In this Issue: In this Issue: In this Issue: In this Issue: • Missioner Retires

• Small Christian Community celebration in Cameroon

• Benedictine Volunteer in Colombia

• Advent Toy Contest results

• And MORE!

MissionMissionMissionMission ConnectionsConnectionsConnectionsConnectionsMission Office, Catholic Diocese of St. Cloud Vol. 56 Winter 2018

11 South 8th Avenue, St. Cloud, MN 56301 (320) 251-1100 www.stcdio.org/mission

Inside this Issue

Prayer 1

Traveling, Praying and Learning in Colombia

2

We All Belong to God

3

Students Create Fun and Awareness

4

Spotlight on Mission: Sister Joan Gerads, OSF

4

An Encounter with Christ in the Small Christian Community

5

Snow Day and Blessings in the Desert

6

Save the Date: Mission Rally

4

Praise be to the Lord of the Universe

Who has created us and made us into tribes and nations, that we may know each other,

not that we may despise each other.

If the enemy incline towards peace,

do thou also incline towards peace, and trust in God, For the Lord is one

that hears and knows all things.

And the servants of God Most Gracious

are those who walk on the Earth in humility, and when we address them,

we say “Peace.”

Amen.

~ An Islamic Prayer for Peace, from the United Nations ~

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MISSION CONNECTIONS is published by the St. Cloud Mission Office, 11—8th Ave. South, St. Cloud MN 56301

(320) 251-1100

It is distributed to the Catholic faithful in the Diocese of St. Cloud and to others concerned with the mission of Jesus Christ and global solidarity and justice. There is no charge for the publication, but tax deductible donations for our educational work are gratefully accepted.

Donations for any of the missioners or mission connections mentioned here may be made in care of the Mission Office.

**Please direct comments, suggestions and articles to Kateri Mancini, at kmmission@cloudnet.com **The mailing list is managed by Lora Knafla, at lkmission@cloudnet.com **For further information about the work of the Mission Office, contact Elizabeth Neville, at enmission@cloudnet.com

Traveling, Praying & Learning in ColombiaTraveling, Praying & Learning in ColombiaTraveling, Praying & Learning in ColombiaTraveling, Praying & Learning in Colombia Brett Watercott, a Saint John’s

graduate from Becker, Minnesota, is a Benedictine

Volunteer currently living in a monastery in Colombia and

serving in the community there. Here he shares some of his

learnings from the experience.

Since June, 2017, I have been living in a monastery in Bogota, Colombia. I was given the opportunity to come here by the Benedictine Volunteer Corps organization—founded by the monks of Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, MN. On top of my duties as an English teacher in a

high school, I am required to attend one daily prayer with the monks.

I accepted this year-long, post-graduate commitment for a number of reasons: personal growth, learning a new language, growing in my faith, an opportunity to explore, and, of course, service. In a way, I have already experienced the joys of all of these things. However, I did not realize the amount of learning I would undergo throughout my time in Colombia.

Before embarking on this adventure, I had an interest in traveling; however, I had a very narrow view of traveling. Now, traveling is much more to me. Not only have I experienced gorgeous landscapes and stunning architecture in this incredibly beautiful country, but I have also shared a number of amazing experiences with locals and other foreigners and have learned a lot from being immersed in the culture.

For one of my trips, I went to a Colombian island in the Caribbean Sea. Although the beaches and the views were like nothing I had ever seen and the snorkeling and scuba diving were absolutely incredible, my favorite part of the trip was a simple game of volleyball. What made this game so interesting is that it united people from various parts of the world and there were four different languages spoken throughout the game. Undoubtedly,

there were several times when we did not understand one another, but the universal rules allowed us to keep playing. Moreover, we were able to enjoy the presence of one another through the most powerful language, the language which we all shared—laughter.

In regards to the things that the Colombian culture has taught me, I have learned that I do not particularly agree with some of the American practices and traditions that I formerly deemed second nature. An example of this is when I was talking to someone about the custom in the US of women taking the last name of her husband upon getting married. I could tell both visually and through his words that he was so incredibly disgusted about this cultural practice that it made me step back and think about what I believe and why. This is the most spectacular thing about traveling—it opens your eyes to new traditions and ways of thinking which improve your understanding and therefore either strengthen your current views or restructure them on a foundation of increased knowledge.

