JUSTICE AND PEACE WORKSHOP
JUNE 6 TO 17, 2011
CÓRDOBA, ARGENTINA
MY
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF THE ENCOUNTER
By Norman Butler, MS
THE FIRST
WEEK
La Salette Missionaries from around the
world and from the Region of Argentina/
Bolivia gathered at the Regional House in
Córdoba on Monday June 6th as
they arrived for the International La
Salette Encounter of Justice and Peace.
Dennis Loomis, Marcel Schlewer, Antonio
Abuan and Norman Farland flew in from their
respective countries. From the Region of
Argentina the participants were Jim Weeks,
Fernando Altamiranda, Pedro Battistini,
David Cardozo and Jacob Vettathu (from
India, serving in Argentina since 2008).
After a delicious mid-day meal prepared by
Brother Pedro Battistini, everyone traveled
to the city center, to the retreat house of
the Pias Discípulas where the encounter
would take place. An excellent translation
system had been rented and set up. Brother
Moses Rueda and I were the two translators.
We were ten participants at the opening
Mass presided by Superior General Dennis
Loomis, MS. During supper three more
participants arrived: Meme Rakotondraibe of
Madagascar and Pedro Sertoli and Edegard
Silva Junior from Brazil. As Superior of the
Region of Argentina, I offered words of
welcome; Fr. Dennis welcomed everyone on
behalf of himself and Alfredo Velarde, the
two La Salette Missionaries responsible for
organizing the event.
The first activities were planned for
Tuesday morning, but organizer Alfredo
Velarde had to do some fast work rearranging
things: the volcano in Chile had affected
all air traffic in Argentina! Our first
speaker was at the airport in Buenos Aires,
unable to travel. He decided to take the ten
hour bus ride to Córdoba and arrived Tuesday
night.
In the meantime, another of the scheduled
speakers, Fr. Gustavo, SJ, who lives in
Córdoba, accepted to come on short notice.
He spoke to us of “Catholicism and Terrorism
of the State in Argentina”, the topic of his
doctoral thesis, for which he had
interviewed Alfredo MS, and Jim Weeks MS
many months ago. At the end of his
presentation he invited the participants to
address two questions. The first was: in
what way have I/ we helped or hindered the
cause of Justice and Peace? The second was:
what present challenges do we face in our
ministry regarding Justice and Peace? A
movie called “Our Disappeared” poignantly
described the context of Argentina’s
military coup in 1976 which led to years of
terror and some thirty thousand
“disappeared” persons, many of whom were
tortured and murdered.
Fortunato Mallimaci, Doctor of Sociology,
who had arrived by bus from Buenos Aires was
our speaker for Wednesday. With energy and
conviction he spoke of the events that led
to the military coup of 1976 in Argentina.
Lots of violence and social unrest preceded
that military take over. The military
government intensified the violence labeling
all its enemies as “subversives” and
systematically eliminating them. The
official Catholic Church was often silent in
the face of the repression, and even at
times a collaborator in providing the
military government information about
priests and helping to draw up the lists of
suspect persons. Most of the people on those
lists vanished forever. Prior to the
military take over, and in the fervor of
Vatican II, some 250 argentine priests had
gotten together to form an organization
known as “the Priests of the Third World.” A
good number of these also vanished and many
had to go into exile.
We were honored Wednesday afternoon with a
visit from three persons whose lives were
directly affected by those dire events. We
met two young men whose parents were
kidnapped and made to “disappear” by the
military, and Sonia who is a member of “the
Grandmothers of the Disappeared.” Her
pregnant daughter and son-in-law were
kidnapped by the military. Through Sonia’s
tireless investigations, she now knows that
her daughter gave birth to a son in the
clandestine prison located in the cellar of
“Good Shepherd” jail. But where that
grandchild went after birth is unknown for
certain. Many of the babies born in
captivity were then given to military
couples unable to have children and eager to
adopt. The role of the Church in the
repression, and specifically in her
daughter’s detention has been a tremendous
disappointment for Sonia.
