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Omi Information n. 390 May 2000

An attempt at an Oblate Martyrology

The official calendar of the Holy Year foresees a celebration at the Coliseum in Rome, for Sunday May 7 described as a “Commemoration of the 20th century witnesses of the faith” or “Ecumenical Commemoration of the new martyrs.” The local Churches and Religious Institutes were invited to present some lists. Fr FITZPATRICK, our Postulator General, provided the Holy See with a list of 63 names. At this writing, the complete official list is not yet known, nor are the details of the ceremony itself. But the Holy Father is inviting us to recall those elder brothers and sisters who in a particular way gave their life for the Gospel. The list published below is therefore by no means official. We have added some names to the list already presented to the Holy See. They are Oblates who gave even their lives as “witnesses of the faith”, but of whom it is often impossible to prove that they were killed out of hatred of the faith. Assassins only rarely publish the motives of their acts. In some cases the circumstances of death were never brought to light. But those close to them considered them authentic martyrs. Everyone and even every community can add to this list names of others who were, or are, for us witnesses of the faith.

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Cameroon Africa – Madagascar

Bishop Yves Plumey, former Archbishop of Garoua

78 French Murdered in Ngaoundéré September 3, 1991, details still

unknown. Congo Africa-Madagascar

Fr. Pierre Laebens 44 Belgian Murdered January 23, 1964, during

the Mulele rebellion. Fr. Nicolas Hardy 45 Belgian Fr. Gérard Defever 44 Belgian

Lesotho Africa-Madagascar F r. Almanzar Joseph Ménard 49 Canadian Murdered July 1st 1955. A

suspected ritual murder. Bolivia America

Fr. Maurice Lefebvre 49 Canadian Killed at La Paz August 21, 1971,

while helping the injured during a

demonstration. Canada America

Fr. Léo Fafard 35 Canadian Killed at Frog Lake (Alberta) April 2, 1885, during the Métis Rebellion

Fr. Félix Marchand 27 French Missionaries among the Inuit,

murdered at Coppermine October 30, 1913

Fr. Jean-Baptiste Rouvière 32 French Fr. Guillaume Le Roux 28 French

Fr. Joseph Buliard 42 French Fr. Buliard disappeared

mysteriously at Gary Lake toward the end of October 1956. "It is

rumoredamong the Inuit as well as among the Whites that he was

murdered." Fr. Jean Franche 67 French Murdered at Inuvik May 26, 1974

Haiti America Fr. Renaud Bouffard 40 American Murdered at Charbonnières May 25,

1971 Indonesia Asia –Oceania

Fr. Heribertus Boedhy Prihatna 35 Indonesian Died "accidentally" in Borneo

October 17, 1998. There are several indications that he may

havebeen murdered. Laos See OMI Documentation N·229, September 1999

Fr. Mario Borzaga 28 Italian Killed May 1st 1960 Fr. Louis Leroy 38 French Killed April 18, 1961

Fr. Michel Coquelet 30 French Killed April 20, 1961 Fr. Vincent L'Hénoret 40 French Killed May 11, 1961 Bro. Alexis Guémené 37 French Killed June 4, 1961

Fr. Jean Wauthier 41 French Killed December 16, 1967 Fr. Joseph Boissel 60 French Killed July 5, 1969

Philippines Asia – Oceania Fr. Paul Bernard Drone 29 American Missionaries in the Philippines,

beheaded by the Japanese July 2,

1942 Bro. Michael Braun 28 American

Fr. Edward C. McMahon 26 American Fr. Nelson Javellana 31 Filipino With 70 people from his parish at

Esperanza, he had gone to

Cotabato City with a petition for promoting justice and peace. On

the return trip, the convoy was

ambushed on November3, 1971. Bishop Benjamin de Jesus, Vicar

Apostolic of Jolo 57 Filipino Concerned about dialogue with the

Muslims. Murdered in Jolo February

4, 1997

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Sri Lanka Asia – Oceania Fr. Michael Rodrigo 60 Sri Lankan Apostle of dialogue with the

Buddhists. Murdered at the end of

his Mass November 10, 1987 Germany Europe

Fr. Friedrich Lorenz 47 German Executed by the Nazis, "because a priest," November 13, 1944

Spain Europe Spanish Oblates shot by the Communists during the civil war in Spain in 1936.

