NUNTIA, July 2007

Monthly Bulletin of News from the General Curia of the C.M.: Causes of Saints – General Curia – Scholarships – CIF – Missions to de People – Young Missionaires – Vincentians Studies – Province of Venezuela – Homage to S.Justin de Jacobis – Nominationes – Ordinationes – Necrologium

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A further step in the causes of our saints and blessed: On 6 July 2007, the Holy Father recognized the miracle obtained in Milan, in 1933, through the intercession of the Venerable Sister Giuseppina Nicoli, Daughter of Charity, who will be beatified in Cagliari (Sardinia) at the beginning of 2008. On the same day, the Pope also recognized the miracle worked in Słubice (Zielona Góra) through the intercession of the Venerable Sister Martha Wiecka, who will be beatified in Ukraine at the beginning of 2008.
General Curia
The Superior General,after having presided the meeting of the General Council on 4 July and accompanied the International Council of JMV, left on the 8th to visit the Provinces of Fortaleza and Rio in Brazil and, on his way back, to stop in Lisbon. We expect his return on 1 August.
The Treasurer General and Superior of the Curia House, Father John W. Gouldrick, who was also in Brazil from 8-19 July, gives us an account:
The Province of Fortaleza celebrated the 40th anniversary of its existence as a province and the 80th anniversary of the arrival of the missionaries coming from the Province of Holland. The Visitor, Father Fernando Barbosa, invited the Superior General and the Visitor of Holland, Father Harrie Jaspers, to the celebration. The Treasurer General accompanied the Superior General.
The Brazilian and Dutch missionaries participated in the heartfelt and lively celebrations of the Eucharist, which were held in the churches confided to them in the areas of Fortaleza and Belém. Present were three bishops, among them our Vicente Zico, Archbishop Emeritus of Belém, in the Amazon region, together with representatives from each of the groups of the Vincentian Family. On a couple of occasions, JMV entertained those assisting with folkloric and contemporary music and dance.
During the visit, Father Gregory and Father Gouldrick had a meeting with the Provincial Council and with the missionaries in a group in order to address financial plans for the future. There were visits to various places of the apostolate of the Daughters of Charity among the poor. Fathers Gregory and Gouldrick met with the seminarians who are studying philosophy in Fortaleza and with those who are studying theology in Belém. Father Gregory presided the Eucharist at which two students were admitted to the ministries of lector and acolyte: José Pereira Martins and Severino Becerra de Melo.
The JMV International Council. The presence of the young people, who compose it, filled with joy and marked the rhythm of the house during the first days of July. They recount to us what they did: From 2-7 July we, the members of the JMV International Council, were the Curia’s guests in order to hold our second ordinary meeting of this year. We reviewed the most important topics of JMV’s life and journey in the world and planned the meetings and visits for the next semester. Father Gregory presented some reflections on “systemic change” (the Vincentian Family’s reflection theme for the coming two years) and on the normal evolution of JMV’s adult members. We will continue committing ourselves through the other branches of the Vincentian Family as the natural place to develop our Christian and Vincentian life. More information on http://www.secretariadojmv.org
The Vicar General, Father Józef Kapuściak, who, in the absence of the Superior General, remained in the house, spent two days in Sofia, as he tells us:
On 14 and 15 July of this year, I participated in a celebration of reflection and prayer, organized by the Eucharistine Sisters of the Byzantine-Slav rite on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the birth and 75th of the death of their founder, Father Giuseppe Alloatti, C.M. (1857-1955). The celebration took place in the General House of the Eucharistine Sisters in Sofia.
On the first day, Saturday, 14 July, two conferences were given: one on the life and the other on the spiritual profile of Father Giuseppe Alloatti, C.M.
On the second day, Sunday, 15 July, in the church dedicated to Blessed John XXIII, great patron of the Eucharistine Sisters, Lauds were sung solemnly, followed by a Mass of thanksgiving in the Byzantine-Slav rite, concelebrated by five bishops, among whom was our confrere, Msgr. Milan Šášik, Bishop of the Diocese of Mukachevo in Ukraine, of the Byzantine-Slav rite.
Scholarships
The Eastern Province of the United States asked us to publish this notice referring to the Scholarship Fund of the Eastern Province:
The cut-off date for making a final decision about which provinces receive scholarships will be on 1 January 2008.
Please submit any scholarship requests directly to Father Thomas McKenna, C.M.
After the cut-off date, the Eastern Province USA will notify the applying provinces of acceptance or non-acceptance.
CIF is being renewed
Father José Carlos Fonsatti, from the Province of Curitiba, Brazil, has been named a member of CIF to replace Father Juan Julián Díaz Catalán. The nomination takes effect immediately. Father Fonsatti graciously accepted this appointment. He has several commitments pending and will move to Paris when he can. In the coming months he will learn his responsibilities from the members of the present team, Fathers O’Donnell and Díaz Catalán. He will officially replace Father Juan Julián Díaz Catalán in September 2008.
Missions to the People
International Mission in the Southern Cone. The missionaries of the Provinces of the Southern Cone (Argentina, Chile and Peru) are beginning the third stage of the Interprovincial Mission that is being given in the Parish of San Columbano, in the southern sector of Santiago de Chile.