AN EMOTIONAL DAY: Thursday we visited two
of Córdoba’s clandestine centers of
detention and torture, one known as “D2”,
the other as “La Perla” (“The Pearl”). These
were especially moving visits since Alfredo
and Jim Weeks were prisoners there in 1976
and suffered at the hands of the military.
Pedro Battistini’s uncle Pablo was also held
at these centers, but he vanished. (His
remains were identified only three years ago
and given Christian burial). Thursday was
the first time that Alfredo and Jim Weeks
returned to these centers since they were
kidnapped all those years ago. They readily
identified the places of their
interrogations, in spite of the fact that
they had been kept blindfolded. In “D2” they
remembered hearing the screams of those
being tortured, and just a block away the
bells of the cathedral. It was not easy,
especially for Alfredo, to return to a place
so full of personal suffering. Yet, as our
guide insisted, memory, and the pursuit of
truth and justice are indispensable elements
for determining what present options we La
Salette Missionaries are to make as we try
to be faithful to our mission and charism in
the present. The police station called “D2”
and the military center “La Perla” continued
normal operations after the repression
stopped, but were made into “Memory Centers”
a few years ago when Nestor Kirshner was
president. We La Salette Missionaries were
the very first religious group ever to visit
“La Perla”.
Friday morning Alfredo gave questions to
discuss in small groups: what are some of
the main problems you can identify in your
country and province ministry? The second
question was: based on the talks this week
and the visit to the centers of detention
and torture: what message is beginning to
take shape, useful to the entire
Congregation in living out reconciliation
today?
The weekend options were a trip to Las
Termas and La Banda (some six hours each
way), and a day trip (Saturday) to a drug
rehabilitation center about two hours
distant from the city of Córdoba. Since our
retreat house is in the city center there
was opportunity to just walk around and
enjoy the city.
THE SECOND
WEEK
Juan Cruz Esquivel, Doctor of sociology,
spoke Monday morning about how the Catholic
Church once dominated the religious scene in
Argentina, even imposing its views and
values on society. Today there is a
significant presence of evangelical Churches
(7%) and of believers who choose to sidestep
the Catholic Institution. The result is a
more pluralist society. Doctor Juan Cruz
invited us to meet in small groups to see
how our experience in our respective
countries compares to the history and
present situation of the Church in
Argentina.
In the afternoon we directed our attention
to the essential task of the Encounter:
trying to find ways in which Justice and
Peace, as integral aspects of
Reconciliation, can be fostered around the
Congregation. Individuals, local
communities, Provinces and the Congregation
as a whole are all called to promote Justice
and Peace, and there are so many varied
contexts where that evangelical and
prophetic ministry can take place.
On Monday the members of the workshop were
happy to receive visits from Robert Butler,
Marcelo Palacios, Javier Pereira, and the
three recently professed members of the
Region of Argentina; Ariel Bucci, Ariel
Muratore and Diego Díaz.
Juan Sterniolo, a judge from the Argentine
Province of Santiago del Estero, joined us
on Tuesday with his daughter Gimena. Doctor
Sterniolo spoke to us passionately about the
years he worked with Bishop Gerardo Sueldo,
a bishop of Santiago del Estero who died in
a car accident in 1999. When the bishop
arrived at his new diocese, he took a clear
stand in favor of the people, considering
his stand a consequence of his faith in
Jesus. The governor of the Province had been
wielding power with an iron hand for over
fifty years, and people were afraid. The
bishop formed a diocesan Human Rights Office
which, at the time, was the only one of its
kind in the Argentine Catholic Church. Since
many people felt that the corrupt Provincial
government would never respond to their
cries, they went to this office to register
their complaints against all kinds of abuse
of their rights. One of the professionals
that the bishop invited to help deal with
the situation was Doctor Sterniolo. The
bishop insisted in shaking people out of
their lethargy and passivity, organizing
people with similar problems and
accompanying them in their struggle.
Gimena Sterniolo showed us two very short
videos, one on the United Nations’ Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, another on a
bit of the history of the development of the
notion of Human Rights.