Fr. Vicente Blanco Guadilla 54 Fr. Francisco Esteban Lacal 48 Fr. José Vega Riaño 32 Fr. Juan Antonio Pérez Mayo 29

Fr. Gregorio Escobar García 24 Bro. Angel Francisco Bocos 53 Bro. Eleuterio Prado

Villarroel 21 Bro. Marcelino Sanchez Fernandez 26

Scol. Juan José Caballero Rodriguez 24 Scol. Justo Gil Pardo 26

Scol. Manual Gutiérrez Martín 23 Scol. Cecilio Vega Domínguez 23

Scol. Francisco Polvorinos

Gomez 26 Scol. Juan Pedro Del Cotillo

Fernandez 22

Scol. Publio Rodríguez

Moslares 24 Scol. José Guerra Andrés 22

Scol. Justo González Morente 21 · Scol. Serviliano Riaño Herrero 20 Scol. Pascual Aláez Medina 19 Scol. Daniel Gómez Lucas 20 Scol. Clemente Rodríguez

Tejerina 18 Scol. Justo Fernández González 20

Poland Europe Some of these Oblates were shot, most died in Nazi concentration camps.

Fr. Marian Wyduba, 30 December 18, 1939 Fr. Jan Finc, 30 June 28, 1940

Nov. Jan Szamocki, 21 September 10,

1940 Scol. Alfons Manka, 24 January 21, 1941

Blessed Jozef Cebula, 39 May 9, 1941 Fr. Ludwik Kasalka, 27 June 7, 1941 Fr. Pawel Kulawy, 64 August 21, 1941 Fr. Jan Wilhelm Kulawy, 69 September 10, 1941

Scol. Mieczyslaw Frala, 21 December 9, 1941 Fr. Jan Pawolek, 60 February 28, 1942 Nov. Ludwik Janski, 24 April 22, 1942 Bro. Tomasz Kozierowski, 36 May 1st 1942 Nov. Karol Spalek, 21 August 21, 1942 Fr. Czeslaw Bartosz, 33, Polish, died October 5, 1942

Fr. Jozef Franciszek Kocot,

32 December 29, 1942 Fr. Antoni Leszczyk May 31, 1943

Fr. Jozef Cal, 32 June 6, 1943

France Europe Killed by the Gestapo at La Brosse-Montceaux July 24, 1944

Fr. Albert Piat 35 Fr. Christian Gilbert 32 Bro. Joachim Nio 46 Scol. Jean-Marie Cuny 26

Scol. Lucien Perrier 26

Fr. François Bousso 63 French Executed in Caen June 4, 1944, for acts of resistance. Fr. Justin Pennerath 42 French Killed at the Nazi concentration camp in Gaggenau

with three other priests November 24,1944 Ukraine Europe

Fr. Ludwik Wrodarczyk 36 Polish Killed December 8, 1943 in Okopy by some Ukrainians connected with the Nazis

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Europe Germany: Remembering Fr Bänsch Last July 3, a monument to the memory of Fr Franz BAENSCH and some victims of unjust violence was inaugurated in Dresden. From 1935 to 1957, Fr Bänsch was pastor of St. Paul‟s parish. During the war, he was also chaplain at the prison, and the only chaplain since the evangelical pastor had been called up for military service and had not been replaced. From 1941 to 1945, 1,386 prisoners were executed there. Among them was the Verbite Brother Gregor Frackowiak, executed on July 18, 1943 and who was beatified in Warsaw last June at the same time as Fr Jozef CEBULA. This Brother volunteered for a task, that he never accomplished, but thus saved the father of a family from death. Fr Bänsch assisted most of the condemned; he kept a secret list of their names and places of burial. He regularly visited the prisoners irrespective of their religious affiliation. He secretly carried out mail to their families. Among the prisoners there were many Poles and Czechs. Of course, he himself would not have escaped death if his activities had been discovered. After the war, Fr Bänsch built a chapel in memory of these victims on a plot of parish land not far from the prison site. It had become quite run down. Rather than rebuilding, it was decided to erect a simple monument of seven steles of wood. They serve a triple purpose: to recall the memory of this priest and his courageous and hidden service, the sacrifice of Blessed Gregor Frackowiak, and finally the victims of the bombing of Dresden. February 13, 1945, the allied bombardment of Dresden resulted in 135,000 victims. Fr Bänsch had authorized the burial of a good number of them on parish property. Fr Bänsch was born in Grossenhain (Saxony) in 1899 and died in Dresden on April 8, 1961. For the centenary of his birth, Mrs. Christa Herkt published a memorial book with photos and copies of many documents (Christoph Hille, Dresden, 1999. 94 pp.), entitledDie Ungewissheit ist schlimmer als die traurigste Wahrheit. (The Uncertainty Is More Fatal than the Saddest Truth). The title alludes to the anguish of those who are without news of their dear ones for a very long time; it is taken from the letter of a Czech family to Fr Bänsch in 1947. Ukraine: Rebuilding and building When browsing on the news arriving from the Ukraine, one perceives quickly that it is leaning in one direction. Thanks to the efforts of the Christians, sustained by the bishops and priests, backed by financial help and personnel coming from other Churches, the Church in the Ukraine is busy rebuilding itself. The Oblates, who form a Delegation dependent on the Province of Poland, are taking part in this reconstruction. They are fifteen, plus six scholastics, living in six communities. The major event in the Delegation last year was the priestly ordination of the first Ukrainian Oblate priest, Pawel WYSZKOWSKI. He was ordained July 10 in his home parish of Bar by Bishop Jan Olzanski, Bishop of Kamyanets-Podilsky for the Latins. Many people were present, some coming from other parishes entrusted to the Oblates and even thirteen from faraway Turkmenistan accompanied by Fr Andrzej MADEJ. It will be

