That Time of Year Again

Fr. Ian Buckmaster

Christmas is just over and now we are looking forward to Easter when we will celebrate meeting the risen Lord. But there is that period of preparation that we call Lent which is meant to cleanse us in some way to celebrate the feast worthily. I always remember it as a tension filled time.
My father was very scrupulous over keeping the fast to an extent that we would consider exaggerated nowadays. Did a cup of tea and 2 goldgrain biscuits before going to bed break the fast? What was a collation anyway? I remember sitting on the 30 bus going into town on Holy Saturday morning, waiting for the Angelus bell to announce the end of the fast and I could eat my sweets again. Those were the times when the letter of the law gives us a sense of security and a guarantee for a favourable judgment on the last day. But it is not meant to be like that at all. We can develop an excessive legalism which prevents us from showing love and compassion. Maybe can use this period of preparation to deepen our own understanding of being a Christian nowadays

It is not always easy to keep rules and regulations. Most people accept the 10 commandments as sound common sense, necessary for a modicum of order in society. Yet keeping rules and regulations
may not help us to be more loving or compassionate or forgiving. A false sense of justice can easily
degenerate into a demand for revenge. Jesus often got angry when keeping the rules meant more than showing compassion and love which are the corner stones of his kingdom. Again and again in the Old Testament we read of God’s demand that his people should look after the stranger, the orphan and the
widow. In a society professing faith in the One True God, this duty of care is paramount. Are we in danger of forgetting that in our modern society of today? Are we in danger of forgetting that we are God’s children, as St. John calls us, and that means acceptance of other people as our brothers and sisters without exception? Yet in a fundamentally secular world we are warned of the dangers of letting in the stranger even though they only are seeking a better way of life for themselves and their families.

A climate of fear has invaded our thought process so that people who are different are a threat to our prosperity and well being. Yet the command of love in St. John’s first letter asks us to share with others who are less well off than ourselves. To share our wealth in a Christian way would abolish the terrible distinctions that are made between the 1st world and the 3rd World. We are told that economic laws cannot be changed, that market forces are important for continuing economic growth. Yet economic laws are not absolute and human beings can change their behaviour when a course of action is clearly indicated. Maybe the rising panic over climate change will mean that change in our economic behaviour will be necessary if living on our planet is going to be a viable proposition.

As Christians we can only witness and inform people of God’s love and compassion as well of his good will for us. The tactics of the world such as power and coercion are not for us. The only weapons we have are our defenselessness, poverty, and humility. In victory there will be no domination but a genuine sense of community which will go beyond all differences.

So as Lent looms on the horizon, we are invited to think beyond the personal challenge of fasting or giving up little things or making sacrifices. What about spending a little bit more on Fairtrade products which we can find in most supermarkets. Why not inform ourselves more about the strangers in our midst and challenge all attitudes and prejudices that would make them aliens and enemies.
Let us be convinced that they are God’s children too. Let us welcome the risen Lord this year with an open heart. The Kingdom is where we are now and it makes demands on our love, generosity, and compassion. We ask the Holy Spirit to help us to be alert to that God’s Spirit of Love that goes beyond boundaries and prejudices.

Happy Easter

Ian Buckmaster
Provincial

 

Pastoral Visitations.

 

The sun is setting in a blaze of glory as I enter the village. I have come to see two good friends of mine, Sofia and Joyce. Both are paralysed now for some 20 years. They say its latent polio; probably failure to get the vaccine as children. Their daily routine never changes; from morning till night they sit on their mat outside their little mud hut. People come and go, some bring food but these days there is a shortage because the rains have failed so some days they have to go without. Sofia and Joyce are an inspiration. Always smiling and never complaining. They are completely on their own except for their cousin Mailesi who lives next door; she is their big support but she is not here today. When I ask of her whereabouts there is a look of sadness. They say she is very ill. Last week she gave birth to twins one is dead and the other is dying. I go next door to visit

Mailesi. It’s hard to take in the scene. Mailesi is laid out on a mat outside her hut; a body wasted away to a mere skeleton, by her side the tiny baby struggling to survive. Mailesi reaches out a feeble hand to greet me makes an effort to smile; her words are barely audible, she is so weak.
Mailesi one of those beautiful people; always full of the joys of life and humour There was always laughter and teasing when we met. But now just 28 years old she is slowly dying…..the scourge of Aids.

