We Would Love
to Keep in Touch!
Our Chapter and New Provincial Council
Seventy-two members of our Province gathered in Orlando, Florida, at the Renaissance Orlando Hotel from Monday evening, October 19th until Friday Morning, October 22nd, 2015. Some of our membership serve in Europe and South America and join us as well.
Las Termas, Argentina – 50 Years of Service
Note: Father Robert Butler, Regional Superior of the Missionaries of La Salette, spoke before hundreds who had come to the Parish of Perpetual Help Church in Las Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina, to honor the priests who have faithfully and fruitfully served during this period.
La Salette Frs. Steve Krisanda (left), Jack Bradford (2nd from left) and Jim Weeks (extreme right) with previous pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual help in Las Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina in 1965 as they began their new missionFifty years are not so many but are not so few. They are the years that we, the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, have given to the human and spiritual growth of our people as we fulfill our mission begun from the Parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Las Termas de Rio Hondo those many years ago.We have been able to build on the work of others like Father Bringas. Concretely we have contributed with our charism of reconciliation, always eliciting the participation and solidarity of the laity, who responded generously. This work in favor of the whole person is seen particularly with the Saint Louis Gonzaga Athletic Club, the Basket Festival, and the Parish Secretariat for Human Rights and Social Ministries.
We want to remember in a special way the first three Missionaries of La Salette who came to this La Termas Parish: Fathers John Bradford, Stephen Krisanda and James Weeks. They were young but already had pastoral experience and dedicated themselves in this parish, ministering both in the countryside as well as in this city.
All of them came to be loved very much by the people and, in turn, the La Salette Missionaries came to love them and devote themselves entirely to those to whom they had been sent, especially to the poorest. After these dedicated men came many more Missionaries of La Salette with the same spirit of service and love for the people and they also made their own special contribution.
Hopefully, we can continue indefinitely with this work of love. Pray for vocations to the Religious Life and Priestly Life. Encourage the youth who might be interested in discovering if God is calling then to this life, and perhaps even as Missionaries of La Salette.
La Salette Smyrna Parish Celebrates
The parishioners and clergy of St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Smyrna, GA, know that any worthwhile endeavor comes with sacrifice.
Fr. Brian R. Sheridan, M.S.,pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Church, in Smyrna, GA, cuts gold ribbon to begin the June 28, 2015 Rededication Mass. (Photo: Michael Alexander)Since the beginning of the year, parishioners have been celebrating Mass in the social hall, while Holy Week and Easter Masses were held at Jim Miller Park in Marietta. As many as 14 weekend Masses were held to serve the estimated 5,000 families.
But on Sunday, June 28, they celebrated a bilingual Spanish and English Mass in a newly renovated sanctuary. La Salette Father Brian Sheridan cut a shimmery gold ribbon at the entrance as Mass began. The sound of joyful drumbeats accompanied the procession of priests, deacons and altar servers into the sanctuary. Children in native African costumes brought in the Book of the Gospels.
A Mass of Rededication
Bishop Luis R. Zarama, principal celebrant of the Mass of rededication, acknowledged it can be hard to work on parish improvement projects but said now is the time to rejoice. “Being in the meetings is no fun. You are looking to do something for the church,” acknowledged Bishop Zarama. “We are celebrating today.”You Did It For Me
whatever you did for one of these least… of mine, you did (it) for me.’ (Matthew 25:40)
Fr. Roger Plante, M.S.According to Fr. Roger Plante, M.S., he and Fr. Joe Gosselin, M.S., are “traveling preachers” for the lay Catholic foundation, Unbound, when someone has sponsored one person through this organization, that benefactor actually “did for five of these least brothers of mine.” The reason for this fivefold factor? It’s because the sponsored person typically has several immediate family members who also benefit from the relationship.
Reach Out and Touch
Using that formula, Fr. Roger calculates that, since its founding, Unbound has accumulated 808,125 sponsors. Therefore, Unbound has affected the lives of over four million people in places like Uganda, Madagascar, Honduras, India, the Philippines, plus 16 other countries.
