The precursor, 1 janvier 1960, Janvier - Février

Vol.XXIV January - February I960 38th year No.1 The Precursor OLP, recurâor 2900 St.Catherine Road — Cote des Neiges, Montreal (26) Imprimatur: f Mgr Paul Touchette, P.A.V.G., October 10, 1958.Nihil obstat : François Brouillette, ptre, August 26, 1959.Vol.XXIV — 38th year Montreal, January-February 1960 No.1 Bi-monthly review published by the Missionary Sister of the Immaculate Conception.Yearly subscription.$1.00 Life subscription.20.00 If you plan to change your address, please do not forget to write us in advance.Send both the old and new address.It will help the Post Office, you, and us.ADVANTAGES : Subscribers share in the prayers, works, and sacrifices of all the Sisters of our Society more especially of those working in the mission fields of the world.Moreover, one Mass is celebrated every week for living subscribers.Another is also offered for subscribers who have passed away.Authorized as second class mail.Post Office Department, Ottawa.IN THIS ISSUE The Great Mission .3 The Redaction Situation of World Missions.6 Fides The Poor Are Evangelized.12 Sister Marie Josephine, M.I.C.Our Lady of Snow in Haiti.IS Sister Saint Odile, M.I.C.New Apostolic Nuncio.17 First Christmas in Madagascar.20 Sister Elizabeth of Portugal, M.I.C.Mission Departure 1959 — Golden Jubilee of First Departure .24 Suscipe.26 Sister Therese Martin, M.I.C.Pista Sa Nayon .28 Sister Marie Paule, M.I.C.Florence .31 Sister Claude de la Colombiere, M.I.C.Indoctrination of Catholic Youth in China.36 Fides Japanese Catholic Writers.39 Catholic Inquiry Forum .45 Necrology.46 Our Cover-Picture : Mir ary soa ho an’ny Noely (Merry Christmas à la Malagasy) fM “ The Precursor ” owes it to its holy patron to underline in a special manner the great mission which will take place in Montreal during the course of 1960.Having as goal to carry the gospel message to the ends of the earth, how could it remain indifferent to this movement for a Christian revival?Besides, the word mission has the same profound mean- ing whether taken in the more restricted sense of a series of sermons with religious exercises designed as spiritual tonic to confirm the fervent and convert sinners or in the wider sense of expeditions to distant countries in order to implant the Faith.Such holy quests fundamentally aim at making God better known and better loved, with this distinction that the latter — the foreign missions — beget souls to the Faith, while the former — the popular 3 missions — quicken this same faith in those already in possession of the Truth.Similar to the message carried afar by missionaries will be that commented during the Great Mission — God is our Father.In mission lands, this marvelous truth leaves the pagans wonder-struck and even determines numerous conversions; while in lands with a Catholic tradition, it seems to slumber in recesses of the soul much as basic principles learned long since and partly forgotten.But this truth has lost nothing of its dynamism.Has it not, in our own twentieth century, inspired Reverend Auguste Valensin with that form of spirituality termed devotion to God the Father which we find delightfully revealed in the pages of his book La Joie dans la Foi?The distinguished lecturer of the Mediterranean University Centre of Nice wrote of this, his special calling, “ I feel that I am destined to help the whole world know and love God the Father, know and love Jesus Christ.” This is the vocation of every Catholic.Studied in regard with the religious, familial, and social problems of our modern times, the theme of the fatherhood of God will have as corollary the theme of the brotherhood of men in the same way that the first commandment, “ Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,” calls for the second, “ Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” .In the light of this principle, “ God is our Father”, the faithful will examine their conscience and ask themselves, “ What are we doing for our neighbour ?What share are we taking in the work for the salvation of souls?” Msgr.Suenens once remarked on this subject: “ A Catholic is not expected to confine himself to a religious apostolate.He must partake in free, temporal activities and play the grand human game at all levels.On the familial, social, professional, cultural, political, national and international scale, he has the irreplaceable mission of incarnating the Christian faith .What a revolution would be brought about if every Catholic accepted as a duty to care for the interests of souls as he accepts to hear Mass on Sundays; if he became conscious of his obligations towards the throng surrounding him.” A surprising revival would indeed be launched if each Catholic in Montreal endeavoured by personal contacts, to lead home a straying brother, to work at the conversion of a sinner.The general mobilisation of all Catholic forces in order to combat materialistic communism would thereby be secured.According to a communiqué published by the Great Mission Centre, “ Allied forces must be pitted against Communist forces.The paramount aim of the Great Mission is to assure the conversion of each Catholic and to