I look at her three small children watching their mother’s and the little baby’s life slowly ebbing away. What must be their thoughts, who will care for them when their mother is gone? The scene is heart-rending! When she got ill her husband abandoned her….Mailesi’s mother is present she is happy that I have come.

I pray with Mailesi and her children; they belong to another Christian denomination but what does it matter at this moment. I can sense her appreciation. Only the Lord can give light and hope in this hopeless situation.

When I return some time later Sofia and Joyce inform me that Mailesi and her baby died shortly after my visit. For Sofia and Joyce this is a sad and big loss, their trusted and loyal friend their big support. The 3 children of Mailesi are now separated having gone into the care of different families.

The story of Mailesi and her children is one that repeats itself frequently in our parish. The curse of Aids, the loss of young lives, the break-up of family life, the ever increasing number of orphans desperately in need of support, love and care. Those suffering from Aids and the orphans are now one of the major pastoral concerns in our parishes.

They are our regular visitors at the Mission looking for help, understanding and love. Here in Nyimba we are now caring for over 400 orphans in terms of material support and education. This is a very small percentage of the many that keep coming to us for assistance.

With the Aids epidemic apparently on the increase here in Zambia (in our parish one in four are said to be infected by the virus), hospitals are unable to accommodate the increasing numbers. Home Based Care groups like the one we have formed in our parish now go out and bring relief material support and medicine to the hundreds who have been sent back to their villages. It’s a daunting challenge.
Our resources are limited but even our little efforts mean so much to those who are suffering especially to those who have lost hope.

Fr. Joe Mc. Menamin. M.AFr

 

FOUR NEW MISIONARIES OF AFRICA:

Every year through your support of the St. Anthony’s Burse we are able to contribute towards
the formation costs of students for our Society. This year we welcomed four new members at our new
Formation house in Abijan, Ivory Coast. Here we share their stories:

Forty Years `A Growing

Forty years ago, 1967, I came to Adigrat, Ethiopia. The late Pope Paul VI had asked the Missionaries of Africa to accept the request of an Ethiopian bishop that we should assist in the education of his diocesan seminarians.

On arrival in Ethiopia my identity card was marked 01-IR. In other words I happened to be registered as the first Irishman to receive a residence permit. We Missionaries of Africa were not to take charge of the bishop’s seminary; we were to assist and that meant forming a team made up of Ethiopian diocesan priests and ourselves together.
Since then 76 Ethiopian diocesan priests have been ordained. Two of them have been consecrated bishops: Bishop Tesfaselassie and Bishop Abraham.

Apart from having fulfilled a brief mandate as Provincial of the Irish Province, I have spent my years
in Adigrat, Ethiopia. Besides lecturing on Philosophy I have also given courses on Church History. Quite
unexpectedly, at the request of another bishop, I began writing the history of the Catholic Church in
northern Ethiopia and Eritrea. This came to fruition when the book The Ebullient Phoenix was eventually
printed in Addis Abeba. I wrote that book in English.

Subsequently, because many Ethiopians found it too difficult to read, the present bishop, in response to
popular demand, had it translated into Tigrinya, the most common language of the Diocese of Adigrat.
Now, after two years work that translation has been printed in Addis Abeba.

Looking back over those 40 years I have to thank the Ethiopian laity, sisters, priests and bishops for
their kindness. In whatever way I may have served them is nothing compared to the way the Ethiopians
have enriched my priestly humanity. I would even count it as a great blessing from God if I was to end
my days among them.

