NUNTIA, February 2008

From the Curia General: The Superior General: Perú and Rome; The Assistants General; General Postulation:Sor Viecka; SIEV: Colloqium for Young Vincentian Researches. From the Provinces:Clapvi: Formation Curse for Formators; Peru:50 Years of Vincentian Presence; Colombia: 20 seminarians make Good Purposes; Costa Rica: F. Oscar begins his duty as ViceVisitor; Madrid: Ongoing Formation Course; USA-EAST: St. John’s University works for inmigrans ad refugees; From the Missioners:Pedro Opeka; John B. Freund.
From the Curia General:
The Superior General: In Peru, celebration of the 150th anniversary, and in Rome, audience with the Pope.
From 6-15 February, he accompanied the Missioners and Daughters of Charity of Peru in the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Vincentian charism in that nation. Notwithstanding the sorrow from the tragic earthquake that destroyed the region of Pisco, with very strong repercussions in other areas, Saint Vincent’s sons and daughters could celebrate with gratitude the remembrance of those who preceded us in evangelizing work and look toward the future with the hope of those who know they are animated by the Spirit of Life, who makes everything new.
Returning to Rome, he was present at the meeting of Superiors General and took part in the private audience that the Holy Father granted, on 18 February, to the Executive Committee of the Unions (masculine and feminine) of Superiors General.
At the audience they were accompanied by the Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone, and Cardinal Franc Rodé, who presented Father Gregory to the Pope, saying: “Holiness, my Superior General to whom I owe obedience.” In a cordial and relaxed environment, the Pope answered the different questions that the Superiors put to him and encouraged them to continue looking toward the future with hope.
«… Yet side by side with difficult situations, which it is as well to examine with courage and truth, signs of a positive recovery can be recorded, especially when communities have the courage to return to their origins to live more in harmony with the Founder’s spirit. In almost all the recent General Chapters of Religious Institutes the recurrent theme has been precisely the rediscovery of the founding charism to be lived and actualized in a renewed manner in the present time. Rediscovering the spirit of the origins, deepening knowledge of the Founder or Foundress, has helped to impress upon Institutes a promising new ascetic, apostolic and missionary impetus. There are long-established works and activities that have thus been revived with new nourishment; there are new initiatives of an authentic actualization of the Founders’ charism. It is necessary to continue on this path, praying to the Lord that he will bring to fruition the work he has begun.» (Benedict XVI to the Executive Committee of the International Unions of Superiors General).
The Assistants General: Returning home. As this news is being written, Fathers Kapuściak, Du and Nieto are returning home from their apostolic activity of visiting the provinces in order to participate in the tempo forte of the General Council, which will begin on Monday, 2 March.
General Postulation: Beatification of Sister Marta Anna Wiecka.
The Daughters of Charity in Kraków are preparing for the beatification of Sister Marta Anna Wiecka, which will take place in Leopoli, Ukraine, on 24 May, at a celebration presided by Cardinal Bertone, Secretary of State of his Holiness. Assisting will be the Superioress General, Sister Evelyne Franc; the Superior General, Father G. Gregory Gay; the Vicar General of the CM, Father Józef Kapuściak; and the Postulator General, Father Giuseppe Guerra, CM.
The tomb of the next blessed is in Snyatin, Ukraine, (close to the tomb of Saint John Nepomucen) and is a place of much devotion not only for Catholics, but also for other Christians and therefore is a symbol of ecumenical commitment for Christian unity.
Sister Wiecka, born on 12 January 1874 in Nowy Viec, which, at the time, was Polish territory occupied by Prussia, died in Snyatin, 30 May 1904, assisted by her priest brother, Father Jan, after having offered to replace an employee in the disinfection of a hospital room. All her life was spent in the service to the sick.
SIEV: Colloquium for Young Vincentian Researchers. SIEV has content in this paragraph under the Curia not only because it is an organism of the latter, but also because SIEV was able to hold a “Colloquium for Young Vincentian Researchers” in Paris with the Curia’s encouragement and financial support. The reader can find addition information about it on https://cmglobal.org.
