By: Emma Pabera

The Bad Guys!
Would you believe that it is only in Pakistan that I have spoken to Filipino boys and Muslim men in general? It sounds strange, but it is true. The Muslim are in Mindanao, in Southern Philippines, while I am from Negros in Western Visayas. All the stories I read and heard about Muslim brothers and sisters are negative. This is the reason why I had developed a bias and negative attitude towards them. Muslim in the Philippines are known to be brave and warlike people. Most pirates are Muslims. They cannot be trusted some say.

Bamboo for Revenge
Some people say that when a Muslim is offended, he plants a bamboo tree. When the bamboo grows, that means you must be careful and better hide your life, because by hook he will get to kill you, and even your whole family. And if the bamboo dies, he will forget his anger.

The Original Moro-Moro
When the Spaniards colonized the Philippines, they often forcibly introduced Christianity, which is symbolized by the cross linked to the sword. Only the Muslim on the south were not converted to Christianity. They bravely fought and resisted. In our early literature, the Spaniards introduced the “Moro Moro”, a form of a drama which portrays the life struggle and conflict between the Christians and the Muslims. Always the Muslims are the antagonist and the protagonists are the Christians.

You Might be Raped
Coming to Pakistan. I carried with me this negative impression. One friend, trying to discourage me from coming to Pakistan me from coming to Pakistan said: “Why Pakistan? Would you like to be raped there?” I was not sure if he was only joking or was serious.

Muslims are Good too
I am almost a year and a half here in Pakistan. My experience of living with and among the Muslim is good. Before, I thought only the Christians were good. Now I learned that Christians that Christian do not have the monopoly on goodness. There is always that goodness in everyone. People are alike, regardless of country, race, creed, and color of the skin.

Belen
When we were learning the language, we lived with a Muslim family. Now in our assigned parish, we still live with a Muslim family. Both families are very good to us. They treat us as one of the members of the family. Sometimes I forget they are Muslims. During Christmas they would come along with their relatives and friends to see our little “Belen”, (we live upstairs), and the Christmas tree. The children especially, are happy to see the Christmas lights. The shepherd and the sheep, Joseph and Mary, the Angel and the Baby Jesus. I was glad I had a chance to introduce Jesus to children. Last Christmas Eve, two of their teen-age daughters came with us to the Church. They stayed until the long celebration was finished. They also gave us food and gifts at Christmas. Everytime they cook their favorite Pakistani food, they share it with us, and we did the same with them.

Cobwebs on the Post Box
Recently I met a group of young Muslim Filipino boys who are in Lahore, studying Islam.  We shared our common experience of joys and pains. One of them shared that for three years here in Pakistan, he has never spoken to a young woman. In the Philippines they are free to talk to women, Muslim and Christian. One is receiving any word from home for five months. How anxious they were they were to see their post office box everyday, only to find cobwebs in it. We both missed our family and friends at home. Being far from them we need their moral support. To receive letters from them is for us a great joy and a big help.

Meeting Far from Home
I was glad of this opportunity to meet and know more about our Muslim brothers and sisters here in Pakistan, hoping that this is only the beginning of our dialog of Life and Faith.

 

By: Sr. Virgie Mozo

Sr. Virgie Mozo goes into the desert to prepare for her final profession. There she finds herself and finds God-she also finds that the people have no priest and have joined other faiths.

Special Preparation
Part of my formation as a junior sister before making final commitment is to have approximately two months of special spiritual preparation before the final profession. As I’m working  in a ‘poblacion’ with different groups such Basic Christian Communities of women, men, and children I asked Sister Ita McElwain, who is my companion on my journey in religious life, that I would withdraw from actual participation during this period of preparation I would go into the desert.

But before I made this request, I prayed and reflected on the text below:

Into the Desert
I felt that the two-month period would be very precious for me as I reflected on my life, before pronouncing the final unconditional “YES” to HIM who called me to this way of life. For six weeks I was in Territorio Antartico, one of our houses here in Santiago, praying, reading and reflecting on my life from the time of my “Nazareth” period to the time that I said ‘yes’ for my mission here in Chile.

