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 MISSION OFFICE ON-LINE NEWSLETTER FOR SPRING 2002 View the PDF version of the Newsletter that is mailed, Read articles that can only be found on-line... CHANGES IN MISSION "I recently came across a certificate that I received in 1960 when I was a third grade at St. Mary School. It was for the adoption of a child in a mission country who received the name Theresa Marie. I am very interested in knowing what became of this person. Is this information available?" Recently the Holy Childhood Association (HCA) Office received this interesting communication and, depending on your age and elementary school history, you may have had similar thoughts to those expressed in this note. The Holy Childhood Association was founded in 1843 by Msgr. Charles de Forbin-Janson who was deeply affected by the distress of Chinese children abandoned in the streets. Forbin-Janson was convinced that children are capable of playing their own part in the Church's Mission. Over the 159 years of HCA the organization has appealed to children in a variety of ways that reflect changes in thinking on mission in the Church. Those who were in school or who taught in Catholic elementary schools or RE programs prior to Vatican II remember what the writer of the above note is referring to: "the HCA ransoming of pagan babies," to whom we gave a name "in holy Baptism." What has changed? We have never stopped caring about the needs of our brothers and sisters throughout the world. But Pope John Paul II's encyclical Redemptoris Missio and developments in the field of missiology have led us to use the phraseology HOLY GROUND rather than pagan world What has changed? Another change in thinking about mission is in the mentality of GIVE AND SEND; now we think of SEND AND RECEIVE. The lands to which missionaries went were called missions. These countries were seen as mission receiving. Other countries were thought of as mission sending. But now local churches have been established in almost all countries and they are beginning to send their own missionaries to other countries. What has changed? We were familiar with the concept of church building-meaning that one of the first things we did in a mission land was to build an edifice, a structure-and, baptize. Now, we're more interested in building church-i.e., building faith communities. Our prime message is our care/love for each other, living out the Good News. What has changed? We are familiar with giving our gifts in other lands; we are becoming more familiar with discovering their riches. In earlier mission ventures the receiving country had to accept a foreign culture, a foreign people. Today's church is being influenced by peoples and cultures from around the world. This enables us to celebrate the diversity of God's gifts and riches of other cultures. What has changed? Formerly when we thought of missionaries, we thought of clerics and religious. Now we are aware of the great numbers of lay persons in the missions, as well as clerics and religious. These changes create new paradigms with which to view mission activity, but do not lessen the needs we serve in the global missions. For example, donations that "ransomed pagan babies" in the past continue to serve children in HCA missions with medicines, shelter, education, and nutrition today. Today's elementary age children build orphanages, provide meals, develop centers for learning for their brothers and sisters throughout the world. First and foremost, they pray daily for the needs of children throughout the world and do their best to learn as much as they can about how children live in other places. Would you like your school or Religious Education program to become more involved in the work of HCA? Visit the web site http://www.missionsla.org/missionprograms/hca/hca_home.html for information, lesson plans, A PowerPoint presentation, and come back often, we are always adding more information! INTERESTED IN GETTING YOUR PARISH INVOLVED WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE WORLD? For more than 50 years, the Mission Circles of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles have done just that. Linking people here with people of the missions, through prayer, support, shared stories, and opportunities to learn about people and places far from Los Angeles. Although this is not new for us, other Diocese around the country are now beginning this "twining" and many of our own parishes are anxious to begin this in their own communities. April 27, 2002 was the annual Luncheon Gathering of the Mission Circles and the speaker was Fr. Jim Mitchell, Representative from Diocese of Socorro y San Gil, COLOMBIA. There was also be a performance by native Mayan Dancers from Guatemala. If you interested in learning more, call the Mission Office for more information: (213) 637-7223, or e-mail: missionoffice@la-archdiocese.org LAY MISSION-HELPERS ASSOCIATION HOLDS DISCERNMENT WEEKEND Individuals who are attempting to discern a call to service as a Lay Mission-Helper are invited to attend a weekend, June 7 - 9, 2002. This weekend provides the opportunity to learn more about what is involved with this commitment, to learn about the history of the program, and to hear from veteran Lay Mission-Helpers. To receive an invitation, individuals are encouraged to submit an initial application form which can be found on the web site at: http://www.missionsla.org/missionprograms/lmh/lmh_form.html MISSION DOCTORS RETURN TO ZIMBABWE Speaking at the Retreat / Seminar held in March for Doctors considering short-term Mission work, Dr. and Mrs. Richard Stoughton spoke of the changes they have found in Zimbabwe on their most recent mission trip. Dr. Stoughton noted that 25 year ago many deaths were attributable to common childhood diseases such as measles. He noted that the government in the past 25 years has done a remarkable job in immunizing the entire country and that these one time problems just don't exist. Unfortunately, that is where the good news ended. The increase in HIV and AIDS means that many of the patients seen at St. Theresa Hospital are critically ill and are dying with AIDS, many suffering also from TB, and other illness. Mrs. Stoughton noted that the people are still the warm and welcoming people that they remembered from their five-year mission experience in the 1970's. Although there has been much political tension in the country, they have stated that in the Chilimanzi District, where the hospital is located, they feel very safe. The Stoughtons return to the hospital this month, having sold their home, with the intention of making a commitment to the people and the hospital as long as their good health allows. Mission Doctors Association is looking forward to supporting their work for many years to come. You can view a PowerPoint presentation on their work by clicking here: http://www.missiondoctors.org/newsletters/20020103/slideshow_files/frame.htm MISSION GATHERING "We come to share our stories" Quarterly, Missionaries who have returned from work in the Missions, as well as those serving the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as Missionaries, gather together to share stories, to be inspired, and to create community. At the most recent gathering Missionaries were invited to visit the Sisters of Notre Dame in Thousand Oaks, and to learn about their work in Uganda.  In 1995, two Sisters from the California province, together with two Sisters from the Kentucky province, pioneered the First Notre Dame mission in Uganda. Sister Mary Kristen showed slides and told about the work of the Notre Dame sisters at the school which has been built for children in Uganda. More information on the work of the Notre Dame Sisters can be found on their web site: http://www.snd1.org/ca.html GLOBAL CONCERNS Visit the Global Concerns section of our website to view Fr. Dave's most recent article. |
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