This time Fathers Daniel Álvarez and José Luis de Fina, from the Province of Argentina; Julio Villalobos and Adolfo Salazar from the Province of Peru; Neftalí Shaw, Pablo Vargas, Gerardo Díaz and Gastón Parada, from the Province of Chile, are participating. Also participating are the Deacons Rodis Christensen, Cristián Villalón and Pablo González, as well as the philosophy and theology students, young people with vocational interest, religious and laity from the parish itself. The themes this time will be: “The Christian Vocation,” “Transformers of Reality,” and “Building the Kingdom of God.”
The Provinces of the Southern Cone of the Congregation of the Mission, in addition to having a common Internal Seminary, every year have this missionary work, which is carried out over a three-year period in each province. This is the last year in Chile and, the next time, they are to begin in the Province of Argentina.
Mission in Pontassieve (Florence, Italy). The initiative began with the pastor, Father Luciano Santini, and the Parish Council in order to get closer to the people, revitalize our baptism and facilitate listening to the Word of God. The mission was carried out during the month of March by the missionaries of Florence, Fathers Antonio Di Santo, Benito Bianchi, Claudio Farroni, and Angelo Marras.
With the Daughters of Charity of Pontassieve and the Parish Council, the missionaries prepared the program for carrying out the mission in the best possible way: meetings with young people, married couples and the elderly, Eucharistic adoration, penance services and liturgy of the Sacrament of the Sick and 14 groups of listening to the gospel in homes.
Following the invitation of Jesus, “go out onto the highways…,” about 40 lay people and ten Daughters of Charity traveled the area’s streets, beginning in the month of January, going into the houses and announcing to everyone the beginning of the mission, distributing the illustrated program and bringing words of friendship, the peace of the Lord. (Informazione Vincentiana n. 6/7, 2007)
The Zaragoza Missionary Team. Its director, Father Luis María Martínez San Juan, in the June Provincial Bulletin, gives us an account of the missions in Torrent, (Valencia), Saint Pius X in Murcia (the capital) and La Paca in the province of Murcia. They continued preparing other missions and taking care of the formation of the missionaries. He assures us that all the missions this year have been characterized by their complexity, but he is encouraged to continue, urged by a voice that ever cries out: Woe to me if I do not evangelize.
Meeting of young missionaries
From the report of Father Stanislav Zonták, Visitor of Slovakia:
From 2-9 July, CEVIM organized a meeting of young missionaries of Europe in Piliscsaba (Hungary). The objective of the meeting was to promote understanding and an exchange of experiences among the young missionaries, in view of future collaboration among the European provinces. The theme was: The missionary, teacher and witness to the faith. Some 40 missionaries, coming from various provinces, participated in the meeting. The Superior General was also present the first day. He spoke on the three pillars of missionary spirituality: prayer, community life and mission. After his departure, the meeting continued according to the planned program. In addition to reflections and discussions on the meeting’s theme, the missionaries were able to get to know the country’s cultural and religious reality. The meeting concluded with a solemn Mass concelebrated and presided by the Nuncio in Hungary, who previously had a dialogue with the missionaries on the country’s religious situation. The meeting was held in a fraternal and joyful atmosphere.
Vincentian Studies
Father Bernard Koch, C.M., recently published in Cahiers Saint Vincent, Bulletin des Lazaristes de France (nº 199), an article entitled “The Political Action of Saint Vincent.” “(Vincent de Paul) realized that in order to reform the Church and the clergy, as well as to help entire regions, action on a private level would not be sufficient. He wisely saw that it was also necessary to work on the structures, on those who have in their hands the decision-making organisms. But he knew too that it was not enough to want to act on the structures; these are slow and frequently reluctant; it is necessary that the base get moving, thanks to private initiative and to benevolent action. He knew how to combine both very well.”
Father Jaime Corera writes in the Anales de la Congregación de la Misión y de las Hijas de la Caridad (May-June 2007) on “The History of the Captive Vincent de Paul.” He comments and analyzes the already known positions and the new point of view offered by Father Koch, in presenting the captivity letters as notarial documents. The two conclusions with which he ends are clear, but perhaps not very satisfying. “Presently, it is not possible to deny, nor to know with certainty, if the young Vincent de Paul was captive or in some other condition in the land of Barbary, in particular in what is now Tunis”; “No one has yet to explain convincingly why the elderly Vincent had such a vehement desire to have disappear that ‛miserable letter’ which described so graphically his captivity in the midst of his youth.” As a friend and admirer of Father Corera says: “That leaves us where we are, that is, to believe or not, but without knowing.”
Province of Venezuela
The Province of Venezuela united in the Church’s joy on the vespers and solemnity of the Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul. At vespers, the young Brother José Alexis Carrasco, made his Good Purposes, hopeful and convinced of his vocation. On the day of the solemnity, in the morning at dawn, 6 a.m., one of the three theology students, Alejandro Suárez, committed himself definitively to God and the Congregation through vows. In the evening, before sunset, on this day that had shown so splendidly for the Province of Venezuela, Alexis González, one of the two students doing his pastoral year, was ordained a deacon.
Homage to Saint Justin De Jacobis
The square in front of the missionaries’ house in Melfi has been dedicated to Saint Justin De Jacobis. The city council of Melfi thus wanted to honor one of the most illustrious children of this region (Basilicata). Saint Justin was born in San Fele, in the Basilicata region, Italy. on 9 August 1800.

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Nominationes

Ordinationes

Necrologium