VfRBUM Catholic Biblical Federation ■ SHTZ: J "Ut Verbum Dei currat" Three New Saints Seek. And Find The Year of the Bible F r o m t h e F i e l d The Good Shepherd in Jn 10 N° 68/69 English Edition 3-4/2003 CATHOLIC BIBLICAL FEDERATION BULLETIN DEI VERBUM \s a quarterly publica tion in English, French, German and Spanish. Editors Alexander M. Schweitzer Claudio EttI Assistant to the Editors Dorothee Knabe Production and Layout media_projekt, 70499 Stuttgart A subscription for one year consists of four issues beginning the quarter payment is received. Please indicate in which language you wish to receive the BULLETIN DEI Feature Articles VERBUM. 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And Find - The Year of the Bible ... bers of the Catholic Biblical Federation the subscription fee is included in the annual . i n G e r m a n y 1 1 membership fee. ...in Austria 12 Banking details ... in Switzerland 14 General Secretariat (Address as indicated below) LIGA Bank, Stuttgart From the Fteld Account No. 64 59 820 IBAN-No. DE 28 7509 0300 0006 4598 20 The Excellency of the Shepherd Swift Code GEN0DEF1M05/GZ Frankfurt Fidel Onoro 16 GENODEFF Or per check to the General Secretariat. We also accept payment by credit card Life of the Federation (VISA, MasterCard). Ghana: Dei Verbum Refresher Course 2003 21 Reproduction of articles Kenya: BICAM Meeting of Coordinators and Animators 24 We invite our members to reproduce in their Colombia: Training for Life - The Villa Paul 26 own publications any articles printed in the BULLETIN DEI VERBUM indicating the source, Chile: Sixth Biblical Pastoral Conference of the Cono Sur Zone 27 unless a statement to the contrary is given. Ecuador: National Bible Week Campaign 31 Opinions expressed in the articles are those India: Colloquium on Dei Verbum in Bangalore 32 of the authors, not necessarily of the Federa India: Workshop on Religious Fundamentalism 34 t i o n a s s u c h . China: Seventh UCCBA Meeting Held in Malaysia 35 Japan: Translation of the Bible into Japanese 37 Czech Republic: Renovated Residence Opened 37 Italy: Annual Reunion of the SouthernA/Vestern European Subregion 39 CATHOLIC BIBLICAL FEDERATION General Secretariat Postfach 10 52 22 Forum 70045 Stuttgart Bibliodrama Revisited 41 Germany Tel.: -l-49-(0)711-1 69 24-0 Fax: -l-49-(0)711-1 69 24-24 E-mail: [email protected] ^r^ Discussion The Book for the Future of Europe The Catholic Biblical Federation (CBF) is an Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini 45 "International Catholic Organization of a public character" according to Canon Law (CIC, can. 312, §1,n.1). Congress: 40"^ Anniversary of Dei Verbum 47 BULLETIN DEI VERBUM 68/69 < DC O b Q LU Dear Readers, more conscious sense of responsibility in its assignment such was the response to be a missionary Church - through openness to other made by the German drama cultures and contexts, through tolerance and fraternal tist and poet Bert Brecht respect toward other people and solidarity with the disad (1898-1956) when he was vantaged, with those suffering from discrimination or asked what book had made neglect. "That the Word of the Lord may spread rapidly" a"You willlaugh: the greatestthe impressionBible" - on - this expression from the Second Letter to the him in his life. At first sight, Thessalonians, with which, by the way, the Constitution a surprising, unexpected an- Dei Verbum of Vatican II concludes, stands as the motto 'iiillthK swer, this. Brecht was after over the articles on the three new saints. all hardly a religious, and cer- wUVinnWmmt /A g christian author, And finally, you will come across two new headings in but rather one of a decidedly secular and politicai bent. your reading. Under the rubric "From the Field" we would Having been forced into exile during the Third Reich, he like in the future, on an ongoing basis, to present articles returned home after the war; however, he made the con that come from the biblical-pastoral "workplace", and that scious decision to settle in East Germany. For Brecht had could perhaps offer ideas or inspiration for your own for a long time been a convinced adherent and propa work. The first in this series of articles is one from Latin gandist of a Marxist-communist world-view. Nevertheless, America on the image of the shepherd in the Gospel of it was