NUNTIA, March 2008

The General Curia: Ministries for Brother Fahed;Heads of the Vincentian Family;Various Commissions;Our Students from the Alberoni College;Our Students from the Alberoni College;The Superior General. From the Provinces: Venezuela; Cuba; Vietnan; Philippines;Vice-Province of Nigeria;Province of Slovenia.Interprovincial Spiritual Exercises: Italia; España.Vincentian English Translation.From the Missioners: Father John Sledziona; Father Carl Pieber. Jubilee Celebrations.

From the General Curia:

Ministries for Brother Fahed: There are many events that we might highlight in the life of the Curia Community. All of them merit appearing in the photo with which NUNTIA begins every month. The one that we have chosen shows Brother Fahed on whom, on Holy Thursday evening, the Superior General conferred Ministries. This choice of photo is a way of thanking Brother Fahed for the many services that he gives to the community, through trips to the airport, welcoming guests and organizing and carrying out manual work in the house. Now, with these new ministries, he will serve at building up the Community at the Eucharist each day.

Heads of the Vincentian Family: This meeting, between January and February, since it was held from the 31st to the 2nd, opened our house to the whole Vincentian Family. We felt very satisfied with such a representative and significant visit. At www.famvin.org you will find a letter from the Superior General explaining the new way of proceeding with this meeting’s communication, a summary of its minutes and the explanation of the newly adopted logo.

Various Commissions: After the Commission for the Revision of the Statutes of the CM. came the Ongoing Formation Comission. Fathers Daniel Borlik and Francisco Solás, with Father Manuel Ginete, also met and synthesized the papers on Ongoing Formation, in fulfillment of the mandate received from the Superior General and his Council. Two other USA Visitors, concerned in the reconfiguration process of their provinces, joined Father Borlik in presenting to the Superior General the report on their progress.

Our Students from the Alberoni College: On the 8th, our students from the Alberoni College in Piacenza arrived, happy and joyful. They had a meeting with the Superior General, celebrated the Eucharist, at which some members of the Curia took part, and shared lunch with the community. Later they wrote to the Superior General, thanking him for the invitation that he made to them and the welcome that he gave them, highlighting the closeness and simplicity that, they said, must prevail always in the missionaries. They extend their gratitude to all the members of the Curia, assuring them of prayer for all.

The Superior General: He carried out his schedule meticulously: Tempo Forte council meeting, about which his letter-report is published on www.cmglobal.org. He was present to the various above-mentioned visits and commissions. He visited Greece from the 12th to the 19th. He celebrated Holy Week in the Chapel of the Provincial House of the Daughters of the Charity in Rome and completed different office matters. On the 25th, he flew to Paris to be present at the New Directors’ Meeting and to accompany the Sisters on Renovation Day. He returned to Rome, on the 3rd, already the beginning of April, and left the same day to visit Portugal.

From the Provinces:

We indicate, as provincial events, the official visits of the Assistants. They tell us:

Venezuela: Father José María Nieto visited the Province of Venezuela from 17 January to 29 February. “In recent years, from 1999, the political context of Venezuela has changed sharply, and the social and economic situation of the population has been altered rapidly, both for good and for bad. The State also has changed its relationship with the Church and, little by little, it has begun a strategy of real harassment. This context is influencing the life and ministry of our province.

Of all the Provinces of Latin America, Venezuela is the province with the largest number of non-Latin-American missionaries (65%) and with the highest median age (61.6 years). The province has 55 incorporated missionaries (19 Venezuelans and 36 Spaniards) and 12 local communities.
The province began its journey in 1931: there is already 75 years of C.M. presence in the country. In the first decades, the formation of diocesan clergy was the principal ministry; later, the schools took up the relief. Today, the province focuses on two schools (Maracaibo and Barquisimeto) and nine parishes, situated in some important cities (Caracas, Valencia, Maracay, Cumaná and Bolivar City) and in two poor rural zones (Sanare and Cariaco), as mission parishes.
Three fourth-year theology students and five first-year philosophy students are being formed in our seminary. They study in a good intercongregational institute (ITER), exercise their apostolic activity in our neighboring parish and, during vacation, take part in some type of popular mission.
The Vincentian Family is present in the country through its diverse branches. The SSVP, the Ladies of the Charity (AIC) and MISEVI are dynamic groups and direct good works of service to the poor. In Caracas, the province is constructing a ‘pastoral center’ for the service of Vincentian groups and other parochial and apostolic groups.”

