2012-May-Jun-Newsletter.Pdf

One Heart, One Spirit CONGREGATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Newsletter for the Province of the United States

Volume No. XL, No. 3 MAY-JUNE 2012

US PROVINCIAL CHAPTER 2012

As you are aware, the Provincial Chapter took place at Duquesne University from June 4 through June 9, 2012. The Chapter brought together 92 Professed and Lay Spiritans; 69 from the Province and 23 observers, 8 of whom were superiors of other circumscriptions. Facilitated by Sr. Mary Dacey, SSJ, the Chapter addressed the four themes of Our Mission, Our Life, Our Resources and New Membership and produced a series of statements on these issues which received the unanimous approval of the Chapter members.

Fr. John Fogarty was re-elected Provincial on the first ballot. Fr. Jeff Duaime was elected First Assistant with Fr. Benoit Mukamba (Second Assistant), Fr. Dan Walsh and Fr. James Okoye completing the Council. The new Council will take up office on August 15, 2012 and at that time will address the appointment of Province Treasurer and Province Secretary (S.R. L. 247.1.5).

The next Chapter will take place in 2018 and General Assembly, which will be elective, will be held in 2015.

The Chapter also endorsed a statement of support for L.C.W.R. in their recent difficulties with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Since Frs. Fogarty and Duaime will be attending the General Chapter in Bagamoyo, Tanzania, from June 22 through July 24, 2012, Fr. Michael White will be Acting Provincial in their absence. We ask your prayers for the success of the General Chapter. Major Superior Table

Lay Spiritan Rich Gosser and Fr. Jim McCloskey

Fathers Len Tuozzolo, Frank Wright and Tom Byrne

Fr. Peter Laast, DU Pres. Charles Dougherty, Group Session and Discussion Fr. Lazarus Langbiir and Fr. Samuel Oppong-Nkansah 2 [At this time of year, attention rightly turns to newlyweds, anniversaries and graduations. We honor and celebrate those who march to the altar, sit at the head banquet table or triumphantly walk across the stage to get their diplomas. If these communal celebrations include a presentation of some sort, a thoughtful notice will be made of those who “made all this possible.” In the realm of education, this includes the teacher, professor or school administrator. Four Spiritans “step down” this year from specific educational ministries only to “step up” to other ministries of service. Both Tony Gittins (English Province) and James Okoye (Nigeria South East Province) leave Catholic Theological Union after years of dedicated theological education - Tony, to devote himself more fully to retreats, seminars and presentations; James, to take on responsibility for the Center for Spiritan Studies at Duquesne, in addition to teaching a course on scripture. Barney Kelly (Trans-Canadian Province) will hand over his pioneering work as Director, Center of Spiritan Studies, Duquesne University, to return to his province of origin. Bill Headley (United States Province) will leave his post this summer as founding dean, Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, University of San Diego, to enjoy a sabbatical before returning to teaching. He shared a closing homily he preached at a Mass for his University’s Board of Directors. It attempts to capture, in Bill’s context, such a transition moment in an educational ministry: ]

University of San Diego Board of Trustees End of Year Liturgy, April 26, 2012

“The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, ‘Get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’” (Mass of the Day, first reading, Acts 8: 26-40)