THE VOLCANO continued to disrupt air
traffic all week, making our international
visitors wondering if they would be able to
travel as planned at the end of the
workshop. Fortunately, as I write, things
seem back to normal
What are some of the guiding principles
that might be applicable in all our La
Salette Congregation in the pursuit of
Justice, an integral element of our charism?
What are some areas of involvement that
already exist in our Provinces and Regions?
These and other questions were considered in
the small language groups of English,
Spanish and French.
As the workshop moved toward some
conclusions that might serve for the whole
Congregation, it was observed that to have
some weight, the conclusions would need to
have the backing of authority, such as that
of the Superior General and his Council.
Dennis assured the members of the workshop
that he would undoubtedly bring the
conclusions of the workshop to the General
Chapter next year.
One evening at Mass the gospel reading
seemed particularly appropriate for a
workshop addressing Justice and Peace,
Reconciliation and Human Rights. It was
Jesus’ commandment to love one’s enemies.
Marcel Schlewer reflected on a challenge he
once heard regarding that commandment when
he participated in a class on the gospels
given by a Jewish professor at the Hebrew
University in Jerusalem. The professor
pointed out that there is no such command in
the Torah; it appears only in the New
Testament. “But what have you Christians
done with that commandment?”
As the workshop moved toward SOME
CONCLUSIONS, a number of suggestions came to
the floor. If Justice and Peace constitutes
an integral part of our charism, then the
topic needs to be part of our initial and
ongoing formation. Maybe a school for
Justice and peace could be set up – at the
La Salette- run center of the Taize
monastery in Bahia, Brazil. It would be good
for every Provincial and General Chapter to
have a report on how Justice and Peace have
been served during the concluding mandate.
How can we encourage non La Salette and non
Church groups who dedicate themselves to
Justice and Peace? In any case, our
Congregation needs to work at making known,
especially within the Congregation, those
ministries that are instances (and sometimes
examples) of what it means to serve the
cause of Justice and Peace.
The La Salette presence in Haiti was
mentioned as a commitment to the poor that
our Congregation can be proud of.
And poverty came out clearly as the number
one problem in our countries. This poverty
often leads to immigration of people looking
for work; family ties are stretched to the
limit and even broken. Poverty can lead to
involvement in the drug trade; it can lead
vulnerable people into modern-day slavery.
The
official conclusions of the workshop will be
translated into various languages. They will
also appear in “postulata” form at the
General Chapter. All the participants felt
that this has been a valuable experience,
and expressed eagerness to share it with the
members of their Provinces upon returning
home.
_______________________________________________
(This is an excerpt from Father Norman
Butler's letter to the Region written while
he and Father Dennis Loomis were on
Canonical Visitation in Brazil.)
February 17, 2011
Brothers,
You will recall that in our Assembly we
talked of the challenge to bring peace and
reconciliation to a violent world. Really,
in this letter I want to talk a little about
violence and peace.
In respect to violence, I began this trip
losing some money on the subway in Buenos
Aires when two pickpockets distracted me
while the door of the train was closing.
Later, in Rio de Janeiro I talked to Father
Mario Prigol, M.S. For his work with labor
unions and Catholic workers he was arrested
and tortured during the time of the
military government in Brazil. At one time
there was a certain Dilma in the cell at his
side; she is now the President of the
nation. Very early on the day I left from
Rio de Janeiro, the police and military
“took over” nine poor neighborhoods from our
parish. This “take over” was publicly
announced beforehand to avoid confrontations
with the drug groups which control the poor
neighborhoods. The operation included
helicopters and war tanks, but as a matter
of fact, the narco-traffickers had already
left and there was no violence. The poor
who live in these neighborhoods now will
have a permanent presence of police and
their lives will be more tranquil. Days
later in the town of Tancredo-Neves (in
Bahia) I met a young man who works as a
guard in the bank of the town. Ten days
before assailants had robbed the bank and
taken hostages momentarily, among them a
young guard. One sees the fright of the
experience in the face of the young man who
is actively looking for work. So many signs
of violence.
