I invite you to take a look at family life in one of our foreign missions, namely the Malagasy Republic (Madagascar). I have been fortunate in having had the opportunity to speak at length on this matter with five La Salette Missionaries from Madagascar, on different occasions. Along with three Americans – Fr. Jack Nuelle, Bro. Mark Gallant and Bp. Donald Pelletier – I would like to acknowledge also Fr. Tristan de Salmiech of France and Fr. Marian Sajdak of Poland. To all of these La Salettes I am most grateful, and I am very happy to share their reflections and insights.
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Priest baptizes a Malagasy infant |
In Western society, marriage is generally the starting point of a distinct new family, which is self-sufficient, with a legitimate claim to goods and property of its own. A family is most commonly defined as consisting of parents and their children.
It is quite another matter in African society. There, marriage does not give rise to a new, distinct entity, but serves chiefly to continue the life of the broader family. It provides for a flow of life, that the life received from the ancestors will be passed on from generation to generation.
A “family,” therefore, in Madagascar is much larger than in Europe and America. This is brought home more forcibly when we learn that the Malagasy language has no word for “aunt” or “uncle” or “cousin."
Fr. Bernie Taylor (U Mya Thein), M.S., shares his feelings as he celebrates the fortieth anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. He is the first Burmese La Salette Missionary. He looks forward to the next generation of native La Salette Missionaries as they share their gifts and take on the mantle of leadership.
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(from left) Fr. Bernie Taylor, Fr. David, Fr. Nicodemus, Fr. Isidro Perin (then Superior General), Fr. Philip, and Fr. Jerome |
This is the fortieth time I have celebrated Holy Week and the Easter Week as a priest in my native land of Burma. Last December I had my 40th Christmas Mass. I have celebrated it in the jungles, in the small villages (barrios), in small towns, in big cities, in the beach, in the seminaries, in small chapels, in the metropolitan churches, etc. Many times I was the main celebrant, and at other times I concelebrated.
I had the Mass in Latin, English, Burmese, Khumi Chin, Tagalong, Ilocano, Spanish, etc. I have been with small communities, medium-sized communities and big communities. What a privilege! All I can say is: “Deo Gratias.” I thank the Lord for such a variety of experiences and graces, crosses and resurrections as well as for the people he has placed in the different parts of my life.
The Passion, Death and Resurrection – the Paschal Mystery – has been a part of my life even if I tried to escape it occasionally. I have made some mistakes in my lifetime. I also received some great blessings which I attribute to the love and mercy of God. Now it is time to put all these things in proper perspective.
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In this map of India, the area of Andhra Pradesh is indicated in yellow |
Fr. Andrews Kollannoor, M.S., had just finished preaching mission appeals. Prior to returning home to India, he agreed to do ministry in Hawaii for a month. Before leaving our house in Saint Louis, he told me about the upcoming blessing of the fifth La Salette residence in India.
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Parackadavu Seminary, La Salette Bhavan: Chapel on left, Seminary on right |
Each of the five La Salette residences in India has a specific name. The first residence is in Parakadavu and is called La Salette "Bhavan" - a name meaning La Salette "house." Young seminarians in the postulancy program live and study there. They share the residence with priests who focus on renewal programs and counseling for the local people. The second residence is in Bangalore and is called La Salette "Sadhan" also a name for "house” – where students studying philosophy live. The third residence is in Mysore and is called La Salette "Nikethan" – again meaning "house." All pre-college seminarians and novices live there. The fourth residence is in Kayakunnu and is called La Salette "Ashran" - meaning monastery. This is a place for prayer and counseling. The fifth and newest residence is in Andhra Pradesh and will be called La Salette "Nilayam" - yes, also meaning "house."
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Stopping at the missions on our way to Morandova |
Before our recent trip actually came to fruition, we conjured up all sorts of images of Madagascar, and also what the missionaries would look like and have done to help the poor. Our minds, molded by old missionary movies, formed images of tall white men wearing long robes, sandals, and straw hats, walking on dirt paths, paddling small boats up rivers to remote villages, and bringing the word of Jesus Christ to the natives.
By traveling to Madagascar on the coattails of the retired La Salette Bishop Donald Pelletier, Sharon and I had the good fortune to see and hear firsthand what fifty years as a missionary has meant to both Bishop Donald and the people to whom he has ministered. After being away from his people for almost a year due to cardiac surgery, rehabilitation, and recuperation, Bp. Donald returned to Madagascar proudly wearing his cardiac rehabilitation “Fit For Life” t-shirt.
Since I began writing the La Salette Mission Center’s monthly Vision and Mission newsletter in 1998, I have received numerous letters from benefactors voicing their appreciation or disapproval, their concern interest in one facet or another of what was written. I wish to thank everyone who helped me to better its content and hopefully increase an awareness of the mission Christ left to us, the Church.
