U.S. Catholic Church in mission overseas ® Winter 2021 maryknollmagazine.org Saints for Our Time FROM THE EDITOR FEATURED STORIES DEPARTMENTS n the centerspread of this issue of Maryknoll we quote Pope Francis’ latest encyclical, Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship, which Despite Restrictions of 2 From the Editor Iwas released shortly before we wrapped up this edition and sent it to the COVID-19, a New Priest Is 10 printer. The encyclical is an important document that focuses on the central Ordained at Maryknoll Photo Meditation by David R. Aquije 4 theme of this pontiff’s papacy: We are all brothers and sisters of the human family living on our common home, our beleaguered planet Earth. Displaced by War 8 Missioner Tales The joint leadership of the Maryknoll family, which includes priests, in South Sudan 18 brothers, sisters and lay people, issued a statement of resounding support by Michael Bassano, M.M. 16 Spirituality and agreement with the pope’s message, calling it a historic document on ‘Our People Have Already peace and dialogue that offers a vision for global healing from deep social 40 In Memoriam and economic divisions in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We embrace Canonized Them’ by Rhina Guidos 24 the pope’s call,” the statement says, “for all people of good will to commit to 48 Orbis Books the sense of belonging to a single human family and the dream of working together for justice and peace—a call that includes embracing diversity, A Listener and Healer 56 World Watch encounter, and dialogue, and rejecting war, nuclear weapons, and the death by Rick Dixon, MKLM 30 penalty.” 58 Partners in Mission This magazine issue is already filled with articles that clearly reflect the Finding Christmas very interconnected commonality that Pope Francis preaches, but please by Martin Shea, M.M. Readers' Responses allow me to direct you to our maryknollmagazine.org website for articles on 34 61 the encyclical, with links to the Maryknoll statement. If you want to read the Beating the Odds with an full encyclical, I recommend you go to www.orbisbooks.com to look for the Immigration Case FRONT COVER: planned Orbis edition in book form of Fratelli Tutti. by Heidi Cerneka, MKLM 42 Four women martyrs are, from top Lynn F. Monahan left, Ita Ford and Maura Clarke, and Jean Donovan and Dorothy Kazel. Editor-in-Chief Two Days and One Suitcase by Margaret Gaughan COVER CREDITS: 50 Front: Designed by D. Mastrogiulio Back: Octavio Duran/U.S. “To those who love God, all things ® work together for good...” U.S. Catholic Church in mission overseas Romans 8:28 Editorial Staff: Maryknoll, the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of Raymond J. Finch, M.M., Publisher America, Inc., was established in 1911 by the U.S. Lynn F. Monahan, Editor-in-Chief bishops to recruit, train, send and support American Margaret Gaughan, Editor missioners in areas overseas. Maryknoll is supported David R. Aquije, Editor, Misioneros by offerings and bequests. Maria-Pia Negro Chin, Associate Editor Giovana Soria, Staff Writer Maryknoll (ISSN 0025-4142) © 2021, Catholic Mary Ellen Manz, M.M., Maryknoll Sister Liaison Foreign Mission Society of America, Inc. All rights Joseph R. Veneroso, M.M., Contributing Editor reserved. Maryknoll is available in audio without 10 24 42 Diane Mastrogiulio, Art Director charge from Xavier Society for the Blind: (212) 473- Kimberly Asencio, Senior Graphic Designer 7800. The title Maryknoll ® is registered with the Michael Calvente, Graphic Designer United States Patent and Trademark Office. Facebook.com/MaryknollSociety Twitter.com/MaryknollFrsBrs Instagram.com/MaryknollSociety Regina Gelfer, Graphic Designer Visit MARYKNOLL online The Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, the Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic and the Maryknoll Lay Missioners share the Direct all correspondence to: MaryknollMagazine.org Maryknoll name and charism of commitment to the mission of Jesus Christ, sharing God’s love with people worldwide. Raymond J. Finch, M.M., Publisher MisionerosMaryknoll.org/RevistaMisioneros While these three Catholic organizations often work together in mission, each is responsible for recruiting and supporting P.O. Box 302, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0302 Magazine of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers 914.941.7590 its own missioners. The Maryknoll Affiliates is a movement grouped into local chapters both in the United States and abroad of lay people who seek to reflect the Maryknoll charism within the context of their own lives, careers and communities. 