precisely the Book of books - the Bible - that had John. The second new heading we have called "Forum". a marked influence on him and his work. It should provide an opportunity for exchange of opinions and discussion on topics and articles of the Bulletin. In The Bible belongs to the cultural heritage of humanity; not this issue you will find under this heading a few of the only is it Holy Scripture for Christians, but it can hold sur numerous letters we received in response to the last issue prising discoveries or memorable experiences for any on the theme of bibliodrama. human being. It was this discovery-experience, made available through a variety of ways and means, that a For both of these headings (as also for the whole Bulletin) "Year of the Bible", organized in 2003 in many countries one could say that their survival depends above all on of Europe, attempted to bring to as wide a spectrum of your collaboration and support. So let us know all about people as possible - and particularly to those only mar successful activities or successful projects; tell us your ginally religious. The Bible Year stood under the motto opinion on themes found in the BDV or convey your criti "Seek. And Find" and everywhere met with a great and cisms to us (e.g. per e-mail: [email protected]). We are very positive response. In this issue of the BDV you can always delighted to hear from you. read more about the Bible Year and a few of its especial ly interesting activities. "Seek. And Find" - in this sense, and in the name of the whole BDV team, I wish you an interesting harvest of dis "Success stories" of a very different kind, which also coveries as you read through this issue. touch on the work of our Federation, are the biographies of three missionaries and founders of religious orders, who as of October 2003 have been numbered among the saints of the Church. Daniel Comboni, Arnold Janssen and Josef Freinademetz worked in very different ways, Q^cU-oll/o but all three of them helped to increase in the Church a Claudio EttI 3 UT VERBUM DEI CURRAT ^ 2 o < p Saints Arnold Janssen, Joseph Freinademetz and Ittl2 PioneersL L < D a n i e lof C oUniversal m b o n I Mission On October 5, 2003, in a Solemn Mass in Saint Peter's Square, Pope John Paul II canonized the three European missionaries, Arnold Janssen, Joseph Freinademetz and Daniel Comboni. At first sight three very different men, marked by different biographies and animated each by very personal ideas and visions - and yet, all three are so to speak "pioneers" of the Catholic Mission in the 19th and 20th centuries. Through their work - through the founding of Missionary Orders that have since become active on a worldwide scale and through their practical missionary work in Europe, China and Africa - they stand as representatives of many other women and men who have laid the foundation for a truly universal Church which is taking shape increasingly today. The two religious families of the new saints, the Divine Word Missionaries (SVD Fathers) and the "Comboni- Missionare" (Comboni Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, MCCJ) have for a long time now been intensely active in the area of biblical pastoral ministry and as such also actively involved in the life of the CBF. For this rea son we would like to give a more close-up introduction to the three missionaries in the Bulletin Dei Verbum. We will do this not only by way of looking back at their lives, but especially with a view to their significance for today: what was special, what was particularly visionary in the lives of these men, and what is their importance for today? " U t V e r b u m D e i C u r r a t " - " O m n i b u s O m n i a F a c t u s S u m " Arnold Janssen and Joseph Freinademetz Ludger Feldkamper, svd of looking at saints is to see them as illustrations of the Fr. Ludger Feldkamper, svd, was General Secretary of the Gospel, as commentaries on the Gospel. Is it not true CBF from 1984 to 2000. that in the biography of many a saint a particular word of Before that he worked In the the Gospel has exerted its transforming power? Philippines for many years where - among other respon sibilities ■ he founded the Life of a saint - illustration of the Gospel message John Paul I Biblical Centre in Saint Augustine, hearing a child chanting "take and Vigan City.