November – December 2005
91. Holy See
Bishop of Rrëshen. On 23 November, the Holy Father Benedict XVI named Fr. Cristoforo Palmieri, C.M. (Province of Naples) Bishop of Rrëshen, Albania (area of the country: 3,463; population: 240,000; Catholics: 57,000; priests: 7; religious: 21). Msgr. Palmieri was born on 24 May 1939 in Bitondo (Bari). He made vows in the Congregation of the Mission on 26 September 1959. He was ordained a priest on 18 March 1967. In the year 2000 he was named Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Rrëshen. We are close to Fr. Cristoforo in our affection and prayer for this new service that the Church has entrusted to him.
Bishop of Farafangana. On 27 November, the Holy Father Benedict XVI named Fr. Benjamin Marc Ramaroson, Bishop of Farafangana. He was born on 25 April 1955 at Manakara (Diocese of Farafangana). After his primary and secondary studies, he obtained a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. He attended the state University of Antananarivo. He made his vows on 15 October 1980. He was ordained a priest on 15 August 1984. He was pastor of the Cathedral of Farafangana. He studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome, where he obtained a Doctorate in Spiritual Theology. He was superior of the Vincentian students in Fianarantsoa where he taught moral theology. He was Director of the Internal Seminary and, in 2001, was named Visitor of Madagascar. We unite in prayer with Fr. Benjamin for this new responsibility that the Church confides to him.
92. General Curia
Visits to North and South India. Fr. Gregory Gay visited the Provinces of North and South India from 1-19 November.
Meeting of the Union of Superiors General. Frs. Gregory Gay and José María Nieto participated in the biannual meeting of the Union of Superiors General (USG), held in Rome from 23-25 November. Some of the topics studied were: Seeking Signs of Vitality in Consecrated Life by the Salesian, Francesco Cereda and Fidelity Pursued, Fidelity Re-stored by the Jesuit, José María Fernández-Martos.
Visits of confreres. We had pleasant visits in the General Curia from the following guests: Fr. Pietro Pigozzi (Turin); Fr. Giovanni D’Ercole (Naples); Fr. Stanislav Zon-ták, (Visitor of Slovakia); Fr. Paul Roche, (Vice-Visitor of Sts. Cyril and Methodius); Fr. Arkadiusz Zakr_ta, (Visitor of Poland); Fr. Alojzij Gaj_ek, (Visitor of Slovenia); Fr. Robert Maloney (U.S.A. Eastern); Fr. Irving Amaro Ramayo (Mexico); Fr. Lawrence Brennan and Fr. Richard Wehrmeyer (U.S.A. Midwest); Deacon Vincenzo De Cicco (Naples); Fr. Désiré Mokolo Molanka (Congo).
Tempo forte. The General Council had its last tempo forte meeting from 5-9 December. The topic of the ongoing formation of the session was presented by Fr. Bar-tholomew Kiely, S.J. from the Psychology Institute of the Pontifical Gregorian Univer-sity. He spoke on “Homosexuality and the Priesthood: Criteria for Accompaniment.” Among the different points treated at the meeting were: an initial report on the International Development Office, asking the support of Fr. Carl Pieber (USA-Eastern) to investigate the possibility of beginning a Development Office on the international level. They studied the fifth draft of a proposal for the election of the new Superior General in 2010. A sixth draft will be prepared and presented at the Visitors’ Meeting in Mexico in 2007 for discussion and approval. They spoke about the final details of the Think Tank meeting, which will be in Rome from 27 February to 3 March. This commission is made up of various members of the Congregation of the Mission and other members of the Vincentian Family: Fr. Roberto Maloney (Coordinator), Fr. Joseph Foley (CM NGO representative at the UN), Fr. Pedro Opeka (Madagascar), Fr. Norberto Carcellar (Philippines), Sr. Ellen Flynn, D.C. (Great Britain), and Mrs. Patricia de Nava (AIC). They discussed the New Visitors’ Meeting, considering its final details. It will be held from 18-24 January 2006. They decided to organize, for January 2007, a workshop for those who want to help confreres in difficult situations in various provinces. They named the Preparatory Commission for the International Visitors’ Meeting in Mexico in 2007. Its members are: