VOL 68, NO. 3 MAY/JUNE 2010 Matteo Ricci Model for Dialogue The Church in Russia The Augustinians in Japan Zimbabwe Mother of Peace Orphanage Focus on Burkina Faso The Society for the Propagation of the Faith National Director’s Message Happy spring! As we celebrate Troy worked tirelessly connecting children in Edmonton to mis- the season of new life, we also sion children throughout the world. He told and lived the mis- introduce to you a “new look” sion story. We were blessed to have him as part of our mission for our magazine, Missions To- family. Please keep him and his community, the Spiritans, in day. In response to a number of your prayers. our readers’ concerns about the size of the print, coloured back- Earlier I referenced the challenges found in mission work profiled grounds and spacing that made in this edition of the magazine. We have also experienced the the magazine difficult for them challenges of this work albeit in a different way here at home. In to read, we are introducing a fo- the past year we have, in one way or another, experienced eco- lio size magazine with new de- nomic challenges. Thank you to each of you for your faithful sign and layout features we hope address these concerns. Please support and prayers during these times. They sustain us and pro- feel free to share your thoughts about these changes with us. vide us with renewed hope. The last few issues of Missions Today have featured the minority May you enjoy a safe and relaxing summer. Catholic faith communities of Iraq and China. This current is- sue profiles a similar community, that of Russia. An overview of Burkina Faso and the current missionary activities in this African nation are also found in this issue. Peace and blessings, By its very nature, mission ministry is challenging. Introducing Mrs. Marie Deans the faith in some places can be met with a variety of outcomes; National Director sometimes missionaries are embraced and warmly welcomed while other times they endure difficult sometimes hostile cir- cumstances that can and do put them in harm’s way. This issue of Missions Today profiles a number of such stories from Japan and Kenya. Our regular feature “Across the Globe” also profiles various challenges faced by missionaries. The story shared by Fr. Liam McCarthy who works in Zimbabwe is a poignant and pain- ful one that is, unfortunately all too common among those in the missions. Father Michael Troy, synonymous with Holy Childhood in Ed- monton for over 30 years has left us for his eternal reward. Fr. Illustration - Bro Joseph Hiep Missionary Prayer Intentions May: For Priests, Religious and committed lay people June: For the Churches in Asia – May the emerging Church – May all priests, religious men and women and lay ministers in Asia effectively communicate the gospel and be joyful witness infuse missionary enthusiasm into the communities entrusted to to Christ. their care. 2 MISSIONS TODAY In This Issue… Vol. 68, No. 3 May/June 2010 The National Director’s Message 2 Letters from Abroad – Easter Greetings from Children of Mary Orphanage, Kazakhstan 4 Matteo Ricci – Model for Dialogue 5 Across the Globe – United States, Australia, Kenya, Malaysia, Vatican City, Russia 6 Feature Article: The Catholic Church in Today’s Russia 8 The Augustinians in Japan: Following in the Footsteps of the Martyrs 11 Youth and Mission – St. Joseph Catholic High School, Edmonton, AB 12 Farewell to Teresa – Father Liam McCarthy ofm 12 Background to “Farewell to Teresa” – The Mother of Peace Orphanage Community – Mutoko, Zimbabwe 13 Focus on: Burkina Faso 14 A Fatal Calling 16 The Society of Saint Peter 18 This Issue’s Crossword 19 Holy Childhood Association – Remembering Fr. Troy; Greetings from Uganda 20 Mission Conversations with the Editor 22 Magnus Rosendahl, public-domain-photos.com In Remembrance: Our Deceased Donors 23 PONTITICAL MISSION SOCIETIES Missions Today is published five Propagation of the Faith & St. Peter the Editor: Paul Coady times a year by the Society for the Propaga- Apostle: Income Tax Number: BN 12888 Comments on this issue or other topics tion of the Faith, 3329 Danforth Avenue, 2883 RR0001 are always welcome.Contact us at: edi- Scarborough, Ontario M1L 4T3. 