IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO REPENT

 

Lent is almost upon us again. Traditionally, it is the time given over to preparing for Easter. For many of us, this preparation usually begins with what we might call a "spiritual stock-taking".We reflect on our
lives to see where we have lived up to the expectations of God and others - and we give thanks for
this.We also look honestly at those moments when we have fallen short of the mark - and this is usually accompanied by feelings of remorse and the wish to repent, to experience forgiveness and to forgive in turn.

I would like to share with you a story on the theme of forgiveness that I read a few days ago. It is the
story of one of our missionaries, Paul Muyard, who was a seminarian in northern Algeria. One day Paul decided to travel to Tamanrasset, a town in the extreme south of that vast country.

"In my adventurous youth, from Aïn El Hamman in Kabylia, I started off on safari towards Tamanrasset.The first part was easy. In Algiers, Djelfa, Laghouat, Ghardaia and El Golea, my fellow missionaries provided free bed and board. But after that, it was a journey into the unknown: no road, just faint tracks in the sand, and no public transport. I hitchhiked and travelled towards the south on a number of lorries.

After crossing the rocky Tademaït Plateau, I reached the town of In Salah. I was welcomed by a French
priest who had been sent into exile there because his bishop believed that his theological views were "questionable"! Over and above the dangers of the desert I was now exposed to the dangers of heresy!

Leaving In Salah, I continued hitching southwards towards Tamanrasset. In the Mouydir Mountains I had to cross an area where the French were testing the underground atomic bomb. It was a restricted zone, strictly controlled, and with frequent checks at roadblocks and military posts. At the police station of Arak, the policeman on duty discovered that I didn't have the proper travelling documents. I was
wearing my Missionaries of Africa habit -gandourah and chechia - but the policeman was not impressed by that religious garb which was the common attire of the Arabs of that place. I was suspected all the more when they discovered my camera which, they alleged, could be used to take pictures of the atomic installations. I was locked into a room, which became a temporary prison cell, while waiting for the officer in charge who was absent.When he returned, I tried to argue, but in vain. He told me:"If I let you
continue towards Tamanrasset, I am the one who will be in trouble for having let you through. Normally,
I should transfer you to higher military authorities.There is only one solution: you have not reached here and therefore we have not seen you.We shall not write anything into the register; but, please, don't try to cross, just go back".

End of safari!

Being arrested at a roadblock has been a very common experience for many of us here in Africa.Why write about it? What is so special about it? What is special about it is that this safari took place in 1961. At the end of October 2004, 43 years after the event, I received a letter from the policeman who had
arrested me. He wrote, "I have not forgotten the seminarian you were in 1961… what remorse has been
mine all these years because of your disappointment… I hope God Almighty has granted you joys compensating a hundred times that disappointment…" He also mentioned that he got my address
through the rector of our college in London.When I was questioned in 1961, I must have given him
this address as my residence in Europe at that time and he must have kept it….

The moral of the story it is that it is never too late to repent. If some of you have been hurt, offended, or treated unjustly, you might still receive a letter of apology. Just be patient, you may have to wait 43 years… only!"

Fr. P. J. Cassidy

On my return from South Africa, I was greeted with rain, cold, winds and the bustle of Christmas as I
step upon Irish soil in mid December, a familiar situation to many on this green isle but a situation I left behind since my ordination in 1997 in Donegal. One would probably say that I was mad to come home during winter but when one wakes up to 30 degrees on average during the year and is greeted by the sun on Christmas day then a change on the horizon is somehow welcomed.

My arrival in Templeogue as superior brought its own reality and slowly that reality evolves daily.A simple comparison is our mornings; in S. Africa one is awaken by the sun at 4.30am while here one is awaken by darkness still at 7.45am.This sometimes works to my advantage as I tend to sleep in but slowly I can see my brothers in Templeogue raising their eyebrows and saying to themselves "Is he
really our superior?"

Another reality I have to grapple with is the term superior and thankfully the seven wonderful years upon S. African soil have helped me to be humble in this regard. S. Africa and in particular the parish of Siyabuswa makes one firmly aware that life is relative. My life and work in S. Africa has helped me to appreciate the mere reality of life with all its challenges.The two ultimately challenges for me over the past seven years was the situation of AIDS and poverty.

AIDS has started to make a major impact upon the lives of the people of S.Africa. It is now becoming apparent that most people who are sick between the ages of twenty and forty years of age are living with AIDS.The official death toll per day in S. Africa at present is six hundred. One can ask the question how do we as pastoral workers, presenting the love of God offer a sense of hope to this situation?

