cosmas was killed, he then spent the best part of a day with them. They prayed together before Father returned to stay a few days in Mamfe. Since then he has taken up residence again in his parish and resumed his missionary work. We thank Tiberius Vuni for the missionary witness he continues to bring to the Christians of Kembong and for being in solidarity with them in their suffering at this very difficult time.”
Parishioners after First Mass celebrated on return of Fr Vuni.
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Hatred and Love in Pakistan Christians in Pakistan number 3.85 million, but with a population of 186.5 million they form only 2% of the population. Currently, almost 200 Christians have been charged with blasphemy; if found guilty they can be sentenced to life imprisonment or to death. Christian wife and mother, Asia Bibi was arrested in 2009 on a charge of blasphemy arising from a petty dispute with neighbours over a cup of water. She was condemned to death and languished in prison until her acquittal in October 2018. The brave Chief Justice, Saquib Nasir who ordered her release wanted to rectify an appalling injustice. The decision was met with violent demonstrations in protest, and calls for the death of the Chief Justice and the other judges involved in the case. It had been hoped that Asia Bibi and her family would be allowed to leave the country and begin life anew in another, preferably English-speaking country. Instead, the government gave in to the pressure from the rioters and promised that she would not be
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allowed to leave. Meanwhile she lives in hiding, fearing her whereabouts may be discovered and her enemies able to get their revenge.
Pakistani Christian woman Aasiya Noreen, commonly known as Asia Bibi.
Christians within Pakistan, while supporting her cause, must be restrained in their reactions lest they precipitate further violence. Police in Pakistan have warned Christians to be on their guard against possible Islamist terrorist attacks. Security measures are in force for all Christians when they attend Church. Meanwhile, on January 15th a Christian man, Pervaiz Masih, has been acquitted of the charge of blasphemy after a three-year trial. He had been accused of blasphemy after a dispute with a neighbour about some construction materials. His wife was beaten and tortured by the police to get her to incriminate her husband. The couple’s three-year old daughter disappeared – and is thought to have been killed by extremists as a punishment for blasphemy. Even after his acquittal, Mr Masih and his family live in danger of assassination.
St Francis and the Sultan By contrast, on January 12th 2019, a year of celebrations was launched in the city of Lahore to promote interreligious dialogue, tolerance, and a common commitment to peace. This is to celebrate a remarkable meeting that took place 800 years ago, when St Francis of Assisi met the Sultan of Egypt, Al Kamil. Fr Francis Nadeem, leader of the Franciscan Friars in Pakistan spoke of how the two great leaders “spoke up for peace and tolerance amid the atmosphere of war and conflict during the Crusades. They gave an example of interreligious dialogue and mutual understanding.” Muslim scholars present at the occasion spoke up for the example of Francis and the Sultan in the promotion of dialogue, peace, and social harmony.
A Man of Peace and Dialogue Six days later, in the Royal Mosque
St Francis before the Sultan (Trial by Fire), by GIOTTO di Bondone, Upper Church, San Francesco, Assisi.
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There were many protests after Asia Bibi was freed by the Courts.
in the same city of Lahore, Dominican Fr James Channan, Director of the Lahore Peace Centre, took part in an Interreligious Conference and addressed a large congregation of prominent Muslim scholars and other leaders. The conference was to recall the memory of the present
Grand Imam’s father, Abdul Khabir Azad. From the mosque’s pulpit Fr Channan paid tribute to the late Grand Imam who always had a special care for Christians, and on occasions when Christians were under attack, visited and comforted them. He was a great model of interreligious dialogue. His son today, the present Grand Imam, continues to work tirelessly to promote harmony and understanding among Christians and Muslims – both at national and international levels.
Postscript On January 29th 2019 the Pakistan Supreme Court rejected a request to review the acquittal of Asia Bibi, and confirmed that she is now free to leave the country. Canada has offered to accept Asia Bibi and her family; the British Government preferred not to get involved. It remains to be seen if this Christian family will be allowed to begin a new life in a faraway land.