My time spent living with monks, praying with them, and observing their lives has also taught me a few things. For one, it has taught me how to keep a close relationship with God through daily prayer. Prayer is something that was very sporadic and, at times, non-existent throughout the majority of my life. Also, through the actions of one particular monk, I learned about the beauty of pure selflessness through always being willing to help others without ever expecting anything in return. The monks have also unknowingly re-established silence as an important aspect of my life. Throughout my time at Saint John’s, I was constantly busy with my studies, sports, and the organizations that I was

involved in. In fact, I felt like I was doing something wrong if I wasn’t constantly doing something. This is quite different from my mindset now. After the school day is over, if I am not playing basketball or volleyball, the majority of my time is spent in silence and I have grown to enjoy the silence. Silence allows you to reflect on your day, a situation, or just life in general.

So far, my experience in Colombia has taught me a lot. However, I still have a lot more learning to do throughout my life, and the next six months will undoubtedly be full of numerous other learning opportunities.

Brett with Piero, another friend made during his volunteer year in Colombia.

Brett Watercott making “friends” in Colombia

realized he had DS, so why make efforts to help him? Because everyone’s life counts. Even though Junayed may never “earn his keep” or help his community, he deserves as much as can be provided by medical professionals and neighbors. Besides, Junayed does indeed enrich the community. Everyone loves the little guy.

Tea stall operator, Hatem, in Chandropur Bazar always seems pleased when I drop in. In that ara of the district I have not yet been able to help many children, but he knows my purpose is to assist the disabled and seriously infirm children, and he wishes to have a part in that. Hatem does not charge me for the tea I drink. Always I offer him payment and he pleasantly refuses it. “We all serve that One,” he proclaims while urging me to return soon for “tea on the house.”

One night, all night long, loudly amplified sermons and singsong praises of Allah were broadcast from the nearby mosque. Next day a preacher glorified the most important duty of Muslims: the offering of Islamic ritual prayer. Often when I converse with Muslim men I ask them what is the purpose of our lives. If they were to answer according to what their preachers emphasize they might readily say “faithfulness to ritual prayer.” When I propose love for others as the foremost purpose of our lives they often nod thoughtfully in agreement. But they have been taught that ritual prayers is their highest religious obligation.

Ali Ahmed, an energetic seventy-year-old advocate prides himself on being an honest lawyer. “The people love me,” he declares. During the second largest of the Islamic festivals, Korbani Eid, he fed me at his home. After community prayers Muslims stay at home on this feast day preparing and enjoying food. But also sharing their freshly slaughtered meat. As soon as he had fed me, his guest, Ali was off to distribute meat among the poor in his neighborhood. I always enjoy visiting Ali in his office where he is surrounded by images of his favorites: Mahatma Gandhi, Karl Marx, and Mother Teresa.

After a morning bicycle trip I returned to town and sat reading the daily newspaper in the public library. Someone approached me. I lowered the newspaper and found before me an unknown, smiling thirteen-year-old lass with hand extended towards me. In her hand was a wee chocolate candy bar. Though much surprised I accepted her gift. Not a word was uttered—the girls keep library rules better than the boys—as she withdrew silently. Even without words she made a Christian missioner feel welcomed, trusted, and even liked. We all belong to God. So, we smile a lot.

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We All Belong to GodWe All Belong to GodWe All Belong to GodWe All Belong to God Father Bob McCahill is a Maryknoll priest serving in

Bangladesh, a country of 163 million people, over 90% of whom are Muslim. For the past 35 years, Father Bob has

moved from town to town, striving to build relationships and trust, in order to serve his ill neighbors there.

A bulldozer was busy recently along the main street through Shariatpur town, destroying businesses that had been built illegally on the side of the road. An eatery, a repair shop a tea stall, all constructed of lumber or tin, came crashing down, their owners standing nearby in order to salvage the remains. The owners knew this day would come. So, why did they not take action earlier to avoid the ruination? Perhaps, they simply knew of no other place to relocate. Space is scarce in Bangladesh.

“May I ask you a question?” a teenager asked. “What is your religion—Islam?” My reply: “Christian.” “Oh,” he responded soberly, and then retreated. Numerous persons here during my now concluded first year in their town liked what I proposed to do with them, but not what I am. Why, they wondered, would a Christian be so concerned for disabled Muslims? At many a tea stall the aged foreign bicyclist was a topic of conversation and scrutiny.