Cuba: Father José Antonio Ubillús visited the Province of Cuba from 13 March to 1 April. “Upon my return to Rome, I feel, first of all, very grateful for the welcome and attention I received from the confreres, the Daughters of the Charity and the members of the diverse branches of the Vincentian Family; secondly, I am very pleased with the abundant work that the confreres carry out, both on the pastoral as well as social level, in Saint Joachim’s Parish in San Luís, in the Church of Saint Francis in Santiago de Cuba, in the shrine of Our Lady of Mercy in Havana and, especially, in the Miraculous Medal Parish in Havana. The working and living conditions seem to me still difficult, but the Church and the Congregation of the Mission, animated by unshakable faith and deep hope, ‘continue the journey,’ preaching at all costs the Good News of Jesus, and assisting the poorest and marginalized with much love and compassion.

Vietnam: Father Gérard Du made a brief, informal visit to Vietnam, his native country, “to see on site the evolution of the Vincentian Community of Vietnam, which up to the present remains a Region of the Province of Paris.

For approximately 15 years, Vietnam’s political regime has become more flexible and there is now a real flowering of the Catholic Church, full of dynamism and vitality. The parish churches are full every Sunday, with five or six consecutive Masses. Priestly and religious vocations abound all over the country. The government has just authorized a seventh major seminary, in the Diocese of Xuan Loc for the formation of the candidates to the priesthood of three bordering dioceses. Government authorizations for priestly ordinations are obtained with greater facility.
Naturally, Saint Vincent’s sons and daughters are part of this general growth environment. The Province of the Daughters of the Charity of Vietnam has almost 600 Sisters, with around 50 young Sisters in the Seminary (novitiate) and innumerable aspirants and sympathizers.
In turn, among the missionaries, the number of confrere-priests has more than tripled in the last three years and now reaches 43, with, in addition, nine deacons who will be ordained priests soon. The confreres live in four canonical houses and five communities “ad instar domus,” especially in the isolated rural zones, which extend from the extreme south (Camau) to Da Nang, in the center of the country. There are five young confreres at the Motherhouse, who continue their theological studies at the Catholic Institute of Paris.
Some 20 students take philosophy courses at the Salesians’ Scholasticate in Dalat, whereas the theology students, a good dozen, go to the Interreligious Institute in Ho Chi Minh City (former Saigon). In addition to these two groups of seminarians, some 20 young students, who are continuing their university studies, meet every Sunday to reflect on the Vincentian vocation. They are accompanied by the director, Father Augustin Chung, doctor, and a deacon.
At this rate of expansion, the Region of Vietnam will not delay in becoming an autonomous vice-province and in flying by its own wings. That is, in any case, the desire of the Superior General, the Visitor and a good number of the confreres of Paris, who know Vietnam.”

Philippines: Father Gérard Du made the canonical visitation of the Province of the Philippines from 30 January to 29 February. “The province was founded almost 150 years ago by Spanish Vincentian missionaries. They had been invited to take charge of the formation of the secular clergy. The province now has 97 priests, a deacon and five incorporated brothers. There is a confrere-bishop, Msgr. Dosado, Archbishop of Ozamiz in Mindanao.

The Internal Seminary (novitiate) is 40 kms. from Manila, on a tree-covered hill, very favorable to prayer and recollection. At present, it welcomes five seminarians and three priests. Some 20 seminarians in formation, but not yet admitted, reside in two houses of the major seminary, on a beautiful and vast property in Quezon City very close to the Provincial House. Saint Vincent School of Theology (SVST) is also located there. It is frequented by a hundred of seminarians (Vincentians and diocesan), religious men and women and laity. The province is constructing a large Marian shrine that receives thousands of persons at the Sunday Masses. The underground encloses the columbarium where the urns with the ashes are placed.
In the center of Manila, the Central House has about 15 confreres. The Superior of the community is also the pastor of the adjacent parish, dedicated to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Six confreres are administrators, among them, the president of the prestigious Adamson University, which just celebrated 76 years since its foundation and which has more than 14,000 students.
In another district of greater metropolitan Manila (ten million inhabitants), the province animates another Marian shrine, called the Shrine of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, which, in turn, is a large parish of approximately 15,000 faithful.
The province’s most distinguished work is, undoubtedly, the service to the poor who live next to a gigantic garbage dump in Payatas, on the periphery of the megalopolis. With limited means, the confreres are trying to reconstruct the parish church situated among the hovels of this immense tin city. Besides the pastoral care of this population, the confreres managed to develop a center for physically handicapped children, a free nursery school, a cooperative in which the people can acquire provisions at low cost, and a savings bank in which their small savings can come to fruition. The most impressive work is the program for housing hundreds of poor families in a healthier neighborhood nearby. The initiator of this program is Father Norberto Carcellar.
In addition to Manila, the confreres work on other large islands like Cebu, where three confreres animate a parish of almost 100,000 Christians, as is also done in Iloilo. Three confreres are missionaries in Mindanao, in the Diocese of Ozamiz, that of our confrere-bishop.
Finally, let us point out the missionary spirit of a good number of Filipino confreres, who have volunteered for the international missions of the Solomon Islands, in the Pacific Ocean, where confreres of different nationalities assure the formation in a major interdiocesan seminary; the mission of Taiwan; and in Thailand, where a house of formation has been opened to receive indigenous candidates. A project is in perspective for evangelization in Laos and Cambodia. Some confreres care for the Filipino workers who are migrants in Greece, Lebanon and California (U.S.A.).
At the end of this brief report, it is necessary to recognize the great vitality of the Province of the Philippines, which keeps the charism very much alive, in the distant Far East, for the great glory of God and the good of the poor.”