Shahbaz Bhatti, was a Pakistani politician and elected member of the National Assembly. He was the only Christian in the Cabinet, and was assassinated on 2 March 2011 in Islamabad. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed resposibility for his death.
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Miracles DO happen by Patrick Ndzedzeni, a Mill Hill Seminarian from Cameroon, at present on pastoral placement in coastal Kenya. Do miracles still happen? A close friend was convinced the answer was NO. “Just consider the troubles we have experienced in this parish of Witu/Kipini (in the coastal area of Kenya.) Why did God not intervene when the Islamists attacked and killed innocent people? Then there was the famine in Lamu county. Why did God not send the rains?�
But then one Sunday afternoon I listened to a sermon by veteran MHM Fr Adolf Poll (from Tirol). He had felt called to spread the Good News from the days of his youth, and spoke out of the depth of his experience over
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“If this
sacrament was just there for the dying, then I should have been dead at least five times…”
many years as a missionary. His teaching aids on this occasion were three vials of oil. He held up the first and said it was the Oil of Catechumens: candidates for Baptism were anointed with oil to enable them to resist temptation and commit themselves to following Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Next, Father lifted up the Oil of Chrism, explained how it was blessed by the Bishop, and used after the water of Baptism had been poured as a sign of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This precious oil was also used to anoint the hands of priests at their ordination so they could offer sacrifice to God in the Eucharist. Finally, Father lifted up the Oil of the Sick – the oil used to bring healing and forgiveness to the sick. This oil is meant to be used for anyone who is sick, and not just for those who are dying. He went on to explain further how he had benefitted from this sacrament in the course of his life. “…. I have been anointed with this oil five times in my life. The first time I was shot at with live bullets in a car at
Fr Adolf Pöll and Cyprian Taah mhm in Witu, Kenya.
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a road block. The bullets went into my flesh. I was rushed to the hospital and had to be operated upon to remove them. Many were almost giving up hope on me. I was anointed and miraculously the operation was successful and I came back to life as strong as ever. The second time was when I fell from a motorcycle. It was a terrible accident. Passersby collected pieces of me and brought them to Kisii hospital. There they said they could not manage so I was transferred immediately to the Nairobi referral hospital. I was given the anointing of the sick again. There doctors became tailors stitching together the bits and pieces of what was left of me. At the end I came out alive.
that the plates with their screws remained firmly in place up until the present moment. I praise the Lord for enabling me again to do some useful missionary work. All of these are not invented or made up stories. This is what I went through and I share with you my experience of the importance of prayer and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. If this sacrament was just there for the dying, then I should have been dead at least five times …” I guess this could also change the mind of my friend who claims to be convinced that miracles no longer happen. Miracles do happen! I hope I have convinced you also.
The third time was when I was due for an operation on my spinal cord. We all know how delicate this part of the body is. Things were so unclear that many started losing hope. Before I got into the theatre I was again given the “anointing of the sick”. And as God always does his own things, our prayers were answered and I regained my strength enabling me to continue to be active in my missionary work. All went well and I am talking today. The fourth and fifth time I was anointed was when I had a serious car accident which damaged my neck. Three times the surgeons tried to fix some metallic plates in order to support my heavy head and twice the screws got loose. It was then, after the third trial in yet another hospital,
Fr Adolf Pöll blesses his people.
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New Hope for South Sudan?
South Sudan is Africa’s youngest country, having obtained its independence from Sudan in June 2011 Tragically, in December 2013 a civil war broke out sparked by conflict between President Salva Kiir (of the Dinka tribe) and Vice-President Dr Riek Machar (of the Nuer tribe.) The war has claimed the lives of 400,00 people, and led to the displacement and impoverishment of millions; hundreds of thousands fled into neighbouring countries, especially Uganda, where they are trying to rebuild their lives, plant their crops and educate their children.