In the midst of this violent world, the
Missionaries of La Salette of Brazil on
Monday, the fourteenth of February, took
over responsibility for a retreat house and
a center of Christian formation in
Alagoinhas, Bahia. It’s the “Taize”
center. The famous ecumenical monastery
“Taize” in France has had a “branch” in
Bahia, Brazil for forty years, but the four
monks that work here have no strength to
continue their work. When they looked for
help, the Missionaries of La Salette
responded. Various aspects of this new
mission are interesting. It’s a ministry
not a parish. It’s an ecumenical
collaborative work since of the four monks
there, only one is Catholic. Besides, the
work is a collaboration between two
communities of faith. And what a service in
the midst of a violent world! With the
retreat house and educational programs La
Salette is creating an oasis of hope,
together with the monks who will continue
their style of prayer, alternating silence
with simple musical refrains (which we know
from the CD). Facing violence, this Taize
center will offer a setting to find oneself
with God so that many–among them many
youth–can find peace and return to the
upside-down world, carrying the Good News of
Reconciliation.
In the face of the violence of His world,
Jesus prayed and always opted for truth,
justice, reconciliation and peace. This is
also our challenge today.
Norman Butler, M.S.
___________________________________________
SANCTUAIRE DE NOTRE DAME DE LA SALETTE
38970 La Salette – France
The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows – Sept. 15,
2009
Dear Fathers and Brothers,
MAY GOD GRANT YOU PEACE & JOY
THROUGH MARY’S TEARFUL INTERCESSION!
In a few days, we shall be celebrating the
163rd anniversary of Mary’s
merciful apparition here on the Mountain of
La Salette. I would like to assure you all
that you will be included in my prayers,
Masses and visit to the place of the
Apparition. May God, through our Mother Mary
at La Salette, continue to grant us all the
grace of continuing joyful commitment to Him
and dedication to our service for her
people.
In my last letter I mentioned the noticeable
decrees in the frequentation of the Shrine.
In spite of this diminution, among those
that came to La Salette, were some Filipino
and Spanish pilgrims:
·
About a month ago, a group of Dominican
Filipino nuns from the Colleggio
Filippino in Rome came with some
Filipino friends from Geneva, Switzerland.
Naturally, I attended to them and offered
Mass with them. They were inspired by their
visit. The Filipino Swiss immediately “made
known” the good news of their experience
here to others.
·
About ten days later, I got a call from a
Sister from Fribourg, Switz. Making
reservation for a group. The Filipinas with
the nuns told them of their spirit filled
visit to La Salette. These too came, and had
a wonderful pilgrimage here.
T
·
A week ago, I happen to see a Filipino
looking man. I greeted him in French,
wondering whether he was a Malgache, or
Vietnamese, or from one of the pacific
isles. It turned out he was Filipino, with
his family and friend. They were from St.
Tropez, near
Cannes
in southern France. They came for the day….I
also attended to them, to make their short
visit more meaningful. The man is connected
with Filinvest Europe.
·
A few days ago, I welcomed to the Shrine a
group of about 20 Madrilenos. At the same
time five persons from Granada also arrived.
Besides my being able to use my little
Spanish, which I enjoyed, I also discovered
that those from Madrid belong to the same
clan…about four families…Among the members
of the clan, about 52 in all, there were 15
women named “Saletta” . Three of them came
with the group. One of the members of the
group was also half Filipina. Her
mother is one of the nieces of Pres. Elpidio
Quirino. She still has contact with the
Quirino clan, and goes to the Philippines
often.
The Filipino/Swiss pilgrims, informed
me that they could help facilitate the
obtaining of scholarship grants for priests
who wish to specialize in theological
studies at the Catholic University of
Fribourg. This is the famous university
where many of our early European and
American La Salette priests studied. The
scholarship would include room and board…and
begins with study in French language. The
Filipino Community assures pocket money in
return for the services of the priest on
weekends. Summer time (or part of it) could
be spent as Chaplain at La Salette…after one
has acquired a sufficient use of French.