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remembered that Pawel published Power of the faith, a work recalling the sufferings and the expectations of the Church of the Ukraine (cf. OMI Info January 2000). Hardships are not lacking. The Oblates there remind us that they have but temporary residency permits; only one of them has a permanent permit. Futhermore, Fr Grzegorz JAGOWDZIK had the frightening experience of being threatened with a knife and tied up by a thief who robbed the Oblates‟ house in Kryvyi Rih. The culprit was later arrested. At St. Nicolas parish in Kiev the work of evangelization goes on. Recently, Fr Stanislaw DUDEK and a nun were called upon to be part of a diocesan commission to prepare a catechism. At Chernihiv, the table for the poor, which was built close to the Oblate house, was blessed on March 19. The same day saw the blessing of a lot where the church of Slawatycze (close to Chernihiv) will be constructed. Work on the construction of a new church at Kryvyi Rih is also under way. In the February Der Weinberg, Fr Piotr BIELEWICZ speaks about some building projects at Obukhiv, a city about forty kilometers south of Kiev. Beyond the old districts a new neighborhood of four-story buildings is going up, close to a paper factory. Families are coming in from almost all of the Ukraine, and among them are a rather good number of Catholics. For a long time, they have been asking the bishop for their own priest and church. Fr DUDEK first came every Sunday to celebrate the Mass in homes. Last year, this parish was entrusted to the Oblates. Frs Bielewicz and Romuald OPIELKA are now in Obukhiv. On September 11, a temporary chapel was blessed by the bishop. It is on the same lot where the Oblates intend to build a church and a house that will serve as a novitiate…. A sizeable and notably young crowd gathered for the blessing of the chapel. “Unfortunately there are not many complete families in the Ukraine. Only the believers still have the courage to enter marriage and bring several children into the world. This situation of the young families is a source of hope as we begin again,” writes Piotr.

Americas Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire (Canada): Opening the Jubilee in Schefferville Fr Laurent DESAULNIERS, a former Bolivia missionary, then formator in the Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire Province, is now moderator of the missionary team in Maliotenam, close to Sept-Iles, more than 500 km northeast of Quebec on the North Bank. In the February Province newsletter, Informations oblates, he tells us how the opening of the Jubilee Year was celebrated in Schefferville (500 km further north). “It was an ambitious plan: the illumination of a big cross, a solemn Mass, liturgical dancing with the Word of God, procession with the Year 2000 candles, satellite link with the Montagnais communities of the North Bank, campfire, fireworks, communal free meal for all…. “That night, however, it was freezing cold in Schefferville with a wind strong enough to blow the horns off caribous. The people calculated the temperature at 65·C below zero. Therefore no campfire to keep warm (it would have been necessary to burn down the village), no procession either. As for the illumination of the cross, the transformer had

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broken down during tests the previous week. Some volunteers compensated for this by installing a small generator at the top of the mountain…. It was thus possible to illuminate the cross for one hour. “At 10 p.m. on the evening of December 31, a crowd of about 500 people gathered in the school gymnasium. We began by a long entrance procession of men, women and children in traditional costumes. Then there was the prayer to the four compass points, accompanied by the offering of a bowl of incense, which was carried by some teenage girls clad in corresponding colors: white for the north, green for the east, red for the south and yellow for the west. The homily, translated into Montagnais, was a long prayer of thanksgiving for the birth of Jesus and for our past and present world.” “When I then intoned in Gregorian: Per omnia saecula saeculorum, there was surprise, then respect. I felt a manifest change of atmosphere in the gymnasium. Total silence! As if someone had wrapped the assembly in a cloak of mystery! Several people said to me later that they had felt the same thing and how this simple song of the Preface in Latin had touched their soul which is so sensitive to the world of the mysterious and the spiritual.” The cold weather obliged them to hurry the fireworks and hardly permitted stopping to contemplate the lighted cross. “I succeeded in getting everybody back into the gymnasium for the ritual of the light. Everyone had their candle in hand and I invited them to light it, because we receive the cross of Jesus Christ, Light of the world, the flame of our faith.” “The lights in the gymnasium were put out. We prayed and sang; the young dancers mimed the prayer of the Jubilee. Overcome with enthusiasm and marked by my South American past, I invited the people to raise their candles and cheer after me: “Long live Jesus Christ, Light of the world!” . . . Silence . . . I assure you that I quickly came back from Latin America to Schefferville. So I asked them to raise their candles at arm‟s length and together, we said: “ Nutauinan” Our Father. Yes! That‟s us! “I must add that the New Year‟s day celebration was without excess or accident and no violence due to alcohol. The people said: The feast is over without violence, we are happy…. We prayed…. We were together. A splendid testimony that reveals some of the deep values of the Innu people and indicates some paths for an inculturated pastoral.” After the Exodus, the Genesis Center The Exodus, in Montreal, is a half-way house for drug addicts, founded by Fr André DUMONT in 1989. Later, the Sisters of Providence opened a woman‟s branch. Mr. Erick Dagenais, an Oblate collaborator, is the director of Exodus and André is the spiritual leader. On Lac Saint-François, in Saint-Anicet near Valleyfield to the south of Montreal, Exodus acquired the Solitude Ste-Croix, a vast estate belonging to the Sisters of the Holy Cross, thanks to the generous involvement of the Oblates and some Sisters of Providence. The Genesis Center was opened last May 15. “The Genesis Center will be unique in its kind, it will offer some high quality services at lesser costs than other establishments. Everybody will be able to afford our services. It will be the castle of the poor,” explains the N.-D.-du-Rosaire newsletter.