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Mill Hill Missionaries have been working in the diocese of Malakal since 1938, but their work has repeatedly been impeded by political upheavals. With the discovery of oil the town of Malakal grew rapidly, and by October 2013 was a thriving, multi-ethnic city of 300,000. The outbreak of war led to widespread killings, destruction of property and businesses, and the migration of the population to safer areas. Various attempts have been made to
Bishop Taban among his people in Kuron Peace Village.
restore peace, the latest being the peace settlement signed in September 12th 2018. In spite of everything, there are signs of hope for the future. The South Sudanese people have shown great resilience in their sufferings, and determination to work for a more just and peaceful future. This resilience is exemplified in an outstanding way by the person and witness of Bishop Paride Taban, emeritus Bishop of Bishop presides at the inauguration of Holy Rosary Parish. Torit, and also by our own MHMs who have established a simplicity, and proclaiming in word and new parish in the capital city of Juba. action the ‘Joy of the Gospel’. The village has schools for nursery, primary, Bishop Paride Taban and secondary pupils, and runs adult Bishop Taban is the founder of a ‘Kuron education classes. There are also courses Peace Village’ where people of all tribes available for home economics, poultryand religions are welcome, where their rearing, and farming. There is also a gifts and talents can be harnessed and retreat centre to deepen the people’s developed for the benefit of all. The spirituality and foster reconciliation. Bishop himself is a prophetic figure, On the occasion of the signing of the living close to his people in great recent peace settlement Bishop Taban received an invitation to attend the ceremony. In a moving letter addressed to the President and “Peacemakers in the world and South Sudan” he apologized for not attending since he was undergoing medical treatment at that time in Nairobi. (Continued on page 18)
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Novena in honour of St. Joseph Join us in our
Novena of Prayer to St Joseph The Novena begins on Sunday March 10th. • Novena Prayers will be said at the weekday Masses in St Joseph’s House. • The Feast of St Joseph will he celebrated on Tuesday March 19th. • Copies of the Novena Booklet are available from St Joseph’s House, price £2.00.
Coming Events: Dates for your Diary at St. Joseph’s House, Cardonald • First Fridays of the month: Mass for the Sick with the Sacrament of the Sick • Tuesdays: Meditation Group meets at 11.00a.m. • Wednesday Talks: 7.00pm - 8.00pm, come and learn more about our Catholic Faith. • March 10th: beginning of annual novena to St. Joseph. • March 19th: Celebration of the FEAST OF ST JOSEPH; Mass at 9.00a.m. in St Joseph’s House. • April 6th: LENTEN RETREAT: 10.00a.m. to 4.30p.m. (see opposite) • June 1st: ANNUAL PRIZE DRAW will take place (Note that our Mission Day will now be held in September.) • September 14th: ANNUAL MISSION DAY (see opposite)
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Saturday April 6th 10.00a.m. to 4.30p.m.
Theme: JOURNEYING WITH JESUS TOWARDS EASTER Led by Fr Bernard Fox and Sister Sally Hyland
Mission Day
Saturday September 14th 2019 A day for all our friends and helpers. A day to celebrate Mission.
• The day will begin with Mass at 11.00a.m. in the Chapel of Nazareth House • After Mass all are invited to refreshment and to a presentation about our missionary work – led this year by Fr Gerard Hastie mhm. 17
(Continued from page 15)
A New Parish in Juba
Congregation of Holy Rosary Parish.
His letter goes on to express his prayers and wishes for the future of his country. “…May God forgive all our sins and reward all those who sacrificed for peace, those in heaven and those on earth. We should all be grateful to Him, for the long-sought independence of South Sudan. Oh God, you love us so much. Give a lasting peace for your sons and daughters…Bring back to their home, the South Sudan, all those who are in refugee settlements and the diaspora. Unite all of us for the love of your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. May we repent of our sins, forgive one another and forget the past injuries which we inflicted on ourselves, in order to bring the sufferings and bloodshed to an end.” The letter concludes with some “Wise Words that help people coexist.” These are to be found on the inside front page of this edition of the Advocate, and are worth pondering.