This might be a wonderful opportunity for
our younger priests, who are interested in
pursuing further studies. Please contact the
Provincial who could then direct me to
pursue the matter.
God Bless you all and Blessed Feast Day to
all. Fraternally,
Efren, M. S
_____________________________________________________
SANCTUAIRE DE NOTRE DAME DE LA SALETTE
38970 La Salette – France
August 16, 2009
Dear Fathers and Brothers,
Prayerful Greetings of Peace and Joy from the
Mountain of La Salette
Here we are in mid August, which is supposed
to be one of the busiest months here at the
Shrine. It is evident that the economic
crisis is affecting the people of Europe,
and consequently, even the pilgrims to the
Shrine. This pilgrimage season will be the
leanest in recent years as far as number of
pilgrims is concerned.
In spite of the fewer numbers of groups and
individual pilgrims, we have had many
memorable and significant moments here at
the Shrine. Two particular instances in the
month of July will be well remembered:
-
The Pilgrimage from the Diocese of
Langres, a city on the northeast of
France, situated between Dijon and
Rheims brought us much consolation. The
group consisted of 280 pilgrims and
around 50 of them were young people.
They came for three days on July 25-28.
They conducted one of the evening
“Veillees” or vigil of prayer before the
procession. It was a vocational vigil –
during which they prayed for priests (The
year of Priests) and a seminarian
with the group gave a testimonial
history of his vocation. He was very
effective both with the young and the
not so young, inspiring them not to
close their hearts when they feel the
call of God….and not to despair….there
is still hope for the Church, even here
in France. Time alone will tell --- but
I am sure that the grace of God has
touched the hearts of the young people.
Incidentally, the pilgrimage was led by
an elderly lay man (80 years old)…who is
very much devoted to the Church and the
diocese.
-
Then on the 29th of July, I
had to take care of an equally large
group of young pilgrims from Toledo
in Spain. They only came for the
day. On their pilgrimage they stayed in
camp sites, which are numerous here in
France. Their presence here at La
Salette was equally inspiring. They
celebrated the Liturgy…a very lively one
in the Basilica. They prayed in small
groups around the place of the
Apparition. Four young priests
came with the group. That alone was very
special. It is not often that we see
young priests here at the Shrine, other
than our Polish La Salettes. I had a
short conversation with the priests and
asked them about the vocation situation
in Spain. They told me that in Toledo,
they are still blessed with a good
number of vocations…They have 4 or 5
ordained each year(there were 6 0r 7
this year). But the rest of Spain is not
as blessed. I said to myself….when you
have young priests devoting themselves
to the ministry of the young…with much
enthusiasm and dedication, it is not
surprising that they attract vocations
to the priesthood and religious life.
Yes, there is still hope. The Pope’s
declaration of the Year of the Priests is a
wonderful opportunity for all of us to
redouble our efforts to work with the young
people and to convince them that God calls
them to a much better life than the world
can offer.
I take this occasion to thank all of you who
sent your greetings and especially who
joined me in prayer of thanksgiving for the
48 years of priestly life he has given me.
We had beautiful celebrations here on the 14th
and 15th of August. Needless to
say, I had you all in my prayers during all
our celebrations. And I also joined you in
spirit during your community meetings. Wish
I could have been there.
God love and bless you all!
Fr. Efren, M. S.
______________________________________________________________________________
SALETTE
38970 La Salette – France
July 9, 2009
Greetings of Peace, Joy and Love from
The Holy Mountain of La Salette!
It may not be literally acceptable to begin
with apologies….I now do so to all those who
have communicated to me in the past month
and have not received any reply. Perhaps the
content of this note will serve as an
explanation.