transform the Montreal Diocese into a united front from an apostolic point of view.” Every earnest Communist becomes the missionary of the Party’s false mysticism.In order to implant atheistic materialism and hasten the advent of the Red Paradise on earth, he unflinchingly accepts hard work, self-denial, tremendous sacrifices.How could a Catholic who by the very fact of his Baptism is pledged to be an apostle and who holds at his disposal the spiritual strength and riches 4 of the Mystical Body fail to work with all his might at the extension of the Church, harbinger of the one true Paradise?The Catholic who refuses to assume the responsibility of others unknowingly takes up again Cain’s heartless question, “ Is it for me to keep watch over my brother?” As Reverend J.Danielou so truly says: “ Between God and us there is the whole world of creatures through which God reveals Himself to souls and through which souls commune with Him.Now, this includes not only the external world of things, but also the world of persons.The mission, truly understood, is an outstanding example of this.It is our terrible responsibility that through our silence we can prevent God’s messages from being disseminated.” With the leaders of the Church in Montreal and with the Great Mission Centre “ The Precursor ” hopes that the religious event of 1960 will deal the death blow to religious individualism and reawaken the spirit of apostolate.This will redound not only to the advantage of the Canadian Church but to that of the entire Mystical Body, as the inflow of the vital impulse in a member benefits the other members.Through the mysterious exchange of the Communion of Saints, youthful and fragile missions across the seas will attain maturity and vigour .Who knows ?The Great Mission will perhaps raise up a wealth of missionary vocations.When the soul has been impregnated with the truth that God is our Father, it feels urged to spread the tidings of great joy to all those who being ignorant of it cannot yet say “ Our Father who art in Heaven .” MISSIONARY INTENTIONS JANUARY : That the Christians of the Orient who are separated from the Holy See may ardently desire to realize perfect unity of Faith with the Catholic Church.FEBRUARY: That the persecuted Church in China may be effectively succoured through its solidarity with Catholics the world over. WÊÊÊÊtÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊKÊmÊÊÊÊÊÊÊUÊmmmmmmmMmÊmmmmm Situation of World /HissionO In his opening address to the plenary assembly of the Superior Council for Missionary Works, in 1959, His Eminence Cardinal Agagianian, Pro-Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda, pointed out the consoling missionary progress of the Church, progress evidenced by numerous conversions, perfect mutual understanding between members of the autochthonous clergy and missionaries, attachment of the faithful to the Holy See, respect of non-Christian ministers and chiefs of states for the Church who ensures the moral, intellectual, and material uplifting of peoples everywhere.He recalled that, on the other hand, certain regions had become entirely closed to the beneficent influence of the Church, as in North Korea, North Vietnam, Communist China.In these 6 countries, a diabolical persecution is waged against the faithful Catholics who resist the attempts to force them to create national churches cut off from the Holy See.During the forty years which separate us from the publication of Benedict XV’s Apostolic Letter, Maximum Illud, great strides forward have been taken.Seminaries have been organized for the formation of the clergy in Asia and Africa; the number of autochthonous bishops is on the increase; in Japan, all the missions are entrusted to the Japanese clergy.But during this same lapse of time new problems have cropped up.Who could have predicted, forty years ago, the decline of European colonial domination and the fever of independence at present convulsing Africa and Asia ?To cope with the situation in new lands the Church needs earnest Catholics equipped with a tested technical formation who may honourably take their place among the leaders of their countries.In concluding, the Cardinal mentioned some particular modern problems which the Superior Council must solve.Without enumerating the questions taken up during the assemblies we will underline a few important points.Urgent Need of Prayer The missions need, first of all, the spiritual support of prayer and sacrifice.Material aid comes only second.Of a supernatural character, the missions must not be lowered to the level of social, much less commercial enterprises.The important work of the missions is to implant the Church.Therefore, members of the Missionary Union of the Clergy must have as paramount aim to imbue the faithful with a truly Catholic mentality on a world-wide scale.If pastors impart to the faithful under their charge a more intensely Catholic formation, the latter will pray with greater fervour.Parents will not be unwilling to give up their children who have heard the call to a totally dedicated life.They will give generously in support of the missions.Missionary Vocations Although there