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We want to help the people who want help themselves, explains Erick Dagenais. The names Exodusand Genesis mean a way out and birth. After the therapy at Saint-Anicet, the people will go for social re-integration through communal living in Montreal before returning to live alone in apartments under the supervision of the clinic coordinators. The true therapy starts after that, says Erick: “The therapy is the return to real life, the return to studies, the search for a job. The alcoholic or the drug addict must learn to be rejected, to undergo failures, to control his emotions and to stand up again,” he explains. Erick was interviewed by Apostolat in July-August „99. “After having thrown small seeds into the wind for close to nine years, one now sees the field of wheat. In 1991, when I arrived at Exodus, there was only one salaried employee, a capacity for twelve residents, and very often a $3.26 balance in the bank! It was small. We have been daring…. Today we have 23 salaried employees. Now we can help 119 male and female residents at a time, and thanks to the financial support of the two missionary communities, we can focus more on helping the people who suffer. It is essential. A truly new mission.” A Provincial’s jobs Fr Jean-Claude GILBERT was appointed Provincial of Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire Province last year. In this capacity, he took part in the session for new provincials held in Rome last November. In the Province newsletter, he gives a list of fifteen points indicating theessential components of a Major Superior’s portfolio. We take the liberty of reproducing it here. 1) His symbolic role: Being an incarnation of the life of the Province. 2) Be present to the Oblates of the Province. 3) Animate the Province as the first in charge. 4) Act as public relations agent. 5) Represent the Oblates of the Province in the Region. 6) Represent the Oblates of the Province at the international level. 7) Be present to the colleagues who might be facing difficult situations. 8) Supervise personnel. 9) Bear the responsibility for the Province‟s finances. 10) Be the link between the Oblates, other religious communities and the dioceses. 11) See to it that there is information and communication. 12) Oversee the relations between the Lay Associates groups and the Oblates. 13) Assure that the Province takes social justice into account. 14) Stay deeply rooted in reality as a missionary and a priest. 15) Finally, he is responsible for the Province‟s memory, that is to say the archives, etc Jean-Claude adds that the list is not exhaustive, and that one does not have to be the master of all these areas, but it is necessary to see to it that life takes into account all these aspects. The United States Province: New dean of the Congregation is an American Fr George SALAMON, of Manitoba, deceased at nearly 104 years of age on March 19, had been born in the United States in Pennsylvania in 1896. The new dean of the Congregation was born in Brooklyn NY. He is Fr Joseph Patrick MURPHY. Born March 24, 1901, he has just celebrated his 99th birthday. He spent all his life in the United States and belongs to