Team of Four
Our pastoral action team was headed by one of sisters, Kathleen McGrath. Our team of four set out for Colchaine, a place up in the altiplano or highplane. The four of us who comprised the team, Elsa a lay volunteer from Iquique, Jesus Maria Ortega a young Spanish priest, Kathleen and myself, were of four different nationalities, Chilean, Spanish, Irish and Filipino.

God’s Mysterious Presence
One morning we left Iquique for Colchaine which is approximately a six and one half hours’ drive. We had one stop in Huara for the police check point. As three of us were drivers, Kathleen, Jesus Maria and we took turns at the wheel and what a magnificent journey it was. I was truck by the of God’s creation. The desert even brown and barren, has its own meaning. The mountains with their awesome majesty and color are hard to describe. One experiences the beauty  and the mystery of God’s presence in the desert, in the mountains in the long and winding never ending roads.

Colchaine
On the road we meet shepherds with their llamas, alpaca and sheep. We saw wild ducks and many birds and cacti starting to flower. When we finally reached Colchaine, it was twilight. We unloaded our things from the car and opened the parish house, which was newly repaired with the addition of a small kitchen, sala and bedroom. We discovered that the key of the bedroom was not included in the bundle and even though there were other open areas in the house, we realized we couldn’t sleep there. So we could have to look elsewhere. I checked the bedroom and noticed it had a Yale lock so I thought of “Mac Gyver” in one of his TV series who used his plastic laminated identity card to open door locks. I slipped my ID card into the side of the door and OLALA it opened! My companions were still wondering how to arrange the beds when I opened the door. It pays to watch TV sometimes.
We planned our activity fro the following day and slept. I slept peacefully and the following day, being from the orient and Manila, I was the first one to awake early. I prepared the breakfast and went to the well to draw water; not so easy but I learned the technique after few days.

Majority are Now Evangelical
We had our morning liturgy after breakfast and then we went to the municipality and the school. There is no church presence in Colchaine and because of this a lot of the Catholics have changed their religion to the evangelicals. The majority of them are now evangelicals, including the school children who naturally were influenced by their parents and aunts or uncles. We had some time with the teachers who are still Catholics.
The children were simple, dressed in their school uniform with a thick blue sweater to protect them from the cool breeze and they wore “condorito” or Chinese sandals” that we have back home.

Vienna Children Choir
In the evening we had our Mass after the school activities had finished. It was the evangelical children who provided the choir that filled the church. They sung beautifully like the “Vienna Children’s Choir “; this is the gift of the altiplano people aside from simplicity, humility and gentleness. Some of the staff in the municipality came to the mass as well as the school teachers. The celebration was very touching, the priest related the lives of the people to the Gospel, God’s creation and his gifts to us. It was very cold that evening and we only had our ponchos to protect us.

Not Friendly
On the third day we visited the small towns of Cariquima, Cullachane and Villa Blanca. In Cariquima we met the school children as usual they are the evangelicals. In this place the children were quite distant when we arrived. But with a little friendly talk and an out-of-tune song by me the ice was broken.

Timeless
Up in the altiplano you don’t know what time of the day you’ll have your meal. There is no timetable and you have time for everything-prayer, reflection, self and ministry- On the fourth day we had our lunch in the middle of the desert. It was past 2:00 P.M. when we sat down to have our meal and to relax before going to another town.

 

Asked for Mass
In the afternoon when we reached the next town, the people asked for the celebration of Mass. They cleaned and prepared the church. We had an evening Mass to facilitate the people coming from their farms. The place has no lights, only a gas lamp. It was nearly 9:00 P.M. when the Mass started and it was quite dark.
I was fascinated by the gentleness, intelligence, adaptability and simplicity of the people especially the children. They were receptive during the Mass and participated in the singing. The children of the altiplano have a spirit of solidarity with one another, fetching water, taking care of their younger sister and brothers when their parents are in the fields or absent from home. Sometime the older ones have to do the cooking, cleaning and washing. They also have a sense of the presence of God in their lives and in creation. During the shared homily at Mass, the priest touched on all these aspects of their lives.

Children Teach Us
The song Greatest Love of All was the song I remembered as a message for and from those children we “I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead the way... give them a sense of pride to make it easier, let the children laughter remind us how we used to be...”