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A further sign of Hope for South Sudan is in the lively new parish in Juba, capital of South Sudan, where two of our young Ugandan MHMs are based. The new parish developed out of a catechetical school conducted under a tree, part of the ‘mother-parish’ of St Joseph. Today there is a large Church that can accommodate almost 1,000 people. On 8th April 2018 Archbishop Paulino Lukudu Loro inaugurated the new parish, dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. This multiethnic parish of 8,000 Christians provides a variety of pastoral and social activities that help to bring reconciliation and enable people to make a new beginning.
Juba meeting of catechists.
Loyoro
Northern Uganda by Fons Eppink mhm
Karimojong village. Fr Andrew Miteme mhm and deacon Joseph Ogwal.
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Baptismal ceremony performed by Deacon Joseph.
The old man chuckled when he saw me clumsily crawling on all fours in the dust to wriggle my way through the narrow low entrance passage in the dense wooden stick fence characteristic of Karimojong ‘manyattas’ (village settlements). We had come to celebrate the baptism of six infants in this village in the Kopoth outstation of the parish of Loyoro. It took another three ‘wriggles’ through yet more fences inside the manyatta before I arrived at a larger space reserved for the celebration. People, mostly women, teenage girls and children, slowly gathered in the welcome shade of a tree in the centre of the communal space. As Fr Andrew Mitema mhm and diocesan deacon Joseph Ogwal prepared a little altar table I was fascinated by the melodious sound of two traditional harps (adungu) and assorted drums playing
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an introductory melody. ‘The Karimojong love rituals’, Fr Andrew had told me. ‘The liturgy of the Catholic Church really speaks to them’. The ensuing Eucharistic celebration and baptismal ceremony bore ample witness to that. Even a trickle of men made their appearance as the celebration got on the way. Fr Andrew: ‘Women and youth form the bulk of our congregations and are the most active in our small Christian communities. Men generally keep their distance. We also find that teenage girls remain active and visible in church activities up to and until confirmation – a real coming of age. Soon after that they are given into marriage and they ‘disappear’. The whole area of traditional marriage including polygamy still needs indepth consideration in the light of the Gospel. The challenge is enormous’.
The cattle herding Karimojong’s first encounter with the Gospel dates from the middle of the 20th century. The Comboni missionaries were the first to study the language and to slowly start a process of education, development and evangelization building up the necessary infrastructure. Desirous of a novel outreach the first team of Mill Hill Missionaries came to Panyangara, in the diocese of Kotido, in 1998. Expansion into Loyoro followed in 2010. Two teams of Mill Hill Missionaries hailing from Cameroon, Uganda and Kenya are currently active in the area together with a number of theology students on a two year ‘mission experience’ programme (MEP). Assessing ongoing developments the Panyangara team wrote in a recent report: “Panyangara Parish over the last one year and indeed the previous years
has seen a lot of changes and developments that we remain grateful for and challenged to do even more. Since the completion of the disarmament exercise in Karamoja there are many more opportunities. There is now greater security in the region. The government is now very much in control. The government is clearly working hard to improve roads and other infrastructure. Many NGOs are now coming to Karamoja. Many business people are coming to Karamoja more children are now going to school. The people of Karamoja who used to stay clustered in one small area due to security concerns are now spreading all over the land. People are opening new land to build their homes and to cultivate. Unfortunately, life is not improving for everybody especially the majority of the Karimojong. Significant numbers of people are being left out of the development that is taking
Happy families gather for worship.