Frs. Gabriel Naranjo (Coordinator, Colombia), Antonius Sad Budianto (Indonesia), Yves Bouchet (Toulouse), Daniel Borlik (USA South), and a confrere from Africa. The studied the Treasurer General’s report and decided to channel help to projects in favour of the poor and approved the budgets of the official organisms of the Congregation and the International Missions. They decided on the recipients of the Systemic Change Award, which will be announced in January 2006. The award will be divided among five development projects of confreres, which reflect Vincentian creativity in responding to today’s new poverties. They studied the reports of the various official organisms of the Congregation sent in by those respectively responsible for them: Vincentian Solidarity Office (VSO) (Brother Peter Campbell), Famvin Website (Fr. John Freund), Vincentian Family (Fr. Manuel Ginete), CM-NGO at the UN (Fr. Joseph Foley). They reflected on some replies from volunteers to the Mission Appeal Letter of October 2005. They had a meeting with the Vice-Visitor of the Vice-Province of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Fr. Paul Roche, and the Visitors of Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia in order to support the vice-province in the next five years. They concluded by studying the reports of four Conferences of Visitors the Asia-Pacific Conference of Visitors (APVC), the Latin American Conference of Vincentian Provinces (CLAPVI), the Conference of Visitors of Africa and Madagascar (COVIAM) and the National Conference of Visitors of the United States (NCV).
93. Vicar General
Visit to the confreres of Vietnam. From 10-24 November Fr. Józef Kapu_ciak, made a Canonical Visitation of the Region of Vietnam, of the Province of Paris. The Region presently has four canonically erected houses and various communities. It has 57 incor-porated members, 23 students, four internal seminarians, one admitted brother and ten postulants. Fr. Kapu_ciak visited almost all the places where the confreres live and work. He interviewed all the incorporated confreres, except for five who are studying in Paris. He had four meetings with the young men in formation: in Ho Chi Minh City with the theology students, in Dalat with the philosophy students and the internal seminarians and in Tuc Trung with the postulants. He visited several communities of the Daughters of Charity and had the opportunity to meet with two bishops: Msgr. Pierre Nguyen Van Nhon, Bishop of Dalat and Msgr. Phaolo Thin Nguen Binh Thin, Bishop of Da Nang. The confreres work in both those dioceses. Fr. Józef was very impressed by the lively and deep faith of the Vietnamese people, by the authentic Vincentian spirit which animates its missionary life and activity, by the courage and hope it has in spite of the difficulties that it experience in Vietnam.
94. Assistants General
Various activities. Fr. José Antonio Ubillús participated, along with the Superior General, from 12-18 October, in the General Assembly of CLAPVI. Then he traveled to Los Angeles (California), to participate, from 7-12 November, in the Annual Meeting of Latinos in North America (VUELAN). Finally, from 17-24 November, he was in Guatemala at the meeting of the Formation Commission and of the Provincial Council of Central America.
95. Postulator General
New Vincentian Blessed. The Congregation for Divine Worship responded affirmatively, on 15 October, to the request of Fr. Gregory Gay, to include in the memorial of 2 September the martyrs John Charles Caron and Nicholas Colin, together with Blessed François, Gruyer and Rogue. The Holy See, on 15 October 2005, granted that the Memorial of our blessed include also John Charles Caron and Nicholas Colin, and be entitled: “Memorial of Blessed Louis Joseph François and Companions, Martyrs.” John Charles Caron was born on 21 December 1730 and entered the Congregation on 9 October 1750, in which he made vows on 10 October 1752. Nicholas Colin was born on 12 December 1730, entered the Congregation on 20 May 1747 and made his vows on 21 May 1749. The Superior General invites us to celebrate the memorial of our blessed martyrs with fervor, after the example of their heroic witness up to the supreme gift of self.