Recently I received a letter from a long-time benefactor of the mission in Burma (Myanmar), who had begun helping the La Salette Missionaries in Thayetmyo in the mid 1950s. Over and above the ordinary ministry of that mission, Frs. Steve Dressell, Mike Blumm, Charles Gendron, James Noonan and their companions had a special ministry there - caring for an orphanage and a leprosarium.
Of the 10,000 lepers in Burma in the late 1950's some 2,500 lepers were in that area alone, and only about 80 could have permanent residence in the Thayetmyo leprosarium! What the Missionaries had done since their arrival in 1937 was to plant the seed of Faith. They did it through personal hardship and yet with determination and joy.
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Fr. Joy Chukkananickal, M.S. |
Prior to my arrival in the United States almost seven years ago, I already knew much about the country – from studies in school, from the American doctor who treated us at the seminary in the Philippines and, yes, from movies. However, experiencing it personally brought my knowledge and understanding to a new level.
The first thing that struck me after I landed was the number of cars on the road, how well planned the roads and transportation systems are, how beautiful nature appears and above all, how well mannered most of the population is. Later I was to experience firsthand the beauty of traveling by car.
With Fr. Joe Shea, M.S., as my companion, I went all the way from Hartford, CT, to Sulphur, LA, to Lufkin, TX and up to St. Louis, MO. What a trip! Yes, it was a long ride during which I was able to do some of the driving - remember that in India we drive on the “other” side of the road! What I learned and experienced during that trip would be very helpful later on as I began driving alone around the Midwest doing mission appeals. Even Milwaukee became a target for my adventuresome spirit.
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Fr. Pedro Chingandu, M.S. |
In his first visit to the United States, Fr. Pedro Chingandu, M.S., took the occasion to share some interesting information about his life with the members of the La Salette Community during a retreat. Here is his fascinating story.
The fourth of eight children and the younger of two boys, Pedro was born in the town of Luena, in a eastern province of Angola, Africa on November 18,1963. His was a middle class African family. His father was a postal worker and they had a 3-bedroon house. The family had been Catholic for generations, thanks to Portuguese Missionaries who preached the Gospel there over the years. He was baptized Pedro Bemardo Gabriel.
A stubborn streak showed itself early in life and he got the nick name cambuta rijo (meaning: short and tough) because he wanted to stand on his own, challenge others, and be quick with an answer. His audacity and tenacity served him well when it came to school work and he excelled.
At the outset we asked Fr. Isidro Perin, M.S.: “How is the message of La Salette heard in Brazil?” He told us: “Go visit the laity involved in La Salette ministries and ask them yourselves!” He gladly opened the doors for us to do so. In our trip of nineteen days, we made our pilgrimage to four La Salette Shrines. Some day we will visit Caldas Novas, which is now under construction. Here are some impressions we picked up in our travels. We are very thankful to those who allowed us to share a part of their life.
Rio de Janeiro: the message at the heart of the city
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Symbol for the La Salette Missionaries in the Philippines |
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Fr. Conrad Blanchet, M.S., Superior General, kneels before Pope Paul VI |
There was a La Salette presence – although an unwilling one – in the Philippines before the Congregation decided to accept a mission there. Three Missionaries en route to Burma in 1940 were forced info Japanese concentration camps outside Manila. One of them, Fr. Fred Julien, M.S., had made a promise that if he got out alive he would return to dedicate a shrine to Our Blessed Mother. Future events facilitated his keeping that promise.
In 1948 the American La Salette Province of Immaculate Heart of Mary, based in Attleboro, M.A., accepted the invitation to open a Filipino mission in the war-torn area of lsabela – war-torn not only as the after effect of World War II, but also because Communist rebels roamed the mountains. Most people still carried guns when they left home.
Four La Salettes – three priests and one brother, under the leadership of Fr. Conrad Blanchet, M.S., who was later to become the 10th Superior General of the Congregation, sailed to Manila and later traveled north to Santiago, Isabela.
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Romulus and Remus nursed by the she-wolf is a symbol of Roman culture |
Anyone with intercultural experience will recognize how any single event will most likely be understood differently from one culture to another. Anyone who has ever been to Rome is familiar with the famous old legend of how a she-wolf nursed and saved the lives of two boys, Remus and Romulus, who would eventually be the founders of the city of Rome and its extensive culture.
To this very day Romans honor this tradition and everywhere in Rome you nursed by the she-wolf is a find statues of the she-wolf feeding those boys. It is a symbol for the city.
That was centuries before the Christian era. Bishop Donald Pelletier, M.S., now retired Bishop of Morondava, Madagascar, writes about how a similar event was viewed in Madagascar:
“Today, twenty centuries into the Christian era, there are still ethnic groups on the eastern coast of Madagascar who have a cultural hatred and aversion, not to wolves because there are none on the island, but to other canines — dogs. Dating back centuries this hatred continues to enslave