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place and they may never benefit from it. With the influx of people from outside Karamoja it also means that the illiterate and those with basic education have no chance. Businesses are thriving but it is mainly people from other parts of Uganda who are doing business. Many children want to go to school but poverty or minimal interest of their illiterate parents means they cannot get the necessary support to be in school. People are opening new settlement areas but the harsh reality is that in those settlement areas there is nothing, no school, no water, no dispensary and no shops. Above all the old traditional lifestyle that gave identity and meaning is no longer there to support the people”. Passing through the undulating landscape strewn with characteristic rocky outcrops here and there – as if deposited by some pre-historic mythical giant – I was struck at once by its rugged beauty and its obvious
aridity. The semi-nomadic Karimojong take great pride in their herds of cattle and goats and practice subsistence agriculture cultivating mostly sorghum. In this, the dry season, the fields made a desolate impression. Andrew explained that last year’s harvest had largely failed due to lack of sufficient rainfall. Thanks to the assistance of SPICMA each outstation had its stock of maize for distribution to the most vulnerable in times of need. A large new road being constructed by a Chinese company will totally transform access to this remote region and bring inevitable rapid change. Rumour has it that Karamoja is rich in minerals. Will the Karimojong be sufficiently equipped to weather this onslaught of aggressive modernity? The marginalisation of numbers of Karimojong who have drifted to the Ugandan capital Kampala and other cities does not bode well.
Silver Circle Winners December 2018 120 Margaret Lochrie £25 244 John McCusker £15 253 Kay Quigley
£10
December 2018 09 J. Williams
£25 53 Margaret Lynch £15 148 Isobel Llewellyn £10
January 2019
67 James Leonard
£25 142 Anne Gallagher £15 354 Patricia Doogan £10
February 2019
187 Bernard McCann £25 337 W. Tollan
£15 109 Brenda Lough £10
Congratulations to them all. Many thanks to all who support the Silver Circle. Your help is greatly appreciated, and contributes to supporting our missionary work.
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‘We go out to fish’
St Joseph’s Rehabilitation Centre, Luanda, Kenya by Fons Eppink mhm ‘From January to March we are out on the streets to ‘fish’. It is our time of recruitment. We know the places where the street kids tend to congregate or spend the night here in Vihiga county and elsewhere. Getting them to come here to St Joseph’s Rehabilitation Centre and to stay is not easy. But no
one comes here against their will.’ Sr Dorcas Moraa fmsj speaks with quiet confidence and growing enthusiasm as she explains the workings of this Centre. She runs the Centre assisted by a dedicated staff of eight social workers and child and family counsellors, among them her fellow Sister Linet who oversees the accounting.
One of the MANY street children benefitting from the Luanda Rehab-Centre.
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The Centre is now a fully-fledged facility.
The professionally trained staff at St Joseph’s Rehabilitation Centre have to use all their skills and art of persuasion to get kids to give up their life in the streets and accept the care and gentle discipline of life in the more organised world of the Centre. Some come for only a few days and then disappear again. So far in this year’s ‘fishing’ period – this is January 24 – fourteen have been received and two have sneaked away again. ‘In March each year we start our oneyear programme of rehabilitation. Non-formal education, and individual counselling are core elements. Some of the kids are addicted to sniffing glue. Family neglect and dysfunctionality are generally the reason why they have fled their homes and ended up on the streets. Some also have mental health issues’. Searching for and making contact
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Sr Dorcas Moraa
with the parents or larger family is, of course, of the essence. Reintegration into the family is the ultimate aim. Sr Dorcas mentions 2018 as exceptional. That year the parents were singularly cooperative agreeing to meeting twice every month for accompaniment and follow-up. Great care is taken to address the individual needs of each child. They are given small responsibilities to train them in self-reliance. Nor is the spiritual domain neglected. The ultimate aim is to prepare them to enter the formal educational system after one year. Good contacts with a number of schools in the neighbourhood facilitate this process. The Centre then takes it upon itself to pay the school fees. None of this would be possible, of course, without the support of a raft
orcas Moraa fmsj.
