th anniver 50 sary ADESJO joins friends in Canada March-April 2013 $1.00 to celebrate its 50 years of community development in San José de Ocoa, Dominican Republic Story on page 12 March-April 2013/Scarboro Missions 1 EDITORIAL Dear friend of Scarboro Missions... Thank you for your faithful prayers and generosity to us. Whom shall I send? We will continue to be good stewards of all your gifts as we put ourselves at the service of By Kathy Gillis others. Please note our dona- CONTENTS tion envelope inside this issue he writers in this issue are pas- ence, and innate worth of all creatures. ment based on solidarity and the belief for your convenience. FEATURES sionate about justice—justice They write: “All creatures, humans in God’s desire that “they may have life for the poor and justice for the and otherwise, were ‘made from the and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Justice in the World T We welcome enquiries about Scarboro’s Earth. In the first article, Fr. Bill Ryan, soil,’ i.e. they are flesh. In Christ, May you respond like the high By Bill Ryan, S.J. 4 priest and lay missioner programs. special advisor to the Jesuit Forum for God entered into unity, not only with school students in the D.R.E.A.M.S. Please contact: Politics and religion Social Faith and Justice in Toronto, human beings, but also with the entire feature who did service volunteering in Fr. Ron MacDonell (priesthood): By Bishop Benedict Singh 8 writes about Justice in the World, a visible and material world. As a result, San José de Ocoa. Walking with people [email protected] Celebrating 50 years of community development in Ocoa 12 document issued by the Catholic bish- humans and all creation have been in the developing world even for a Mary Olenick (laity): D.R.E.A.M.S. ops synod in 1971. Fr. Ryan reflects on raised to a new dignity.” short time is a transforming experience [email protected] Students reflect on their volunteering experience in Ocoa 14 their challenging core message: “Action When we continue to hear about the of solidarity. www.scarboromissions.ca on behalf of justice and participation suffering of the poor and the suffering Scarboro Missions is also offering Caring for the Earth in the transformation of the world fully of the Earth, we are sometimes left a tremendous opportunity for young By Bishop Anthony H. Dickson 18 appear to us as a constitutive dimen- feeling overwhelmed, angry, and help- people to volunteer overseas. Youth A letter from Malawi sion of the preaching of the Gospel.” less. However, we are hopeful people, aged 22 to 35 can live out their faith as By Andrew Mkandawire 23 Retired Bishop Benedict Singh people of the resurrection. I remember a Scarboro missioner in Guyana. The of Georgetown, Guyana, with whom a powerful story written by Sr. Judy program, starting in July 2013 until Scarboro missioners have served for Donovan in our March-April issue June 2014, is a chance to gain valuable COLUMNS many years writes about politics and last year. She told us about struggling experience for cross-cultural employ- VOLUME 94, NUMBER 2 Editorial religion. “Private Christianity is an sharecroppers in Brazil in the 1970s ment, to learn about social justice, and MARCH-APRIL 2013 By Kathy Gillis 3 illusion,” he says. Our faith demands who stood up to their landlord and as to participate in interfaith dialogue and Publisher: Scarboro Foreign Mission Society that we not only alleviate the results a result the landlord sent his goons to cultural exchange. The deadline for In Memory Editor/Designer: Kathy Gillis of oppression, but also eliminate the burn their fields and confiscate their applications is April 26, so act now and Fr. Ronald MacFarlane, S.F.M. 22 The Scarboro Foreign Mission Society (Charitable causes of oppression. He writes that livestock. Their spokesperson, Don contact us today. The ad for this short Reg. #11914 2164 RR0001) is a Roman Catholic we are all called to become informed, Carlos, and his family were thrown in term mission opportunity is on the missionary community involved in mission overseas and in Canada. Founded in Canada in 1918 by Fr. active, and responsible participants in jail. It was Good Friday. We wonder back cover of this issue. John Fraser, Scarboro’s initial purpose was to train the political process. how this story could possibly have a Some opportunities are aimed at and send missionary priests to China. Forced to leave Retired Bishop Anthony Dickson happy ending. What happened next young people, but there are many other China after the Second World War, Scarboro began working in the Caribbean, Asia, and Latin America. of Bridgetown, Barbados, also a good was Sr. Judy’s first experience of invitations, no matter what our age, to Scarboro Missions magazine publishes four editions friend to Scarboro, is deeply concerned faith in action. Churches, unions, and come together, connect with