One morning in Mohammadpur Bazar, youths described to me another youth suffering from “paralysis.” I saw no need to go look at the fellow, for what could I possibly do for twenty-year-old stricken with polio? Nevertheless his chums cajoled me, so I went and found Sumon with several maladies. We arranged for the ailing youth to travel to the town’s hospital. I am glad I went to see Sumon, for his friends’ diagnosis had been mistaken. Usually it is a good idea to accompany folks when they persist in requesting it. Trust grows that way.

Kids here are wild about cricket. There was no school in session one day as I bicycled through Kachari village where boys were playing the game on the school grounds. I heard the smack of a ball on bat. Quickly thereafter a red ball appeared rolling down the road directly in front of me. Good hit, I thought, and if it keeps rolling they will have to fish the ball out of the drainage ditch beside the road. Accelerating, I caught up with the ball and halted it with one foot. Boys on both teams cheered the rescue.

A motorcycle-for-hire driver practicing his English on me, asked, “your hour?” His question puzzled me because I saw he was wearing a wristwatch. So, I checked my pocket watch and told him: 7:07. He rubbed his chin in confusion, as if to say “how can I make this foreigner understand?” From nearby a fellow driver spoke up: “He wants to know your age.” For clarification I asked: “In years or in hours? If he wants my age in hours (here I took some moments to calculate) slightly over 700,000 hours is my age.” Now he can practice his arithmetic, too.

Janayed, an 18-month-old boy is the only child of poor parents in a far away village where I try to be useful. Twice I have been at hospitals with him and Lovely, his mother. Finally, a kind doctor told his mother frankly that her son will always have Downs Syndrome, and she should expect little help from medicine. When I had first seen Junayed I

Father Bob McCahill, MM visits with a neighbor family in his village in Bangladesh.

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Many of you have already heard: After 48 years I have left the Foreign Mission Field and have turned over the directorship of the Parish Neighborhood Renewal Ministry (PNRM) to a couple from Latin America who have worked as missionaries with us for over 25 years.

Glahecer (born in Ecuador) and Iris (born in Venezuela) met as members of our Evangelization Community—a mixed community of priests, sisters and lay people—to form missionaries who carry on the work of renewing families, society and the Church in Latin America. Glahecer and Iris fell in love, married and educate their three young children while they continue to serve as itinerant missionaries. I am so grateful to God that they are prepared to carry this vital mission service forward.

Another couple, Anita and Leonardo Vargas, have been leading our School for Spiritual Directors since 2002. Thank you, God!

It has been a very rewarding and interesting ministry. In Spanish, Communidades Eclesiales de Base (CEBs) have repeatedly been named as the priority of the Church in Latin America and the Caribbean. As Pope Francis continues to guide the Church to seek out those who need God’s mercy the most, I am continually excited and happy to see that what he is asking of the laity and clergy is exactly what God has called us to do for all these years.

We go to pueblos in the jungle where we wear boots to walk in the bog and the

There are countless mission activities happening all the time in the St. Cloud Diocese, ranging from parish mission groups, to fair trade sales, to mission education and service. All these activities are important to

the work of celebrating our global Church. In this issue we highlight Sister Joan Gerads, OSF, who recently retired from 48 years in active foreign mission, primarily working with the Parish Neighborhood

Renewal Ministry program in Ecuador. We are grateful for her incredible years and passion!

Spotlight on Mission Spotlight on Mission Spotlight on Mission Spotlight on Mission

muck. We sleep on the floor or several in one bed. One missionary said when they showed her the mattress on the floor, she wanted to return to her home; but she stayed and told us that she saw it as a test to see if she really had the call to be a loving missionary!

Sometimes someone doesn’t want us to come to their town and so they start a campaign against us. In several towns in Colombia we were accused of inviting the families to come to the missions with their children because (they said) we would kidnap the children and sell their eyes for profit! But, by God’s grace and favor, we never had to stay away from any parish because of calumny or slander.

In Zipaquira, Colombia, a group of eleven young boys would always walk with us as we’d go to the mission. One day we asked them who they were and why they walked with us. Their answer: “we’re protecting you from the guerrillas who have a camp in this city!”

So, at age 85 I see that this life has become too difficult for me, and so now I live at home in St. Francis convent here in Little Falls. I have arranged with our Leadership to dedicate my time and limited efforts to promotion and fundraising for the Parish Neighborhood Renewal Ministry, and to prayer. Come by for a cup of coffee!

