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Congregatio Missionariorum a Sacra Familia

Curia Generalitia MSF

Via Odoardo Beccari 41 * 00154 Roma * ITALIA

0039 06 5725 0639 ** Fax 0039 06 5755 192 ** e-mail: curiamsf@misafa.org

LETTER FROM ROME 01/2020

We received the ashes on the head a few weeks ago, and we have been reminded that we

are dust and to dust we will return. But we are a dust loved by God, redeemed by God.

Jesus suffered on the cross but overcame death and we believe in the resurrection of bodies,

in eternal life. Easter is the feast of this victory over death. (The Secretary of the Congregation

for Divine Worship, Archbishop Arthur Roche)

Dear Confreres, we are living the pandemic time that touched the whole world, taking many

lives away, frightening many people, imprisoning billions of people in homes. Our Lord Jesus

Christ was imprisoned in the tomb, who died of a cruel death, on the cross. But the tomb

has not remained the last word. THE LORD IS RISEN! We believe that we too will rise with

Him. Indeed, we believe, we know, that He can defeat this pandemic.

And we beg the Risen Lord to stop this coronavirus pandemic, to renew the life of men and

women, to give birth to the faith where it is missing or has already been lacking or even

never been, to raise hope where it is weakened or even dead, to make love burst so that it

pervades every human heart, even if many men and women must live without being able

to embrace or shake hands.

We believe in Jesus Christ, Son of God, dead and risen! He is our Savior!

The Lord is risen! The Lord has overcome death! Hallelujah!

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Dear Confreres, we want to remind you that: "The General Chapter has decided that

the year 2020 we celebrate as the Jubilee Year of 125 years since the foundation

of our Congregation with the motto:" Children of the Venerable Fr. Berthier - one

family, one mission "(DC, VIII, 14). The letter was sent to all the Confreres on the

occasion of the Jubilee Year and recently the liturgy to be celebrated in each MSF community

during the days of retreat. A conference will also be sent for each month to be able to use

it during the liturgy on the days of monthly retreat. We wish all MSF to live this Jubilee Year

in the sense of gratitude to God and our Founding Father and to intensify our prayers for

his beatification. The Provincial / Delegate Superiors and the local Superiors ask that each

confrere be involved in living this time of grace which is the 125 Year Jubilee Year of the

Foundation of the MSF. On our website you can find all the materials prepared so far for

this occasion (https://misafa.org/index.php/125-anni-msf).

We also want to share the news of the past few months with you.

1. House of Manissy

After a long preparation of the contract, with the knowledge of the Bishop of NIMES and

with the permission of the General Government, the donation contract of the MSF property

in Manissy was signed on 10.25.2019 to the MAS DE CARLES Association (a charitable

association). The contract provides that the Confreres of the Delegation of Fr. Jean Baptiste

Berthier in France can live in the house of Manissy until the end and also have rooms

available to welcome the 2 confreres who are still working in Madagascar.

Community of Manissy, 2019

2. Celebration of the solemnity of the Holy Family in Rome

On the solemnity of the Holy Family, on Sunday 12.29.2019 the Holy Mass was celebrated

at the Generalate, presided by the Superior General Fr. Agustinus Purnama MSF (who also

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made the sermon) with the participation of all the confreres of the MSF community, the

confreres of the Missionary of the Precious Blood, the Salettini Fathers with their Superior

General Fr. Silvano Marisa MS and the Sisters of the Holy Family. Mass was followed by a

cheerful lunch. It was a time of fraternity, of fraternal exchange and of joy.

3. The first vows in Santiago de Chile

On January 11, 2020 at 19:30, in the Parish of Santa Isabel of Hungary in Santiago de Chile

the Eucharist was celebrated during which the Novices of the Latin American region made

their first profession of religious vows: from Southern Brazil - Gleison Costa França ,

Marleson Gomes da Silva, Lucas André Pirolli, from Eastern Brazil - Lidiomar Pereira

Nascimento Silva and Marden Cordeiro Oliveira. The Mass was presided by Fr. Fernando

Ibanèz, Provincial of the Chilean Province. Fr. Domingos, Master of Novices, was present

and concelebrated, who was also celebrating his 25 years of religious life. Fr. Genivaldo

Lopes Soares - Provincial of the Eastern Brazil Province, Fr. Lotario Niederle - Vice Provincial

of the Southern Brazil Province and other priests of the Chilean Province also concelebrated.