others, each year, plus the calendar. The articles published represent the opinions of the authors and do not nec- about the threat to the planet. “If cooperatives held meetings and formed and stand up for the suffering poor essarily reflect the official position of the Society. planet Earth is to survive,” he writes, alliances. People got the word out, cre- and the suffering planet. The articles Please address all inquiries to: Scarboro Missions, 2685 Kingston Road, Scarborough, ON, M1M 1M4. “humans must undergo a fundamental ating public pressure from Brazil and in this issue challenge us to live a faith Tel: 416-261-7135; Toll-free: 1-800-260-4815; transformation in the way we view our- from international friends. Not only that does justice and to understand Fax: 416-261-0820 selves and other creatures.” was the family released, but regional that the Church’s mission is to trans- Email: [email protected] (General) [email protected] (Magazine Bishop Dickson refers to the pas- land reforms followed, changing the form the world, a most beautiful living, [email protected] (Subscriptions) toral letter on the environment issued lives of thousands of landless people. breathing, spectacular world, one that Printed in Canada and mailed from Toronto East L.P.P., Scarborough, ON. Return postage guaranteed. by the bishops of the West Indies. They I hope this issue helps you to we know is gashed and bleeding. We ISSN 0700-6802 write that the present crisis calls for a respond to your faith with hope, are invited to take part in this incred- Christian spirituality that helps us to like the people in San José de Ocoa, ible mission. God asks, “Whom shall I understand our place within creation Dominican Republic, whom you will send?” Can we refuse?∞ COVER: ADESJO visitors with Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School students and teachers at the Walk with Christ, Justice for the Poor pilgrimage in and accept, nurture, and celebrate read about. They are helping them- Hamilton, Ontario, October 23, 2012. the diversity, beauty, interdepend- selves through community develop- 2 Scarboro Missions/March-April 2013 March-April 2013/Scarboro Missions 3 Justice in the World You cannot have faith without justice By Fr. Bill Ryan, S.J. n 2011, the 40th anniversary of of capital. And it introduced concepts Inter-American Bishops in Mexico City Justice in the World faith and justice are inseparable. These the 1971 Roman Synod document of “social sin” and “sinful social struc- and received enthusiastic support from Canadian Church statements were challenged the Church to Justice in the World passed by in tures” that had only recently found the Canadian and Latin American bish- deliberately echoing the Synod’s teach- I make an examination of her silence in the official Church. Only a their way into Catholic social theology; ops. However, the U.S. bishops were ing that the doing of justice is a consti- few ardent social justice voices noted the Catholic tradition had absorbed divided. own life and practice in order tutive, essential dimension of preach- this anniversary and asked: Why was from the social sciences an enhanced When the Synod opened on to be able to give credible ing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. there no celebration? The Vatican often awareness of the power of economic November 30, 1971, each Canadian Religious congregations in North witness to her teaching on uses anniversaries of an important and social structures in shaping human bishop-delegate spoke in the name of America used Justice in the World encyclical or statement to re-emphasize society and culture. all the Canadian bishops, because the justice. extensively to educate their mem- the document’s teaching. Seven years Finally, Justice in the World chal- core ideas of their presentations had bers in Catholic social teaching. earlier the same voices asked: Why lenged the Church to make an exam- been accepted at a previous plenary ing seems to have so little impact. He Congregations of Sisters applied its was this significant document omit- ination of her own life and practice in meeting of the Canadian Conference suggests that this is because we have principles as they promoted the role of ted from the Compendium of Catholic order to be able to give credible witness of Catholic Bishops (CCCB). Cardinals believed that it is most important, if women in the Church and in society. “Action on behalf of justice Social Doctrine issued in 2005 by to her teaching on justice. Maurice Roy and George Flahiff, not sufficient, to teach a theoretical The Center of Concern in Washington the Pontifical Council for Justice and and participation in the Archbishop Joseph-Aurèle Plourde of knowledge of the guiding principles of took Justice in the World as a kind of The role of Canadians Peace? transformation of the world Ottawa, and Bishop Alexander Carter social justice.