Sr. Joan Gerads, OSF

Save the Save the

Date: Date:

The annual MISSION RALLYMISSION RALLYMISSION RALLYMISSION RALLYMISSION RALLYMISSION RALLYMISSION RALLYMISSION RALLY will take place on Thursday, April Thursday, April Thursday, April Thursday, April 26th26th26th26th at St. Joseph St. Joseph St. Joseph St. Joseph Parish in ClarissaParish in ClarissaParish in ClarissaParish in Clarissa. Watch for further details, and plan to

join us for this great event!

Students Create Fun and AwarenessStudents Create Fun and AwarenessStudents Create Fun and AwarenessStudents Create Fun and Awareness For the past several years, the Mission Office has partnered with wonderful sponsors to offer the Advent Toy Contest, an activity in which Catholic School students throughout the diocese are invited to create homemade toys or games using only recycled or common household/classroom materials. And the results are always incredible—both the toys they create and the awareness it builds in the young inventors. Thinking of their young peers around the world who go without toys or gifts each holiday season, as well as thinking outside the box when it comes to their own creativity and recreation activities, the annual Toy Contest has been

inspiring for all involved—from teachers to students and parents to diocesan staff.

This year, more than a dozen students submitted their homemade toys and games just before

Christmas. A panel of judges gathered after the first of the year, and selected four winners: Emma Beckworth and Talan Pietrzah from St. John’s Area School in Foley, Kayla Virnig from Holy Trinity School in Pierz, and Jack Molus from All Saints Academy in St. Joseph. Each of the winning schools was awarded a check from The Catholic Foundation to use in continuing the great faith formation work they do. But truly, when you think mission and grow in the gift of global awareness, everyone involved ends up a winner!

Toy contest winners

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An Encounter with Christ in the Small Christian CommunityAn Encounter with Christ in the Small Christian CommunityAn Encounter with Christ in the Small Christian CommunityAn Encounter with Christ in the Small Christian Community

The following reflection was written by Father Lawrence Otieno, MHM. Father Lawrence is a friend of the diocese who was ordained a priest for the

Mill Hill Missionaries in 2016, thanks to the missionary witness of his childhood pastor in Kenya, Father John Kaiser. Father Lawrence is now

ministering in Cameroon.

July 3rd 2017 was a special day in a village in St. Jude, Fundong Parish. Members of St. Thomas the Apostle Small Christian Community (SCC) prepared and assembled in a compound in their neighborhood to celebrate the feast of their patron saint with joy. Choir practice, clearing of compounds in the village, collecting and preparing food were done in time. Travelling to this village is not a walk into a park. It takes about an hour on a motor bike due to the hilly, slippery and rocky nature of it’s road. Since there was a heavy downpour a night before, I had to set off from the main station at 7:00am and trek half way in the following morning to join this SCC to celebrate their feast.

Soon after arrival, celebration began by visiting all homes in the SCC, blessing them and praying for the sick. Homes in this village are scattered but linked by the rocky paths along the foot of long hills. It was impressive to meet families living a very simple life style, united by love and drawing their strength from the value of hard farm work. Neither electricity nor solar power is found in these homes. The gift of rains and fertile soil are precious to all inhabitants of this village. Through hard farm work, women plant corn which produce a good harvest for their survival.

Although visiting their homes provided a precious chance for blessing their farm produce, it also enabled me to witness and experience the effects of poverty in this village. I felt very helpless when I met those who were seriously sick but had no way out to get better medical attention. There is no health center or hospital in this village. Due to poverty, they turned to traditional healers and herbs but these have not improved their health. In spite of the hardship, they showed cheerful faces, not complaining, not begging. Where is the source of their cheerfulness? Probably it flows from their acceptance of hardship and faith in God.

The joy which was expressed by members of St. Thomas SCC reached its climax in the celebration of the Eucharist in the last home. The entire SCC, a handful of members of the African Traditional Religion, children and grandchildren of a 106-year old man assemble to celebrate the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle and to witness the baptism of their grandfather at a very advanced age. He longed for baptism for a long time, but due to a shortage of priests and the difficulty involved in trekking to homes in this area, no priest reached out to him. This compelled him to doubt if there was any day for him to be baptized. He lost his sight due to age. However, when he heard of people gathering in his home and a foreigner shaking hands with him, his doubt began to drift away. The joy of meeting Christ dispelled his doubt. He was baptized during Mass. The SCC in his area enabled him to meet Christ and the life of grace which flows from believing in Him. His baptism on the feast of St. Thomas brought joy to him, his family, and members of his SCC and adherents of African Traditional Religion in his village. They all danced in procession around him and congratulated

him for receiving the sacrament of Baptism. He received a new name, Thomas Nyamsa.