If you were anywhere near San Diego this last week (April 18-19), you know that His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited three major university campuses, including our University of San Diego. At our University, he spoke to an overflow crowd of four or five thousand people in our largest auditorium. I was dressed in clericals for such an auspicious occasion and seated in the front row of the hall. Minutes before, His Holiness and I had met briefly and superficially before this presentation. I had been part of the greeting party as he entered the auditorium. When his talk was finished and he was about to leave the stage, His Holiness came over to the edge of the stage, beckoned me to come over and reached down to shake my hand, commenting – I am sure a reference to my clerical attire, “my special brother.” Obviously, I was touched. When I returned a few steps back to my seat, the woman next to me said excitedly, “Don’t worry, I have a picture of the Dalai Lama greeting you!” When the photo arrived in my in-box that night, I opened it with some interest. Sure enough, there was the Dalai Lama. His image was easily identifiable if somewhat blurred. What you mainly see of me is my seriously balding head! The moral of this story: some of us are not destined for greatness! Though our School of Peace Studies was instrumental in bringing His Holiness to our campus, some of the shine and awe of his coming was missing for me. We had brought him to Pittsburgh while I was at Duquesne University some years ago. Still, it gave me a chance to listen to the man and his message more deeply. This, in turn, nudged me to ask myself, “What is his attraction?” Certainly, His Holiness struggles with big ideas: reconciling neuroscience with meditative practice, cultivating compassion, and in his latest book, Beyond Religion, searches for a secular ethics. Listening carefully, however, to the words he spoke in the presentation, it struck me how simple his message really was. With a touch of cynicism, perhaps, I thought: “If I preached at that level during my weekend liturgies at the Cathedral in San Diego, people would get restless – finding my message too simple, too basic.” So, what is it that attracts these thousands of admirers everywhere he goes? Our on-line ticketing for the event sold out in 16 minutes! Here were my answers, equally, perhaps, as simplistic as his presentation.

3 (continued on next page) University of San Diego Board of Trustees - End of Year Liturgy, April 26, 2012

First, “he” is saying it. He — the 14th Dalai Lama with his religious aura, Noble Prize, personal sacrifices and eastern mystic attractiveness — is the presenter, not balding-headed me. Then, there is his “body-spirit” integration: one senses that he is what he talks about. Then, there is the message about good, human living within oneself and among others. With the hype of our daily lives, its busyness and various frictions and frustrations in our society and world, maybe it is the profundity embedded in the simple words and message that really captures attention. In the scriptures of this particular day, it is the first reading cited above, which carries the post-Easter spirit. It is about getting that message into the world that so stirred the followers of Jesus. One of the urgencies of that time was getting the message of Jesus beyond the small Jewish enclave. How better to make the point than to tell a story a person from a distant land – Ethiopia – who gets “it,” the message? In the scripture story, an angel stirs Philip. Reminds me of a point a preacher once made about Mary’s Annunciation, that is, when an angel came to announce that she was to be the mother of God. The preacher’s advice: “When angels begin to talk to you, duck, a big job is coming your way!” Well, maybe angels are not about to come our way. But, in the spirit of Philip, the Church at this Pentecost time of year reminds us that we are alive with the Holy Spirit. We need to reach out beyond ourselves to share the good news. We must do this by the integrity of our lives. Legend has it that St. Francis of Assisi noted that we should do this by the testimony of our lives and, if all else fails, by our words. We should reach out to those “others” who are strangers and outcasts, broken and battered, separated or simply not talking to one another. Sometimes, one does this “reaching out” by one’s self, as Philip did. And, sometimes, as you have – Board of Trustees (Kroc School Board of Advisors) — one enables others to do this. You’ve been such enablers by making room at USD for the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, the first new School at the University in around 35 years. Julie Sullivan, our Provost, is no angel; I’m no apostle Philip. Yet, she grabbed me by the gruff of the neck in 2007. She said, “Give us 3-5 years of your life to get this School started. Take a vague dream, turn it into a vision and make a plan of it. Attract people who want to change, heal and serve the world. Along the way, you can even make some mistakes, have shortcomings, be slow and dumb in some respects” (Well, she didn’t really say those last things, giving me permission to be THIS dumb…but she probably intended them.) When friends on the East Coast early on heard my dean’s task here at USD, they would often say, “Start a School of Peace Studies – the first in the country and from scratch – what an opportunity!” I came to reply, “Scratch never had it so good: three vital programs; a beautiful, peace-filled building; staff and faculty who feel passionately about making peace; and, a little money in the bank – well, actually, a lot of money in the bank; and, a Board of Trustees, an Administration and our own Board of Advisors of the School of Peace Studies who came to believe in us. Scratch never had it so good!” In the Dalai Lama’s latest book, mentioned earlier, he is searching for an ethics that is larger than any one faith, for example, his Buddhist faith. Often in our student body of many faiths and a good mix of secular humanism, I cannot be terribly explicit about my faith convictions. Yet, behind all that I do is the message of a Jesus who maybe did not settle many disputes in the proper formalitic manner of our discipline’s textbooks. But, he washed the feet of men who he knew would betray him. Jesus had lunch with a tax collector whose honesty was questionable. And, he honored a woman whose local community thought of as a sinner and probably scorned. Come July 1st, I must get up and head south on my own road as Philip did. I thank you most sincerely and profoundly for this time in Jerusalem. Shortly, after some months of intellectual refreshment, God willing, I’ll be back teaching… So, I won’t be or go that far away. If you think to ask about me, ask: “Is he building bridges by healing hurts? Is he cultivating harmony by sowing seeds of Peace?” If the answers you get are, “yes,” know that I am well. Then, turn these questions on yourself. Ask them of yourself. If the answer you hear back is, “Yes!” Then, know that all is well with you, also. Peace and all good things! Bill Headley, CSSp 4/29/12 4 JOINT MEETING CMSM J&P COMMITTEE AND LCWR GLOBAL CONCERNS COMMITTEE MISSIONARY OBLATES OF MARY IMMACULATE PROVINCIALATE WASHINGTON, D.C. APRIL 30 – MAY 1, 2012