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this Province. He is today a member of the community of retired Oblates in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. Two other Oblates of this community are also nonagenarians, Fr Joseph STACK who will soon be 96, and Fr John SAVAGE who has just turned 90. Fr Joseph P. MURPHY made his first vows September 8, 1921 at the novitiate in Tewksbury and was ordained a priest April 29, 1927 in Washington. He is therefore in his 79th year of oblation, and at the end of April he will begin his 74th year as a priest. Likewise in 1927, he received his obedience for what was then the First United States Province. His life was nearly entirely dedicated to preaching parish missions, based at houses in Tewksbury, Lowell and Newburgh, with the exception of some years as hospital chaplain in the Bronx, New York. Our vice-dean is now Fr Paul MONAHAN, of St Paul‟s Province (Canada), who is retired at Mazenod Residence in Saskatoon. Fr Monahan was born in New Westminster, British Columbia on January 7, 1902. All his formation took place in the United States, novitiate in Tewksbury two years after Fr Murphy, and scholasticate in Washington where, it must be noted, he was a fellow student with Fr Murphy for four years. Fr Monahan was mostly in pastoral work, either in Ottawa or in British Columbia, and even a military chaplain in the Canadian army for four years. A pastoral letter on racism The International Herald Tribune of April 8 published the following: “The Roman Catholic bishops of Illinois have issued a pastoral letter calling on the 3.7 million parishioners of the state to oppose all forms of racist behavior, including the use of bigoted language and racist jokes. The letter, focused on the bias against African-Americans, was posted on the Archdiocese of Chicago‟s Internet site - www.archdiocese-chgo.org - on Tuesday, the 32nd anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and is being mailed this week to parishes of the state‟s six dioceses.” “The letter asks Catholics to pray for an end to racism, to avoid investing in companies with racist policies, and to back public officials committed to racial healing. The bishops said that although there was „some progress‟ in the past twenty years, no one should be lulled into believing racism is no longer an issue. Events continue to remind us that racism thrives.” Bolivia: The Spirit blows everywhere My Brother and I, published by the Manitoba MAMI, gives a page of its last number to Fr Aimé AUBIN, from Cochabamba. “In November, the bishops held their usual meeting. But surprise! The prisoners announced that they would hold a day of voluntary fast on the day before the meeting. For this they asked the help of a priest to lead them for an hour of prayer that was to take place simultaneously in the five jails of Cochabamba, in order to inaugurate this day of fast. With four Oblate confreres (Oscar DEWULF, Robert LACASSE, Gérard LECLAIRE and Louis JOLICOEUR), we each went to one of the five jails. “This gesture was evidently not entirely disinterested. They hoped to be able to count on the bishops‟ support on the occasion of the Jubilee to obtain some remission of their

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punishment. But there is more. Like the poor in general, the prisoners are capable of taking positive initiatives, and of giving us pleasant surprises.” In the previous issue, Louis JOLICOEUR speaks to us of one of his pupils, Efrain, a seminarian from the Diocese of Potosi. Efrain “wrote a thesis for a degree in missiology on the yatiri of the Quechua culture. The „yatiri‟ is the wise man of the community. He reminds everyone of tradition and is often a healer who uses traditional remedies (herbs as well as rites and prayers). Even though the „yatiri‟ considers himself a Christian like everybody else, historically he has been held at a distance by the official Church that has always tended to confuse him with the sorcerer, who among the Quechuas is the layqa. But the „yatiri‟ will never harm anyone and he always seeks to follow as perfectly as possible his vocation of service to the community.” Efrain, who is Quechuan, bases himself on his personal experience. When he was child, he was healed by a „yatiri‟, whereas the doctors had been unable to heal him. “That is why, he shows in his study, that the vocation, the dedication and the works of the „yatiri‟ can be rightfully integrated into Christian life and into the Church among the Quechuas. Applying the principles of inculturation that he studied in missiology, he suggests that the „yatiri‟ could officially be recognized as non-ordained Christian ministers of the third millennium.” Before being ordained a priest, Efrain had a year of pastoral experience. “He contacted all the „yatiri‟ of the two communities that he had interviewed for his study. But this time it was to invite them to join with the groups of catechists who preside the Sunday celebration and Christian prayers when the priest is away in the villages of these two communities. He makes it clear that they will not have to abandon their „yatiri‟ vocation and ministry. It seems that most of them have accepted and have followed the periodical preparation courses with the other catechists during most of the year.” Moreover, their role of mediators in ancestral conflicts has been a success.

Asia - Oceania - Africa Tahiti: Working towards a native Church Founded in 1977 by the former Northern U.S. Province, today the Mission of Tahiti depends on the Province of the United States. The July OMI USA recalls the Archbishop of Papeete‟s initial plan: to assist in establishing a native clergy. The Oblates have therefore worked to give birth to and sustain the major seminary, whose current rector is Fr Polydor TWANGA, a Congolese. The original mission team also accepted responsibility for several parishes. Paul SIEBERT, an Australian, is pastor of St. Joseph‟s parish in Faaa; André RIPOCHE, French, a former Cameroon missionary, is in charge of Christ the King church in Pamatai, and Paul OUELLETTE, an American, cares for Our Lady of Grace parish in Puurai. It must be said that other French-speaking American Oblates also provide occasional services for various lengths of time. For example, Fr Roger COUTURE gave some courses during the last quarter of 1999, and Fr Frank DEMERS takes care of marriage questions.