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4. Visit of the Superior General to Indonesia

From 14 to 31 January 2020 the Superior General Fr. Agustinus Purnama MSF was in

Indonesia. On Saturday 01.18.2020 in Malang he attended the inauguration and blessing of

the new MSF Scholasticate of the Province of Kalimantan. The solemn Mass was celebrated

by Msgr. Paulinus Yan Olla MSF, Mgr. Timang - bishop of Banjarmasin, the Superior General

Fr. Agustinus Purnama MSF, the Vicar General of the bishop of Malang, the Provincial

Superior of Kalimantan Fr. Agustinus Doni Tupen MSF, the Provincial Superior of Java Fr.

Simon Petrus Sumargo MSF, and other MSF confreres. On this occasion, we inform you that

the address of the Scholasticate has been changed, here is the new address: Vila Puncak

Tidar, K-17; Karangwidoro, Dau; Kabupaten Malang; Jawa Timur.

From left: Fr. General, Vicar of the bishop, Msgr. Timang, Msgr. Paulinus and Provincial Fr. Doni

Scholasticate of Malang

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The broader report and a video can be found on our website:

https://misafa.org/index.php/1221-scolasticato-a-malang-kalimantan.

5. Perpetual vows in Southern Brazil - Amazonia

On 18 January Br. Igor Pereira dos Santos MSF, the first MSF from Amazonia, professed

perpetual vows. The celebration took place in his hometown, in the parish of Nossa Senhora

da Immaculada Conceição, in Carauari. All the members of the MSF Community operating

in the Prelature participated in this extraordinary event in the passage of the 20 years of

the presence of the MSF in the region. Family members and a large number of faithful also

participated, impassioned and happy, in this celebration. The Amazon was the stage for the

first international mission of the Congregation, which began in 1911, in the territory of

Amapá, mouth of the Amazon River, in the far north of Brazil. This mission was interrupted

in the following decades and resumed at the beginning of the third millennium, when three

Missionaries of the Holy Family, members of the Province of Southern Brazil, regained the

presence of the Congregation in the Brazilian Amazon region. To Br. Igor we wish the

blessing of God and the protection of the Holy Family, hoping that his example will attract

other young people from this region to join the Missionaries of the Holy Family.

Br. Igor and Fr. Itacir

6. Extraordinary Provincial Chapter of the Province of Java

During his visit to Indonesia the Superior General Fr. Agustinus Purnama MSF participated

in the extraordinary Chapter of the Province of Java, which took place from 20 to 24 January

2020 in Semarang. The purpose of this chapter was to revise the Provincial Directory.

https://misafa.org/index.php/1221-scolasticato-a-malang-kalimantan

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Chapter assembly

7. Diaconal ordination in Java

On January 25, 2020, in Yogyakarta, two new deacons of the MSF Java Province, Br. Ignatius

Eko Swasono Budiarto and Br. Giovanni Mahendra Christi, were ordained by the Archbishop

of Semarang Msgr. Robertus Rubiyatmoko. Together with them were ordained other new

diocesan and religious deacons. We wish the new deacons the blessing of God and the

protection of the Holy Family in their service to the Church and the People of God.

New deacons, from left Br. Giovanni e Br. Ignatius Eko

8. Meeting of the new Provincials in Rome

In the days from 3 to 8 February 2020 the four new Provincial Superiors gathered in Rome

in the Generalate, who were elected for this function for the first time: from the Province of

Chile - Fr. Fernando Mauricio Ibañez González MSF, from Java - Fr. Simon Petrus Sumargo,

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from Kalimantan - Fr. Agustinus Doni Tupen and from Poland - Fr. Piotr Jacek Krupa. In

these days of meeting each of the Provincials had a personal meeting with the General

Government and in addition there was also a common meeting every day, in which different

themes were presented regarding the government issues in the Provinces and relations with

the General Curia in Rome. The Provincials also presented their Provinces before the others,

indicating the most important issues they encounter in their Provinces. The meeting took

place in the atmosphere of fraternity and in the spirit of "one family, one mission".