The DCF Doctrinal Assessment of the Leadership Human Trafficking - The USCCB along with CRS Conference of Women Religious - At present the convenes a working group about three times a year to Conference is not making any statements. The Board network and share information. This has been a major will be meeting by the end of the month to begin a concern for women religious although both men and reflection on the statement. This year’s annual assembly women are trafficked for sex and/or labor. They have will proceed as planned. Archbishop Sartain, the Vatican promoted a “Meeting Planners Guide” which is Delegate, is fine with that. The JP Committee of CMSM presented to hospitality workers at hotels that describes has offered its support as the process begins. We agreed how to train housekeepers and check-in clerks on that the most important value we possess is our recognizing possible trafficking. At the UN there is VIVAT commitment to the Mission of God, to serve those (CSSp is a member) working on this issue. Newly founded oppressed by poverty and injustices. That is what we VIVAT/USA has decided to focus on this issue. More are about. We are to use our energy/power to address information can be found at stoptraffickingnow.org. the mission by developing the structures and resources There is a real push to label women/men under 18 as needed to achieve the mission. trafficked and not as prostitutes.

Presentation on “Understanding the Current Climate: Faithful Budget - It is important to support the USCCB Election 2012” - by Simone Campbell, Executive Director and the Interfaith Justice Office in advocating that the of NETWORK - There is a need to find a way to engage budget is a moral document with a need to clearly state in conversation for the common good. A handout was that it is immoral to balance the budget on the backs of distributed to help avoid “trigger” words for both sides. the poor. The safety net must be protected as is the In looking at both party’s ‘platform’ examine what’s there concept of universal healthcare among other issues. and what’s missing from our faith values. Experiencing Concerning the religious liberty issue, we cannot allow the other’s concerns, the “walking in the other’s the government to decide what constitutes a religious moccasins” is one way to achieve a conversation. We institution. The HHS is taking comments right now so need to stress the communitarian values of our Faith, we need to make our concerns known. As usual, there what is best for all, for the common good. The is another value that clashes with this issue, the atmosphere we face is that each side thinks the other consciences and rights of the individuals who are not is in “bad faith” and so can’t be trusted! Again, there is Catholic or even Christian and work for Catholic the need to stress we are in this together. institutions.