Nineteen years as an itinerant advocate for Unbound have resulted in Fr. Roger alone giving 359 parish presentations, contacting 22,875 sponsors and touching well over 100,000 lives. In 2013, Unbound, which is highly rated and recognized by third party organizations that evaluate charities, provided $100+ million for program support to sponsored friends at a direct assistance rate of 93%.
Each Give to the Other
Additionally, the financial commitment on the donor side, is enhanced and complemented by an obligation on the receiving end. For example, mothers must attend mothers’ groups, workshops on nutrition, as well as dental and medical clinics. Similarly, children need to succeed in their educational efforts. Likewise, families have to start a savings account (matched by Unbound), and seek livelihood initiatives.
The Gift of Art and La Salette
Editor: Bro. Donald Wininski, M.S., has been with the La Salette Community since 1970 and took his first vows in 1972. He has recently moved from the La Salette House in Altamont, NY, to the La Salette National Shrine in Attleboro, MA.
Bro. Donald Wininski, M.S., works on picture of the Madonna and Child in his workshop (photo: Michael Koff from The Altamont Enterprise, Altamont, NYAs a child of five, I lived in a foster home. The woman in charge of our home was an artist, who enjoyed putting color on canvas with paint. I was inspired by her and one day I picked up one of her charcoal pencils and a pad of paper from the floor and began to draw what she was painting at the easel.
As I got older, I received presents of colored pencils, water colors, pads of artist paper, instead of the usual toys. My childhood was surrounded by colors and, as self-taught artist, I simply learned by doing. One day I received my first oil painting set and that launched my career in the medium of oil paintings.
I chose oil painting as my medium because oils are very forgiving; that is, if I make a mistake, I can easily change the image. However working in watercolors, I cannot change very much.
My schooling in art was limited to one course in mechanical drawing. It helped me to establish proper perspectives in my drawings. I didn’t like working in basic black and white but very much enjoyed working with the vast spectrum of colors. They lift my spirit and help me better express my ideas on canvas.
Airport Ministry Helps Visitor’s Faith
Fr. Robert Susann, M.S., longtime Airport Chaplain at Orlando International AirportIn the midst of the fast-paced Orlando International Airport, La Salette Father Robert Susann, provides a moment of peace and blesses a family from Puerto Rico before their departure. In the bustling airport he has only a short time with the travelers he meets each day, but as the only airport chaplain for the past 11 years, Father Susann knows the value of a moment.
"Airport ministry is a ministry of presence," he explained. "I bring Christ to the people whether its five minutes, 10 minutes, or just 15 seconds. People see the collar and know that Christ is with them."
Part of the tourism ministry of the diocese and supported by Our Catholic Appeal, the airport ministry brings the good news of Jesus Christ to Central Florida's visitors.
Walking through the terminals that see 38 million people each year, Father Susann shares Christ's peace with people of all faiths traveling for a variety of reasons and with wide-ranging emotions. In addition to celebrating two Sunday Masses in the airport chapel, he daily offers prayers, blessings, the Sacrament of Penance, a i mile and calming words.
"Christ welcomed everyone. It's an important ministry for the Church because the Church goes where the people are," he said. "The Church is made to bring Christ."
Attleboro Shrine – an Island of Mercy
Pope Francis, in his Message for Lent 2015, pleads: “Dear brothers and sisters, how greatly I desire that all those places where the Church is present, especially our parishes and our communities, may become islands of mercy in the midst of the sea of indifference!”
I live at the La Salette Shrine in Attleboro, MA. As I was sitting at the supper table recently, it occurred to me that I can testify to the fact that our Shrine and the hundreds of La Salette Missionary priests, brother and sisters who have served here – over the past 62 years and counting – have been a true “island of mercy”. We are living examples of the hope which Pope Francis expresses so well.
