We Would Love
to Keep in Touch!
La Salette Aspirants from Myanmar
 |
| Fr. Philip blesses the new aspirant’s house |
Due to many factors, vocation recruitment in Myanmar had been stopped in the 1990s. When the La Salette Missionaries returned to Myanmar after twenty-nine years, the moratorium on recruitment was still in effect. There was a need for rebuilding the formation program.
In spite of the moratorium and our lack of active recruiting, many young men were attracted to our La Salette way of life. Since I had declared an open house at the Marian Shrine in Chanthagone, Mandalay, where the La Salette Missionaries are based, many have come to be close to our Blessed Mother at her “home.”
Just as the Lord invited the first disciples to “come and see,” many had come and stayed with us – some for a couple of days and some for a much longer time. Just like the two disciples at Emmaus, our visitors have been living with the missionaries, eating what is given and doing all the hard work that is needed, especially now that our community is building in a new residence.
A New Bishop for Morondava
 |
| Bishop Fabien (left) relaxes with Bishop Donald Pelletier, M.S., previous bishop of Morondava. |
Bishop Fabien Raharilamboniana, named bishop of the Malagacy diocese of Morondava, Fr. Fabien Raharilamboniana, was born in Ambohijanahary, a suburb of Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar, on January 20, 1968
He entered the Order of Discalced Carmelites where he made his religious profession on September 7, 1990, after having studied philosophy and theology at the Catholic Institute in Madagascar at Ambatoroka in Antananarivo, Madagascar, and was ordained to the priesthood on July 5, 1997.
After his priestly ordination, he became a parochial vicar at the parish of St. Paul, at Phoenix, on the island of St. Maurice and served there until 1999 when he was assigned to establish the Order of Discalced Carmelites on the Island of Reunion, where La Salettes also minister.
La Salette English Camp in Myanmar
 |
| La Salettes ministering in Mayanmar |
English has been one of the two official languages in the Union of Burma. In the past, the education in Burma has been very good. The exchange of professors between Rangoon University and Oxford University in London were quite regular.
Burma is composed of five major tribes. Besides these there were smaller ethnic groups. Aung San, the founder of Burma, made a deal with all the heads of the tribes. Since many of these people could not speak Burmese, they used English. But within the past few decades, our situation has changed. Now even graduates with a Masters of Science degree cannot communicate in English. Either they are shy, afraid to make mistakes or just don’t know how to speak English anymore.
Daily La Salette Ministry in Myanmar
Mary not only wept at La Salette; she also brought the good news of conversion. She invited involvement in her message and gave the mandate to “make this known to all my people.”
Following the message of Our Lady of La Salette, we members of the La Salette community in Myanmar are now in our fifth year of re-establishing the La Salette Mission, celebrtated on Nov. 18, 2005. We presently minister in a wide range of ministries. We are involved in pastoral ministry in four parishes and in formation ministry at three seminaries. Our central facilities are at the Chanthangone Shrine, in the Archdiocese of Mandalay. We also serve as spiritual directors for those in the Pre-Major Seminary in the diocese of Myitkyina.
Parish of Our Lady of Holy Rosary: Since 2005, we have settled here at the Marian Shrine in Chanthagone. Fr. Bernie Taylor, M.S., was the first LA Salette to serve here and others have followed. We are involved here in two ministries: a parish and a Marian Shrine.
La Salette India: Blessed with Abundance
 |
| Ordained Indian membership with past General Council members |
“And every day the Lord added to their number”(Acts 2:47b)
Reconciling “The Least of These” at Villeurbanne
 |
| Jesus welcomes the children of the world |
This article was written in the La Salette Publication, “Reconciliare” in May of 1967 and describes an extraordinary ministry of reconciliation that was founded and led by the La Salettes for many years but has finally been closed.
‘“And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least of mine, you did for me’” (Matt 25:40).
“The Home at 46!” 46 Cours de la République was the address of an institute for boys run by the La Salette Fathers at Lyon-Villeurbanne, France. There were nearly one hundred boys living there, from nine to fifteen years of age, boys who came seeking shelter and found a home. Some sixty of them are “maladjusted” or abandoned orphans, while most of the others are children of divorced parents. Suffering the loss of father or mother, the “wretched refuse” of broken homes, they are severely handicapped even in their youth. The majority of them come from the general area of Lyon.
La Salette Ministries—Indian Style
Our New Prayer Garden
The La Salette Prarthanaram (prayer garden) is a new addition to the La Salette Ashram Kayakunnu, Wayanad. It's a great blessing to the Ashram and the people around and to the province at large. It helps the people to pray well as the garden offers a silent and prayerful atmosphere. The garden, spread over 12,000 square feet, is beautifully landscaped by experts. It contains flowers of various types, some small hills, and a small pond which gathers the water flowing from Gagultha (Calvary) at the twelfth station in the Stations of the Cross.
Indian Education Ministry
The discipline of patience and hard work reveals itself not only in the way we live our community life as La Salettes but also in the way we act toward one another. Our actions, like our common life, must always be a manifestation of God's compassionate presence in the midst of our world. Patient, wise and prudent decisions are actions through which the healing, consoling, comforting, reconciling and unifying love of God can touch the heart of the community at large.
La Salette Vidhya Nikethan is one such wise decision of La Salette Matha Province. This is an elementary school in Mardur Village in the State of Karnataka (South India). You may ask what is so special about an elementary school? Is it extraordinary in any way? The answer is “yes, indeed”.
Studying to Become La Salettes
 |
| This former restaurant will become the home of future La Salette students in Myanmar. |
Probably because it is so near to their heart, the first decision the district of Myanmar made concerned the establishment of a formation house where prospective vocations could be shelved. Here, under the direction of Fr. Lucas Suan Za Lian, MS, named to head the animation of the La Salette Volunteers and the formation of Aspirants, the young men who have expressed a desire to become Missionaries of La Salette would have a chance to learn first-hand about the life and vocation of La Salettes. Here they would pray and study, live in community and form a bond that would fashion them into La Salette Religious bringing a reconciling message to a country so in need of it. This was the beginning of a new adventure for our Myanmar La Salettes. Although few in number, they have already accepted a variety of ministries, both in the diocese of Mandalay and on a national scale.
Meet Fr. Louis-Ernest Razakarisoa
 |
| Fr. Louis-Ernest Razakarisoa, M.S. |
My name is Fr. Louis-Ernest Razakarisoa, MS. I am from the central high plateau region of Madagascar, just a few miles from where the first La Salette Missionaries came to minister in 1899. I lived in the small village of Sarobaratra (“where there is much lighting”). We were 10 children – two girls and eight boys – and all are still living. I was the sixth, born in 1957. My father had been the teacher in the elementary school of our village. The salary was insufficient to feed all of his children so he stopped teaching and became a farmer – cultivating mostly rice, corn, cassava and various vegetables – so we all could be nourished.
At five I began my studies in the village school where my father had taught. There were only six grades. If I stayed there my schooling would soon have been over. In the family we prayed together almost every night, and through those prayers I learned about Our Lady of La Salette. So at age 13 I left the village and entered the La Salette seminary to continue my studies. Not all my time was spent with my nose in the books. I loved to play football – called soccer here in America. Although not an excellent player, I was pretty good.