Make of the world one family

Xaverian Mission
Volume 62 - No. 3 |August 2014

Newsletter

www.xaviermissionaries.org Mission Blog: www.global-catholic.org

Franklins Mission Festival....................6-7

Pope Francis in the Holy Land ............2

On a Bus in Thailand .........................3
Cana in Sierra Leone .........................4
XMM Celebration (Catholic Free Press) ...........5
A Comprehensive Rule of Faith ...........8
Empowered by the Spirit ....................9
World & US Province News ............11-12
Sisters embrace for the sign of peace during Sunday Mass at the Franklin Mission Festival. Photo by Frank Mutranowski

Pope Francis in the Holy Land

So Can We!
A really convincing
example of beautiful,
amazing acts of ordinary humanity .

X averian Missionaries
Provincial Headquarters
12 Helene Court
Wayne, NJ 07470-2813
Tel.: (973) 942-2975
Fax: (973) 942-5012
Email:

missionmedia@xaviermissionaries.org

Xavier Knoll Mission Center

4500 Xavier Drive
Franklin, WI 53132-9066
Tel.: (414) 421-0831
Fax: (414) 421-9108
Email:

franklin@xaviermissionaries.org

Global Youth Mission Services

(theGYM)
Fatima Shrine
101 Summer Street
P.O. Box 5857
Holliston, MA 01746-5857
Tel.: (508) 429-2144
Fax: (508) 429-4793
Email:

holliston@xaviermissionaries.org

Xaverian Mission Newsletter

Official publication of the

Xaverian Missionaries
of the United States

Publisher
Fr. Carl Chudy
Communications Board
Fr. Carl Chudy SX
Fr. Tony Lalli SX
Fr. Rocco Puopolo SX
Fr. Aniello Salicone SX
Editor
Mary Aktay
Printing
AlphaGraphics, Totowa, NJ
Email & Web:

missionmedia@xaviermissionaries.org
Website: www.xaviermissionaries.org
St. Guido site: www.guidoconforti.com
Mission blog: www.global-catholic.org
www.facebook.com/catholicmissionaries
www.twitter.com/worldcatholic

lose, not cold and calculated, but warm fraternal hugsface to

face, eye to eye,
cheek to cheekarms
wrapped around so leaders lean on each other, as if to try strategy tips for common
actions or STRAT, as do the players on rugby teams... We saw and greatly enjoyed
these humanizing actions during the three days of the journey of Pope Frances to the
people of Jordan, Palestine and Israel, from 24 to 26 of May. A short visit, but so many
hugs!
After 50 years since the visit by Pope Paul VI and his historic hug with Patriarch
Athenagoras, there was an affectionate hug with Bartholomew. Not to repeat issues
already visited, but to raise the possibility of reconciliation and close communion, which
was gathering dust in the drawers of the curia.
The Jordanian monarch Abdullah, who has for many years taken in and protected millions of refugees from the wars and violence of neighboring countries, acted as a chauffeur and brought his guest, like one of the family, to Bethany on the banks of the River
Jordan where Jesus was baptized.
To Abu Mazen and Shimon Peres, respectively Presidents of Palestine and Israel, Pope
Francis offered his house in Santa Marta to pray together in secret, as the Gospel says.
Because peace cannot be bought nor sold, it must be first recognized as a gift of God,
together with the conversion of the heart. It then becomes handmade with daily gestures of humility and fraternity, forgiveness and reconciliation.
Pope Francis leaned on two great walls the Temple Wailing Wall and the security wall
separating Palestinians from Israelis. The slight touch of the hand and the forehead of
the Pontiff, (Builder of Bridges), was enough to make barriers metaphorically crumble
and open borders to the passage of the peoples of the Holy Land and the entire world.
And finally there was the trinitarian embrace with Rabbi Abraham Skorka and Imam
Omar Abboud, almost a new icon of the Trinity of Rblev. It was an insistent embrace
with arms around necks, cheek to cheek, as between brothers and friends forever. The
three religions believers in the one God were in the same tight embrace to forget
past grievances with the desire to rebuild fraternal relations for the greater good of
humanity.
When people have the courage to look each other in the eye, recognize faces, greet and
hug, while respecting their individual identities, they communicate confidence, kindness,
and brotherhood. It is right to say: So Can We!