Ten budding researchers were accompanied by already dedicated Vincentian experts, who helped them get into the how and what of research. The ambiance was truly fraternal and the final evaluation was highly positive. Now it is necessary that the group, by opening themselves to others who are doing works of historical research or of theological or pastoral reflection in the different provinces, be consolidated, assuring the future of Vincentian studies.
From the Provinces:
CLAPVI: Formation Course for Formators.According to the restructuring of the Formation Courses for Formators agreed upon by the Visitors of CLAPVI, from now on we will have these courses every two years, alternating with the School of Vincentian Spirituality. The duration of the courses will be two weeks. The headquarters will be in the Province of Colombia. They will be organized by the Secretariat of CLAPVI and a Commission of the host province. The development of the present course was distinctive, because during the first week the Formators shared with the participants of the other branches, especially the Daughters of the Charity. The topic of the first week was: “The Anthropology of Affectivity.”
The second week was exclusively for the formators. The guiding thread for the subject treated was “human–community.” The topics were focused according to the dimensions of formation as envisioned in the Ratio Formationis. The first-class speakers demonstrated their competence, up-to-datedness and knowledge of the content. The methodology, as is already characteristic in Latin America, was: SEE the reality; JUDGE, as enlightened by God’s Word, Church documents and the sciences; and ACT through the afternoon workshops. All this was with the awareness that we are in a time of change for which the formators must be completely conscious and trained.
Peru: 50 Years of Vincentian Presence. On 2 February 2008, the Vincentian Missioners and the Daughters of Charity of Peru initiated the Jubilee Year in celebration of 150 years since the arrival of the first 45 Daughters of Charity and the first three missionaries to Peru on 2 February 1858, the date on which they landed on the Peruvian coast.
The jubilee celebration had, as its central event, the Thanksgiving Eucharist in the Cathedral of Lima on 9 February. Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani presided and the Apostolic Nuncio, Rino Passigato, other Bishops, many priests of the CM and other communities concelebrated. Also present were the Superiors General, Father Gregory Gay, CM, and Sister Evelyne Franc, DC, and the General Councillors, Father José Antonio Ubillús and Sister Blanca Libia Tamayo. Likewise present were Father Vicente Bokalic, Visitor of Argentina, and Father Fernando Escobar, representing the Province of Colombia. The Cathedral was full of parishioners. It was a Vincentian feast: the Vincentian Family, present!
The Superiors General had an agenda of multiple activities both together and in particular for each provincial community. Among their activities was a visit to Pisco, the epicenter of the earthquake last 15 August that devastated the southern half of Peru. There was a beautiful Eucharist under a field tent, in the noonday sun and heat. Among the victims of the earthquake were two Daughters of the Charity: Sister Antonietta Perla and Sister Elizabeth Oré.
All the jubilee celebrations, begun three years ago, promote, more than an evocation of the past, a spiritual event of renewal and commitment to the Vincentian charism in the present and for the future.
Colombia: 20 Seminarians make Good Purposes. On 25 January, 20 seminarians, having completed their Internal Seminary last year, made Good Purposes. At the same celebration, 18 young men initiated their missionary vocation. Three belong to the Province of Central America (two Salvadorans and one Panamanian), one to the Eastern Province of the United States (Panamanian) and 14 to the Province of Colombia (three Rwandans, one Congolese and ten Colombians).
The formation house continues in the former Apostolic School of Santa Rosa de Cabal. Thanks be to God it is already renovated and adapted for this formative stage. Father Marlio Nasayó continues as the director. Collaborating with him are Father Rodrigo Restrepo who is superior of the house, Father Alberto García and the seminarian in experience, Yojaneider García.