Sr Linet and Jacob her assistant at the Rehab Centre.
of dedicated NGOs who have pledged their ongoing assistance. Sr Dorcas mentions KOFUP who have focused on school fees right from the start and come to visit every year. Misean Cara lends support on a yearly basis, and in 2017 the Italian Circle of Associations provided funds to buy a plot of land and construct new buildings away from the original plot. I was impressed to see the splendid new buildings at the novel location across the road from the Mill Hill Missionary run catholic parish in Luanda. I had known the Centre at its previous location close to the Basic Formation Centre of the Mill Hill Missionaries during my stay there in 2009 – 2010. But when I went there on this current visit I found the doors padlocked. Had the facility closed, I wondered in dismay? A call at the convent of the
Mill Hill Sisters close by put my heart at ease. The housemaid directed me to the new location. It was Fr Tom McGrath mhm who originally became aware of the growing number of street children in and around Luanda. That is some decades ago now. The Mill Hill Sisters in the person of Sr Noel Barron took it upon themselves to do something about it. From its humble beginnings St Joseph’s Rehabilitation Centre has now become a fully-fledged facility with a professional – and caring! – staff. ‘What is the rate of success?’, I ask Sr Dorcas at the end of our conversation. ‘In 2017 about half went back to the streets’, she admits. ‘But in 2018 when we had 18, only one did a runner’. Here’s us all hoping that 2019 will return the same result!
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A work in progress by Fr Mark Connolly mhm At the ripe old age of 17, standing nervously outside the Mill Hill Missionaries’ vocations office in Dowanhill, Glasgow. The only real concerns I had were: “would I be accepted?” or “maybe they won’t like my long hair!” (this was the early ‘70s). If, at that moment, I could have known the missionary challenges that lay ahead for me, I would probably have bolted back down the hill to my personal comfort zone: the familiar streets of Partick. It was not to be. I was about to embark on a journey that would effectively remove me from that same ‘comfort zone’ for the rest of my life. Recently, I have been thanking God for 40 years of missionary priesthood and had the privilege of celebrating Mass in my own parish church of St. Peter’s in Partick where I had been ordained exactly forty years before to the day. It was a strange, almost surreal ‘deja vu’ experience. What made it even more poignant was the fact that I was concelebrating with a young African priest, Fr. Joel, a living symbol of the missionary Church
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that has been so much part of my life. As a Mill Hill missionary, initially appointed to Pakistan, I’ve had the privilege of working with two groups of people whom our founder Cardinal Herbert Vaughan would surely have described as ‘those furthest from the means of grace’: The Kucchi Kohli tribal people living on the edge of the Great Indian Desert and sorely deprived of the basics for living a dignified, human life. This group along with several other tribes are among the most socially deprived in Pakistan. The other group that falls into that category are the Punjabi ‘sweepers’ of Hyderabad city. Living in overcrowded, fetid slums (‘bastis’), these people have the unenviable task of not just sweeping the city streets but also cleaning out its sewers and drains. On account of the work they do, they are considered ‘unclean’ and are thus marginalised by mainstream Pakistani society. Though most of my work with both groups consisted of helping with educational and medical needs, the
main value of what I and other colleagues were doing mostly lay in our identification with these oppressed people, showing solidarity with their situation and offering our human friendship, much as Jesus himself did as he reached out to the marginalised in his own society. Somewhere in between all this, I managed to squeeze in a few very rewarding years of vocations and youth ministry in England. It took me into many schools and Universities in the north of England, and though different from the situations I had experienced in south Asia, was quite missionary in its own way. Since I left Pakistan, I have been engaged in the training of future missionaries, first in Mill Hill, London and now in Karunapuram, India. As I reflect on this 40 year jubilee and indeed on the significance of the number 40. I feel very close to those people in the Bible for whom the number 40 was so significant: The People of Israel as they wandered through the desert for 40 years; the prophet Elijah and indeed Jesus, who both spent 40 days in the desert. They all learned to trust the God who was walking beside them on their journey. The challenge for me has not so much been to move out of my Scottish ‘comfort zone’ in order to embrace the very different cultures of the Indian subcontinent, but rather to learn – like them - to place my life in God’s loving hands.