Kevin O’Mahoney

Pulling Up The Tent Pegs

I returned to Ireland in 2000 for a period of home service. This marked the first time in 25 years that I would live and work in Ireland. The previous years had been spent studying and working overseas. I had spent just over 16 years in Ghana and had come to regard that “country of culture” as my home. It was
thus a bit of a wrench to have to pull up the tent pegs of my life there in order to come back to Ireland.

Initially, I felt like a fish out of water. So much had and was changing. The economy was booming, social and religious values were changing, and a nation of emigrants was now welcoming immigrants in search of a better life. Once I had become acclimatised, I began to enjoy my ministry here. Administration work is always tedious but thankfully there is more to life than staring at a computer screen all day. I enjoyed the company of our retired missionaries and looked forward to welcoming those coming on home leave or for
studies.

Travelling around the country for parish appeals, annual displays of the Apostolic Work Society, and collecting mite boxes in shops, pubs, and hairdressing salons gave me a chance to meet some of you, our benefactors, who have faithfully supported us in our missionary work. Your commitment to the Churches mission is Africa has always been a great source of encouragement.

On a more personal note, it was nice to spend more time with family members, relatives and friends. In the past I met them every three years. By the time we had caught up on all the events of the previous three years, it was time to return to Africa. This time round it was different. There was the opportunity to be present at some significant events – baptisms, birthdays, exam success – and the tragedy of a broken down quad bike. This was a precious time. But now it is time to pull up the tent pegs once more and move to new pastures. I have been asked to join the staff of our formation house in Ethiopia where we train young Ethiopian men for missionary work in other parts of Africa.

Ethiopia is a fascinating country. It has a very rich cultural heritage and a Christian tradition that parallels our own. This is a new challenge and one to which I am looking forward.
Let’s hope and pray that the tent pegs will enter easily into the Ethiopian soil and remain firmly rooted there for many
years to come.

Gerry Murphy

Parish Promotion/Mission Awareness:

Every year through the auspices of the Irish Missionary Union (whose principal aim, is to advance the Kingdom of God through the spread of the Gospel), missionary congregations and Societies are designated a particular diocese to preach in, to share their experience of mission and to solicit funds for their work.

This year we extend special greetings to all our friends and benefactors in the Diocese of Ferns whom we will visit this year to speak about our work. We are looking forward to meeting old friends and making new ones.

If you are in one of the parishes where we will be visiting please make yourself known to us so that we can thank you personally for your support over the years. See you soon.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Archbishop Sean Brady, the priests and lay faithful of the Archdiocese of Armagh (Area 2) for their wonderful support in 2006. Through the Parish Promotion/Mission Awareness programme we raised over €113,000.00. Thank you.

Needs World Attention,

Pope Says Hope for the Continent Lies
in “Laudable Attitude of the People”

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 8, 2007 (Zenit.org) - Benedict XVI appealed to the international community
to put an end to the numerous wars and conflicts costing many lives in Africa. “At the outset, we note that peace is often fragile and even mocked,” said the Pope on addressing today ambassadors of countries that maintain diplomatic relations with the Holy See. The Holy Father referred first to the “drama of Darfur” which “is being extended to the border regions of Chad and the Central African Republic.”

The Pontiff said: “The international community has seemed powerless for almost four years, despite initiatives intended to bring relief to the populations in distress and to arrive at a political solution. Only by active cooperation between the United Nations, the African Union, the governments and other interested parties will these methods achieve results.”

The Bishop of Rome invited “all those concerned to act with determination: We cannot accept that so many innocent people continue to suffer and die in this way.”

Benedict XVI added: “The situation in the Horn of Africa has recently become more serious, with the
resumption of hostilities and the internationalization of the conflict.”

After “calling upon all parties to lay down their arms and to enter negotiations,” the Pope recalled Sister Leonella Sgobarti, “who gave her life in the service of the least fortunate, and prayed that her murderers be forgiven.” The Holy Father expressed hope that the example and testimony of this 66- year-old religious, killed on Sept. 17 in Mogadishu, near the hospital where she worked, may “inspire all those who truly seek the good of Somalia.”

