75 General Curia
Silver
Jubilee. On
30 September, the community of the General Curia celebrated with
Msgr. Jesús Dosado, C.M., Archbishop of Ozamiz City (Philippines)
his silver jubilee of episcopal consecration. Present at
the Eucharistic celebration and lunch were six Filipino bishops
who, together with our confrere and other Filipino bishops, are
in Rome for their “ad limina” visit.
Feast of St. Vincent
in Holland. The
Superior General was in Holland for the feast of St. Vincent. The
province there was also celebrating the 100th anniversary
of the foundation of our house in Panningen. From this house,
during the past century, hundreds of confreres departed for the
missions in more than 35 countries. A wooden chalice, which
the Brazilian bishop, Dom Hélder Câmara, used and gave to a Dutch
confrere in Brazil, was given to the General Curia.
Guide for the Local Superior. On 30 September, this Guide was sent to the houses which receive the magazine Vincentiana. Likewise, extra copies of this Guide were sent to the Visitors who requested them. This
document is comprised of a letter from the Superior General, an
introduction, four chapters (119 numbers), a section of five appendixes
(one of which is quotations from St. Vincent), and a bibliography. In
Fr. Maloney’s letter, he asks all the confreres that “this Practical
Guide be used in the initial and ongoing formation of our
superiors and that the members of our local communities use it
too, from time to time, to reflect on and concretize the various
aspects of Vincentian life together, particularly as they formulate
their community plan.”
76 General
Postulation
Opening of the Process of Canonization. On 20 September, in the Cathedral of Valencia
(Spain), the opening of the process of canonization of Msgr. Emilio
Lissón, C.M. (1872-1961) was held. The Province of Peru,
many faithful and bishops of the Peruvian Church and the Diocese
of Valencia initiated this process. Present at the beginning
of this cause were, among others, the Archbishop of Valencia, the
Postulator General and the two Vice-postulators of the cause (a
bishop of Peru and a Daughter of Charity from Spain), the Vicar
General and another of the Assistants General, the Visitor of Barcelona,
the Visitatrix of Pamplona and the Peruvian Ambassador in Spain.
Msgr. Emilio Lissón was born in the municipality of
Argentina (Peru). In 1892 he entered the Internal Seminary. He
was ordained to the priesthood in 1895 and began to exercise his
ministry between formation of the clergy and spiritual attention
to the Daughters of Charity. He was named bishop of Chachapoyas
(Peru) in 1909. His ministry focused on formation of the
clergy, education, social promotion and preaching among the indigenous
peoples. In 1918 he was named Archbishop of Lima (Peru). There,
among other things, he erected new minor seminaries, and convoked
and presided over various synods, some assemblies, and the Council
of Lima. In 1931 he was obliged to give up the administration
of the Archdiocese and move to Rome, where he lived in the International
House of the CM until 1940. At the outbreak of World War
II, he moved to Spain, invited by Msgr. Marcelino Olaechea, then
bishop of Pamplona. From there he traveled around the villages
and cities, exercising his ministry as pastor and missionary at
the service of the bishops of the Church of Spain, of the CM, and
of the Vincentian Family. From 1948 on he resided in Valencia,
along with Msgr. Olaechea, doing good through a rich pastoral activity. During
those years, his reputation for holiness grew and spread. He
died in Valencia in 1961. His body was buried in the cathedral
of this city, remaining incorrupt over 30 years. In 1991,
at the request of the Primate of Lima and other Peruvian bishops,
his remains were transferred to the Cathedral of Lima, where they
are presently preserved and venerated.
A somewhat more extensive biography can be read at: http://www.famvin.org/en/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2674
77 SIEV
Annual Meeting. SIEV (International Secretariat of Vincentian Studies) met in
Turin (Italy) from 11-13 September. After reviewing the present
state of the initiatives undertaken at the meeting last year, the
following were treated: 1. How to place at the disposition
of the members of the CM and the rest of the Vincentians the material
from the magazine Vincentiana, in digital format. 2. How to awaken and
incite the conscience of the members of the CM of the need to study
and put into practice the Social Doctrine of the Church. 3. How
to arouse the interest of some confreres, especially the young,
in a serious, profound, and systematic study of Vincentian reality,
with the hope that they would continue the service that up until
the present has been done by other Vincentian experts who are dying
off. The conclusions of this reflection will be proposed
to the Superior General and his council so that they might make
opportune decisions.