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Thanks to Bro. Augustin COTE and his e-mail „GUS NEWS NOTES,‟ we received the following bit from Paul OUELLETTE. “At this time, I am living with Roger ROY in Faaa at St. Joseph‟s. Problems with his eyesight have obliged him to leave the seminary. He is not able to read more than ten minutes at a time. Saying one Mass exhausts him, yet he insists in order to remain involved in the daily life of the parish. Frank Demers joins us on the weekends. His main work is at the marriage court. While he is the judge, the Archbishop has appointed me Defender of the Bond. There are many cases to be solved due to concubinage and a bad understanding of marriage. Polydor is rector of the seminary. There are 19 seminarians, 15 diocesan who come from Wallis-Futuna, the Marquesas, the Tuamotus and Tahiti, and 4 Picpus…. The Polynesians are at the historic moment when they themselves are going to be able to take on the responsibility for their Church. There are nearly as many deacons as there are priests; there are many katekitas (probably ten or twelve per parish). In our parish, there are five sectors each led by a „katekita‟. He (or she) prepares the baptisms, the marriages (performed by the deacons), the songs for the celebrations, the community fiesta for the newlyweds; the „katekita‟ says the prayers for the deceased in the home, arranges for the funeral in the church, and also leads the prayers in the cemetery. The parish is really lay-structured. I am amazed at how it all functions so well. It makes our parishes in the United States look like kindergartens. The laity have been accepted as co-equal partners in ministry. “This weekend I will lead a pilgrimage of three to four hundred youths up the 3 km winding road of the island‟s volcano to a small grove overlooking the ocean. The mayor has set up a huge cross there which is lit up at night. We will have banners, sing and listen to Scripture, and discuss on the way. At the foot of the cross we will have Mass and sharing. “Lately I have preached some days of recollection and some retreats. The response to the youth retreat was very positive - especially since the youth are typically alienated from religion. They were recruited by the Legion of Mary who make home visits. We have 400 Legion of Mary members in the parish, divided into 20 groups. There are also some Rosary groups, that meet every Thursday for the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (sometimes 300 people). The whole thing is run by the laity and a „katekita‟ who is in charge.” In the March Cosmic (Australia), Paul Siebert also speaks about the permanent deacons, their formation and some of the delicate adjustments between permanent deacons and priests. Lesotho: A Catholic radio station The Catholic FM Radio (CR FM) was officially opened in Maseru last October 9 in the presence of Chief Khoabane Teko representing the King, of Archbishop Bernard MOHLALISI of Maseru, the three other bishops, priests, religious, nuns and hundreds of Basotho.

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The project, directed by a committee made up of Bishop Paul Khorai of Leribe, and including Frs Alexander MOTANYANE and Gabriel TLABA, was quickly completed. The April „99 Maoblata a Lesotho published this message from the bishops: “From the beginning the Church in Lesotho started teaching people to read and write, it built them schools, health centers and other development projects, it established a printing press, distributed books, newspapers etc., all in order to pursue its mission of proclaiming the Good News of salvation. Today we announce to you that we have been granted a license to establish a Catholic radio….” In the February 2000 Maoblata, Alexander reminds us that “the principal objective of this radio station is to communicate the Good News of the Kingdom to all; to make this proclamation effective through the modern means of communication; and to reinforce the presence of the Church in the media.” He then makes an appeal. “Our main difficulty is securing the services of qualified people, due to a lack of funds. We have begun with only some young people who are working as volunteers. We have secured space at the R.C.C. Hall of Maseru, but we still lack basic equipment such as chairs, tables etc. Our newsreaders still read from a handwritten text and for this reason their fluency is very much put to the test…. The programs are still rudimentary, but we want to assure our listeners that prayer will form the main part of our broadcasts, and that more quality broadcasts will be on the air in the not too distant future.” Kenya: An expensive call From Peter GALLOWAY (Transvaal) March 21: “After six frustrated weeks waiting for e-mail replies from Kenya, I tried the telephone. I called Harold KAUFMANN at Igandene on the slopes of Mount Kenya. Fantastic! Crystal clear conversation. A simple delay of some seconds before you hear the other‟s voice. The call lasted about eight minutes. “It is likely to be the most expensive thing I have ever done. I estimate that a flight to Lusaka costs from 15 to 20 rand ($2.50 or $3.00) per minute. The call to Kenya should cost me around 50 rand ($8.00) per minute…. It seems that the company has since terminated its services, because the costs were too high and the links sometimes difficult. “Spare a thought for the Oblates of Kenya. They no longer have an e-mail service and the land line to the mission at Kionyo works very sporadically.”