Immigration - The leadership of CMSM/LCWR has Climate Change - The Catholic Climate Covenant prioritized immigration as an issue both Conferences (catholicclimatecovenant.org) is the basic resource for are to concentrate on. The JP and Global Concerns showing how our faith is applied to climate change and committee have agreed to seek funding for a CARA study those issues. There is a “Scholars Conference” on all the ways Religious are engaged in serving scheduled in November 2012 at Catholic University of immigrants and in advocating for them during 2012. This America sponsored by the USCCB. We are to promote will enable us to focus and direct our energies the St. Francis Pledge found at the above website. collaboratively. This issue will be dealt with on the level of States at present. There is no expectation that a Haiti - The conference “One Table, Many Partners” took comprehensive immigration reform bill will advance place at Catholic University from June 1-3 and focused nationally during this year. It was suggested that we on how to be more effective in supporting the Church in work with some national organizations such as Justice Haiti. (Rich Gosser attended on behalf of the Province for Immigrants (JFI) sponsored by USCCB/CRS and the as well as Executive Director of “Partners in Progress.”) Interfaith Coalition on Immigration. 5 Anniversaries of Profession and Ordination (June/July/August/September) Congratulations and Best Wishes for continued blessings on these many years of service!

Ordination 60 years Fr. Albert J. McKnight June 6, 1952 55 years Fr. Edward J. Caron June 4, 1957 50 years Fr. Bernard Kelly July 22, 1962 50 years Fr. Louis G. Perreault June 6, 1962 50 years Fr. Joseph A. Seiter June 6, 1962 45 years Fr. Anthony J. Gittins September 24, 1967 45 years Fr. Sean M. Hogan September 22, 1967 40 years Fr. Elochukwu Uzukwu 1972 25 years Fr. Michael Begley 1987 20 years Fr. William H. Christy August 15, 1992 20 years Fr. Benoit K. Mukamba July 5, 1992 20 years Fr. John Owuwu-Achiaw July 25, 1992 20 years Fr. Freddy J. Washington August 1, 1992 5 years Fr. Trinh Q. Le July 28, 2007

Profession 65 years Fr. Joseph F. McDonough August 15, 1947 65 years Fr. Albert J. McKnight August 15, 1947 60 years Fr. Edward J. Caron August 22, 1952 60 years Fr. Albert J. McKnight June 6, 1952 55 years Fr. Louis G. Perreault August 22, 1957 55 years Fr. Joseph A. Seiter August 22, 1957 55 years Fr. Vincent G. Stegman August 22, 1957 50 years Fr. Pierre L. Deglaire September 8, 1962 50 years Fr. Anthony J. Gittins August 9, 1962 45 years Fr. Cornelius T. McQuillan August 22, 1967 45 years Fr. Patrick A. Patten August 15, 1967 40 years Fr. William Smith August 1, 1972 40 years Fr. George J. Spangenberg August 6, 1972 30 years Fr. Evod Shao July 7, 1982 30 years Fr. Daniel S. Sormani July 31, 1982 25 years Fr. Michael Begley 1987 25 years Fr. Benoit K. Mukamba July 16, 1987 15 years Fr. Huy Q. Dinh August 17, 1997 15 years Fr. Andrew H. Do August 17, 1997 15 years Fr. Brandon B. Nguyen August 17, 1997 10 years Fr. Trinh Q. Le August 3, 2002 10 years Fr. Joseph L. Nguyen August 3, 2002 10 years Fr. Martin Vu August 3, 2002 6 Preface (Fr. Don McEachin): This past year the Spiritan team in the Dominican Republic had the great pleasure of sharing our Spiritan ministry and charism with a Spiritan Volunteer, Mary Hansen, from Pittsburgh (Beaver) Pennsylvania. Mary is the daughter of Lay Spiritans John and Anne Marie Hansen. Recently graduated from American University, and with an interest in socio-economic development, Mary came to live here and work in the Diocesan Foundation (FUNDASEP), in the Micro-Credit program, which gives small loans to women in poverty to start a small business to provide income for their families. She lived with a family here in San Juan and worked in the chancery offices of FUNDASEP, and out in the villages of the region with the women’s groups that had been formed to participate in the Micro-Credit program. Below she shares her reflections on her year with us.

Reflections of a Lay Spiritan’s Year in San Juan de la Maguana, DR

I spent 2011 as a Lay Spiritan Associate in San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic, volunteering with the diocese’s community development organization on their microcredit project. Now, four months after returning to the US, when I’m asked about the experience, I say, “It was amazing; I loved it!” However, if you would have asked me that on any given day of last year my answer would have varied greatly.