After Mass, members of the SCC provided and distributed food for all. It was amazing to witness the Christian community and other members in their neighborhood assembling as a family to celebrate the love of God, manifested in His life giving Word, in the sacraments and witnessed through the life of St. Thomas the Apostle. The Church in this “neighborhood” provided a humble opportunity for sharing the gift of life and the joy which flows from the generous response to the gospel. The joy which dispels the darkness of doubt and draws us to recognize the presence of Christ in different situations and times. Mr. Thomas is an example. Every Christian is a missionary through the sacrament of Baptism. Each missionary is a recipient, a channel and a witness of the joy of the gospel. Unpromising weather, poor roads, difficult topography and others may prevent us from receiving, sharing and witnessing the joy of the gospel in Small Christian Communities and in other ministries, but whenever there is willingness and generous response to it, there is happiness and fulfilment in the missionary call. I witnessed that joy through members of St. Thomas SCC and am humbled to be the channel of that joy through Baptizing Mr. Thomas at the age of 106. Though he cannot walk to the Church due to his age, he is very grateful to his SCC for enabling him to encounter Christ through the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist.

Father Lawrence (right) with the newly baptized Thomas Nyamsa.

Father Lawrence presides at St. Thomas the Apostle Small Christian Community’s celebration.

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Snow Day and Blessings in the DesertSnow Day and Blessings in the DesertSnow Day and Blessings in the DesertSnow Day and Blessings in the Desert Franciscan Sisters Carol Schmit, Aurora Tovar and Isabel Berrones, continue their

ministry in Ocampo, Mexico. Below, Sister Carol shares about their Advent with the community there this year.

It was an unusual weekend. For most of my time here in Ocampo the only weather conversation has been, “Oh it’s so hot.” Isa almost always leaves the house with an umbrella against the midday sun. But one Monday in early Advent, Sisters Aurora and Isa left for a visit to the far off parish villages to the north. On Tuesday the rain started. By Thursday they headed for home as planned. You can imagine the gravel roads by this time covered and slippery from rain and snow. They could visit only one village. Besides, their truck was having radiator and oil problems, and no telephone reception. I was so happy to see them drive up, the two pickup trucks almost unrecognizably covered with mud. At about 9:30p.m. Aurora came to my room and said, “Come and see.” The back yard was an absolute winter wonderland, something the locals hadn’t seen in many years.

The morning broke with sun, but no movement. No electricity, no water, of course no internet connection. I saved enough rain water from the down spout to flush the toilets sparingly. I judged it to be at least 3 inches of heavy, wet stuff. Kids everywhere enjoy a good snow day. A few little boys made a snow person in front of the church. They gave him a little toy guitar. Shortly after, the guitar disappeared. A second guitar had this child-lettered sign: “Do not steal this guitar.” No subtlety there. All that was left the next morning was a lump of snow and two blue pop covers for eyes, and a red nose. No report on the guitar. On December 12th we came to the immensely important feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. That apparition to Saint Juan Diego took place in 1531. It has never wavered. One anti-Catholic president tried to suppress it but—you guessed it—it only grew stronger. I set off to find a gathering at 4p.m. Arriving at the house, they were already half finished. They had started at 3p.m. so they could go around the corner for the next rosary at 4, which turned out to be 4:45 after we ate tamales and drank coke. The food in every occasion provides time for visiting and planning—what shall our group wear for our presentation on the feast? Which songs do you want to sing? Who wants to carry the taped up container of coins that were collected every night since October 27? After Guadalupe, only four days later, each neighborhood in turn presented their rendition of Mary and Joseph, traveling to Bethlehem, in what we call Las Posadas. In three different homes, they find no room. Finally they are invited into a stable. You know the story well. Only this is all in song, continued throughout the week until December 23rd. My Advent got a little lost in all this activity. Father Hector’s homily one week was right on target. Reflecting on John the Baptist, he said, “Sometimes we think there is nothing in the desert. Then when we take time, when we look into our own hearts, we see what is needed to invite Jesus into our hearts and homes. We see the beauty and needs in ourselves, our families, our neighbors, our parish.” I never take a break from mentioning you in prayer, and wishing all a Blessed Merry Christmas.

Parishioners spend time praying with our Lady of Guadalupe on her feast day