Sacrament of the Desert
On our last day we had the opportunity to cross the boarder between Chile and Bolivia. It was their market day every fifteen days. It gave me a great joy as we walked the border. While walking in desert I thought of my language studies during 1989. It was here in Bolivia that I learned the language and it was here that I had my first taste of my Latin American reality and I thought:
“Was it not in the desert that the Israelites, together with Moses, experienced the steadfast love off God made their covenant?
Was it not in the desert that John cried out and prepared the way for Jesus?
Was it not in the desert that Jesus stayed alone for His prayer and His fasting, was tempted and was with the company of his chosen friends?
And was it not in the desert, that I Virgie experienced a new God’s steadfast love, as I prepared for my final vows?”

 

By Fr Joseph Panabang SVD

Male Chauvinism?
Joseph Jumah of Soronoase, one of my dedicated catechists has six children – all girls; His wife gives birth almost every year. Prompted by such spacing, I asked Daniel Adjei, the Assistant Catechist why and he said: “Joseph Jumah is desperately in need of a boy that is why he keeps trying and hoping.”

Can Opener
Blame it on forgetfulness or age, in one village I was rushing one morning to shave. Surprised that the razor would not cut a single hair, I looked at it closely and discovered I was using the can opener which had got mixed up with the morning kit the previous day, I was lucky no one was watching me laughing alone.

On the second day of our Filipino re-union, Fr. Gerry Fotunato SMA, unexpected arrived from the airport. We had a impromptu welcome where the group all eagerly queried, “What is new about Pinatubo?” Yours truly cut I and answered, “Nothing; except the way Filipinos curse today. Instead of saying “Tama-an ka ng kidlat they say, “Putukan ka ng bulkan.”

Ashes not Communion
Ash Wednesday. At Soronoase, I was giving the ashes marking on very forehead with the ash. One young lady came forward and stuck her tongue of thinking it was communion. Dipping my hand into the ash, I made a big Sign of the Cross in thick ashes on her forehead and said “Ashes not communion.”

Male Chauvinism Education
Usually after the Mass in the village, people would ask questions about practically anything. However, they do not really distinguish a general question from a specific case. Anyway, one of my catechumens speaking in their tribal language asked a question with confidence and the interpreter turned to me saying:  “he is asking, how would you commit adultery?”

Awurade Hu Yen Mobo
In the last African Cup of Nations held in Senegal, I was watching in black and white television the finalists Ghana versus Coast, in a house jam-packed with Ghanaians. No team could score and so the match had to be decided by penalty shoot out. Everytime a Ghanaian player was about to kick the ball, all the Ghanaians wit hands spread out would pray ardently, “Awurade hu yen mobo, (Lord have mercy)”. And as soon as the goal keeper saved the ball, they would stand and raise their hands, palms opened, saying: “Oh aden...” (Lord why?) as if the Lord is just in front of us. With the same reactions and style repeated over ten times, you will understand how I was more fascinated by them than the football match.

Greetings of Peace from the Amazon region of Brazil

By: Fr. Noel Octavio, CICM

Just Beginning
I am completing my 10th month in the parish, my second assignment since I arrived last March 1989. This parish is located in the municipality of Itupiranga, state a Para in the Northern region of Brazil.

Virgin Forests
This villa, or center, together with more than twenty-four rural communities comprises the whole pastoral region which is situated along the Transamazonian road. Twenty years ago this region was all virgin forest, then it started to grow with people when the government constructed a national Road cutting the immense forest of more than 3,000 kilometer’s length. The region opened to all kinds of migrations both legal and illegal. Appropration of land; mineral mining, especially gold; logging activities and other types of commerce, turned the place upside down.

Immigrants
The majority of the populations are immigrants coming from other stated basically in search of land and better conditions of life. Only few succeed due to high cost of living, neglect by the government and tropical diseases which plague them. Education, transportation and employment are direly needed.

Our Response
We try to respond to these problems. Apart from formation of lay leaders, we coordinate also the pastoral health and encounters or courses of conscientization to help the people become aware of their rights and attain unity.