The month of June here at La Salette was
marked with two sad incidents. First, the
passing away of Bro. Jean Richard, M. S
, on the 12th of June,
after a two month struggle with cancer that
had spread to the brain. Bro. Jean, a quiet
and humble man, substantially and quietly
contributed to the work of Shrine by taking
care of the grounds, cutting lawns and
planting flowers during spring and summer,
and plowing and shoveling snow in the
winter. However, his influence was not
limited to the upkeep of the grounds. His
quiet and yet pleasant relationship with
pilgrims….particularly the individual
pilgrims, are fondly remembered. The
Provincial, in his funeral homily praised
Bro. Jean for the apostolic value of his
presence on the mountain through his
affability and readiness to share his own
faith and conviction about La Salette to
every one he met on the mountain. A faithful
religious and a devoted friend, he will be
dearly missed on this Holy Mountain. May the
Lord be as gracious to him as he was to
pilgrims.
Then on the 23rd of June, there
was a great commotion on the Mountain.
Two La Salette Sisters, Sr. Jacqueline,
a French sister and Sr. Feno, Malgache,
plunged into the ravine behind the shrine
building in their car. As they were parking
their car facing the wheel stoppers towards
the precipice, the driver mistakenly stepped
on the accelerator in stead of the breaks.
The car plunged into the precipice more than
a hundred meters down. The fall would have
been deeper, had not some trees stopped the
fall. Emergency help was called….and three
helicopters came along with several
ambulances and fire trucks…all equipped to
rescue the victims. Mountain climbers with
stretchers swiftly went down the precipice
to help the sisters. Then they were
successively hoisted on stretchers attached
to the cable from one of the helicopters.
Fortunately, the two sisters were alive and
came out of the accident with only
scratches. However, both were deeply
shocked, but grateful that they are still
alive. Miracles still happen on La
Salette Mountain.!
Meanwhile, for me, the month of June was
quite busy with Italian pilgrims. There was
one small group of Australian pilgrims which
Fr. Jerome took care of, as I was busy with
the Italians. I have also taken some chores
in French….being coordinator of activities,
showing the French Audio presentation and
especially taking my turn in celebrating the
Eucharist, including giving the homily in
French. All in all, I have been busy…and
very happy about having the privilege of
being here and being able to contribute,
even only in a small way to the ministry of
the Shrine..
I take a walk on the procession route
practically every day….as part of my daily
exercise and devotion to visit the place of
the Apparition. I have you all in mind as I
greet the Blessed Mother. Needless to say, I
do lift you all up to the Lord at the
Eucharist each day.
Please pray for me….too….as I do for you.
God bless and till the next mail.
As ever,
Efren, M. S.
N.B. ‘Fr. Bernie Taylor visited us here at
La Salette June 24-29. He came from Rome
where he attended the inauguration of the
¨Year of the Priesthood¨.
_______________________________________________
Speech of Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz during
the Council of the Congregation in Zakopane
23.04.2008
My speech will be short….
Once again I would like to greet you
cordially. I am delighted to be among you
and here in the Archdiocese of Krakow in
this beautiful house in Zakopane. I am sure
that Fr General, our Guests, and all who
have arrived here appreciate how beautiful a
venue is this house.
I warmly welcome Fr
General with La Salette brothers and
Provincials, who (I am told) have arrived
from Brazil, Philippines, France, India,
Madagascar, Poland, USA, Switzerland and
Italy.
I am glad to have the
opportunity to participate in the Council of
the Congregation, taking place in Zakopane
from April 21 to May 2 of this year, to
discuss matters important to the
Congregation of Our Lady of la Salette, such
as the mission of reconciliation and
apostolic life in the modern world (Fr
Provincial was talking about it in the
chapel), as well as participation of lay
people in La Salette spirituality. The
gathering of the Council of the Congregation
is an expression of collective leadership of
the large community of La Salette
Missionaries, the development of a spirit of
co-operation and responsibility for the
benefit of the apostolic community, which
has existed in the church since 1852 and in
Poland since 1902.
This gathering certainly
gives you an opportunity to look back to the
beginnings of your charism, and to meditate
upon the mystery that was re-presented to
the church by the little children Melanie
and Maximin.