I could have been elated in my first few weeks there

that I had a five-minute conversation with a co-worker Mary with one of the women’s groups participating in the in Spanish and understood half of what was said. I could microcredit program have been frustrated that, despite having set and confirmed a meeting a week in advance, just one out of five and are each other’s guarantee for the loan. I was the twelve participants who were supposed to attend responsible for implementing a new database that actually showed up because it had rained shortly before tracked types of loans and payments, for training the we were supposed to begin. Or I could have been two project coordinators on its maintenance, and for exhausted - the kind of wonderfully satisfied exhausted coordinating the development of an education from arriving home at 9pm after a five hour round trip component of the project. ride in the back of a pick-up for meetings in the communities of las lomas (the hills) with a break for a Completing these seemingly straightforward tasks was delicious lunch of tostones (fried plantains) and fried one of the most challenging parts of my experience as salami, (says the former vegetarian). Amidst this mix of it stretched not only my Spanish language skills but also new experiences and intense emotions, I was able to my ability to communicate effectively with my co- do meaningful work, build a community of friends and workers, superiors and the participants in the project. I family where I lived, and grow as a person. had to navigate the machismo (sexism) of the Dominican culture and the hierarchical structure of the organization Working with the diocesan development organization, where I worked. I had to grapple with my own privileges Fundacion para el Desarrollo de Azua, San Juan y Elias as an American (having a college education and the Piña (FUNDASEP), in the microcredit project was the opportunity to travel to another country and live for a foundation of my time in San Juan. The project provides year); with my assumptions about how I could contribute one hundred women across two provinces with small to the work and what I could learn from it (spoiler alert: loans for new or existing businesses (for example, food I learned a lot more than I contributed!); and finally with carts or salons). It follows the Grameen Bank model in why I decided to do “development” work or work with which the women organize themselves into groups of poor and marginalized. 7 (continued next page) Reflections of a Lay Spiritan’s Year in San Juan de la Maguana, DR (continued)

Mary (top left) with co-workers in the Chancery offices of FUNDASEP Mary giving a presentation to the women’s groups

Mary meeting with a family participating in the Exploring the natural beauty of the Dominican Republic microcredit program

When I first arriveed in the DR, I was excited to be of the more outlying communities, she had to take a working with a project that had a “help others help bus to where the community began, and then essentially themselves” philosophy, which according to many hitchhike to her destination. studies of microcredit projects is a very successful Despite the resource and organizational difficulties, the model for alleviating poverty on an individual level. As I project did make an impact on women’s lives. Toward attended meetings in the first few weeks, both within the end of the year, I helped to plan a celebration for the organization and out in the communities, I witnessed the participants of the project that included all the a project constrained by lack of resources, money, time, women from both provinces where we worked. This was and personnel, and yet reaching many communities and the first time the women from the project had gotten women in need. My coworker, who was responsbile for together. We did a couple of activities to identify the the borrowers in the neighboring province, didn’t have strengths and weaknesses of the project, shared a meal, access to an organizational vehicle. This meant in order and ended with a mass. It was rewarding for me to hear to arrive to her weekly meetings with participants, she again the actual experiences of the women and how had to walk or use public transportation. The system of they were using the loans to help their businesses and public transportation is a series of small buses and their families. rickety vans that traverse the main roads. To reach some 8 (continued next page) Reflections of a Lay Spiritan’s Year in San Juan de la Maguana, DR (continued)

Yet as I listened to their success stories, I began to reflect on the “help others help themselves” approach and its limitations. One participant we hailed as the success story of our work had a beachside restaurant. She had taken out two loans with us and had now invested so well in her business that she was borrowing directly from the bank. Was that the goal, I wondered, to feed clients to the bank? To build up a base of small businesses in all the communities where we worked? How did this help the communities? Was there room in the local economy for so many small business? Mountain village in Las Lomas I met a woman who had used the first loan to buy a hairdryer for the salon she ran out of her living room (and the only place I got my hair cut in the DR!). She lamented to me that although the loan had helped her purchase the hairdryer, the reality was that she had electricity for just a few short hours a day. Because the electricity was unpredictable, she wasn’t able to serve more clients despite the extra resources from the loan. External constraints like this were common. I visited another woman who had fallen weeks behind on her payments. She explained that her son had been in a motorcycle accident and was now on crutches. She was unable both to make her loan payments and pay for the care her son needed, and she had chosen to take care of her son first.