Fr. Marcello Storgato SX

Donation: $5.00 per year

Help the Xaverians

break down barriers that separate people.

Contact:
Fr. Frank Grappoli, SX
12 Helene Court
Wayne, NJ 07470
Tel: 973-942-2975
Or visit: www.xaviermissionaries.org for online donations

Xaverian Mission Newsletter August 2014

Increa
your im se
pact!
If your
emplo
yer
ha s a
Gift P Matching
rog
contrib ram your
utio
b e d o u n ca n
bled.

Xaverian Missionaries in the World

On a Bus in Thailand...
A Catholic missionary sister shares her daily
encounter with Jesus with a Buddhist bus driver.

hat will he have understood about my God? Im still asking myself this about a conversation I had with a Thailand
transit worker four months ago. At that time I often took
the bus in the city of Chiang Mai, Thailand, and I sat in
the front to converse with the driver, as they know a lot about the city.
That day he was particularly talkative. Knowing that I was a missionary,
he asked me thousands of questions. I gave in to his curiosity and
Ministering to children with disabilities in Thailand
answered, trying to be brief but precise, given that the topics of dedication, eternal life and God, varied greatly between Buddhism and
Christianity. I had to be careful not to give vague answers or create misconceptions.
In Buddhism, to be a monk or a nun does not necessarily refer to a choice for
the rest of ones life. In the majority of cases they remain monks for a limited
time, varying from a few days to several years. For this reason the driver
asked me how long I had been religious and how much longer I intended to
remain so. I responded that in our religion it is a definitive choice. Our relationship with God was most important of all and to be united with God more
intimately in this way of life was welcomed by some as a gift from God.
The next question did not come like a torrent as the previous ones had. There
was a pause. I thought perhaps the driver was beginning to tire. This however
was not the case; he was preparing to ask me a very special question, one
able to turn my heart and mind upside down and drive me to an examination of my life. Even today his
question resounds in my ears and in my heart: Do you
touch God every day?

Seeing the sights

I found myself silenced, searching for an answer, necessarily

brief, understandable and, above all, believable, especially
because of the responsibility that went with that statement.
I was aware of my limits, and words seemed like boulders
that did not want to escape. The fact is that the touch of
God, every day, had to find harmony in a true transformation of myself, had to be perceptible in my certainty of my
relationship with God. I felt as if I were drifting far away.
How then to respond? That man was waiting and the trip
was about to end.
Yes, I dared,every day, and then tried to explain. That
impossible contact has been made possible by Jesus. Through him, God
became one of us. And we have access to a relationship with God every
day. It is always a sublime and unimaginable event that daily life must
never trivialize.

Sr. Teresa Bello XMM (fourth from right) with Xaverian

Sisters and Fathers in Thailand

I was saying to myself as well as to him, that yes, it is true, I can touch God every day. God wants people to love one
another freely, just like Jesus. I had arrived at my destination. Other people had to be taken elsewhere. Good-bye,
thank you. It was a nice conversation.
What did he, my Buddhist questioner understand? I really do not know. But I know that I will never forget that question. It
accompanies me now, reviving in me the gratitude for the gift of the incredible closeness of God daily.
The mission of every Christian is to make visible the opportunity given to us to be able to touch God every day. It brings
us close to the way of Jesus, to be a meeting place, a space for a relationship between God and people; a place that
allows God to reach out to our brothers and sisters and allows our brothers and sisters to encounter and touch God who
dwells in us. May Jesus make us house inhabited by God where others can enter so that meeting may occur.

Sr. Teresa Bello XMM, Xaverian Missionary Sisters of Mary

Xaverian Mission Newsletter August 2014

Xaverian Missionaries in the World

Cana in Sierra Leone

My dear Friends in the USA
and around the world,

(from Maos China!) who lived nearby

wanted too fill their time. See how
the Lord does things!

On Sunday May 4th, in the small

village of Marampa, not far from
Makeni, Sierra Leone I had the
priestly and missionary joy of the
year, the blessing of marriage for
fourteen (yes, 14!) couples in the
Love of the Risen Lord. Oh, what a
day for me!

I was far from Marampa during the

90s, I returned to them in 2002,
after the war, first as their parish
priest and later as a helper while I
was the director of Radio Maria in
Makeni.