Our Charism of Reconciliation
Our charism (or gift) as consecrated La Salette religious is reconciliation which includes the reconciliation of sinners. One important aspect of this charism is, for the priests of our community, to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation – or as my mother would describe it, “Going to Confession.”
From the very inception of our Shrine in 1953, we have offered sometimes extensive hours of availability for celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Our old-time members mention that they remember confessions being available from 8am to 6pm, five days a week. Others remember their three-hour sessions each day. Someone described our ministry as “celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation with everybody else’s parishioners”; that is, the Church at large in our area and beyond.
Ministry of Religious in Orlando
Sr. of Mercy, Assumpta Finn, teaches students at Holy Name of Jesus School in Indialantic about space program, 1966. The Sisters of Mercy, from Ireland, have been serving in Florida since the late 1800s.More than a century ago, when Central Florida was part of the Diocese of St. Augustine, several communities of religious sisters, priests and brothers arrived in Central Florida from other parts of the country and the world to minister to and serve the growing number of Catholics in the area and to bring those who had yet to find faith, closer to God.
In the years that followed, these men and women not only played an instrumental role in the establishment of many of our parishes and schools, but also in the faith formation of thousands of adults and children. Today, the Diocese of Orlando is blessed to have nearly 50 communities of religious priests, brothers and sisters, who continue to share their love of Christ and give witness to him through their daily lives.
In celebration of the Year for Consecrated Life, we present a three part series to highlight some religious communities and the impact they have made on our past and are making on our present and future. In this first installment, you will read about why the Diocese is grateful for the past contributions of the religious communities who helped establish our diocese with their mission of teaching and establishing parishes.
Fr. Ippolito Assists Immigrants Locally
Sanford, NC — While the immigration debate faces gridlock on Capitol Hill, some in Sanford are focusing on offering guidance and support for undocumented immigrants in Lee County.Earlier this month, N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory estimated the number of unaccompanied, undocumented children in North Carolina at 1,200.
l to r: Fr. Robert Ippolito, M.S., Pastor; St. Stephen’s Church, Sanford, NC; Fr. Hector Lachapelle, M.S., Parochial Vicar"We do have some, certainly, in Lee County," said the Rev. Robert Ippolito of St. Stephen Catholic Church, who is a Board of Immigration Appeals accredited representative. "I'm working on about five or six cases of one sort or another [involving unaccompanied immigrant children]."Ippolito said unaccompanied often is a misnomer, and that any children who come to the border by themselves are considered unaccompanied even if they are coming to meet a parent or sibling. He said most children come from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.
Making La Salette Known in Argentina
Fr. Phil Negley, M.S. Provincial Superior, Province of Mary, Mother of the AmericasSince my return from the visitation to the La Salette Missionaries in the Region of Mary, Queen of Apostles... I feel enriched with plentiful memories and rewarding anecdotes from this gifted opportunity to visit our confreres in Argentina… The modes of travel added a new experience to my unintentional “bucket list”: two nighttime bus rides, one of ten hours and one of five and a half hours, beginning at midnight. The distance between the communities and apostolates are quite extensive and the best means of travel are often the late night bus rides, which prove to be a near “first class” adventure. Sleep came easily while traveling in the wee hours of the night, even with the benefit of afternoon siestas, a prerequisite of life in Argentina.
Las Termas de Rio Hondo
The parish centers of the Region may be just names on the pages of the Province Directory but each has a unique quality and history. Our parish in Las Termas is a beehive of pastoral ministry, catechesis, small base communities and a growing Catholic school apostolate, Primary and Secondary. The parish, named in honor of Our Lady of La Salette, extends throughout the campo into more than forty small capillas, or mission chapels, each with its own pastoral leadership team. Las Termas boasts of a faithful group of active laity known as the “La Salette Family.” This apostolate is served by Alfredo Velarde (Regional Vicar) and Fernando Altamiranda (Regional Councilor).