Multinational Team
Two Brazillian sisters, an Indonesian confrere and myself make up our pastoral them. It’s small enough, given the large region that we have to animate. There some communities which we can visit only two or three times a year because of the distance and terrible roads conditions.

Sleeping in Hammocks
To survive in this area I’ve learned to amount horses, walk for three to four hours climbing rugged mountains, sleep in the hammock and bathe in the rivers which are I abundance in this region.

Hospitable
In spite of difficulties I like the place, especially the people in the communities who are very hospitable and always willing to collaborate in the pastoral works.

 

By: Sr. Fidelis Ong, PDDM

A Touching and Beautiful Apostolate in our Frenetic World.

Three Fold Apostolate
We the Pious Disciples of the Divine Master here in Taiwan are “alive, awake and enthusiastic” despite the language barriers. Our three-fold-apostolate: Liturgical, Priestly and Eucharistic is going along smoothly.

Laborers Few
We receive many invitations in need of our service but due to the language barrier and a lack of personnel we are not able to respond to all. So please join us in prayer for vocations. For us here we need Chinese vocations to add to our only one Chinese from Hongkong.

 

5% Christian
Taiwan is rich and very progressive, but a non-Christian country. This could be the reason why there is a crisis of religious and priestly vocations here. This beautiful Taiwan is only 5% Catholic/Christian. All the rest are non-Christian.

 

Warm and Lovable
I love the people here; they are good, their principles are very Christian. Their compassion is admirable. In their own way they are very religious. They are warm and lovable.
The joyful and youthful Filipina Disciples of the Divine Master in Taiwan celebrated their ten years ten years of loving and laborious service, last November 2, 1992.

 

Special Skills
The call to be a PIOUS DESCIPLE OF THE DIVINE MASTER is call to enter the school of Jesus the Divine Master- a call to life of discipleship. The whole life of a pious disciple is spent in the school of the Divine Master, understanding and living His teaching, shaping her life in the “form of Jesus Christ the way, the truth and life.”

 

Jesus Master
This is because Jesus Master is the essential reason of her being. He called her to proclaim Him to the world through a EUCHARISTTIC- PRIESTLY LITUGICAL apostolate. She becomes alive and active in the heart of the Church through her Eucharistic apostolate.

Intercede for All
It her primary duty to pray in a spirit of reparation, to represent and intercede for all the people before the Eucharistic Jesus while offering Him adoration, thanksgiving and supplication.

 

Collaborate with Priests
She offers prayers and sacrifices to obtain vocations to the priesthood. Animated by faith and love like Mary, she is to generate priests for the Church and work in cooperation with the priesthood. Like Mary to her Son, Jesus, she is beside him in his life-time, suffering, death and glory. Her intense liturgical life and contemplation compels a Pious Disciple to create, produce and diffuse whatever is related to worship so as to help people perceive the living presence of God.

 

Liturgical Art
She carries out her ministry in the Church also through the various art forms linked to the Liturgy, such as painting, sculpture, architecture, music and needlework.

 

Building the Church
The ecclesial meaning that animates her life as Pious Disciple makes her feel and experience that she is contributing to the building of the Church in the Faithful carrying  through the mission-that of making Jesus Master better known, loved and served by all.

 

By: Sr. Nora, FMM

 Last Colony
I arrived in my mission, French Guiana (Guyane Francaise) thirteen years ago. Situated in South America but quite different from the Latin America countries in this continent, Guyane Francaise is a “French department overseas” (department d’ outré-mer). A French colony, it became a French “department” in 1946, a transformation proposed by France to help the country develop politically and socially.

A Melting Pot of People
During the past years, the population has sprung up to 120,000 composed of a good mixture of Creoles (mixed European and African), Americans –Indians, black Africans (descendants of the African slaves who escaped in the forest during the time of slavery), Lebanese, Chinese, Indians, Haitians, St. Lucians, Brazilians, Surinamians and Laotian refugee; the latest arrivals are the Latin American immigrants. Although the American-Indians are the first inhabitants, the Creoles are the governing and ruling group. Also in the Church, the Creoles are the dominant group. There is only one diocese and our Bishops is French, belonging to the Holy Spirit Fathers.