I had met the people of Marampa,

a small community of praying faithful, in the early 1980s, when I was
director of the Pastoral Center in
Makeni and later as Superior of the
Xaverian Missionaries. For years,
either celebrating Mass or instructing catechumens, I shared their
faith and hopes. In 1985, with the
help of our benefactors and Gods
Providence,I was able to build a little Church dedicated to St. Joseph.
Guess who built it? A
group of Chinese
workers

I could touch
heaven with
my soul...

In March
of 2013
during
the
homily
at Mass,
I had an inspiration to accuse the
many husbands present of not loving
their wives since most of them had
not paid the traditional dowry yet,
after years of living together. To my
total surprise, not only were they not
offended, but 22 of them
promised on the spot, that
they would pay the necessary amount (about $100150) by December 31st.
Who would believe
them? Not I, though I
was hoping that at
least five couples
would make it. We
began to hold weekly meetings for the
22 couples to
understand
Christian marriage. Many husbands and wives
attended. Fourteen
couples definitely decided to
celebrate their customary weddings

by the end of the year and later to

be married in Church. I really could
not expect such a miracle of grace
and joyful response, but this was
true! So, one couple after the other
got married in the village of the wife,
while I, from my new parish of
Fadugu, was weekly assisting them
with the necessary spiritual and pastoral formation for the Sacrament of
Matrimony.
In January we agreed that May 4th
was the great day for the wedding
together. In the meantime some
friends in Italy, helped me to pay for
all the wedding needs.
I assure you that on the morning of
May 4th I could touch heaven with
my soul and body. The men had prepared a veranda just outside the
Church, as inside would be too small
for the celebration, and there we,
the 14 couples and myself arrived
after an emotional procession from
the little school of the community.
The Brides wore all flowery white
and the men, white shirts and black
trousers. In Sierra Leone matching
dress is a great sign of belonging
together. And they were 14 families
in one!
I teared up seeing all those 28 spouses, most of whom I knew as little
children 30 years before, around the
altar determined to start a new path
of Christian maturity. What a grace!
Every couple came to the altar, holding their hands and pronouncing their
consent in the attentive silence of all
others present. How beautiful it was!
After the Sacraments, the couples
enjoyed the wedding cake. There
was food for all present, palm
wine in abundance and music till
midnight. And how many thankyous I received! But I was very
happy to give back their gratitude
for me to the Lord, for on May 4th
Jesus certainly astonished us again
as in Cana of Galilee!

Fr. Luigi Brioni SX

4

Xaverian Mission Newsletter August 2014

Xaverian Missionaries in the USA

Xaverian Missionary Sisters Celebration

By Tanya Connor (used with permission from the Catholic Free Press, the newspaper of the Diocese of Worcester,MA)

ister Rosetta Serra, 85, remembers her congregations

foundress as having luminous eyes and open arms.
She also remembers coming with her
to Massachusetts to start their first
mission outside of Italy. On June
1st Sister Rosetta and the five other
members of the Xaverian Missionary Society of Mary celebrated the
60th anniversary of their presence in
the United States, and the fact that
Pope Francis declared their foundress, Mother Celestina Bottego (18951980), venerable on Oct. 31, 2013.

smile. Her eyes were

brilliant. So much light
was coming from them...
She was Irish and you
could tell. (Shed been
born in Glendale, Ohio,
to an Irish mother and
Italian father.) I understood Mother better
when I met so many Irish
here. Sister Rosetta
said she herself was
born and reared in Italy,
and joined the sisters in
1948.

Bishop McManus celebrated Mass for

them on June 1st at St. Paul Cathedral and blessed a photo of Mother
Celestina for the sisters house.
Concelebrating were Father Angel R.
Matos, associate pastor of St. Pauls,
where two of the sisters serve, and
five Xaverian Missionaries Fathers.

A few years
later, the
Xaverian
Fathers, who
had a novitiate in
Petersham,
MA, asked for the sisters assistance. It
had been in collaboration with another
Xaverian Father James Spagnolo
that Mother Celestina, then an English
teacher, founded the Xaverian Missionaries of Mary in 1944 in Italy. After
struggle and prayer Celestina agreed
to help, and young women joined her.