I believe in practical solutions as a form of approach and with this in mind came the training of homecare givers (financial aid for the training came from the Lenten Appeal). At present we have trained fifty-five care workers and now they are engaged in daily visits of their clients (people living Aids).Their efforts have helped people living with AIDS to have a quality of life (as it is regarded as a taboo in many respects) and hence they participate fully in the life of the community. It is so easy to hide from the effect of AIDS as most people who die from AIDS die actually from TB. In this respect, our program of action call's all to speak openly about AIDS and their response to it. It never ceases to amaze me how
positive people react once they are treated with respect and love and in this regard people attain
meaning to life.

The situation of AIDS coupled with the situation of poverty (70% unemployment) presents a melting
pot of social issues but I believed that our pastoral engagements have helped to alleviate the social
melting pot in some way within our parish in S. Africa. Now as mentioned above, I have been appointed to our house in Dublin, which presents its own melting pot of sorts. It will take time to find my way in Ireland, as everyday in S. Africa was a new day with new challenges while here life is somewhat structured and everyday tends to be the sameas before. I miss my beloved S. Africa but I live with the hope that I will return one day to its shores with a renewed sense ofvigour but for the present I welcome the challenge of Templeogue and all its activities.

CONFIDENT ABOUT THE FUTURE OF OUR PAST

I am a young priest belonging to the society of Missionaries of Africa [White Fathers]. Ordained in 1997, I have since been involved in parish ministry in Tanzania until a year and a half ago when I came to Ireland for some further studies. I am currently pursuing philosophical studies at Milltown Institute in
Dublin.

What I am about to share with you here is what one would call; looking at reality through the eyes of a foreigner. Being a priest on my arrival here I was unsurprisingly interested in how the Irish Church was like. I often heard [and still hear] people saying with concern and with a touch of sadness: "Hah, the Church is no longer what it used to be. Faith is dying out in our country…!"

Obviously as a newcomer I do not have the experience of how the Church 'used to be.' But I am gathering a personal, and admittedly limited impression of how the Church is now. I do take part in pastoral ministry in parishes in Dublin.

Last year I had a privileged time of being involved in Mission Appeals in the diocese of Cork. I encountered and worshiped with several parish communities there. Contrary to the initial and popular ideas that 'faith is dying out,' that many people particularly the young have lost interest in the Church… I was impressed and encouraged by the numbers and conviction of those I met, especially by young
people and their active participation and interest in the life and activity of the Church.

In Milltown Institute I study with many young people. Again I am heartened by the strength of their personal Christian convictions. At any time of the day if you happen to go to our University Chapel, you never miss to find several young people in personal prayer. In class and along the corridors these young students share with tremendous conviction about their faith.They are passionately concerned about
ethical issues; human rights, justice, fairness, the lot of the less fortunate here in Ireland and elsewhere in the world. As a foreigner [non-Irish] I feel utterly respected by, and at home with my fellow students.

This bears witness to a sound and live Christian faith. Perhaps not in a form of doctrine, but in spirit and in practice. Christianity as a religion with the necessary external structures has changed, continues to
change and to a degree, needs to change. But faith is still strong. Personal conviction, concern for
neighbour make me feel confident about the future of Ireland's Christian past. After all, are not conviction [faith] concern [love] and confidence [hope] the three pillars of Christian faith?

The challenge for us is perhaps not to take this existing faith for granted. It needs nourishing and keeping. It needs to be attractively and meaningfully passed on to our children and our children's children. So however hopeful we may be, or ought to be about the future, we need to continue seeking and praying for new ways of being a meaningful Church. And this is perhaps something to be aware of: It is in
the nature of us humans [especially as we grow older and used to our familiar ways] to resist change, even change for the better!

Paddy Nuwe-Agabah
M.Afr.

The Good News in AFRICA

Turn on the TV, open the newspaper, and if there is an article about Africa the chances are that it will be bad news. Floods and famine, drought and deforestation, wars betweenpeoples and nations.This seems to be the lot of what has been called the 'dark continent'.

In 2004 the big stories from Africa were the genocide in the Darfur region of Western Sudan and the tenth anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda. Other news included war in Burundi, communal street fighting in Nigeria and mass displacement in northern Uganda, where 1.8m people have fled their homes to avoid being murdered by an army of child soldiers led by a man who thinks he is the Messiah. All this
obscures a surprising trend: Africa has actually grown more peaceful in recent years.