Books: Africa - Asia Stuart C. BATE (Natal). Inculturation of the Christian Mission to Heal in the South African Context. In 1994, Stuart presented his thesis for a doctorate in theology: Inculturation and healing (Cf. OMI InfoJuly „94) which was published the following year (Cf. OMI Info, Oct. „95). Here he pursues and deepens his study and theological reflection on what is called coping-healing. Many Churches in South Africa were founded for this purpose. “The traditional Churches seem to be opening themselves partially to this ministry….” Stuart studies first of all the various aspects of this phenomenon, the psycho-medical, the anthropological, the sociological, the philosophical, and the theological. Then he

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establishes some bases by which to judge it using inculturation as the key for that judgment. “One of the weaknesses of the Coping-healing churches is their tendency to ascribe all that occurs to the supernatural order. By contrast, the weakness of the modernist approaches (which infect most mainline churches) is the tendency to ascribe everything to the natural order. Clearly neither approach is sufficient. Our work has been an attempt to address this deficiency.” The Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston-Queenston-Lampeter, 1999. 363 pp. Fabio CIARDI (Italy): Koinonia. Spirituality and Theology of the Growth of Religious Community. English translation of the original Italian (cf. OMI Info Dec. „92). In four parts: the evangelical inspiration, historical understanding, theological reflection, the daily journey. Institute for Consecrated Life in Asia, Claretian Publications, Quezon City (Philippines), 1999, 354 pp. Bejoy D‟CRUZE (Bangladesh): Prophethood in the Bible and the Qur’an. Publication of extracts from his doctoral thesis. (Cf. OMI Info Oct. „99) Rome, Gregorian University, 1999, 288 pp. Bishop B. Deogupillai, The Life and ministry of…. Succeeding Bishop Emilianus PILLAI, Bishop Jacob Bastiampillai Deogupillai was Bishop of Jaffna from 1972 to 1992. Many Oblates are mentioned in this 92 page book of memoirs. Swaminader GNANAPRAGASAR (Jaffna-Sri Lanka): XXV Years’ Catholic Progress. The Diocese of Jaffna under the Episcopate of Dr. Henry JOULAIN. 1893-1918. It was an excellent idea to reprint this 1925 work. A great missionary presents a slice of the history of the Church and its mission in his country. Jaffna, St Joseph‟s Catholic Press, 1999, 536 pp. Roland JACQUES (France): De Castro Marim à Faïfo… (… Birth and development of the Portuguesepadroado in the Orient from the origins to 1659). This work takes up and completes a study in Canon Law presented in 1995 to the University Paris-IX. “It was undertaken as part of a long-range research on the origins of the Catholic Church in Vietnam.” After a presentation of the Royal Portuguesepadroado in the Orient and of the legal corpus surrounding it, Roland studies the ecclesiastical organisation and the birth of the Episcopal hierarchy overseas, then the situation of the religious missionaries, first the Franciscans and Augustinians, and then especially the Jesuits. “The padroadois above all something dynamic” at the service of the spread of the Catholic faith…. Lisbon Fundaçao Calouste Gulbenkian, 1999, 215 pp. Roland JACQUES: Le dossier des rites chinois…. (Must the file on Chinese rites be re-opened?) Article prepared for L’Année canonique (Paris) N·48, 1999. Dino TESSARI (Indonesia): Pastor Dominikus Albini (1999, 105 pp.); Uskup Vitalis Grandin(2000, 141 pp.). Dino prepared and published these two short biographies in Indonesian. His work will help to make known and loved the Oblate saints and their fidelity to the charisma.

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Walenty ZAPLATA (Poland): Kamerun nosze w sercu (Cameroon, I carry it in my heart). Walenty was director of the mission Procure of the Province of Poland for more than 30 years. This work is a report based on his three trips to Cameroon. He pays particular attention to the new reality of the unification of the Oblate Province there. Poznan OMI, 1999, 250 pp. Walenty ZAPLATA: Wa tygodnie na Madagaskarze (Two weeks in Madagascar). Some memories, some impressions, some thoughts…. Wroclaw, Oficyna Wspolczesna, 1999. 63 pp. Logos, Vol. 38, No. 3. Perspectives, Human Rights in Religions. Different authors study the place of human rights in Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and especially Christianity. Colombo, Centre for Society and Religion, December „99, 80 pp. Notre Dame University. Jubilee Album. Notre Dame University (NDU) in Cotabato City (Philippines) began as a College founded in 1948 by American Oblates; there were then about a hundred students. The „60s saw the birth and development of a university. With its successive rectors (currently Fr Eliseo MERCADO), Notre Dame University played, and continues to play a major role in the field of education, development and of mutual understanding in this region of the South Philippines. NDU published this pictorial album on the occasion of its jubilee (1948-1998).