If the sisters are like Mother Celestina, she must have been incredible,
Xaverian Father Carl Chudy, provincial superior, said in his homily. Shes with us today through
them helping us to transcend all
the things that weigh us down, he
said. Everyone always has that power
to defy gravity; its the power the
Church is celebrating between the
feasts of Ascension and Pentecost.
We recognize the Trinitys power
working through Mother Celestina
and the urgency of the global mission today.
Josephine Belli, of St. Anthony of
Padua Parish in Fitchburg, recalled
meeting Mother Celestina in 1972,
when she and her sister-in-law went
to Italy. They stopped at the motherhouse. Mother Celestina invited them
to lunch. We had such a pleasant
time, Ms. Belli said. She was just
an outstanding woman so loving
and caring. Such a warm embrace.
Always open arms, added Sister
Rosetta. She was a mother. She was
writing all the time and asking how
the community was. Always with a

Always
open arms...

In 1954 one of those women Sister

Rosetta joined her on a 10 day voyage on the Andrea Doria. (In a 1957
voyage the ship sank, killing two of
their sisters in route to Petersham,
recalled Sister Laura Canali.) They
landed in New York, where Sister
Rosettas brother, Xaverian Father
Rocco Serra, who served in Petersham,
met them and took Mother Celestina
with him to a missionaries reunion. I
remember, Mother was always serene,
with a smile, and deep faith in Gods
will, Sister Rosetta said. A few months
after they arrived, other members of
their congregation came, and Mother
Celestina returned to Italy, fulfilling
her role as Superior General through
correspondence.
Being new, you have to see what the
needs are, she said. She studied
English, got in touch with people, and

Sister Rosetta Serra (above)speaks at Mass.

Fr. Carl Chudy SX (below) gives the homily

became superior of the community.

The sisters sought vocations and
contributions for their missions and
stressed that we all are missionaries,
including laity.
They opened a community in Fitchburg, where they ran a kindergarten at Madonna of the Holy Rosary
Church. Later they opened missions
in New York, working in parishes.
Sisters still come to Worcester, now
their only U.S. mission, to study
English for service in other countries.
(They have about 250 members in 10
countries.)
Sister Rosetta served in Petersham or
Worcester from 1954 to 1974, then in
Mexico for 30 years. Since 2004 shes
been back here, where shes treasurer of the local community.

Xaverian Mission Newsletter August 2014

Franklin Mission Festival:

he weather had been instable with a lot of showers and storms. Even on Friday night, June 20, it rained.
But by before noon on Saturday the sun was shining. People started coming to the Festival in a nice flow
which kept on increasing. The rummage sale had a lot of visitors; the spaghetti and meatball dinner was
sold out, the booths were in full activities. The lovers of music and the followers of the two bands, Steve
Meisner ad Doo Wop Daddies, came in with their chairs. There was singing and dancing.

The next day, June 22, Sunday, the Mass was celebrated under the large tent close to the statue of Saint Francis
Xavier. The Saint Alphonsus Bell Choir made beautiful music during the Mass and received well deserved applause
at the conclusion of the liturgy. Fr. Mark presided at the Mass and Frs. Dominic, Larry and Aniello were the
concelebrants.
On Sunday, June 22, the weather remained pleasant and people came in. The flow of visitors was less than
Saturday, but almost the same of that of last years Festival.

Celebrate the tim

Photos by Frank Mutranowski:

Counterclockwise from top left: Crowds
surveying the booths Fr. Larry having
fun with friends. Dancing the day &
night away. Spaghetti dinner. Food tents.
Fr. Dominics secret recipe.
Big Band sound. Big puppet presence.
The St. Alphonsus Bell Choir. Volunteers,
Pat Koronkowski, Dorothy Mutranowski
and Sharon DeLong. Sample mission
poster. Father Mark presides at Mass.

A Climate of Joy!
The baked chicken dinner went well and all the dinners were sold. The Bands of Vern Tretow & the Original and
the Kenny Brandt Band offered their enjoyable music and people danced.
There was a climate of joy!
This year together with the Mission Tent booth, large posters on the missions were displayed. People were
interested in them and asked questions to the Fathers.
The mission raffle went very well.
The Knights of Columbus offered their service for wine and beer. The volunteers were great and generous with
their time. The booths were covered by the volunteers and so the games and the selling of food and ice Cream and
popcorn went on till the end. Mr. Fred Michalek, the chairman of the festival, organized everything very well and
ran it with all his skill and competence.

me ...Come on!

