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Myanmar’s Desire for Freedom

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Aung San Suu Kyi

Nelson Mandela once said: “There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.” Even with our daily news reminding us of the emerging “Arab Spring,” we can often take our freedom for granted and think that our country was always free. Yet, as we have learned through our own struggles, past and present, freedom needs to be desired and often fought for.

Living as I do with La Salettes from around the world, I am often struck by the struggles that other present-day nations have in approaching freedom. One struggling country is Myanmar, an ancient nation but certainly having its struggles to approach some basic freedoms. From our entry as La Salettes into then known as Burma in 1937, we have been encouraged by the goodness of the Burmese people but eventually suffered with them from Communist governments that eventually threw us out of their country. But more recently, the smallest of signs of emerging freedom may be blossoming.

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La Salette Sisters in Philippines

“A hungry child is humanity-deprived. And orphans are the most helpless
around us. Simple faith allows us to see Christ on the faces of the
hungry.” Frank de Leon, Pres., “And You Gave Me Food”

Orphanage and Prison Ministries

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Hungry child being fed

We met Sister Eva Marie of the Sisters of Our Lady of La Salette, Philippine Province, during our novena last June 18, 2011. She introduced us to her community’s ministries and projects in the Philippines and asked everyone to help them with our prayers, our talents and our financial support. Sister Eva Marie also gave emphasis on the Sisters’ prison ministry, bringing hope to the dismal conditions of the Philippine jails.

According to the Asia and Pacific Prison Forums in Manila, a prison built to hold 800 detainees has more than 5,000. The prison in Quezon City is meant to cater for 815 people, but its population has reached nearly 3,500 inmates. This means each detainee has less than 0.3 square

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La Salette window in Sisters’
chapel, Quezon City, Philippines

meters of space compared to three square meters per detainee stipulated by the United Nations. Detainees die of tuberculosis, chickenpox and other simple diseases that spread rapidly. Many prisoners die before their trial.

La Salette Sisters in the Philippines

In the Philippines, the Sisters of Our Lady of La Salette are present in the provinces of Isabela, Bulacan, Cavite, and in Quezon City. Since education and professional training is an important part of their formation, the Sisters engage in various ministries: from teaching to administration, guidance and counseling in schools, from catechetical instruction in parishes to the formation of Basic Christian Communities in the barrios, animating Bible studies and prayer groups.

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La Salette Shrine in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The giant statue of Cristo Redentor,
Christ Redeemer, overlooking the
city of Rio de Janeiro

Since the arrival of Fr. Clement Henry Moussier, M.S., to Brazil in 1902, he desired to establish a Shrine in the National Capital of Brazil at the time. It was a dream that was soon to be fulfilled has not been slow to materialize.

It was thus that, after his first steps in São Paulo, the La Salette mission all who benefit from established itself in Rio de Janeiro. Settling first in the Parish of “Sanco Cristo” (Holy Christ) in 1912, the La Salettes then came to the neighborhood of Catumbi and with him, came the desire to build a Shrine there, dedicated to Our Lady of La Salette.

 
It is thus that in April 14, 1914, he founded the Parish under the title of Our Lady of Sorrows of La Salette, a title that would later be shortened to the Parish of Our Lady of La Salette.
 
In January 20, 1918, Cardinal Arcoverde presided over the Ceremony of the blessing of the cornerstone which text of the Minutes refers expressly “the Blessing of the cornerstone of the Shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows of La Salette, who shall serve as center” for the community of Catumbi.
 
With its gothic style, the tapering shaped tower houses a set of 12 bells brought from Portugal in 1924. Its stained glass windows are from Paris, made by French artist J. Gruber in 1927. The main Altar made of marble dates back to 1934. The Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette is without doubt a presence of peace and reconciliation, of beauty and simplicity, of charm and encounter, of prayer and hospitality in the midst of its challenging surroundings.