Indeed, for many women who were having difficulty with repayments, the biggest problem was not that their business was suffering but that a family member had gotten sick. Instead of using the money they would have used to pay the loan, they instead had to pay for healthcare. Lack of electricity and health- care are not easily remediated by a microcredit project. (continued next page) On retreat with youth group in Fr. Don McEachin’s parish 9 Reflections of a Lay Spiritan’s Year in San Juan de la Maguana, DR (continued)

Furthermore, I reflected on the many Haitian immigrants I had met in the communities where we worked and on visits with the Haitian ministry team. The immigrants I met were struggling with the poverty of migration, living in a house with three or four other families in fear of being deported, exploited by farmers for their work because they did not have proper documentation. For this same reason, the immigrant Haitian women were not eligible for the microcredit project, because participants need a cedúla, a national ID card, in order to open a bank account. The project was missing a population badly in need.

The microcredit project doesn’t aim to alleviate the problems of migration or the lack of healthcare and electricity. Its aim is to raise the level of income so that women are better equipped to confront these barriers. Yet the microcredit approach leaves intact the root causes of why people are poor (and stay poor) and the reasons for economic injustice. The successes of the FUNDASEP project Of course Mary got the farewell T- are real; they are something I contributed to and witnessed all of last year. The Shirt “Remembrance of my Experi- perspective that I’ve gained is that while significant progress can be made with ence in the Diocese of San Juan, DR” approaches like microcredit in improving lives of the poor, without an analysis and targeting of the broader systems of injustice that produce poverty, real change and progress are not possible. I am excited to continue to explore this challenge and how I can begin to act.

Please join us in praying for the following intentions: Fr. Sean Kealy, who is ill; Success of the General Chapter which takes place from June 22-July 24, 2012 in Bagamoyo, Tanzania.

Best wishes for a Very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to these Spiritans who celebrate birthdays during the months of June, July or August

July 02 Fr. Honest Munishi 03 Fr. Patrick A. Patten 13 Fr. Joseph M. Herzstein August June 14 Fr. Thomas J. Byrne 04 Fr. Jocelyn Gregoire 02 Fr. Paul M. Flamm 15 Fr. Michael T. White 06 Fr. Edward J. Vilkauskas 08 Fr. Joseph F. McDonough 18 Fr. Vincent G. Stegman 08 Fr. Raymond J. Kulwicki 14 Fr. Bernard Kelly 20 Fr. J. Clifton Hill 10 Fr. Quoc P. Le 17 Fr. Michael T. Grey 20 Fr. John L. Yates 17 Fr. Joseph B. Gaglione 22 Fr. Raymond French 21 Fr. Fidelis Nwankwo 18 Fr. Albert J. McKnight 26 Fr. John A. Sawicki 22 Mr. Thang Hoang 18 Fr. Eugene Uzukwu 26 Fr. William L. Smith 24 Fr. Francis W. Wright 20 Fr. Francis Tandoh 26 Fr. Leonard J. Tuozzolo 25 Fr. Donald J. McEachin 23 Fr. Philip Agber 26 Fr. Freddy J. Washington 27 Fr. Brian Cronin 26 Fr. Sean M. Hogan 28 Fr. John Owusu-Achiaw 30 Fr. James Okoye 26 Fr. Daniel L. Walsh 10 Strawberries and Summertime!!!

It’s that time of year again!! Strawberry season at the local farm!

Fathers Seiter, LeClair, Yates, Rosso, and Costello all enjoyed a Strawberry treat!