With the Provincial Superiors after Mass in the Chapel of the Generalate

9. Commission for the Unification of the MSF Provinces in Latin America

During the session of 12.15.2019, according to the decision of the General Chapter 2019

(CD VIII, 1c), the MSF General Government appointed the Commission for the unification

of the MSF Provinces in Latin America: "Entrust to the General Government, appoint a

commission responsible for preparing, with the help of the provincial governments, all that

is needed to implement these decisions." The members of the Commission are: from

Argentina - Fr. Tomás Llorente Martinez and Fr. Raúl Enrique Vera, from Southern Brazil -

Fr. Itacir Brassiani, C. Irio Luiz Conti, from Eastern Brazil - Fr. Genivaldo Lopes Soares and

P Pedro Leonides da Silva Rocha, from Chile - Fr Fernando Mauricio Ibañez González and Fr

Angel Patricio Vargas Bazaes - the Commission Coordinator. For direct collaboration with

the MSF General Government, the responsible are: Fr. Agustinus Purnama and Fr. Julio

Cesar Werlang.

The meeting of the Commission for the unification of the provinces of MSF in Latin America

was held in Passo Fundo / Brazil from 18 to 21 February. All the members of the commission

were present. This was the first meeting of the commission after the approval of the

unification of the respective provinces by the General Chapter in September 2019.

The meeting was also attended by the Vicar General, Fr. Marian Kolodziejczyk and the

Second Assistant, Fr. Julio César Werlang, who contributed to the reflection and

understanding of the process of restructuring and unification of the provinces of MSF in

Latin America.

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Coordinated by Fr. Patricio Vargas, of the Province of Chile, the meeting continued

implementation of the project of the Provinces, which now takes shape to confirm the entire

process developed so far. The new Province will better serve MSF's fraternal life in Latin

America in order to form one family with one mission. The start of the new province is

scheduled for June 2021.

Members of the Commission for the Unification of the MSF Provinces in Latin America

10. Visit of the Superior General to Southern Brazil, March 2020

The Superior General Fr. Agustinus Purnama made the visit to the Southern Brazil Province

from 1 March 2020. He visited the community of Recife (north Brazil) where, together with

the Provincial Fr. Itacir, met with the confreres and with 8 young candidate-postulants.

Fr. General, Fr. Itacir, Fr. Marcelo e Br. Irio, and Postulants

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After visiting Recife on March 7, he left for Passo Fundo where he met with the group of

elderly confreres living in the Lar de Nazaré Center for the elderly.

Father General with the elders of Lar de Nazaré

11. Extraordinary provincial chapter in Eastern Brazil

From 3 to 4 March 2020, the extraordinary Provincial Chapter was held at the headquarters

of the Eastern Brazil Province with the theme: Unification, Community Life and Mission. On

the part of the General Government, the Assistant General Fr. Julio Cesar Werlang MSF

participated in the Chapter, who also met with the Provincial Government to speak on the

situation of some confreres.

Participants of the extraordinary Chapter

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12. Provincial Chapter in Southern Brazil

In Passo Fundo from 9 to 13 March, the last Provincial Chapter of this Province took place

before the unification of the MSF Provinces in Latin America, scheduled for mid of 2021.

The Chapter was held under the theme: "In diversity we are a fraternal community for the

service of mission" mainly dealt with the theme of unification and restructuring of the Latin

American Provinces. The Chapter was attended by the Superior General Fr. Agustinus

Purnama MSF and the Assistant General Fr. Julio Cesar Werlang MSF. The Chapter elected

the new Provincial Government:

Fr. Itacir Brassiani – Provincial Superior

Fr Domingos de Sá Filho - Provincial Vicar and first Assistance

Fr. Lotário José Niederle – second Provincial Assistance

Br. Irio Luiz Conti - third Provincial Assistance

New Provincial Government, from left Fr. Domingos, Fr. Itacir, Fr. Lotario and Br. Irio

The Provincial Government began its mandate on March 25, 2020 - the Solemnity of the

Annunciation of the Lord. We wish the new Provincial Government and the whole Province

the blessing of God and the protection of the Holy Family.

Fr. Bogdan Mikutra MSF Fr. Agustinus Purnama MSF General Secretary General Superior