96. South India
Tanzania Mission. Fr. Jose Aikara, Visitor of South India presided, on 28 October, at the Eucharistic celebration on the occasion of the Good Purposes and Vows at De Paul Seminary in Morogoro, Tanzania. Brother Ansgar Lugomi, completed the Internal Semi-nary in the Province of Ethiopia and made his Good Purposes, and Brothers Paschal Mbepera, Leopold Myamba and Binoy Varghese made their Vows. Brother Paschal and Brother Leopold are the first two members who were completely formed in the mission of Tanzania from its beginning in 1993. On 29 October, Paschal and Binoy were ordained deacons in the Salvatorian Philosophy and Theology Institute in Morogoro. These events open a new page in the future of the mission in Tanzania.
97. Middle East
Spiritual fraternity. On the occasion of the 175th Anniversary of the Apparitions of the Virgin Mary to St. Catherine Labouré, our Basilica of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Beirut, officially established a “Spiritual Fraternity” with the Sanctuary of Lourdes (France). Msgr. Raymond Zembelli, Rector of the Sanctuary, presented the letter of the Fraternity to Fr. Antoine Abboud, Provincial Superior, and to Fr. Ramzi Jreige, Superior of the house of Beirut, during the Eucharist celebrated in the “grotto of Lourdes,” erected in the Basilica’s garden. Around 6000 faithful took part in this event. The faithful go and come to the feet of the Most Holy Virgin Mary. A poor woman said to a confrere: “You, Vincentians, love the poor. We are too poor to go to Lourdes. You have given us a Lourdes as our house.” The garden of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal has been converted into a place of prayer and of meeting with God in the heart of the city of Beirut.
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APPOINTMENTS
PALMIERI Cristoforo 23-11-2005 Obispo de Rrëshen – Albania
MASSARINI Bernard 26-11-2005 Director HC – Francia Sur
RAMAROSON Benjamín Marc 27-11-2005 Opispo de Farafangana – Madagascar
BURGOS BRISMAN Faustino 30-11-2005 Visitador – Puerto Rico
ARZATE MACÍAS Jesús 10-12-2005 Vice-Visitador – Mozambique
VÁSQUEZ ORDOÑEZ Daniel 10-12-2005 Visitador – Colombia
KUNAY Victor 10-12-2005 Director HC – Rumania
PRIESTLY ORDINATIONS
NAVARRO SÁNCHEZ Juan Bernardo Col 27/11/2005
PINEDA PINEDA ÁNGEL Ocampo Col 27/11/2005
FILEY FOSTER, Samuel Bar-Hon 12/12/2005
LEÓN NAVARRO Alfredo Per 17/12/2005
NACOLA Lario Aul 17/12/2005
VOSABALAVU Filimoni Aul 17/12/2005
YEPEZ BARRIENTOS Mario Per 17/12/2005
NECROLOGIUM
NOMEN COND DIES OB PROV AET VOC
GOCHI (GOCHMAN) Eugenio Fra 21-11-2005 Flu 78-59
ÁLVAREZ FERNÁNDEZ Gerardo Sac 21-11-2005 Sal 72-55
FISCHER James Adrian Sac 25-11-2005 Ocn 89-69
KAVANAUHT Thomas Marie Sac 28-11-2005 Mer 91-70
O’FARRELL Diarmuid Sac 30-11-2005 Hib 75-57
PINTO DE ALMEIDA José Fra 30-11-2005 Por 76-60
GIUDICE SENDON Juan José Sac 01-12-2005 Per 62-19
GALAMBOS Ferenc Sac 07-12-2005 Hun 83-61
GRAHAM James P. Sac 12-12-2005 Ocn 94-76
Vincentian Web Site:
Province of Rome: www.cmroma.it
Vocational Pastoral of Turin: www.cmtorino.191.it
We wish all the confreres of the Congregation of the Mission and all the other members of the Vincentian Family a blessing for the Christmas and the New Year 2006. May God grant you fidelity, enthusiasm and joy in serving and evangelization the poor. Best Wishes!