2 WINTER 2021 MARYKNOLL • VOLUME 115 • NUMBER 1 MARYKNOLLMAGAZINE.ORG 3 Photo meditation on St. Joseph Joseph, the Carpenter By Joseph R. Veneroso, M.M. What can Joseph, the Just, do When the very same Law To which he’d dedicated his life Demands he betray and expose The young woman who was to be His beloved wife? What can Joseph, the Silent, say When his critics complain Her shame and infidelity Deserve nothing less than death? Image by Pexels from Pixabay Image by Pexels 4 WINTER 2021 MARYKNOLL • VOLUME 115 • NUMBER 1 MARYKNOLLMAGAZINE.ORG 5 How can Joseph, the Dreamer, respond When an angel first comforts Then disturbs his sleep With heavenly warnings To rise and flee to foreign lands? When should Joseph, the Carpenter, teach His young son how to use his skill And strength, his hands and feet To work with wood, to feel its heft, To cut along the grain and bear Its weight on his young shoulder? Behold! Joseph, most chaste, discovers A far more intimate and enduring love Than he ever dared dream, hope or imagine And he of whom Scripture records no words Provides guidance, strength and comfort To magnify the eternal Word. Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay 6 WINTER 2021 MARYKNOLL • VOLUME 115 • NUMBER 1 MARYKNOLLMAGAZINE.ORG 7 Missioner Tales hat is soil? About two years ago, I began asking this ques- W tion to people from all walks first met Jose when he partici- rom 1997 to 2003, I worked of life, but almost nobody could answer. pated in my first “Theater of the on the polio eradication cam- Some would compare soil to dirt, but I Oppressed” group in a parish on Fpaign in Toposaland in what this had a negative connotation that the periphery of João Pessoa, Brazil. is now South Sudan. We trained farmers were somehow dirty and igno- Jose (not his real name) was proba- local health care workers to take rant. Finally, I asked the Karen indige- bly 20 years old and very active in polio vaccines up to the Kauto pla- nous people I work with at the Research Reuters/Sudan CNS/Mohamed Nureldin, the parish. He had to stop coming teau, above our mission at Good and Training Center for Religio-Cultural to our group when the young wom- Shepherd parish in Nanyangacor. Community in Chiang Mai, Thailand. an he was dating became pregnant. One day, I sent off two strapping They said things like “It is our mother” Now his priority was to maintain his young men—a Maryknoll lay mis- or “The soil gives us life.” In fact, every new family. I lost contact with Jose sioner and a priest from the St. Pat- description they gave about soil was rela- after my family and I transferred to rick’s Missionary Society—with 1,000 tional. They understood our connection São Paulo in 2010. polio vaccine doses boxed in coolers. with the earth. Last year, we were assigned back They were to place three drops of Lawrence Radice, M.M. to João Pessoa and I decided to vis- the vaccine in every child’s mouth it Jose. I found out that after I saw and make a check on a tally sheet. uring the rainy season from May him last, he had separated from his Of course, there is always wastage to October in Malakal, South Su- wife, left the Church and moved when the dropper misses its mark Ddan, the roads are wet with sticky in with some friends. One day he or the kid spits it out, and the drops mud (or “cotton mud,” as the local peo- was so drunk that he suffered an have to be repeated. We aimed for ple call it). accident. At the hospital, he re- 80 percent distribution, expecting One day as I was visiting people in the flected on the direction of his life. 20 percent wastage according to U.N. camp for the Protection of Civilians, He moved to his parents’ home, World Health Organization (WHO) my feet got stuck in the mud. As I tried stopped drinking and got a job. protocols. The young men came to move forward with my boots on, one Jose is now married to another back a couple of days later with their leg became stuck and the boot came off. woman and has two kids, but he did tally sheets carefully marked to re- I tried to balance myself on one leg while not lose contact with his child from cord the distribution of 1,100 doses! attempting to get the other leg back into the first marriage. Jose is studying I was never sure exactly what the boot. to be an accountant and is back happened in the far reaches of To- Finally, three young people came to into theater. He organizes the Holy posaland, but somehow, those two my rescue. Two held my arms as the oth- Week Passion Drama at the parish. young men did what needed to be er put the boot back on my leg. At that His journey reminded me of the done. On Aug. 26, 2020, the WHO moment, I realized how much we need prodigal son. I am happy he found declared polio eradicated from the one another in journeying through the his way back.