From the Director

The Witness of Presence All of us are called to be on mission wherever we are, but some are called to go to other peoples and countries throughout the world to spread the message of the Gospel. One such person is Fr. Barnabas Gorski, OFM, a priest of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Province of the Friars Minor. He is following in the footsteps of the founder of his Order.

St. Francis of Assisi went to Damietta in 1219. The Crusaders were doing battle with the Muslims (then known as the Saracens) and he wanted to demonstrate that peace could be achieved in a different way and ever since then the Franciscans have had a special relationship with the people of the Islamic world.

The Franciscan Friars have been in Morocco since 1220. Their mission there was short-lived because they began to preach about Jesus on street corners and in the plazas filled with the pungent aroma of exotic spices. Within a short time they were arrested and beheaded. They became the first martyrs of the Franciscan community. Nevertheless a Franciscan presence in Morocco spans from the thirteenth to the twenty-first century.

St. Francis taught that witness was the primary way to be on mission. Blessed John Paul II echoed these same words in his encyclical letter, Redemptoris Missio, 42 where he wrote that:

The witness of a Christian life is the first and irreplaceable form of mission: Christ, whose mission we continue, the ‘witness’ par excellence and the model of all Christian witness.

Such is the witness of Fr. Barnabas and the friars with whom he lives. Morocco is 98.7% Muslims; Christianity is 1.1% and though the country does allow freedom of worship, Christians cannot engage in any form of evangelization. If a Muslim becomes a Christian this is considered an offence against Islam and punishable by death. In such a context the witness means everything.

Fr. Barnabas is one of about twenty Franciscan Friars who serve the church through their witness of presence in Morocco. The community in which Fr. Barnabas lives is composed of four friars, each from a different country and himself. He ministers to a group of Catholics who meet at the house of the Missionaries of Charity in Casablanca. Every weekend he travels three and a half hours by bus to celebrate Mass for the sisters and those Catholics in the area. Catholics are found in the cities of Casablanca, Tangiers and Rabat and friars reach out to them to help support them in their faith.

By comparison, Morocco is one of the most religiously tolerant countries in the Muslim world. Nevertheless, the government's tolerance toward Christian faiths is one that doesn't allow for any

MISSION MATTERS

P o n t i f i c a l M i s s i o n S o c i e t i e s — O n e F a m i l y i n M i s s i o n O f f i c e o f M i s s i o n E d u c a t i o n f o r t h e N e w E v a n g e l i z a t i o n

A r c h d i o c e s e o f C h i c a g o

Volume 4 Issue 3 - June 2013

FROM POPE FRANCIS

Dialogue is born from a respectful attitude

toward the other person, from a conviction that the other person has

something good to say… Dialogue entails a warm reception…To dialogue, one must know how to

lower the defenses, to open the doors of one’s home

and to offer warmth.

(continued on next page)

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challenge of Islam, in any shape or form. But that doesn't keep Catholics from reaching out to help people in a country where 60 percent are illiterate and one in three people live below the poverty line. It just means that it has to be done in a way that doesn't carry evangelizing undertones. For example, there are 15 Catholic schools in Morocco, and most of the students are Moroccan. Though classes are taught by Catholics, there is no religious component. Lay Catholics also work with a variety of Moroccan associations on projects such as bringing potable water to remote villages in the Atlas Mountains, and teaching rural dwellers basic reading.

The Diocese of Tangiers and the Diocese of Rabat have a total of some 25,000 believers and 60 priests. In a country of 30 million, Catholics are clearly a minority. And without the built-in Christian atmosphere of most Western countries, Catholics say they must depend more on each other to celebrate their faith.

If the New Evangelization is going to become a reality here in the Archdiocese of Chicago we will need to have great solidarity with one another so that our witness can be attractive and clear. In short, we will need to reach beyond the doors of our church buildings to meet people wherever we are and invite them to share in Christ’s mission with us. This, of course, means that we must be sure that the witness of our lives helps to lead people to Christ.

Be sure to welcome the missionary who comes to your parish to do a mission appeal!

„Więcej szczęścia jest w dawaniu aniżeli w braniu” (Dz 20,35)

Każdy Chrześcijanin jest powołany i posłany do świadczenia o Jezusie i Królestwie Bożym. Błogosławiony Jan Paweł II w Encyklice Redemptioris Missio stwierdza: „Jeśli zbawienie zostało przeznaczone dla wszystkich, musi ono być dane konkretnie do dyspozycji wszystkich. Oczywiste jest jednak, że dziś, tak jak i w przeszłości, wielu ludzi nie ma możliwości poznania czy przyjęcia ewangelicznego Objawienia i wejścia do Kościoła. Żyją oni w warunkach społeczno-kulturowych, które na to nie pozwalają, a często zostali wychowani w innych tradycjach religijnych.”(10) Kochający Bóg obdarzył nas bardzo ważną misją, którą jest okazywanie Jego miłości innym ludziom, zarówno tym, którzy Go poznali jak i tym, którzy Go nie znają.