As recently as 1999 a fifth of Africans lived in nations tortured by war. But civil wars in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Angola appear to be over. A ceasefire ending the pointless conflict between Ethiopia
and Eritrea is still holding. Even the Democratic Republic of Congo is looking better.Though not exactly
at peace, it is not gripped by the furious fighting that claimed 3m lives between 1998 and 2003.

What has prompted this outbreak of peace? Some wars ended because the combatants were exhausted. In Angola, for example, after the rebel Chief Jonas Savimbi was shot in 2002 his bedraggled
followers gave up and formed a political party. Other wars ended because of skilful diplomacy. Liberia was pulled from the inferno when Nigeria persuaded its warmongering president, Charles Taylor to accept asylum.And outside military intervention has calmed some trouble spots. British soldiers helped to rescue Sierra Leone from its hand-chopping rebels and French and West African peace keepers have done a reasonable job of keeping the two parties in Cote d'Ivoire's civil war apart.

For many Africans, peace has brought hope. Refugees are returning home, farmers are planting crops without fears that they will be stolen by passing armies. For the first time in a generation, Angolans can travel around their country without fear of being killed.

But two grave worries remain. One is Sudan, where the atrocious campaign of ethnic cleansing in the western region of Darfur threatens to tear apart Africa's largest country. The other is that, even in the
countries now at peace, the underlying causes of war have often not been addressed. Studies show
that civil wars are more likely to occur in countries with bad governments, stagnant economies and lots of valuable minerals.

Tyranny gives people cause to rebel. Poverty makes soldiering seem an attractive career option. Mineral wealth makes power lucrative to those who seize it. Africa has all these problems in truckloads. But, optimists argue that Africans themselves have started to make more serious efforts to resolve their own conflicts.The two key peacemakers are the presidents of Africa's richest and most populous nations respectively: Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Olusegum Obasanjo of Nigeria. Mr. Mbeki has worked hard to cajole warring factions into patching up their differences, with some success in Congo and Burundi.The affable Mr. Obasanjo has acted as an honest broker between warring parties in Darfur,
though without much yet to show for it.

So, what should we expect in 2005? The best guess is that Angola, Sierra Leone and Liberia will remain peaceful and an uneasy stalemate will hold in Cote D'Ivoire. Despite forecasts to the contrary, Zimbabwe will not collapse into civil war, since only one side (the government) is armed. If Guinea's ailing President Lansana Conte dies, there may be a coup there. Sudan will remain utterly wretched, as international efforts to halt the killing in Darfur will amount to a tiny fraction of what is needed. Congo will hang together but only just.

Most African countries will remain stable, including the two most important: Nigeria and South Africa. Predictions that Nigeria's ethnic violence could lead to civil war seem wildly implausible, and South Africa faces no visible threats. Africa will be less bloody than news footage suggests, but bloodier than Africans would wish.
Source: The Economist

AFRICA' s Aid Enigma

The public and private response to the Tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia has been extraordinary. From coffee mornings to corporate donations contributions have been unbelievable.There have been stories of tycoons giving millions, hard-up elderly donating their pensions and children emptying their piggy banks.

For all aid campaigners, the good news is that this response shows that people will give more generously
than ever when moved by suffering.The Missionaries of Africa, who have begged continuously over the
years, know only too well, the generosity of people. But the real challenge is to direct that generosity
from single, easily comprehensible acts of destruction to the more complex and at times seemingly insoluble problems of Africa. For it in no way diminishes the great response of everyone to the present crisis if we continue to beg for help.

In Africa 30,000 children die every day, largely from preventable diseases and from lack of food and
clean water. Nor does it diminish the tsunami disaster to point out that each week more children are wiped out in Africa by disease and malnutrition than current estimates suggest were killed in the deadly wave.

How will future generations look back on a time when many in the West are obsessed with avoiding
obesity while much of the Developing World does not have enough to eat?

The problems in Africa are immense and action is needed on three fronts - trade, debt and aid.Trade
justice is hard to fault. Africa is the continent that trade liberalisation left behind. In 25 years its share of
world trade has dropped from 5% to less than 2%. Africa is hugely dependant on agriculture and has
been particularly vulnerable to protectionist farm polices.The appalling Common Agricultural Policy
which combines discrimination against poor countries exports with dumping of agricultural products in
their markets has brought havoc. Africa farmers have seen their livelihoods destroyed.

Those who urge debt forgiveness should avoid naivety. Debt forgiveness, dropping the debt, sounds
good but can have unintended consequences. Countries that have had their debt cancelled can find it hard to borrow from international capital markets.