have been notable extensions in various religious congregations, there is still such a shortage of missionaries that we must look elsewhere to recruit a greater number.In his encyclical, Fidei Donum, Pope Pius XII launched an appeal to diocesan priests.Many, responding to the call, have already left for the mission field afar.Experience has proved, however, that to prevent their being isolated in pagan territories, it is advisable to send them in groups and to entrust them with special works, as the direction of colleges or seminaries.The missions also need lay apostles: artisans, technicians, architects, engineers, physicians, professors.Without intending to found institutes for the training of lay experts and to assume the responsibility of sending them to the missions, the Superior Council is, nevertheless, ready and willing to help missionary bishops defray, occasionally and in certain particular cases, the expenses of lay apostles who offer themselves to work in their mission territories.It must, however, be kept in mind that the best helpers of missionaries will always be the Brothers and the Sisters whose recruitment at home and abroad should be intensified.Financial Problems This year's grand total of receipt from the two principal missionary Works amounts to $20,000,000: $17,000,000.00 for the Propagation of the Faith and $3,000,000.00 for the Work of St.Peter the Apostle, in favour of the autochthonous clergy.This sum has to be divided among 700 missions and over 400 seminaries with a total enrollment of 28,000 students.Despite its importance, it represents a bare seventh of the Sums needed.There is undoubtedly room for greater achievements in this line.Let it not be overlooked that Protestant missionaries have far more im- nvvm'Xtum ' : ; ' à jSr The Christian school, bulwark of the missions.portant funds than we have at their disposal.Priests, more especially members of the Missionary Union of the Clergy, must endeavour to make the work of the missions better known to the faithful and obtain that all Catholics generously support our Missionary Works.A new organization has lately been set afoot with a view to the promotion of missionary interests.Known under the appellation of Jumélage it aims at the adoption by a diocese of Christian countries of one or several mission circumscriptions.This 8 is a praiseworthy initiative indeed.The financial aid directly offered through Jumélage by ‘a Catholic collectivity to collectivities in mission lands, enables the Society for the Propagation of the Faith to send its subsidies to other less favoured localities.Far from standing in the way of Pontifical Missionary Works, Jumélage and otfyer similar organizations extend their influence.Another apostolic venture deserving honourable mention is the Service missionnaire des jeunes organized in the schools and colleges of France in favour of the autochthonous clergy. Following the example set by Pauline Marie Jaricot, the students divided into groups of ten conduct among themselves the movement known as “ The Monthly Twenty Francs Campaign Heed must be taken while carrying on propaganda, not to present the mission countries as backward.In the suburbs of even our great cities do we not find much poverty and misery ?From the material point of view, countries like Japan have nothing to envy European countries.One thing only is lacking to their civilization — the Christian Faith to which the pagans have as much right as we have.Ours the duty to see that they come into their spiritual inheritance.Formation of an Elite New countries that have but lately secured their independence and others who in Africa are about to become autonomous have an urgent need of competent leaders who in political.The Brother, builder of churches and schools a precious auxiliary of the missionary priest.Fv iÉÉÉ 5 ¦\ i./ “ A Pm * i ' / Autochthonous priests — hope of the Church of tomorrow.industrial, economical, and educational fields may assume responsible posts.This leading class must be formed in universities whether in the missions or in Christian countries.The Church has not been remiss in preparing for this contingency, having founded during the last centuries in Asia and more recently in Africa Institutes of higher learning.But at present missionaries must cope with new problems.By the tens of thousands, overseas students throng European and American universities.The future leaders of Africa more particularly are in our midst; they give their trust to those who are ready to welcome them.Alas! It happens only too often that they are caught in the toils of materialistic Communism or of godless technocracy.It belongs to friends of the missions, to Pontifical Works, therefore, to extend financial aid to Catholic organizations such as Friendship Houses, Hostels, Homes which cater to the needs of overseas students, and to secure in their favour scholarships to Catholic Universities.Catholic Radio in the Orient In the Far East, Catholic presence ought to be affirmed through the voice of its own radio.The Vatican radio station cannot as yet make itself heard in this sector and yet the Church has an urgent need of this 10 i_r1 Sw VH 1»’ » «£