There was plenty to pick from…sundaes, strawberry shortcake, milkshakes, Frs. Norb Rosso, Joe Seiter, Dick LeClair and John Yates chocolate covered berries, enjoying their strawberry treats! or just a big bowl of sliced fresh strawberries! Our group each tried something different and we all enjoyed what we ordered!! We made sure to arrive early at this much anticipated event, so we could find a good parking space and a table where we could relax, indulge, and “people watch”!! If you ever visit us in Bethel, make sure that you do some sightseeing at Trax Farms…a short drive from the Spiritan Center. Happy Summer to all….enjoy all those summer treats!

Membership Directory Please make the following changes to your membership directory:

Pg. C-9: Cottingham, David T. - change address to read 459 Beach Rd., Sarasota FL 34242-1944. Delete phone no. 941-921-3214 and use cell no. 412-292-0807. Pg. C-28 & D-11: Stegman - email 2 must have the ‘v’: [email protected] Pg. C-34: new email for: PHAM, Martin N. - [email protected] Pg. H-1: ADIBE, Anthony - replace address with this new one: 921 6th Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50309

HAITI BLOCK PARTY

A “Haiti Block Party” will be held at The Map Room Grill and Bar in Edgewood (Regent Square area) in Pittsburgh on Sunday, June 24 from 5-10 pm. Featured will be the Irish music of Guaranteed Irish - Mike Gallagher; The Newlanders / Mark Dignam / and The Cyclones. In addition to plenty of good fellowship, there will be Haitian food, Haitian art, Haitian crafts, and Haitian poetry read by actors from Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater. There will also be a silent auction, 50/50 raffle and surprise guest musicians and singers!

All the proceeds will be used to complete construction of a 12 room classroom complex made of “stabilized compressed earth blocks” in our partner community of Deslandes, Haiti, in the memory of Anne Mullaney.

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Libermann Hall residents making a difference!

12 -LH Residents making a difference! a making Residents -LH 12

ship Directories / Haiti Block Party Block Haiti / Directories ship

11 - Strawberries & Summertime! / Member- / Summertime! & Strawberries - 11

10 - Birthdays - 10

7-10 - Reflections of a Lay Spiritan’s Year.. Spiritan’s Lay a of Reflections - 7-10

6 - Anniversaries of Profession & Ordination & Profession of Anniversaries - 6

Global Concerns Committee Concerns Global

5 - Joint Meeting: CMSM J&P and LCWR and J&P CMSM Meeting: Joint - 5

3-4 - End of Year Liturgy - Fr. Bill Headley Bill Fr. - Liturgy Year of End - 3-4

2 - Photos from Chapter from Photos - 2

1 -US Provincial Chapter 2012 Chapter Provincial -US 1

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Maasai Wedding: Moilomet Olorwas and Evelen Ngaa were married at my outstation of Ngoile, within an hour’s walk of the main mission at Olbalbal, so most of the Christians came. The feast featured beautiful songs composed by the Christians who took words from the bible about the creation of the first man and woman and various admonitions from St. Paul about how wives and husbands need to respect each other. The songs were great and high points of the celebration. At Maasai weddings instead of rings, the bride places the “engonongoi” necklace of blue beads around the neck of the bridegroom. The man of the house only begins to wear this necklace on the day of initiation of his first-born, so it doesn’t technically fit, but the Christians determined to use this symbol signing hope for a successful Wedding couple marriage and family. The bridegroom then places the “eomonyorit” chain around the neck of the bride. At this particular wedding the couple also exchanged rings. In Europe and America, the bride’s chain would be a terrible symbol to use at a wedding, but among the Maasai, it is the traditional sign of a married woman. Unfortunately all too often, the chain analogy is born out in the daily living of the married couple. We hope that the relationship of Moilomet and Evelen will be more enlightened than the chain symbol indicates. An ox was slaughtered and there was meat and soda for everyone, Coca-Cola of course. America has Coca-Cola-ized the world!