Fr Mark’s Ruby Jubilee.
Above, and below, I have been extremely fortunate to have met and worked with many wonderful students and colleagues over the years.
Behold a work in progress.
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How do you feel about
Going to Confession? by Fr Bernard Fox mhm
Be honest. How do you feel about going to confession? What images enter our head? Do you think differently about this sacrament now compared to when you were young and maybe went to confession every week? As we prepare to celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation in our runup to Easter, it is good for us to be clear about what we are doing. Getting absolution is not just the wipe of a face cloth over our souls to make them clean so we can feel good again until the next time....We also need to be clear about the God we are approaching in this sacrament, what our Lord is really like....for us: Is he the big policeman in the sky that I have every reason to fear? Or is he more like the God described by Jesus in the Gospel‌ Someone who leaves 99 sheep to go off in search of the lost one? I would like to invite you to think about two contrasting figures in the Bible who can help us here: the prophet Jonah and St Joseph.
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God asked Jonah to go North East, overland, to Nineveh (modern day Iraq) and warn the people there that if they did not change their behaviour, they would be heading for disaster. But what did Jonah do? He bought a boat ticket and headed west to Tarshish, in the south of Spain, to flee from God. He did not think it was a good idea for God to show mercy to the pagan Ninevites. He actually thought he knew better than God. Well, friends, isn’t this what we do when we sin?
The literal meaning of the word to sin in New Testament is hamartein, a Greek word meaning to miss the mark. Rather than just breaking the Commandments, it means to engage in behaviour that will not lead to our growing into the men and women God wishes us to become. This was Jonah’s position. He had his own idea of what the good life was... and there is a lot of the Jonah in us, too.....but, as with the prophet, we should not despair, for the Lord who calls us is merciful...and we always get a second chance. When Pope Francis met a group of families in Manila in 2015 he suggested two bodily actions in the life St Joseph that we might copy in our own living: The Pope calls these actions Resting in the Lord ....and Rising with Jesus and Mary. To know the will of God, says Pope Francis, we must pray; “If we never pray we will never know the most important thing of all : God’s will for us..”. “St Joseph, during his rest and sleep welcomed the Word of God, and became attentive to the intimate sound of his voice. Then there is the second movement.
God’s call to take care of Jesus and Mary.” When we listen to Word of God and act on what it is asking of us, we are like Joseph;, we are doing God’s will and our inner peace and happiness is assured. And now to Confession. How do we make our confession? Most of us have been used to only confessing our SINS, the negative things in our lives… and many of us have ended up with something akin to a shopping list. “I was uncharitable, I had impure thoughts, I gossiped, I missed Mass once etc”. For many of us this leaves us sometimes frustrated and we may even wonder whether it is worthwhile continuing to go to confession. Is there any alternative? Some years ago I read an article by Cardinal Martini of Milan in which he explains how he goes to confession. I found this so helpful that I have followed his suggestion ever since when I go to confession myself. It is this: “Begin with the POSTIVE in your life”, says Cardinal Martini. Confess to God, present in the person of the priest, the good things that have happened to you, the good that you
“Like St Joseph, once we have heard the voice of God, we must shake off sleep... we must be up and doing, says the Pope. “St Joseph heard the voice of the Lord’s angel and answered
were able to do through his help. You may have been able to forgive someone who hurt you. You may want to thank the Lord for a new grandchild in the family or for good
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news from your doctor… or because he helped you get through a difficult time in your life….or for the peace that the Lord granted you after a serous row with your neighbour. You might just acknowledge before God at this moment what gives you joy in your life. It is important that I acknowledge those moments when God’s goodness and power were present in my life, the times when I responded to his promptings. We might want to thank God for times that, through his help and grace, we listened to his voice and obeyed and were able to do good as a result. Having done this, you can now move on to telling God what makes me feel ill at ease, what I would like to do away with in my life. This may be more useful than firing off a list of formal sins (“ I had impure thoughts, missed my morning prayer twice, was uncharitable to my husband etc”).