Vice-Province of Nigeria:

Meeting of the Vincentian Family (7-9 March 2008): The Vincentian Family in Nigeria met at the Divine Love Retreat and Conference Centre (DRACC), Enugu. The meeting was hosted by the Ladies of Charity. During the meeting, which was attended by representatives of the various branches of the Vincentian Family in Nigeria, Father Michael Ngoka made a PowerPoint presentation on “Systemic Change in the Vincentian Family.” After the presentation, the members were divided into groups to discuss their own stories on Systemic Change. There were also progress reports and projections from the different branches of the Vincentian Family.
Feast of St. Louise de Marillac: On 15 March 2008, the Local Community in Enugu celebrated this feast with the residents of St. Louise de Marillac Hostel, Maryland, Enugu. St. Louise de Marillac Hostel is an apartment building run by the vice-province that is rented out to female students in tertiary institutions at a reduced rate. The residents also have the privilege of having the Eucharist celebrated for them once a month.
The feast began with the Eucharist, which was presided over by Father Osang Idagbo, the Chaplain of the hostel. This was in the chapel of the theology students in Maryland. Father Linus Umoren, the theology students’ Director gave the homily during which he encouraged those present to emulate the virtues of St. Louise de Marillac. After the Eucharist, the local community gathered with the residents for some entertainment. The residents presented some songs, cultural dances, a short drama, and also organized a mini beauty pageant. Of course, there was a sumptuous meal to go with all these activities!
Workshop for CM Philosophy and Theology Students: As part of the Easter activities, the CM Philosophy and Theology students met for a week (25 March – 1 April) at Blessed Ghebre Michael House, Abiakpo Ntak Inyang, Akwa Ibom State. It was a week packed full with activities some of which included a presentation on Systemic Change by Father Michael Ngoka and a talk on “Conflict Resolutions” by Father Linus Umoren. There was opportunity for the students to share their formation experiences and get to know each other better. As part of the extracurricular activities, the students organized some sports, like football, and they also went on an excursion to Calabar, one of the neatest cities in Nigeria and a place that every tourist should visit.

Province of Slovenia:

Mission by Radio. Father Alojzij Gajšek writes:
“From 9-15 March 2008, the Vincentian missionaries directed a mission for Radio OGNJISCE, which is the Catholic radio of Slovenia.
We prepared 41 different programs on which 13 confreres, five Daughters of Charity, three Sisters of Maria and 14 laypersons, who collaborate with us, participated. The motto of our programs was the words of Saint Vincent: “To live in Christ in order to take Christ to others, not more not less.” We prepared materials and different topics for every day and for each of the programs.
In the plan of this mission, Friday was a day of penance and confession in almost all the parishes of Slovenia. Through the radio, we helped the listeners to prepare themselves with examinations of conscience. Almost all the parishes of Slovenia took part, organizing confessors in their churches.
The listeners of Radio OGNJISCE got to know the Vincentian missionaries, the Daughters of Charity and the Sisters of Maria, as well as the Vincentian movements and their activities”.

Interprovincial Spiritual Exercises:

The habit of sharing annual retreats with missioners of nearby provinces is spreading.
Italy: Retreats have been announced for Pallanza, 14-18 April; Siena, 26-30 May; Kraków, 23-27 June; Naples, 14-18 July; and Rome, 25-29 August; in addition to the pilgrimage and retreat in the footsteps of Saint Paul in Greece.
Spain: Interprovincial retreats have been held in Salamanca, Madrid, Palma de Mallorca, Barcelona, Pamplona and Zaragoza.
In this latter city, the students of the four Spanish provinces and their directors met in a retreat that is already traditional. This gives them the opportunity, because they study in different places, to get to know each other better.