Clan Leader Chosen: OlenKotomindia was recently chosen as the “Oleguanani”, the spokesman and leader of the Molelian clan. The Maasai people are divided into many different clans whose members live throughout Maasai country and form a kind of extended family. Among the Maasai a man may not marry a girl of his own clan. The court of final appeal for such things as inheritance is the clan, so the clan leader is a very important position and has a lot of prestige connected to it. The feast of investiture for the new clan leader was a very big deal. Clan members from far and wide contributed cattle and goats to be slaughtered for the feast. Lesser Molelian clan leaders from all over Tanzania and Kenya gathered for the investiture of their new leader. Molelian men and beautifully dressed women in elaborate skin cloaks participated, bringing intricately beaded gourds of fresh and curdled milk. Two huge oxen and 18 goats were slaughtered and honey beer brewed. The first order of the day was a solemn blessing of OlenKotomindia by the clan leaders with much prayer and aspersions of milk and honey beer. He was then given a ceremonial “Olrinka”, a ceremonial stick of authority. The clan presented him with a heifer signing the blessings they wished for him. He was clothed with a beautiful new blanket and presented with a five gallon container of honey. The next day the new clan spokesman sat with other Molelian elders drinking beer and receiving their advice. After some weeks he will undertake a journey to visit his Molelian constituents through Maasai country.

The “Olbalbal” fills: The Olbalbal depression is fast filling with rain water. It becomes a small lake in the desert where the Maasai herds will drink for months to come. One meaning of the Maasai word “Olbalbal” is “a temporary lake”. The Maasai have no storehouses of grain to tide them over in bad times, and the dry months take a heavy toll on the health of their animals. Most of them become very thin, and the weaker ones begin to die. In drought years the “Olbalbal” does not fill and people must move into the hill country to find water for their herds. In those times, the Olbalbal area becomes a dust bowl and is pretty much deserted. The seasons and the ever- changing condition of the land dictate much in Maasai life. As a pastoral people, the Maasai rely on two powerful Excerpts from Olbalbal Diary, April 2012, Vol I, #5 - (continued) lynchpins for survival - water and grass dictate most of the important decisions of their everyday living. People often complain “Why don’t the Maasai settle down? If they would only forgo their love of the semi-nomadic lifestyle, they could have good schools and medical care and other important services.” It is frequently overlooked that the Maasai don’t love moving, with all of its´ disruptions. They move because they need to find good grass and water for their herds. The fact of their being a pastoral people dictates that they live in harmony with their environment and to wrestle out of this harsh land a means of survival.

Easter: Easter vigil services began about 10:00 PM with our small open chapel packed, left with standing room only. Many people came from long distances and stayed overnight at our mission. There was cooking and much conversation till the early hours. Easter Sunday was a day to remember at Olbalbal. The enthusiastic church service lasted three hours, with well over a hundred baptisms. To the Maasai names are very special. They are carefully chosen and ceremonially blessed by their parents and boma elders, so it was very gratifying to see that even the Maasai are choosing to be baptized with traditional European saints’ names. For the Easter celebration, four big goats and a sheep were slaughtered, a 100-pound bag of rice cooked, and 50 pounds of potatoes prepared. The hundreds of people ate till not a grain of rice was left.

Sad News: I met an old man who had trekked two days from the North near the border of Kenya and Tanzania. Over a pot of tea, he described his very difficult journey across the plains with only a small gourd of milk to sustain him. He was on a very difficult journey, bringing very bad news to relatives at Olbalbal. Three days before his two small grandsons were pasturing their goats on the plain and were caught out in the open when the deluge of rain hit. They sheltered, with their small herd of goats, under the one small tree out there on the savanna. Lightning struck, splitting the tree, killing both boys and five of the goats.

Oldupai Gorge, a few hours walk across the plains, is where the Leakey family has found many fossils of early man. A small building there houses some reproductions of their most significant discoveries and even many of their original finds. All these artifacts were found in a deep gorge running for some miles out onto the plains. This gorge, usually bone dry, was the place of another sad event recently. Many Maasai villages populate the area to take advantage of the permanent water well at Oldupai. The rains came quickly, filling the gorge from wall to wall, and three small girls were carried away as they dug in the sandy river bottom for water.