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Fr. Joe Shea and Bemanonga, Madagascar

 

Several years ago, Fr. Joe with Maureen
Daniels (from St. Louis, MO) on the right, in
front of the foundation walls of St. Joseph’s
Bp. Donald Pelletier, M.S., writes about the village of Bemanonga, Madagascar. Surrounded by rice fields, it is situated just a few miles east of the coastal city of Morondava. Once a mission outpost, it has grown in size and importance. Fr. Joe Shea’s memory lives on with countless people who met him or worked with him over almost 50 years ministering in Madagascar. But his memory lives on in a very special way in the village of Bemanonga where he served so well from 2000-2006.
 
Having acquired a spacious piece of land along the national highway, Fr. Joe Shea, M.S., never one to linger once his plans were made, had forged ahead to build a church in honor of St. Joseph. You can't miss it as you drive by. Not only is the structure impressive and beautiful but driving by at ten miles an hour – the fastest you can go on that stretch of road – gives you time to admire the large structure.
 
It will be all of five years since Fr. Joe left Morondava in extremely perilous health. He died from his cancer while still in the USA and we thank God that his work goes on in Madagascar. Our new Bishop has already been there frequently. Before I left Bishop Fabien explained to me that he plans to name a permanent priest (or priests) in residence there. Presence of a full-time priest would certainly assure growth in this Christian community. The new School buildings are now built and functioning. The rectory is not yet completed. Joe had built foundations that could serve for that purpose. All this means new life for Bemanonga. The Sisters of Our Lady of La Salette have already inaugurated their agricultural center for young women, and will assure direction of the Catholic school.

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Twilight of Our Burma Mission

Editor: As La Salettes, we have a long and proud history of missionary work around the world. In this month of September, I hope we are allowed to reflect back with pride on our laudable response to the turmoil in our Burma Mission. This marvelous letter gives us a glimpse into the challenges that faced our missionaries in those trying times.
 
In fact, on March 28, 1966, just a month after this letter was sent, the Rangoon edition of the New York Herald carried the following news:
 
 
“Burma’s revolutionary government has asked a large number of foreign Christian missionaries to leave the country by the end of this year, sources said today. Some 250 Roman Catholic and Protestant missionaries from the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Ireland will start leaving next month. No reason for the decision was given.
 
The Catholics were hardest hit, the sources said, with 73 priests, 14 lay brothers and 145 nuns asked to go. Twenty Baptists, including wives and children, and three Anglicans also were involved. The Baptists begin moving out April 2. A spokesman for Catholic groups said the government request did not involve all their missionaries here. Only those who arrived in Burma since 1948 and 84 who were here prior to 1948 were asked to leave.”

 

This letter from Fr. John P. O’Reilly. M.S. (1915-1973) was written from St. Paul’s Cathedral in Prome, Burma, and expresses the true missionary attitude we have always noticed in our foreign missionaries. Their devotion to their mission is absolutely clear. (We reestablished our Burmese Mission with our return on Nov. 18, 2005.)

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Madagascar Bishop’s First Anniversary

Bp. Donald Pelletier, M.S., (3rd from left) with newly 
consecrated Bp. Fabian Raharilamboniaina, O.C.D.
(2nd from left) and others concelebrants
Bishop Donald Pelletier, M.S., shares about that very special day, May 16, 2010, one year ago, when Mgr. Marie Fabien Raharilamboniaina, O.C.D., became the new Bishop of Morondava, Madagascar, Bishop Donald’s successor.
 
Throughout the years, the La Salette Community of Morondava, Madagascar has had numerous occasions to thank God and to celebrate. It is always a grace for the Christian community to come together, to take time and praise God for his blessings. God knows how we have had some faith filled celebrations that brought forth new thrusts in Evangelization. 
 
The 25th anniversary (in 1953) of the arrival of the American La Salettes in Morondava to open the mission; the 50th (in 1978) and the 75th (in 2003) were also joy-filled occasions that brought the entire mission and diocese together. The centennial of Mary's apparition at La Salette (in 1946) and then 150th anniversary (in 1996) were occasions that brought people together to learn and especially to live the spirit of La Salette. Yes, throughout the years God has called us as Christians to celebrate – jubilee years, ordinations, professions, and even funerals were occasions for celebrating God's gifts to the mission.