Fr. Aniello Salicone SX

The Global Mission Spirituality of Saint Guido Conforti

TO SEE GOD, SEEK

GOD, LOVE GOD IN
Everything!

concise and
comprehensive rule
of Faith, a resolution
encompassing all
resolutions

We must know God, love God and

seek God in everything because
in this consists our perfection
and all of our happiness. We
cannot make any resolution
more comprehensive than this
one. Neither can we conceive
of a more holy and efficacious
resolution. Nor can we find
a more sublime and stronger
stimulus to the practice of virtue.
May this be our lifes program
and may it be the watchword of
our whole life!
The Fathers Word: Exhortations and
Spiritual Thoughts of Bishop Guido
Conforti to his Missionaries
Edited by Fr. Augusto Luca SX

Xaverian Mission Newsletter August 2014

Sharing Our Faith

Empowered by the Spirit

n our work in dialogue with those of other faiths and with those who do not espouse any
particular faith at all, we want not only to make meaningful connections in respectful
dialogue with those who do not share our faith, but also to encourage our own faith
brothers and sisters how important this is for all Catholics and Christians to engage in.
When I share these experiences in parishes and with groups in many places, I am given the
response, Have you converted them yet? It saddens me when I hear this because it indicates
we understand so little of what it means to share ourselves and our faith with others. It also shows
we have little practice in it.

I understand conversion as much more

layered and complex an experience than
merely deciding, in a blink of an eye, that
Jesus is Lord and I want to be a Catholic,
completely ignoring the life journey that
brought our brothers and sisters to who they
are today and to what they believe or do not
believe. It is our life experiences that have
shaped a journey that brings us to certain
conclusions of who we are and what we
believe in. Theologian, Bernard Lonergan
speaks of conversion as an experience
like, falling in love with God. As most
people know, falling love is ordinarily not
instantaneous. It is the fruit of an experience
that comes over a period of time, patiently
coming to know one another and to gradually
deeply understand each other. This change
in our minds about each other precede the
changes in how we think and behave with
each other. Dialogue with those who do not
share our faith begins with listening to each
others life journeys.
Our own faith journey is not so simple. Our
own conversions are gradual, encompassing
an entire lifetime to come to grips with and
fully comprehend. We are like the women
in the painting to the right, Market Day
Dreams by Betty LaDuke that show them
waiting in the market to sell their fruit and
daydreaming while they wait for customers.
Their dreams rise to the spirit world where
the ordinary is so intimately tied to the
desires and urgings of the Divine, and to
each other.
In the Xaverian Common Ground Initiative
my ongoing conversations with those of
other faiths and with humanists and atheists
uncovers, first and foremost, our mutual
life directions that have brought us to very
different places. While some humanists and
atheists come from non-religious families,

many do not. Some of my friends who

consider themselves atheists have chosen
to be so only gradually over a long period
which often included painful experiences
in churches, synagogues or mosques, some
are former Catholics. Uncovering
these wounds requires empathy
and compassion. As a Catholic
priest, I not only carry the desire
to bring companionship to others
that is birthed from my faith, I also
vicariously carry the burdens of our
Church that has indeed abused and
hurt others in certain circumstances.
I bring another perspective of our
faith which is to be like a field
hospital after a battle, seeking
to bring healing hope to any who
carry the wounds of life, quoting
Pope Francis. The mutual listening,
compassion and respectful dialogue
between us begins that healing. This is
one experience of conversion for both of
us: they seeing that our Church can be
life giving, and I, cognizant of the courage
required of those hurt by the Church to
open their hearts up to me in the first
place. In this way, conversions seem to be
always mutual to some degree.
This is one sign of the Pentecost event. The
biblical image of Babel where the enormous
diversity of the world in culture, language,
and belief are brought together through
the power of the Trinity into the dream
of Jesus when he prayed to his Father in
heaven in the 17th chapter of John: Father,
may they be one as you and I are one.
What a privilege to be part of en-fleshing
the dream of God brought to us by Jesus,
empowered by the Spirit to help make it
real.