On September 19, 1846 at
La Salette , high in the Alps, they saw Our
Lady weeping and heard her words calling to
conversion, prayer and participation in
Sunday Mass. (How fresh is this message
still and also for people in Poland. I want
especially to stress the call for
participation in Sunday Mass). Our Lady with
the chain around her neck , a large
crucifix on her breast and with the
instruments of the passion (hammer and
pliers), wanted to remind us that the
disciple of Christ must choose between a
hammer(symbol of sin), that crucifies the
body of Christ today, and the pliers (symbol
of conversion and freedom).
Our Lady appeared at La
Salette as servant but also as queen. The
heavy chain on her shoulders seems to
overwhelm and crush her. This expresses the
truth about the misfortunes and sins of
God’s people. Our Lady appears to the little
children as if she was locked by a chain
with everything that imprisons human beings.
Mary came to repeat after St. Paul: “I
resolved to know nothing while I was with
you except Jesus Christ and him crucified”.
On September 19, 1851, bishop de Bruillard
issued a pastoral letter, in which he
declared that the apparition at La Salette
was genuine.
Dear La Salette Fathers!
Many years have passed since that apparition
took place but it has lost nothing of its
significance. It reminds us of our
infidelities and negligence, particularly as
far as prayer and reverence for the
Eucharist are concerned. It reminds us of
the need for continuous conversion and
transformation of our lives in the light of
the teaching of the cross.
On the occasion of the
150th anniversary of the apparition at la
Salette the Servant of God, Our Holy Father
John Paul II said significant words
indicating that your task is to bring back
to people their lost hope. He also said: “La
Salette is the message of hope, because our
hope is being sustained through the
intercession of She who is Mother of people”
(Letter to Luis Dufaux, Bishop of Grenoble,
May 6, 1996). Let the proclamation of that
hope be always in the centre of your
encounters with contemporary men and women!
Thanks to that hope, we can always assure
modern people, that the breaking of ties is
not beyond repair and that conversion from
unfaithfulness is always possible in order
to build reconciled humanity and to follow
our Lord, since nothing is impossible to
God. It is the same Christian hope that Our
Holy Father Benedict XVI proclaims in his
encyclical letter Spe Salvi. He stresses
that hope not only opens man for future
meeting with God, but even today brings God
to man. (Spe Salvi,6)
Dear Missionaries of Our
Lady of La Salette. Here in Zakopane, at the
foot of the Cross on Giewont.
I wish to ask you not to
be afraid to give witness to Christian hope.
This hope originates from the encounter with
Christ, who shared to the end in our destiny
accepting a human body, so that we could
have a share in his divinity. This hope
stems form the cross. Proclaim with courage
the truth about the death and resurrection
of Christ, which is the power transforming
human hearts.
Here in our Tatra
Mountains, at the foot of the cross on
Giewont I want to remind you of the words
spoken (in this very place) by John Paul II
to the multitude of faithful assembled here.
These are his words: “Beloved Brothers and
Sisters do not be ashamed of the cross.
Every day try to take up the cross, and
respond to the love of Christ. Defend the
cross and do not allow God’s name to be
taken in vain in your hearts and in social
and family life”. At the end John Paul II
encouraged all gathered here to bravery:
“This cross overlooks the whole of Poland,
from the Tatras to the Baltic. This cross is
a proclamation to the whole of Poland:
“Sursum Corda! – Lift up your hearts!” The
whole of the country, from the Baltic to the
Tatras, (we could add the whole of Europe,
indeed the whole world) must look towards
that cross on Giewont, to hear and repeat:
“Sursum corda!- Lift up your hearts!”
Dear La Salette Fathers,
gathered here today with your Superior
General in Zakopane at the foot of the cross
on Giewont. I wish to say again these words
of John Paul II “Sursum corda!- Lift up your
hearts!” Be faithful to your charisma rooted
in the mystery of the Cross. Be faithful to
this love of Christ, which Our Weeping
Mother of La Salette teaches us. Call
unceasingly to conversion, communion, and
solidarity. Do not hesitate to proclaim to
your brothers that God walks with his
people, calls them to new life and gives
them courage, in order to bring them to
authentic freedom. God Bless You!