Costa Rica: Father Óscar Mata begins his duty as Vice-Visitor. Elected during the Vice-Provincial Assembly in December 2007, he began his new responsibility with a celebration, held in the evening hours, at which all the confreres assisted. In the homily, Father Oscar, in addition to the message of Scripture for that day, left us with clear signs of great confidence in God and in the help of all the confreres to carry out his new work in the best way possible. We listened to his profession of faith and the reading of the patent of his nomination. At the end of the Eucharist the new councillors were named.
We concluded with a fraternal gathering at which we shared with the newly appointed the happiness of continuing the service of the Church and of the neediest.
Madrid: Ongoing Formation Course. Last 15 February, in the “Vincentian Formation Center” in Ávila, the “Ongoing Formation Course” ended. There were four and a half days of reflection, living together and learning. Twenty-two confreres participated in the course. All, as they expressed it, were very content and satisfied, both by the quality of the lecturers and the atmosphere in which it was carried out.
As was indicated in the program, the classes focused on “Fundamental Questions of Christology.” It was not merely a passive course. Every afternoon was dedicated to reading and personal reflection on a text related to the day’s topic. The day ended with an animated and substantial dialogue presided over by the speaker.
USA-East: St. John’s University works for immigrants and refugees. A group of students from the Law School of St. John’s University is trying to put into practice the Vincentian inspiration of helping the poorest by aiding immigrants and refugees. The clinic on the Rights of Immigrants and Refugees is a two-semester program open to second- and third-year law students, which qualifies them to be able to represent immigrants, especially refugees seeking political asylum who are involved in judicial processes. The program is sponsored by the School of Law and by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York.
During the two-semester course, the students are assigned clients’ cases on which they work more than 13 hours per week. The work they do includes interviewing the clients, conducting research, preparing witnesses, and preparing the outline of the legal documents. Under supervision, they handle all the aspects of the case.
Mario Russell an adjunct professor senior attorney of Catholic Charities, who with another colleague helps the students of the clinic, says that the students learn, by the experience of their judicial successes, that they are capable of changing things, and they see the power of the law as well as its human aspect, because, as one of the students says, we have to deal with persons in a life-or-death situation.
From the Missioners:
Pedro Opeka: 2007 “Mundo Negro a la Fraternidad” Award. The magazine “Mundo Negro” of the Combonian Missionaries gave, on Saturday, 23 February, the 2007 “Mundo Negro a la Fraternidad” Award to the Argentine missionary, Pedro Opeka, CM, as the agency IVICOM reported.
This award acknowledges the work of Father Opeka in cooperation for the development of the Malagasy people. In the more than 30 years this Argentine missionary has spent in Madagascar, he succeeded in changing a dump in the city of Akamasoa where almost 20,000 people live. Now there are more than 7,000 pupils, not counting the day care and formation centers.
Moreover, he established trade schools (carpentry, mechanics) that form and provide work to the young and trade schools of sewing and crafts where women not only can learn a skill, but also can earn an income that helps them to survive. Akamasoa is now an example of cooperation and solidarity.
The work that Father Opeka is carrying out in Madagascar prompted Slovenia and Monaco to formally propose this missionary for the Nobel Peace Prize.
John B. Freund: International Medal. Last 31 January, Father Freund, CM, was awarded the International Medal by St. John’s University for promoting understanding and goodwill worldwide. John B. Freund is the initiator, promoter, manager and tireless animator of communication via the Internet among all the branches of the Vincentian Family. He is really the man of “famvin,” the website of which he is the Webmaster on the worldwide level.

Nominationes

Ordinationes

RAHARISON Nomenjanahary Norbert	Mad	15-08-2007
TOPPO Kishor Kumar	InS	27-12-2007
KASHORI Jean Pierre	Col	29-12-2007
KHAKHA Sanjay	InS	29-12-2007
NAYAK NARESH Chandra	InS	06-01-2008
LAKRA Rajesh	InS	20-01-2008
MURMU Albert	InS	25-01-2008
PEÑA CUESTA José Ángel	Sal	26-01-2008
ADMASU Gebre Gebremichael	Aet	27-01-2008
MEKONNEN Butta Muleta	Aet	27-01-2008

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