W tym kontekście warto zwrócić uwagę na Doroczną Kwestę Misyjną w Archidiecezji Chicago, która jest wyrazem braterstwa i solidarności z misjonarzami na całym świecie. Bardzo często misjonarze zmagają się nie tylko z zagrożeniami wynikającymi z toczonych konfliktów zbrojnych, ale także z problemami finansowymi i bytowymi. Nie jest żadną tajemnicą, że większość misjonarzy jest zależnych od środków materialnych pozyskiwanych z zewnątrz. Toteż głównym celem Dorocznej Kwesty Misyjnej jest podkreślenie naszej solidarność z misjonarzami, którzy realizują nakaz Chrystusa: „Idźcie na cały świat i głoście Ewangelię” (Mk 16, 15-18).

W tym roku Archidiecezja Chicago na przełomie lipca i sierpnia będzie gościła 150 misjonarzy z Afryki, Azji i Ameryki Południowej. Jest to wyjątkowa okazja, aby bliżej zapoznać się z pracą misyjną każdego z nich. Ich doświadczenie powinno być dla nas drogowskazem. Chrystus kocha każdego z nas i pragnie naszego dobra. My także nie zapominajmy o naszych braciach i siostrach na całym świecie, którzy nie poznali nauki Chrystusa. Bądźmy świadkami miłości i braterstwa z tymi, którzy czekają na naszą pomoc.

Anna Dudek Coordinator for Polish Mission Education

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To read this article in English, please visit our website www.WeAreMissionary.org

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My Life “on Mission” Nothing we do changes the past but everything we do changes the future. This phrase, a favorite of mine for many years, is taped to my computer as a daily reminder. As I write this, my last article for the Office of Mission Education for the New Evangelization newsletter, and m y J u l y r e t i r e m e n t

approaches, I can’t help but think back to how mission has changed my future and guided my life.

As an 8 year old second grader at St. Stephen School in Stevens Point, WI my teacher, Sr. Lillian SSND, introduced me, and the rest of the class, to a baby in Africa who would be baptized and named by our class for a donation to the Holy Childhood Association. For me it opened up a whole new world of my brothers and sisters in God’s family. From that moment on I wanted to be a missionary and go to Africa.

With that desire in mind in my young years I prayed for those in need and helped others as best I could. As a freshman in college, still called to mission work, I left school to spend a year teaching the children of migrant workers in Hereford, Texas. My work there led me to Chicago where I completed my education, began teaching and became a principal in the Archdiocese of Chicago for many years.

During those years, my dream of going to Africa became real as I visited Kenya and Tanzania. A few years later I was blessed with an opportunity to go to Jinja, Uganda to meet the people of Holy Cross Parish, which was the twinning parish of the parish where I was principal. I returned from each trip with a greater passion to do more and an even stronger desire to instill in the hearts of children a love for their brothers and sisters around the world. As God’s call can come in unusual ways, five years ago, I found myself out of the day to day life in a school and working in the Catholic Mission Office. I had come full circle as I became the coordinator for the Holy Childhood Association, here in the Archdiocese.

Though never a missionary in a distant country, I have truly learned what it means to be a missionary disciple. I’ve been privileged to work with missionaries and to speak with many children and adults about our mission as disciples. This past year HCA was newly entitled MCA - Missionary Childhood Association to put more emphasis on our daily mission. Though there are not as many children involved in MCA these days, those who are involved continue to do marvelous work for our brothers and sisters through prayer, learning what it means to sacrifice for others and supporting children in missions throughout the world.

As I begin a new phase in my “missionary” life, I look back at a few of my favorite moments in the Mission Education Office especially meeting and befriending the Maryknoll, Comboni and Columban missionaries here in Chicago, sharing the Missionary Childhood Association with parishes and schools, providing teachers with a monthly website of mission resources for children, getting children involved in what it means to be “the hands and feet of Christ” using only art and video in the “Mission Possible” Art Contest, making Mission Rosaries with the teens on retreat and the elementary students at Infant Jesus of Prague School and connecting 4 schools and 8 classrooms within the Archdiocese with students in Cusco, Peru who have become prayer partners and pen pals. I hope, in some small way, each has changed a bit of the future.

To all who touched my life during the years and have helped make my missionary dreams come true, I Thank You for your missionary spirit. The dedicated people with whom I have worked, the faithful donors who support our missions, the men and women I have met who dedicate their lives to working with those in need, and the day to day work at the Mission Office shall continue to inspire me. My life “on mission” has been blessed because of people like you who believe in sharing love and faith, and continue to support our world family. You are changing the future!

May God continue to bless you in your missionary vocation as God has in mine. We are called….

Peace,

Associate Director Missionary Childhood Association Coordinator

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Hablar de misión es hablar de “Nueva Evangelización”. La misión es fundamentalmente para evangelizar y dadas las circunstancias del general debilitamiento de la fe de las personas en nuestra sociedad contemporánea, el discípulo misionero del siglo XXI tiene que considerar la misión, como “nueva” en su ardor, en sus métodos y en sus expresiones.