In his analysis of the African situation, the Pontiff then mentioned Uganda, saying that: “We must pray for the progress of negotiations between the parties, in order to hasten the end of that cruel conflict which has even seen numerous children enlisted and forced to become soldiers.”

“I repeat:” the Pope said, “We must not forget Africa with its numerous situations of war and tension. We must remember that only negotiations between the various protagonists can open the way to a just settlement of the conflicts and offer a glimpse of progress towards the establishment of lasting peace.”

The Holy Father then focused on the Great Lakes region, which “has seen much bloodshed over
the years through merciless wars. Recent positive developments are to be welcomed with interest
and hope, especially the conclusion of the period of political transition in Burundi and, more recently,
in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” he said. Benedict XVI added: “It is urgent that these countries commit themselves to restoring the proper functioning of the rule of law, in order to disarm the warlords and allow society to develop.”

The Pontiff hoped that in Rwanda, “the long process of national reconciliation after the genocide may finally result in justice, but also in truth and forgiveness.”

The Holy Father mentioned the Ivory Coast, “urging the embattled parties to create a climate of mutual trust that can lead to disarmament and peace.”

He also spoke of the situation in Southern Africa, in whose countries “millions of people are reduced
to a situation of great vulnerability that clamors for the attention and the support of the international
community.”

The Pope saw positive signs for Africa in “the wish expressed by the international community to keep
its attention focused on this continent. Likewise the strengthening of Africa’s continental and regional
institutions bears witness to the desire of the countries concerned to take increasing charge of their own destiny.”

Benedict XVI said that the great hope for Africa is “the laudable attitude of the people who commit
themselves with determination every day, on the ground, to promote projects which contribute to the development and the organization of economic and social life.”

Please Pray for our Friends who have Died

Fitzpatrick Mr. Cornelius, Derryduff, Rosscarberry, Co. Cork (Brother of Fr. J. Fitzpatrick M.Afr.) Confrey Mrs. Rose, Old Hill, Drogheda, Co. Louth Coughlan, Mrs. Gretta, Ballydaheen, Charleville, Co. Cork Guckian, Mr.&Mrs., Leitrim Village, Co. Leitrim McHugh, Mr. Hugh, Gubaveeney, Blacklion, Co. Cavan Ryan, Mrs. Mary, Bealaclare, Rearcross, Co. Tipperary McKernan, Mrs. Peggy, Middletown, Co. Armagh Walsh Mrs. Peggy, Kinvara, Camus, Co. Galway Baxter Mrs. M. “St. Aidan’s” Cavan. Daly Ms. Mary, 42 Derham Park, Balbriggan, Co.Dublin Mulpeter Mr. Michael, Hazelbrook Drive, Terenure, Dublin. McConville Mr. M., Kilbroney Road, Rostrevor, Co. Down Donnelly Mr. Carl, Tempo, Co.Fermanagh and San Francisco USA McTigue Mr. Patrick, Ballynulty, Cloghan’s Hill, Tuam, Co.Galway Drew Mrs. Geraldine, Loughboy, Kilkenny. O’Cleireachain Mrs.Violet, Dalkey, Co.Dublin O’Reilly Very Rev. Michael, PE St. Columcille’s, Swords, Co.Dublin MacNamara Mrs. Mary, Moore St. Kilrush, Co.Clare Barrow Mrs. Kathleen Bernadette (Bernie) Monkstown, Dublin. Bradley Mr. Louis, Ward Avenue, Lisburn, Co.Antrim. Reidy Mr. John, Tullagower, Cooraclare, Co.Clare Mullan Mr.James Richard,Lisnascreagh Road, Garvagh, Co.Derry Diamond Mrs. Kitty, Drumlease, Dromahair, Co.Leitrim Carabini Mr. Francis (Fran), Rush, Co. Dublin Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

May they rest in peace with the Father

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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 Cypress Grove, Templeogue, Dublin 6W 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.

Email: promafr@eircom.net