The same is true of aid. Everything must be done to create good governance so that aid works.That has been the challenge in Africa throughout the entire post-colonial era. It is because of their long experience of mission work that missionaries on the ground know what has to be done and how to do it.
And because of this, we know that our friends will understand our continuing to reach out for your help.

 

RAFFLE With this issue of the Newsletter you will find some Raffle cards for our annual raffle. This year we are running the raffle to benefit a fund that we are establishing for the care of our elderly missionaries, most of who have spent many years of their lives in Africa and who may one day require special care. We hope that our elderly friends and those who already help us in other ways will not be offended by being sent raffle cards.The cards (2) are automatically put into the envelopes.We would like to assure you that if you cannot sell the lines yourself, you should not worry. However, selling lines is an ideal way of enlisting the help of a wider circle of people who are not regular contributors. We thank all of you for your faithful support of our missionary Society.

 

Please Pray for our Friends who have Died

Chawke Mrs Maureen, Killester, Dublin. (Sister of Fr Frank Ball M.Afr.) Collins Ms Ethnea, Lisnaskea, Co. Fermanagh. Conefry Mr Walter, 46 Highfield, Ballsgrove, Drogheda. Connolly Mr Thomas, Main St., Killeshandra, Co. Cavan. Darby Mrs Ita ( nee Redican) Luton, England. Devlin Ms Mary, Eglinton Avenue,Toronto, Canada. Doyle Miss Ann, Clonard Court, Balbriggan, Co. Dublin. Drumm Mr John, Pearse Road, Sligo. Dunne Ms Joan, Monglass, Cairm, Enniscorthy. Gallagher Ms Margaret, Beagh,Ardara, Co. Donegal. Galligan Mr Tom, Derragh,Abbeyleix. Garry Mrs Patricia, 5 Hillview Crescent, Killeigh, Co. Offaly Gilleece Mr Thomas P,Terraroe, Derrylin, Co Fermanagh. Griffin Mr Patrick, Glenmaloon, Glencar, Co Kerry Guinan Ms Julia, Ballybritt, Roscrea, Co Tipperary Hamill Mrs Bridget, Crossmaglen, Newry, Co Down. Heeney Mr Patrick, Ballybofey, Co. Donegal. Hurley Ms Maureen, East Wall, Dublin 3. Kavanagh Mrs Rose, Broadford, Moyvalley, Co. Kildare. Keenan Mr Joseph,Tarmonbarry, Longford. Kelly Mrs Kathleen, Cahir, Castlerea, Lynch Miss Annie, Cross, Clonmany, Co. Donegal. Martin Mrs Catherine, Silverbridge, Newry, Co. Down. Molahan Mrs Ann,Tully, Carrigallen PO, Co. Leitrim. Mulvagh Mr William, 74 Cypress Grove Road, Dublin 6W Murphy Miss Trish, Cypress Grove South, Dublin 6W. McGowan Mr Michael McGreen Mrs Moira, Derryveen, Circular Road, Kilkee. McKiernan Mr Paddy, Barran, Blacklion, Co. Cavan. McLaughlin Mr Patrick, Cypress Grove Road, Dublin 6W. McLoughlin Mr Hugh, Inver House, Ballinode, Sligo. McPhillips Mr John C, 4 High Street, Monaghan. O'Donnell Ms Mary, Cree Cottage, Cree, Kilrush, Co. Clare. O'Kane Mr Sam, Croston Road,Torrington, Preston, UK. O'Malley Mr Jim, Glack, Park Road, Longford. O'Regan Mrs Eileen, Upper Friars Road, Turners Cross, Cork. O'Rourke Mr Patrick,The Glebe, Inniskeen, Dundalk, Co. Louth O'Toole Sister Consilio, Convent of Mercy, Newport, Co.Tipperary Quinlivan Mr Joe, Quin, Co. Clare Quinn Ms A M, 40 Lr Back Road, Dungannon, Co.Tyrone. Sammut Mr John, 3 Carlisle Square, Belfast. Stack Mr JJ, Muckenaugh, Lixnaw, Co. Kerry. Thornton Mr Liam, Cypress Grove Road, Dublin 6W.

May they rest in peace with the Father

PLEASE REMEMBER THE MISSIONS IN YOUR WILL Our legal name is Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers). A suitable formula is: I give to the Society of Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) the sum off €........... free of duty. And I declare that the Provincial of the Society who now resides at 148 Wainsfort Road, Dublin 6 shall be in good discharge. Carry on the good work you have been doing during your life by helping to spread the Gospel after you have gone to the Father.