78 Ecuador
Silver Jubilee. On 27 September, 25 years of the permanent
establishment of the CM in the city of Santo Domingo de los Colorados
(Ecuador) were celebrated. The confreres took over in the
past the parish “The Cathedral,” which is presently called “Parish
of the Ascension.” For 60 years the CM missioned in
the region among the indigenous “Colorados.” The celebration
of this permanent presence was presided over by the diocesan bishop
and at which a large number of priests, students, Daughters of
Charity and lay Vincentians participated. On the same day,
ten young men were admitted to the Internal Seminary, two students
made vows and seven candidates began their postulatum. At
present, the province is responsible for three parishes and the
seminary in this diocese. The Internal Seminary operates
in one of these parishes (“El Esfuerzo”).
79 Slovakia
Opening of the New Seminary. The new seminary in the Provincial House in Bratislava
(Slovakia) opened on 16 September. It will serve as a residence
for 12 Vincentian students who take philosophy and theology courses
at the university. In the same house, there are presently
three novices being formed and four other candidates who wish to
experience life in common before entering the CM. The province
is profoundly grateful to all the confreres and provinces who,
through their contributions, have helped to construct this seminary.
80 Indonesia
80th Anniversary. From
20-23 September, the Province of Indonesia celebrated the 80th anniversary
of its existence. The Dutch confreres were the founders of
the CM in this majority Muslim country. The jubilee celebrations
were held in Surabaya (Indonesia) particularly and some 200 people
including confreres and members of the Vincentian Family participated
in them. Among those present were the Visitors of the Philippines
and of China. A significant moment of this jubilee was the
ordination of several priests for the province. In fact,
Indonesia has a good number of vocations. One day of the
festivities was devoted to a reflection which was led by various
confreres, on the present (V. Bieler), the past (M. Van Knippenberg)
and the future (H. O’Donnell) of the province. The ministry
of the confreres is directed primarily toward the “first announcement” and
the “implantation” of the Catholic Church in a country where it is a minority. The
province plans an extension into the region of Indonesian Papua
in the near future. After the celebrations of the anniversary,
the Provincial Assembly was held at the end of September. An
album-book, prepared by Armada Riyanto, C.M., was just published
(in Indonesian). In 268 pages, it treats of this important
anniversary and is entitled: 80th Romo-Romo CM Di
Indonesia (80 Years of the Vincentian Fathers in Indonesia).
81 Naples
Commemoration. A solemn commemoration of a Vincentian student (Benedetto D’Innocenzo)
was held on 14 September at Caporciano (Aquila, Italy). He
died like a saint at 20 years of age in 1958. The people
of his birthplace wanted to dedicate a square to him, proposing
him to young people as an example for his generous and heroic witness
during his life and at the time of his death. The diocesan
bishop presided the Eucharist at which the Visitor of Naples and
Fr. Stefano Angiuli, C.M., who was a companion of Innocenzo in
the novitiate and in studies, concelebrated. Sr. Caterina
D’Innocenzo, aunt of Benedetto, was the Daughter of Charity who
was miraculously cured in 1973, thanks to the intercession of Justin
De Jacobis. That miracle served for the canonization of the
latter in 1975.
82 Peru
Interprovincial Mission. Coming within the interprovincial program of
missions for Argentina, Chile and Peru, the second stage of the
mission in the populous Parish of St. Clement (in Pisco, Peru)
was held from 29 July to 10 August in eight mission centers. Eight
priests, two deacons, seven seminarians, ten Daughters of Charity,
and eight lay members of the Vincentian Family participated. They
were primarily from Peru, but confreres from the other two provinces
and from the United States also participated. “Helping groups,” which
already have been united in pastoral work since the mission last
year, aided all of them. The theme of the mission for this
year was the sacraments of the Church. On this occasion there
was a notable increase in the people’s participation in the different
activities and the formation of groups of adults preparing to receive
the sacraments. The missionaries’ participation in the life
of the people was stressed in this experience. In fact, they
ate and slept in the people’s houses, sharing simply the life of
the poor.
83 Salamanca
29th Week of Vincentian Studies. The 29th Week of Vincentian Studies
was held in Salamanca (Spain) from 22-26 August. Some 280
members of the Vincentian Family took part. The theme developed
was: “Vincentianism and Marginalization. The Marginalized,
A Legacy of the Vincentian Family.” Conferences were given
every morning. Some of the titles of these were: “The Marginalized
in the Time of St. Vincent”; “Globalization and Marginalization”; “Immigration
and Marginalization”; “The Voice of the Marginalized, the Fourth
World”; and “Racism, Xenophobia and Marginalization.” In
the afternoon, work was done in the form of seminars. Some
of those topics were: “The World of the Homeless” and “The World
of Immigrants.” This Week of Studies was evaluated very positively
because of the quality of the conferences. In fact, each
one of the speakers was a specialist on the theme. The good
spirit, favorable atmosphere for prayer, and the organization of
the liturgy were noted. The publication of a book with the
conferences and seminars of this Salamanca Week is foreseen at
the beginning of March 2004.
