MIC mission news, 1 janvier 2002, Octobre - Décembre

OCTOBER - NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2002 mm E4& ih AAIC MISSION NEWS Mission Magazine published since 1923 by the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception •Directress: Louise Denis, m.i.c.•Editor: Ma.Anthea Raso, m.i.c.•Editing Team: Céline Cauvin, m.i.c., Helene Labelle, m.i.c.•Translator: Antoinette Kinlough •Promotion: Antoinette Castonguay, m.i.c., A team of M.I.C.Sisters and Lay Collaborators •Circulation : Alma Couture, m.i.c., Thi Hien Duong and a team of M.I.C.Sisters •Accounting: Thérèse Déziel, m.i.c.layout & Design: Yves Demers Paris 'Film Stripping: Film-0-Progrès 'Printing: Transcontinental Inc.Tax Receipt: Registration Number: NE 89346 9585 RR0001 -PRESSE MISSIONNAIRE M.I.C.•Legal Deposits: Bibliothèque Nationale du Québec, National Library of Canada; ISSN 0315-9655 •Associate Member: Association of Roman Catholic Communicators of Canada (ARCCC) •Subscriptions: see p.31 •PUBLICATIONS-MAIL-REGISTRATION Number: 9645 •Convention Number: 1378287 For any change of address, please send your old and new addresses.When renewing subscription, include your file number.MIC MISSION NEWS 120 Place Juge Desnoyers, Laval (Quebec) CANADA H7G 1A4 Telephone: (450) 663-6460 fax: (450) 972-1512 E-mail: micnews® colba.net Web Site: http://www.soeurs-mic.qc.ca (3 § VOLUME 29, NUMBER 4 - OCTOBER - NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2002 A Century of Service.a Hopeful Tomorrow Ma.Anthea Raso, m.i.c.A Promising Future Rita Bélainsky, m.i.c./H&l&wi ' cZ>4\ïnblt\ Louise Denis, m.i.c.• The Church of Africa • A Ministry of Compassion • Promotion of African Women ~ JS&liPiA.* (I hile Ma.Anthea Raso, m.i.c.• An Evangelizing Church • M.I.C.Presence and Service • Missionary Dynamism Louise Denis, m.i.c.• A Mission of Love and Service • Challenges for the Church • The Mission Goes On (*-itnt Malawi.Louise Lefebvre, m.i.c.(r.), and a health agent visit the sick in a village of Nkhata Bay.Vi Myriam Mphande, m.i.c., with animators involved in AIDS prevention education spiritually by coming to a deeper understanding of the Christian concept of death, which finds hope in the resurrection of Christ.Programmes for the Youth Among the population, young people form the group most at risk of contracting AIDS, and in the current context, they receive special attention.Among the many programmes that have been set up, Yvonne Ayotte, M.I.C., diocesan director of the Young Christian Students (YCS), initiated in the schools of the diocese of Mzuzu the project called Behaviour Change Programme (BCP).Its purpose is to bring the young people to ft reflect on the value of the gift of life and on the duty to protect it.They are encouraged to change their attitudes regarding the practice of their sexuality and to adopt a responsible behaviour by practicing abstinence, faithfulness and prevention according to circumstances.Malawi.Rosalie Raivomanana, m.i.c.(1st I.), engaged in pastoral ministry with the youth of Nkhata Bay, also works in the BCP.Malawi.Yvonne Ayotte, m.i.c.(standing, 4th r.), in charge in the diocese for the Young Christian Students (YCS), meets with a group from Mzuzu.\ , ««« if •ft Jrc 1 mm lï< ¦ ml r“;-) N > tiSm Promotion of African Women Diversity and Complementarity The condition of African women has also improved over the last few years.International organizations have campaigned persistently for the protection of their rights.Women have also benefited from the care and concern of the Church and of the missionary institutions by acquiring a human, spiritual and professional formation.This enables them today to play a greater role in the different sectors of society.The promotion of women has always occupied a special place in our pastoral activities, and our commitments have changed according to times and needs.For nearly three years now, our Sisters Â.| of Mzimba, Malawi have engaged in development projects in rural areas, using the method created by the renowned Brazilian educator, Paolo Freire.These projects are thought out, chosen and implemented by the people, who thus become the builders of their own future.The various stages of the process enable women to get involved in the realization of the goals they have set, acting in a complementary role with men.This cooperation is all the more essential since women are the ones who do 80% of the work needed to produce food for the family.Seven villages have initiated projects such as making bricks for the building of sfipi*."* Jeannette Fanfan, /vu.c.(standing, 1st I.) and graduates of the literacy programme, To educate a woman is to build a nation ; n Children of Mzimba transporting bricks for the building of a primary school an elementary school, setting up a fruit tree nursery and sanitizing the environment.One important point to note is that all the villages involved have chosen to have literacy classes.The experience is exhilarating and filled with hope.For several decades, 5t.Anne's Homecraft and Leadership Training Centre in Zambia, renowned for the quality of its teaching, has W/f been offering human and profes-p sional formation to young women.The programme contains courses on domestic science and sessions on leadership.The values upon which our programme is based provide a Christian dimension to our teaching.We hope that these young women, inspired by the mission of the Centre, become dynamic leaders in their community and will succeed in promoting justice, peace and the dignity of persons.Malawi.Hélène Gemme, m.i.c., librarian at Marymount Secondary School of Mzuzu ht ¥ I’nU.MSLL Chipata, Zambia.Germaine Pérusse, m.i.c.