Dialogue
with those
who do
not share
our faith
begins with
listening
to each
others life
journeys.

Fr. Carl Chudy SX

Xaverian Mission Newsletter August 2014

World Mission News Digest

World Mission News Digest

AFRICA/
CAMEROON
A Church which is
dynamic, lively
and growing,
despite
difficulties:
Cardinal Filoni
meets the
Bishops and
priests of
Cameroon

Bamenda (Agenzia
Fides) The dynamism,
the vitality, commitment
and growth of the
Church in Cameroon, is
the result of excellent
missionary work of the
part of numerous men
and women missionaries
of the past to whom
we pay homage today;
however it is also the
Indigenous children in Brazil
fruit of the pastoral
work undertaken in
your respective dioceses,
with great sacrifice
and dedication, this
was underlined by
the Prefect of the
Congregation for the
Evangelization of Peoples,
Cardinal Fernando
Filoni, in his meeting
with
the Bishops of
A child holds a cross representing one of the
hundreds of migrants who have died attempt- the African country.
ing to enter the United States
Despite the limited
means at her disposal,
and often under difficult conditions,
the Cardinal said, the local Church
makes a considerable contribution
towards alleviating the suffering of
people afflicted by poverty, insecurity
and other social constraints. I
warmly encourage you to continue
this important mission to proclaim
the Gospel and promote human
development following the example of
Jesus.
Fr. Martin Ali Keke Ndemsous ordination
celebration in Xaverian Cameroon-Chad

After urging the Bishops to nurture

10 Xaverian Mission Newsletter August 2014

a spirit of communion, Cardinal Filoni,

dwelt on certain pastoral priorities to
be tackled with courage and lucidity,
for example re-launching evangelization
ad gentes, family pastoral care, ongoing
formation of clergy and laity.

AMERICA/BRAZIL
Mission to relieve the missionary campaign against
human trafficking in persons

Brasilia (Agenzia Fides) - Mission to

relieve is the theme of the Missionary
Campaign 2014 which will be held during the month of October in Brazil.
The theme emerges today as a great
challenge for the mission, said Father
Camilo Pauletti, National Director of
the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in
this country. The biblical passage that
inspired the choice of the theme,
Mission to relieve and the slogan He
has sent me to proclaim liberty is
taken from the Gospel of Luke (Lk
4:18), when in the synagogue in
Nazareth, Jesus begins his ministry
recalling the prophecy of Isaiah. The
mission of the Messiah is given by the
God of life and therefore brings liberation to those who suffer from some
form of slavery. Today, Jesus challenges
us to take on the same mission,
explains Fr. Pauletti.
The Missionary Campaign 2014 wants to
draw attention to slavery and human
trafficking in its various forms: exploitation in the workplace; sexual exploitation; trafficking in organs; trafficking
of children for adoption.

AMERICA/UNITED
STATES
Children and young immigrants in the USA: They
are not seeking adventure,
they are fleeing from a
war

El Paso (Agenzia Fides) - On behalf of

the United States Bishops Conference,
Bishop Mark Joseph Seitz of El Paso,

brought the testimony of the

Catholic Church regarding children
and young unaccompanied immigrants to the Judiciary Committee
of the House of Representatives in
Washington. On June 25, he
showed images and videos to illustrate the odyssey experienced by
these children who are fleeing violence in their countries of origin.
The Bishop hopes that Congress is
able to see that we are dealing
with human faces, lives, instead of
thinking only about how to put a
bad light on the opposition party.
In November, Bishop Seitz went to
Guatemala, El Salvador and
Honduras, he also visited the hostel for migrant children in Chiapas,
Mexico where he spoke with refugees about the situation in their
countries of origin. I spoke with
two boys from Honduras, recalls
Bishop Seitz, who told me that
they fled from their homes because
they were threatened with death if
they had not joined the gang in
their neighborhood. These boys,
who are children of 5 years of age,
do not leave their communities for
new adventures, but flee wars in
their countrieswars that their
governments is losing when they
fail to protect their people.
The Bishop of El Paso highlighted
the situation of hundreds of immigrant children who have crossed
the southern border of the United
States, and who have now been
moved to other places such as his
diocese waiting for the immigration
authorities to solve their cases. As
a Church, we do not see these
children as mere numbers or statistics, concluded Bishop Seitz, They
are people with a face and a life.