Martini suggests saying things like “my relationship with such a group(or person) is not authentic. I regret not being able to pray. I feel ill at ease in the grip of my sensuality, of those desires that I would rather be without, those images that haunt me.” I come to confession not just asking God to wipe away my sins but to change my heart (metanoia) so that I can move ahead with less heaviness in me, less sadness, less pride. I place all of this in the power of the crucified and risen Christ by the power of the Church (represented by the priest). You may feel strange trying this different approach to going to confession and you may need to talk to a priest beforehand and explain how you wish to celebrate Reconciliation and get him on board. But, believe me, it is very much worth the try!
St Joseph, Man of Dreams Don’t lose the ability to dream “Don’t lose the ability to dream the future. Each of us needs to dream about our family, our children, and our parents: to imagine how I would like their lives to go. Priests, too, need to dream about what we want for the faithful. Dream as the young dream, who are ‘unabashed’ in their dreams and find their path there. Do not lose the ability to dream, because to dream is to open the door to the future. Be fruitful in the future.” Pope Francis in a Homily on 18th December 2018
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Obituaries LET US PRAY FOR OUR DEAD Recently deceased Mill Hill Missionaries
Fr Cosmas Omboto Ondari: see longer article page 5.
Fr Jim Borst: Ordained in 1957, Jim studied Science and Economics at Cambridge before being appointed to our mission in Kashmir, India. After some years teaching he began ‘a travelling ministry’ that took him all over India. He became deeply involved in charismatic renewal, giving retreats to priests and religious, and also in villages. After 1991 he concentrated his missionary efforts on three levels: contemplative prayer, charismatic renewal, and sharing of faith. His handbook “On Sharing Your Faith” was widely distributed, and his little book on prayer (“Coming to God in the Stillness: Discovering the Power of Contemplative Prayer”) was promoted in many parts of the world. Mother Teresa wrote, “My sisters and I want to thank you for giving us Jesus, the Bread of Life and his Good News through your words.” He was involved in the publication of the Kashmiri New Testament and Psalms. At great personal risk he engaged in evangelization among the local Muslim population. Jim was a man of great holiness and became known and widely revered by people all over the subcontinent.
Brother Gerard Bouwhuis: From 1962 Gerard worked in Uganda for twenty years where he was involved as a builder in a variety of projects. Ill health forced his return to the Netherlands where he performed a variety of invaluable services in our communities in Oosterbeek. Brother Gerrit Lansink took his missionary oath in 1958 and worked for 25 years in the Sargodha Institute of Technology in Pakistan. Returning to the Netherlands he became involved in many initiatives promoting international justice and peace. Recently Deceased Friends and Benefactors Mrs Anne Kelly (Greenock) Mrs Peggy Keaney (Calton) Mrs Anne Kealey (Toryglen) Sheila Murphy (Greenock) Mrs Celine McCay (Clydebank) John McElhill (Tyrone) Paddy Falls (Tyrone) James McDonald (Lochwinnoch: brother of the late MHM’s Frs Patrick and Billy McDonald) Joseph Smith (Yoker) Bernadette Parr (Coatbridge) Sally Wilhare (Donegal)
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St. Joseph’s House, 30 Lourdes Avenue, Cardonald, Glasgow G52 3QU. Tel: 0141 883 0139. Email: tollanmhm@yahoo.co.uk Mill Hill Website: www.millhillmissionaries.co.uk Registered Charity Number: SCO39809