(at centre) and Laurette Gauvin, m.i.c., (r.), with novices Transmission of Life By tradition, the role of the African woman is the transmission of life, and her deep vocation is to be a mother.However, a new vocation has appeared with the advent of Christianity, that of the consecrated religious life.Attracted to this way by the love poured into their hearts by the Spirit, more and more women consecrate their whole being to Christ and to the mission of the Church, putting themselves at the service of their brothers and sisters.These women command respect and recognition because of the richness of their being and because of their openness, dynamism and commitment.In a Church viewed as God's Family, they bear the witness of a fraternal life in a spirit of communion and cooperation with the clergy and the laity.A few young African women wishing poverty, ignorance and disease.They took part in the shaping of societies based on the principles of right and fairness, as well as in the formation of political and religious elite.Awakening of a New Hope It is barely more than 100 years •' • rv^TnriBFF ' s'nce Church was implanted in Malawi and Zambia.Today, it is showing what we call the signs of the times.This Church known as a mission Church has become missionary itself.Out of joy and gratitude for the faith received, the moment has come for it to head for the open sea and continue the mission of the messengers of the Good News as in the early times of Christianity.The Church in Africa is awakening to a new hope and its cultural values are a constant source of inspiration.The current flowering of priestly and religious vocations raises the hope of being able to bring the Gospel to all parts of the continent, and even to respond to the call of the universal Church echo- Our missionaries of Malawi and Zambia well represent the internationality of our Institute.ing the words of Christ: You shall be my witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).\ Logo of the Centenary of the Church of Malawi (1901-2001) jit IWM t‘t Moment of prayer at our Novitiate of Chipata to live their religious life as a missionary in thanksgiving in the manner of Mary have joined our Community.A Historic and Determinant Period The historical context in which the Catholic and Protestant missionaries exercised their mission in Africa in the 20th century signalled a determining period for the autonomy of peoples and the mission of the Church.They demonstrated an absolute devotion through their collaboration with governments in the efforts exerted for the development of rural areas and for the fight against ., Bo//V/( Machu Picchu A Continent of Diversity and of Contrasts South America is a vibrant, developing conti-chiie nent °f great environmental and cultural con- trasts.One way to appreciate the diversity of this continent's culture and history is to highlight its geography and natural resources: vast grasslands, Amazonian tropical rainforests, the Andean highlands, snow-covered mountains and tremendous glaciers, barren deserts and fertile agricultural areas.Although South America presents a distinctive and extraordinary cultural fusion, the countries are unique in themselves and present both the ultra-modern and the exotic.The continent cradles lost cities and civilizations while remaining deeply marked with the pageantry and colour of their grandiose rituals and celebrations.Its history is filled with tales of mystery and wealth, many originating from the three great civilizations in South America - the Inca, the Maya and the Aztec.The period that marked Lake Titicacaf jranà, Argentina.Nancy Campos, m.i.c., Chilean (at centre), at the COMLA VI - CAM 1 in 1999 tV" / is f ~ M.-' A Holy Week procession in a Bolivian village m&mzr- Colonial South America was itself also a story of power and wealth versus the struggle for survival.A Continent of Missionary Challenges Catholic bishop representatives from all the countries of the Americas participated at the Special Synod for America, held in Rome in 1997.Focusing on the urgent need to renew the commitment of witnessing the Gospel, the Synod document now becomes an important signpost of evangelization for the local churches of South America in the new millennium.The new evangelization envisages a continued exchange of gifts with many ways of collaboration between local Churches in the common work of sharing the Gospel.Hence the strong insistence on mission animation to bring Christians to witness to the Good News beyond their geographical, ethnic, cultural or economic boundaries.Moreover, the Latin American Report presented at the meeting of the Executive Board of the International Association of Catholic Missiologists (IACM) held in Rome in 2001, began with the word missionary.1.An Overview of Missionary Challenges Today Francis A.Oborii, Executive Secretary Executive Board of the International Association of Catholic Missiologists V-t.• CS».' *'.-v4‘ î*%*ïfe-."’r:'’;3' ^ 1 :aca Photo : A.Allary A view of the Andes Missionary in all sectors and levels of the evangelizing Church is the expression that best describes the actual reality of the continent.This missionary awareness is due to diverse factors which include, among others, the Missionary Congresses at national and continental levels, the latter called COMLAS (Missionary Congresses of Latin America).The Sixth COMLA (1999), was also designated CAM /, the first American Missionary Conference, to emphasize how the Church in America is one.The IACM Report underlined that in Latin America which comprises Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, Central America and South America, mission is from the poor to the poor.And for the missiologists in the whole continent, the accent is always on enculturation, human promotion, ecumenism, the universality of the Christian message and ecological awareness.The report presented proposals for the future, foremost among which is to make use of the period for the preparation of COMLA 7, CAM 2, to be held in 2003 in Guatemala, to further elicit missionary awareness and animation.An Evangelizing Church Of all the concerns of God's people that have resounded in the hall of the Special Synod for America, the cry of the poor has been heard with special attention.Not a single Episcopal Conference in America has failed to speak clearly and with deep emotion about the quest for justice for peoples whose lives and human dignity are challenged by poverty and want.In South America, there are regions which suffer conditions of human misery.To these woes must be added those caused by abuses in the globalization of the world's culture and economy, those caused by the drug traffic, the diversion of scarce resources into the arms trade as well as political and business corruption which deprives people of the share of material goods intended for or earned by them and to which they have a right.Because of its courage, the Church continues to be perceived as a credible, ethical institution.This credibility is not based on abstract assent by ordinary Christians to the Church's teaching.Very few of them have read Episcopal documents or liberation theology.But many are aware that committed members of the Church live in their midst in the poorest barrios and remotest Andean towns and know what the daily lives of campesinos and urban workers are all about.Peru.Carmen Tito, w.i.c.(at centre), during a baptism —— '.'"V Catechism class in a Bolivian village.J f /H !3U '•t