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January 2, 2008
Greetings from the Sanctuary of our Lady of
La Salette, France!
I am writing this letter to share some news
from the Mountain of La Salette, France. I
came to La Salette Mountain on 21st
December, 2007 to preach retreat and to give
some classes to the participants of PPP..
There were 38 participants from 9 different
countries. This year we were having the 10th
batch of the PPP and it was the biggest
group we ever had. There were also 7 La
Salette sisters from Angola, Madagascar,
Philippines, and Myanmar. Fr. General and
the formation in charge Fr. Andrej Zagorski
M.S were the main organizers of the PPP.
Frs. Comeau Gerard, Skalba Antoni, and
Tchindau Antonio dos Santos were the
translators. The translations were to
English, French, Portuguese and Polish. Bro.
Cardozo David R, the only student from
Bolivia could follow very well Portuguese.
Fr. Leslaw Panczak M.S the General
Councilor, was here in the beginning of the
month to organize the PPP. Then on 18th
December he went back to Rome to prepare his
visa to go in India. But he got his visa
only on 31st December and he can
participate only in one ordinations.
In the beginning of December there was huge
snow fall and When I came to La Salette the
whole mountain was under the blanket of
snow. The snow gave a pure and radiant face
to La Salette mountains. For those
seminarians who came from Asia and Africa to
view snow for the first time was a beautiful
experience. Since most of them wore heavy
Jackets, even the thin fellows looked very
fat.
This year the shrine opened for pilgrims
only on 20th December. Therefore
the number of pilgrims for Christmas was
very less. Fr. Isidro Perin has organized
two retreats for pilgrims; one was before
Christmas and another one after Christmas.
In Winter most of the members of the Shrine
community go to other communities of the
province. Only few members remain in the
sanctuary throughout the winter season.
There are few members came from other
provinces to form an international community
at La Salette. Fr. Jerome from Myanmar is
one of them and he lives in Grenoble during
the Winter. Many members told me that there
is a real need of having more young members
from other provinces to work in the
sanctuary at la Salette.
There are number of changes in the
leadership of the La Salette community in
the sanctuary. As you know Fr. Isidro Perin
M.S is the superior of the community. On
January 1, 2008, Fr. Herve took charge as
the new rector in the place of Fr. Louis who
was rector for about 9 years. It was during
the new year day Mass, the key of the
sanctuary was given to the new rector by the
Provincial Superior. Fr. Bernard is the
assistant rector and the in charge of the
Magazine La Salette. Fr. Raphael from
Madagascar is still the treasure. We hope
much will change and the Sanctuary will
continue to have its place in the hearts of
millions of people across the World.
I had wonderful experience in the sanctuary
giving retreat to the PPP participants. It
is the second time I am at La Salette during
winter; the first was in 1999 during my PPP.
It was an experience to feel the
internationality of the congregation. Since
there are translations, one can not cover up
a lot of materials for the talks. However I
gave my best to give the talks. After the
retreat on the last day I gave them talks
about La Salette from an Asian Perspective.
Most of the participants liked to hear the
relevance of La Salette in another context.
On 30th December the 7 Angolan
brothers professed their final vows in front
of Fr. General. It was a joyful program for
the entire PPP group and the shrine
community. On 31st December 2007, the PPP
program ended with evaluation and Mass. Fr.
General said next year there will be much
changes in the PPP program. I am going back
to Bangalore, India on January 4, 2008 with
Bro. Sijo Thekkekunnel the only PPP
participant from India. I am grateful to the
Lord for having given me this opportunity to
give my service to the International
community. I found it joyful to help our
younger generations in their preparation for
perpetual profession. May the Lord Jesus
continue to give us many more good vocations
to serve His people around the world. Wish
you all abundant blessings in the year 2008.
Fr. Biju Chempottickal M.S
Email- frbiju@yahoo.com
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