Vincentian English Translation:

The newly revised and annotated Volume 11, the first of two volumes of Conferences of Saint Vincent de Paul to the Congregation of the Mission, is ready for publication in English. As the introduction to Volume 11 states, “If care had been taken to collect and preserve all the conferences of Saint Vincent to his Missioners at the Collège des Bons-Enfants or at Saint-Lazare, ten thick volumes could not contain them.” Today, we have access to only a fraction of these talks; nevertheless, they succeed in forming a résumé of the thinking and teaching of this great master to his confreres and in communicating to us his deep spiritual life. As in the Conferences to the Daughters of Charity, the prudence and wisdom of Vincent continue to enrich and delight the reader of the 21st century, even after almost 400 years.
Volumes 1-10, 13a, 13b available at $45.00 each, plus shipping.
Volume 11 (Conferences, C.M.) available at $45.00, plus shipping.
Volumes 9-10 (Conferences, D.C.) available at $79.95, plus shipping.
Volumes 13a/b Documents (set) available at $79.95, plus shipping.
Order from:
Vincentian Translation Project
333 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727-9297. USA
You can also place a standing order for Volumes 12, Conferences to the Congregation of the Mission, and 14, Index of all the volumes.
Note: To the next mailing of Vincentiana will be added a promotional flyer, with the order form, prepared by the Vincentian Translation Project.

From the Missioners:

Father John Sledziona was elected recently to the Governing Council of NOCERCC (National Organization for Continuing Education of Roman Catholic Clergy), as one of the representatives of Religious Institutes. The Governing Council, composed of 12 members from all the regions of the United States and in direct relation with the Board of Directors, has a significant influence on the policy decisions relative to the entire Organization. NOCERCC has been in existence for 35 years and is composed of members of diverse dioceses, religious communities, interested groups and individuals committed to the Church’s mission to promote and support ongoing formation for priests.

Father Carl Pieber: As was communicated in the Superior General’s letter after the March tempo forte council meeting, he has been nominated as the new Director of the Central Association of the Miraculous Medal in Philadelphia, after the death of its previous Director, Father James Kiernan. The General Council has sought an alternative way of operating and has decided to merge the International Development Office with the Vincentian Solidarity Office. It will be a responsibility of Brother Peter Campbell and Mr. Scott Fina to work out the details of this merger, subsequently presenting their recommendations to the Superior General and his Council. Father Carl Pieber was at the head of the International Development Office from January 2007, giving generous service to the Congregation.

Jubilee Celebrations:

60 years of priesthood: Father Giorgio Miscia celebrated the 60th anniversary of his priestly ordination on 13 March. A large number of missionaries joined Father Miscia in thanking the Lord for reaching this most beautiful milestone. Father Giorgio has carried out diverse services, even of great responsibility, both inside and outside the Community of missionaries. He was always disposed to serve in the different fields where Superiors assigned him. Even now he makes himself available for the good of the Community. NUNTIA invites all missionaries to participate in this thanksgiving and to ask the Lord for Father Miscia the grace of continuing ever at his service, in whatever way is asked of him.
25 years of priesthood: From the height of the 60s, the 25 years of priesthood that was celebrated in the Philippines, the silver triumvirate (as Father DelaGoza calls them) of Fathers Victor Velasco, Ranilo Mahumot and Danilo Carolino, can pale a bit. Nevertheless it is an outstanding date. And they did it by covering themselves in white, an allusion to the silver of their anniversary. The 25 priests who accompanied them on the altar wore white chasubles, the offerings were presented by persons dressed in white and up to the concluding Magnificat the singing was done, not with white voices, but, yes, at least with silvery ones, which came forth from the throats of the concelebrants.
There are yet other silver-jubilee missionaries. Thus, in the mail from Father Jair do Carmo Sales Soares, he tells us of the Silver Jubilee celebration of Father Ari Alves dos Santos:
“We celebrated with a Eucharist in the San José Parish, presided by Bishop Jesús of the Cametá Prelature, and concelebrated by many confreres. The Visitor of Fortaleza, Father Fernando Barbosa, was present. The family of Father Ari was there too. After the celebration, there was a parish gathering.”
Nominationes

Ordinationes

Necrologium