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Summer Camp, Bolivian Style

Coming from language class one day during my sabbatical in Cochabamba, Bolivia, in 2009, I noticed a group of youth dismantling a temporary tent-like structure on the basketball court near the parish church. I had noticed the structure a few days earlier when I arrived. So I walked over to see if I could practice my Spanish a bit with them. I learned that they were cleaning up the last vestiges of the La Salette Summer Camp for kids in the parish. 
 
Diego Diaz, a seminarian who was living at the nearby formation house with Fr. Juan Francisco (John) Higgins, introduced me to the organizer of the Summer Camp. Since Diego was one of the animators, I later asked Diego to write an article about the Summer Camp, saying it would be a good exercise for me to translate it. Here is what he wrote:

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Rice is Life

We are all familiar with rice – at least Uncle Ben’s version. Rice, that small grain that originated in Asia, is grown today in 113 countries. The cuisine, culture and traditions of some 3,000 million people evolve around rice. In fact, many nations agree that “rice is life.” It is the grain with the second-highest worldwide production, after maize (corn).
 
Banaue Rice Terraces in Philippines, an
amazing feat of human engineering
Food is essential for life. Rice – the only major cereal that can withstand water submergence – is the primary food source for over half the world’s population. Our missionaries living in India, Myanmar, Madagascar and the Philippines can well attest to this. Rice, as their basic food staple, is their major source of energy and protein. But alone it is not enough. It lacks in amino acid and essential micronutrients for the body. And when rice grains are not renewed or improved, they naturally degrade in quality. 
 
There are about 840 million undernourished people – including more than 200 million children – in developing countries. Improving the productivity of rice systems would contribute to eradicating this unacceptable level of hunger.  The graph to the left shows rice distributed in 2009 by the United Nations World Food Program, the largest humanitarian agancy fighting worldwide hunger.

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Improving St. Ann’s in Ambatolahy

 

Fr. Jeremy Morais, M.S., with children in his parish
school of St. Ann’s in Ambatolahy, Madagascar
In late 2010 Fr. Jeremy Morais, M.S., was director of the mission district of Ambatolahy, Madagascar. Before leaving for his new assignment in Morondava he had completed a new building with four classrooms at St. Anne's school. Here was his latest communiqué before leaving.
 
The blessing and inauguration of the new Catholic secondary school of St. Anne, Ambatolahy took place amid wonderful celebrations. Our local Ordinary, Bishop Fabien Raharilamboniaina, accompanied by four visiting priests, did the honors. The church was packed as we began the celebration of Mass, with the voices of all the school children, their parents and other parishioners, all of whom participated in the construction of the new school buildings, reverberating off the walls and out into the city. What a wonderful way to begin the celebration of World Mission Sunday! In his homily, the Bishop emphasized the importance of a solid Catholic education — a theme that he has made a pastoral priority in the diocese.

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The Holy Mountain is Bustling

 

Spring flowers on the Holy Mountain in France
About six weeks ago, I came here at the Holy Mountain of La Salette in France. I’d like to let you know about the members of the international community here at La Salette Mountain and share some information about our life here.
 
La Salette remains the same as before; the mountain is so beautiful with flowers. Yesterday the friends of La Salette came with machines to cut the grass in the mountain, apparition site and surroundings of the Basilica. On June 1st there was snowfall and then the temperature begun to rise. On June 21st the season of summer officially started in Europe and still we got a few rainstorms in these days.
 
In June there were lot of pilgrims here at La Salette sanctuary; most of them were from Germany and East Europe especially Poland. There were also significant numbers of pilgrims from Italy, Brazil, and Singapore etc. The number of French pilgrims is less compared to the number of foreign pilgrims.

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More Articles …

News from the La Salette Missionaries in Myanmar in March 2022

Myanmar can only be reborn through reconciliation, says Cardinal Bo

Thousands in Myanmar are on the move and millions are starving

Cardinal injured, priest dead after earthquake in Haiti

The patience of the Myanmar Church is being tested

New Liturgical Resources for the La Salette Feast

Myanmar Catholic priests, religious and laity fight against pandemic  

Haitian Bishops urge fraternal coexistence after the assassination

Persecution Worsens for Christians in Post-Coup Myanmar

Four Catholics killed in military attack on Myanmar Church