From our USA Communities

News from our USA Communities

FATIMA SHRINE
SUMMER SCHEDULE
+ FATIMA DAYs continue on the
13th of each month through October.
+ On Sunday, July 13, the Xaverian
Missionaries hosted a BBQ organized
by the Mission group of St. Marys
Parish in Holliston. One hundred
young people and their families
gathered at the shrine for Mass
and then for an enjoyable picnic
outdoors on the grounds. These
youth plus adult leaders are going to
be working in two sites: Mississippi
and NJ.
+ On July 19th a local prayer group
came to the Shrine for their annual
Day of Recollection
+ On July 20th, Third Order
Franciscans were at the Shrine for
a day of reflection, prayer and BBQ
picnic
+ On July 27th, we hosted the Yearly
Portuguese Pilgrimage.

HOLLISTON WELCOMES FR. MARTIN

We welcome Fr. Martin Ali Keke
Ndemsou SX to our USA region
in Holliston, MA where he will be
studying English and preparing for
his first mission assignment to Sierra
Leone, West Africa. Welcome Martin!
Bienvenue Martin!
~Fr. Joe Matteucig SX

XAVERIAN SISTER
RENEWS VOWS
On July 2nd the Xaverian Community
of Holliston joined the Xaverian
Sister community of Worcester to
celebrate a special day when many
of the sisters either take their first
vows, renew their vows or profess
final vows. It was an important day
of commitment for their founder,
Mother Celestina Healy Bottego and
is now part of the tradition of the
sisters. Sr. Susana Miranda Jimenez

renewed her vows in the course of this

celebration. She hopes to make the
final and permanent commitment to the
Xaverian Sisters of Mary next year. It
was a wonderful witness of a woman of
faith who has chosen to dedicate her
whole life to the Mission of Jesus as a
Xaverian Sister. Is God calling you to
Mission to the margins!!?
~Fr. Rocco Puopolo SX

WAYNE: COMMON
GROUND JOURNAL
NOW AN E-BOOK.

vocational discernment
work with those who
inquire. Eventually he
will also be specializing in media.
Fr. Alex studied theology at CTU in Chicago,
was ordained a priest
in 2008 and has spent
the past 6 years in
the Xaverian Missions
in the Philippines.
~Fr. Carl Chudy SX

St. Marys, Holliston, Mission

Group at Fatima Shrine

Calling all mobile users. You can download the journal of our Common Ground
Conference bringing together humanists, atheists and religious believers on
shared values and ethics. The links are:
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L
2GAA3I?ie=UTF8&camp=213733&creative
=393177&creativeASIN=B00L2GAA3I&link
Code=shr&tag=eauciuen0a-20
Apple IBooks
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/
common-ground/id890132601?mt=11

Fr. Martin Ali Keke Ndemsou SX

Barnes and Noble

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/
common-ground-xaverian-missionaries/111
9778525?ean=9781939389312
KOBO
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/
common-ground-19
Scribd
http://www.scribd.com/book/229997468/
Common Ground-Conversations-AmongHumanists-and-Religious-Believers

~Fr. Carl Chudy SX

The two Xaverian Communities with their renewing

member (center), Sister Susana Miranda Jimenez

FRANKLIN WELCOMES
FR. ALEJANDRO
Fr. Alejandro Gomez Rodriquez SX will
be joining our Franklin Community of
the USA region in August where he will
be the Midwest extension of theGYM
team, based in Holliston. He will focus
on encouraging global mission with
youth and young adults, as well as

Fr. Alejandro Gomez Rodriquez SX (left)

Xaverian Mission Newsletter August 2014

11

Xaverian Mission Newsletter August 2014

Sister Teresa Bello XMM states: I can touch God every day. God wants people to love one another
freely, just like Jesus. If you are called to touch God as a missionary,

Contact:

Fr. Rocco Puopolo at

The GYM
for information on
becoming a
Xaverian Missionary!

thegym@xaviermissionaries.org
508-429-2144
Xaverian Missionaries Serve In:
Bangladesh Brazil Burundi Cameroon Chad Colombia Democratic Republic of Congo France
Indonesia Italy Japan Mexico Mozambique Philippines Sierra Leone Spain Taiwan Thailand UK USA

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