Anniversaries

65 Years of Priesthood 16.06 4969 Fr. Columba Hennessy Anglo-Irish 24.06 4898 Fr. Léopold Lanctôt St-Joseph 24.06 4920 Fr. Charles Sauvé St-Joseph 24.06 5130 Fr. Roland Trudeau St-Joseph 29.06 4935 Fr. Franz Van de Velde Manitoba 24.06 4889 Fr. Paul-Emile Naud N.- D.- du Ros 24.06 4918 Fr. Ubald Villeneuve N.- D.- du Ros. 24.06 5127 Fr. Emile Gilbert St-Joseph 29.06 4909 Fr. Julien Jalbert Manitoba 30.06 5271 Fr. Victor Philippe Grandin

60 Years of Priesthood 02.06 6102 Fr. Antonio Crisci Italy 02.06 6171 Fr. John Busch U.S.A. 15.06 6141 Fr. Alfred Lavoie U.S.A. 23.06 5906 Fr. Jean Marsan Grandin 23.06 6136 Fr. Yvon Levaque Grandin 23.06 6224 Fr. Bernard Boyce Transvaal 23.06 6240 Fr. Noel Coughlan Natal 29.06 6129 Fr. Albert Jobin Manitoba 02.06 6167 Fr. Juan Schwider Mexico (Guatem.) 09.06 6459 Fr. Robert Buliard France 23.06 5823 Fr. Julien Bernard St-Joseph 23.06 5976 Fr. Wilfred Scott St Paul's

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23.06 6153 Fr. Paul-Emile Sanschagrin St-Joseph 23.06 6232 Fr. James Carroll St Paul's 23.06 6243 Fr. John McGrath Anglo-Irish 29.06 6132 Fr. Benoît Paris Manitoba

50 Years of Priesthood 04.06 8100 Fr. Jozef Maksymiuk Poland 16.06 7618 Fr. Rosaire Langelier N.- D.- du Ros. 16.06 7998 Fr. Léon Brodeur Lesotho 18.06 6300 Fr. Gérard Paris Manitoba 24.06 8068 Fr. Robert Paradis Grandin 29.06 7740 Fr. John Patterson Natal 29.06 8045 Fr. William McGonagle Anglo-Irish 29.06 8086 Fr. James Butler Anglo-Irish 16.06 7589 Fr. Louis Collin Grandin 16.06 7690 Fr. J.- Jacques Descheneaux St-Joseph 16.06 8172 Fr. François Buteau St-Joseph 18.06 7719 Fr. John Burns St Paul's 25.06 7871 Fr. Leo Gauvin U.S.A. 29.06 8040 Fr. Richard Haslam U.S.A. 29.06 8046 Fr. Noel Geraghty Australia 29.06 8227 Fr. Denis McCarthy Australia

50 Years of Religious Profession 10.06 9459 Bro. Louis Detillieux Grandin

25 Years of Priesthood 14.06 12091 Fr. Michael Lauze U.S.A. 22.06 12000 Fr. Kazimierz Lijka Poland 22.06 12002 Fr. Stanislaw Bijak Assumption 22.06 12076 Fr. Antoni Sowa Poland 22.06 12079 Fr. Jozef Niesporek Poland 22.06 12001 Fr. Henryk Dejneka Cameroon 22.06 12009 Fr. Jozef Nieslony Poland

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Suffrages for Our Deceased

May 2000 (23-39)

Name Province Birth Vows Priest Date At Fr. Wilfrid Soucy St-Joseph 1907 1932 1937 21/03/2000 Ottawa Bro. Norbert Uwis Namibia 1952 1928 23/03/2000 Doebra

Fr. Antonio Izquierdo Spain 1929 1949 1954 24/03/2000 Madrid Fr. Gaston Grenon St-Joseph 1910 1931 1936 25/03/2000 Ottawa

Fr. Edward Kaczmarek

Poland 1934 1953 1959 01/04/2000 Lodz

Fr. Joseph

O'Shaughnessy Australia 1912 1939 1944 05/04/2000 Melbourne

Fr. Paul Dorly France 1909 1927 1933 07/04/2000 N.-D. de Lumières Fr. William Cagney Australia 1924 1943 1949 09/04/2000 Sorrento-Melbourne

Fr. Gustave Duchosal France 1927 1949 1955 10/04/2000 Pontmain Fr. Joseph Horan Anglo-

Irish 1917 1936 1942 13/04/2000 Dublin

Fr. Enrique Gonzales Philippines 1938 1961 1967 14/04/2000 Quezon City Bro. Georges Denis St-Joseph 1907 1930 15/04/2000 Ottawa

Bshp. Paul

Dumouchel Manitoba 1911 1931 1936 15/04/2000 St-Boniface (former Archbishop of

Keewatin-Le Pas) Bro. Yvon Léger St-Joseph 1913 1932 15/04/2000 Richelieu Bshp. Thomas

Lobsinger St. Paul's 1927 1947 1954 15/04/2000 (Bishop of Whitehorse) killedan airplane

accident at Fox Lake Bro. Hubert Spruyt St. Paul's 1944 1965 15/04/2000 killedan airplane accident at Fox Lake

Bshp. Henry

Goonewardena (Sri

Lanka) 1925 1945 1951 17/04/2000 Colombo (former Bishop of

Anuradhapura)

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