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Visit our web site at: http://www.missionsocieties.ca Cover Photo: Rartat, wikimedia.org Back Cover Photo: Country Path - Peter Coady MISSIONS TODAY 3 Letters from Abroad 4 MISSIONS TODAY Matteo Ricci A Model for Dialogue and Mission in our Globalized World This is an edited version of an original article written by Catho- friendly with the Chinese, respecting the Chinese culture, but in lic News Service Reporter Cindy Wooden and which appeared terms of the faith, he was very unabashedly Catholic.” in CNS On-Line 03/02/2010 In his speech at Rome’s Pontifical Italian Father Matteo Ricci, the 16th- Gregorian University March 2, Father century Jesuit known for his positive re- Tsang said Father Ricci was not so “nar- lations with the Chinese, is a model for row-minded as to regard non-Christian dialogue and evangelization in the 21st- cultures or religions as nothing good; century globalized society, said speak- indeed, he saw quite a lot of compat- ers at a conference in Rome marking the ibility between early Confucianism 400th anniversary of Father Ricci’s and Christianity,” and recognized that death. Confucian teachings could be seen as preparing the Chinese to receive the Father Ricci’s experience and writings Gospel. Father Ricci’s respect for the remind people “that there are basic Chinese and his commitment to shar- similarities in all human beings, in hu- ing the Gospel with them offer the still- man nature: hope, suffering, question- relevant lesson that Christians cannot ing the meaning of life. We all share claim God is at work only among Chris- those whether we are Westerners or tians, but at the same time they cannot Chinese,” said Jesuit Father Augustine claim that all religions are equally valid Tsang Hing-to. paths to salvation, Father Tsang said. Father Ricci, who was born in 1552 and Italian Bishop Claudio Giuliodori of arrived in China at the age of 30, stud- Matteo Ricci Painted in 1610 by the Chinese brother Macerata, where Father Ricci was born, ied in great detail the Chinese language, Emmanuel Pereira (born Yu Wen-hui) said the Jesuit is still a model for dia- culture and Confucianism. His respect logue and evangelization because “he for the Chinese gradually paved the way “ He is a model of a Christianity that entered into the Chinese culture with- for his dialogue with China’s govern- does not close itself within four walls, out losing himself and in a way that ment and cultural leaders. At the same allowed him to introduce themes from time, “he was very frank and strict, ex- but goes out into the world.” the Gospel into the culture.” His rela- plicit and direct on the goodness of the tionship with the Chinese “took place Christian faith,” Father Tsang said, and “he did not hesitate to in the context of dialogue, with respect, but without forgetting point out the defects of Taoism and Buddhism.” that his mission was to bring the Gospel,” the bishop said. While Father Ricci found great fault with what he understood Roberto Sani, rector of the University of Macerata, said Father about Taoism and Buddhism, he believed that Confucianism Ricci’s example could help people today deal with hopes and in its purest form was a philosophy open to Christianity. After fears about their increasing contacts with people of other cul- his death, missionaries developed the so-called “Chinese rites” - tures and religions. Just as the global expeditions of the 1500s onfucian-based social rituals involving ancestor veneration and gave Europeans a sense of an expanding world filled with pre- offerings to the emperor - which allowed Chinese converts to viously unknown cultures, globalization today is challenging preserve elements of their heritage while being Catholic. people to recognize their common humanity and share their knowledge and beliefs, Sani said. Centuries of controversy ensued, and although the Chinese rites developed after Father Ricci’s death, he was so strongly identi- “Ricci is a model for young people today. He was strong in his fied with that disputed form of inculturation that his sainthood faith and culture, but able to establish a real dialogue with the cause was not opened until the 1980s. Father Tsang said it was Chinese,” he said. “He is a model of a Christianity that does not unfortunate that the controversy led some to question Father close itself within four walls, but goes out into the world.” Ricci’s holiness. It is true, he said, that Father Ricci “was very MISSIONS TODAY 5 Across the Globe KENYA–Africa can become a continent of hope. MALAYSIA–Native peoples of Borneo: fervent Christians living in peace with Islam “We thank God for the gift of the missionaries, men and women who moved by love, left their country, came to minister in our Vatican City - Bishop Joseph Hii Teck Kwong, Auxiliary Bishop midst bearing much bodily suffering, cultural challenges, climatic of Sibu, located in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, describes the difficulties, and the language barrier,” writes Fr.