Vocation Work
I was assigned in Cayenne a provincial bursar. Cayenne is the main city where the different administrative offices can be found. After of adjustment with my principal work, I look other apostolic engagements such as catechism, choral and bible groups. This pastoral year, I am working with the diocesan Vocation Team which we call J.A.R. (Jeunes amis en Recherche) search-in for youth. Our team is composed of three religious of the three congregations in Guyane, a young couple, and three other lay persons with a priest as adviser. We have a whole day encounter once a month.

 

Sports are Important
Out youth in Guyane are so attracted by entertainment and other activities such as sport (especially football and dance lessons) that after finishing their catechism, we hardly see them in the church.

 

 

 

Active Youth Work
Normally, the children receive religious instruction in the parish for four years ending with the sacrament of Confirmation. After confirmation there is no more structure to meet our young people and to help them deepen their faith. With our re-orientation of the J.A.R., we try to invite our youth by offering them an on-going Christian formation so that later on, they can make a good decision and wise choice of their life, hopefully some vocations coming out. This year, we had varied activities to keep their interest:
Slide on the Old Testament prophets;
Art work made of dries leaves and ordinary materials;
Open forum and discussion on the carnival which is a custom here. Carnival Season lasts from the Epiphany until Ash Wednesday;
Animation of the traditional way of the cross in Mt. Bourda and other activities of interest to our young Guyanaese

 

Leave to the Lord
We had good and regular attendance of about thirty young people this year. We hope that this renewed effort to work with the youth will continue and we leave the Lord of the harvest to do the rest.

 

 

 

By: Sr. Jasmin A. Peralta, SSC

Chunchon Community
Chunchon City
Kang Won Do, Korea

Lord, I affirm the mind you have given me.
May I think only for the good of others
rather than a scheme to destroy.

Lord, I affirm the eyes you have given me
May I see the goodness of each as one as you do.
May I look at others with compassionate eyes rather than a cold, empty stare.

Lord, I affirm the nose you have given me. May I breathe both the sweet scent of hope and foul, rotten smell of our broken world
May I breathe in and breathe out that Spirit you breathe unto me.

Lord I affirm the ears you have given me.
May I listen earnestly to the details of the story of each disturbed, troubled, searching soul who confides to me in trust rather than just hear murmurs of complaint.

Lord, I affirm the ears you have given me
May I speak words of comfort to others rather than a vindictive curse.

Lord, I affirm the face you have given me.
May I give pleasant, glowing smile to everyone
I meet rather than a grin of indifference

Lord, I affirm the shoulders you have given me
May I share the burdens of my sisters and bothers rather than a shrug of not getting involved.

Lord, I affirm the arms you have given me.
May I embrace everyone regardless of color, religion, sex, ideology, status rather than strike in fury those who do not e spouse my ideas.

Lord, I affirm the hands you have given me
May I open them to touch and to heal those violently wounded rather than clench a fist for revenge.

Lord, I affirm the heart you have given me.
May it beat the same rhythm of the Jesus Prayer:
‘Jesus Christ, Son, of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.’
May I feel compassion and empathy with the outcast of this world.
May I continue to Love till it no longer hurts rather than grow cold and severe

Lord, I affirm the breast you have given me.
May I generously choose to nurture the orphans of our world rather than have them suckled by my own children.

Lord, I affirm the womb you have given.
May I choose to let it be barren to give birth and to mother the parentless children of this world rather to fulfill my own motherhood, a natural desire of every woman.

Lord, I affirm the legs you have given me.
May I always stand beside and on the side of the powerless rather than standby to support the powerful.

Lord, I affirm the feet you have given me
May I never grow tired in journeying with your people wherever they are rather than trample them like dirt.

Lord, I affirm the human body you have given me that yearns for passionate intimacy with another human being. May I deliberately choose to be available and free for you and your Kingdom rather than be exclusive to just one person.

Lord, I affirm and offer all of these gifts to you.
May I use them to find to manifest the generosity of the giver.

Lord, thank you for believing in my capacity to participate in the building of your Kingdom here on earth.
Give me the faith to believe that you believe in me.

Glory and honour be yours now and for the ages to come. Amen.