84 Vincentian
Family
Visit of the Holy Father to Slovakia. The preparation for the Holy Father’s
visit mobilized all of Slovakia. In this atmosphere, some
100 members of the Vincentian Family from this country took part
in a Vincentian formation meeting for persons involved in the apostolate
with the sick. The meeting took place in Bratislava (Slovakia)
at the Provincial House of the CM on 5 and 6 September. Professor
Heinrich Pompey (Freiburg, Germany), a member of the Vincentian
Family, directed the conference and work groups. The visit
of the Pope to Slovakia, from 11-14 September, confirmed this initiative
because on the first day of his visit, John Paul II invited everyone
to be in solidarity with and to help in multiple ways the poorest,
abandoned persons and all who suffer. The Vincentian Family
in Slovakia hopes to respond to this call with a service which
is ever more generous.
Visit to Madagascar. Fr. Benjamín Romo, Delegate for the Vincentian Family,
was invited by the Visitor of Madagascar to the country in order
to animate the Vincentian Associations present there. The
visit took place from 8-20 August. During his stay, Fr. Romo
participated in the National Assembly of AIC and the National Assembly
of JMV, sharing moments of formation and the Eucharist with them. He
also visited the cities of Antananarivo, Ihosy, Manakara and Fianarantsoa. In
each of these places he met with the JMV, SSVP, AIC, the confreres,
the Daughters of Charity, the Nazarene Sisters, and the Sisters
of Gethsemane. He was also able to see the projects for the
service of the poor that the Vincentian Family has undertaken in
response to the Campaign of the Fight Against Hunger.
Course on the Missions in
Peru. For eight weeks, from
20 May to 8 July, a course on parish missions for the laity was
organized by the Center of Vincentian Animation (CAVI). More
than 70 members of the Vincentian Family took part. Fr.
Antonio Elduayen, C.M. directed the formation program and various
confreres of the province delivered talks. After the completion
of the course, several persons volunteered to participate in
parish missions.
Vincentian
Volunteers in Italy. During
the month of August, various groups of young Vincentians from
Italy, usually accompanied by confreres and Daughters of Charity,
had some experiences of volunteerism: 1. In Skanderbegas
(Gramsh, Albania) 26 young people worked with children and visited
families. 2. In Cacinari (Albania) ten young people
organized activities with children. 3. In Oldonijro
(Kenya) six young people worked with orphan children and youngsters. 4. In
Castellino del Biferno (Campobasso, Italy) four young people
led animation activities with the elderly and adolescents and
also worked in a community for the mentally ill.
Visit
to Brindisi and Ancona (Italy). Fr.
Benjamín Romo, Delegate for the Vincentian Family, was in Brindisi
on 20 and 21 September, together with some 200 members of the
Vincentian Family. He gave them a conference on the common
elements of the spirituality of the Vincentian Family. He
was in Ancona on 30 September, together with some 70 members
of AIC, sharing some experiences of the project against hunger
and presenting the new project against malaria.
*****
VOWS
ASSEFA MELKA BATI Assefa Fra Aet 27-07-2003
GEORGE BAB George Fra Aet 27-07-2003
TEKLE YOHANNES Tekle Fra Aet 27-07-2003
DI LUZIO Emanuele Fra Nea 26-09-2003
ONDOUA KONO Clement 05-07-2003 Par
- Cam
SZÖKE Alexandru 05-07-2003 Hun
ZOGA Séraphin 05-07-2003 Par
- Cam
ITELA ILANGA Gustave 24-08-2003 Cng
YOKA MONGU Bernardin 24-08-2003 Cng
NECROLOGIUM
2003
Nomen Cond Dies
Ob Prov Aet
Voc
BERTOLINO Mario Sac 14-09-2003 Tau
8º 80-63
CAHILL Joseph T. Sac 27-09-2003 Orl
2º 84-64
CURRAN Brian Sac 30-09-2003 Aul
4º 54-35
***
“This
year at our meeting in February we also decided, for the first
time in our history, to unite our energies as a Vincentian Family
in a common ‘political action’ aimed at the eradication of malaria.
Besides affecting many members of our own Family in Africa, Asia
and Latin America, malaria has devastating effects in the lives
of countless others throughout the world.”
(Taken
from the Letter of the Heads of Some of the Principal Branches
of the Vincentian Family.
Rome, May
10, 2003)
**
New addresses:
CM Web page — English version: http://www.famvin.org/cm
Eastern Province USA: http://www.vincentians.net/
Association of the Miraculous Medal (English,
French and Spanish): http://www.amminter.org/