Dios se hizo hombre en Jesucristo para compartir su “identidad” y misión con nosotros, por eso, sólo aquel que se ha encontrado verdaderamente con Jesucristo es consciente de su fe y de su llamado misionero. El discípulo, a medida que conoce y ama a su Señor, experimenta la necesidad de compartir con otros su alegría de ser enviado, de ir al mundo a anunciar a Jesucristo, muerto y resucitado, a hacer realidad el amor y el servicio en la persona de los más necesitados, en una palabra, a construir el reino de Dios (Documento de Aparecida #278). Esta vocación misionera la compartimos todos: obispos, presbíteros, diáconos, laicos y en particular las familias. Por ende, la iglesia no tiene una misión sino que la misión tiene una iglesia, es decir, que la misión de Dios tiene parroquias, sacerdotes, catequistas, ministros... En otras palabras, la misión de Dios es la fuente de todo lo que existe.

Desde esta óptica; el proceso de formación misionera, “Llegar a Ser Discípulos Misioneros”, nos ayudará a crecer en nuestra relación con Cristo; para que podamos responder más plenamente a la invitación de Dios a participar en su misión. Este proceso de formación consta de seis sesiones: (1) El Encuentro con Cristo en la Escrituras, (2) La Misión: Presencia de los convertidos en el mundo,

Edwin Rondán Coordinator for Hispanic Mission Education

Llegar a Ser Discípulos Misioneros

Additional information can be found on our website

WeAreMissionary.org - click on MCA!

(3) Ayudas para crecer en Cristo, (4) Identidad y Visión Misionera, (5) Ser Enviado, y (6) El Circulo de la Praxis Misionera. El objetivo de estas sesiones es ayudar a profundizar nuestra fe y a vivir la misión de Dios, como comunidad parroquial, en nuestro contexto particular.

Si deseas ser parte de este proceso de formación o deseas mayor información, puedes comunicarte al 312-534-3328 como también pueden enviar un correo electrónico a: erondan@archchicago.org

Que Cristo Misionero del Padre nos guie en este proceso de formación para llegar a ser verdaderos discípulos misioneros.

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To read this article in English, visit our website www.WeAreMissionary.org

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SSPREADPREAD THETHE GGOODOOD WWORDORD!!

Suppor t the Soc iety for the

Propagat ion of the Fa i th !

Visit our website www.WeAreMiss ionar y .org

and click Donate or call us at (312) 534-3322!

Listen to Sr. Madge LIVE! on Relevant Radio 950AM

the Third Thursday of each month 09:30am-10:00am (CST)

Or via your computer at WeAreMissionary.org/

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Thank you Donors! Prayerful greetings and best wishes from Fr. S. Don Bosco Selvaraj, Mundelein Seminary, Chicago.

I feel very happy to introduce myself to you through this letter. I belong to the diocese of Kumbakonam, India. I was ordained on May 02, 2005 for the Diocese of Kumbakonam, South India. For the first three years of my priesthood, I was appointed as an associate pastor in three different parishes. I had a chance to serve for next two years as secretary to the commission for social communications in the Diocese of Kumbakonam.

I was chosen by my Bishop for higher studies in USA. In that way, I came to Mundelein Seminary on September 02, 2010 to do my Master's program. I am privileged to be a student here at Mundelein which is a great place to study and have an ongoing formation in my priestly life.

Indeed I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the assistance from the Office of Mission Education during my study at Mundelein and for your continuous support. I can assure you that my stay here helped me to deepen my knowledge. I hope it will enrich my priestly ministry and make me an efficient priest when I go back to my native diocese.

The only repayment I can make is my personal prayers for you and the Archdiocese of Chicago. Kindly continue to remember me in your prayers.

Assuring you of my prayers,

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Don Bosco Selvaraj The Liturgical Institute University of St.Mary of the Lake 1000 East Maple Ave Mundelein, IL 60060

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Pontifical Mission Societies—One Family in Mission Office of Mission Education for the New Evangelization

Office for Mission Education and Animation: Fostering the New Evangelization Cardinal Meyer Center 3525 S. Lake Park Ave. Chicago, IL 60653-1402

Phone: 312-534-3322 Fax: 312-534-1599 E-mail: missions@archchicago.org Website: www.WeAreMissionary.org

Sisters have always been there for us

~ lets be there for them!

World Mission Dinner to benefit the Mater Ecclesiae College

for Sisters from Mission Countries

October 8, 2013 ∙ 6-9pm Archbishop Quigley Center ∙ 835 N. Rush Street ∙ Chicago, IL 60611

SSAVE AVE TTHE HE DDATEATE!!

Special Guests: His Eminence, Francis Cardinal George

Kate Sullivan, CBS News Anchor Sr. Teibe Hagdhu, Comboni Missionary Sister

For further information contact Liz Johnson at 312-534-3855 or ejohnson@archchicago.org