Full Stories - June 2007
Farewell Celebrations for John and Jean MacInnis (May 27, 2007)
On Pentecost Sunday, May 27th, a special 11 am Mass was celebrated for John and Jean MacInnis as they retire as Lay Mission Co-ordinators after five years (preceded by four years of mission work in Guyana). The wet weather prevented the BBQ lunch being enjoyed outdoors but it still tasted good indoors. We all wish Jean and John the very best for their retired future in the newly built home in Bracebridge, Ontario. View pictures in the Photo Gallery.
Ecuador Visit by Fr. Mike Traher (March 2007)
It was his first visit to Ecuador for Fr. Mike Traher, which he found both very informative and enjoyable. As a member of the General Council, it is part of the job to visit our Scarboro missionaries, wherever they are. The fine pastoral work of our two Scarboro missionaries, Fr. Charlie Gervais and lay missioner Mike Hiebert was clearly very evident in the variety of their apostolates. It was also easy to recognize in the relationships they have with the people in various communities, as well as their co-workers in mission. This photo essay speaks for itself in many ways of the faith, the struggles, the graciousness of Ecuadoreans and their challenges they face in their beautiful country. View the many trip pictures in the Photo Gallery.
Fr. Ron MacFarlane retiring from Mission in the Bahamas
Shortly after Easter, Fr. Ron MacFarlane returned to Freeport, and the island of Grand Bahamas, to say goodbye to the parishioners of Mary Star of the Sea parish. He had served there faithfully for eight years with the pastor, another SFM'er, Msgr. Ambrose MacKinnon. It was a graced occasion of leaving for Fr. Ron and the parishioners who cherished his pastoral witness and friendship. He will be retiring now at Scarboro Missions headquarters where he has accepted to assist our senior priests in residence with some of their personal needs.
Shortly after Easter, Fr. Ron MacFarlane returned to Freeport, and the island of Grand Bahamas, to say goodbye to the parishioners of Mary Star of the Sea parish. He hadserved there faithfully for eight years with the pastor, another SFM'er, Msgr. Ambrose MacKinnon. It was a graced occasion of leaving for Fr. Ron and the parishioners who cherished his pastoral witness and friendship. He will be retiring now at Scarboro Missions headquarters where he has accepted to assist our seniors priests in residence with some of their personal needs.
"All That I Am" by Threshold Players - June 2nd
LAY MISSION OFFICE NEWS
Real Missionary Spirit – Walking in Faith Guided by the Spirit
Glenn & Ann Harty were missioned to Thailand in October 2006. As new missioners, they have been patiently waiting for their work permits and a place to live. During all this waiting time, Glenn and Ann have been immersed in learning the Thai language.
Our "work", or should I say "mission" here in Thailand has been to observe, listen and then react in a Christian manner to the people and circumstances around us.
One of the many ways we have been able to do that is by studying the Thai language and then attempting to apply that with the Thai people we meet. Some of these people have allowed us into their lives by sharing their personal joys and sorrows. For these people we are grateful.
The time I sat on the sidewalk next to a beggar woman and shared conversation and bananas; another time, we listen to our tuk-tuk driver and friend Dum as he tells us that his mother died and watch moisture well in his eyes; journeying with Awranoot and her husband Nalis as she prepares for another operation for cancer; assisting a young lady Kieh a refugee from Myanmar (Burma) complete her application form for an Australian University scholarship program; walking an elderly lady home because it is dark, fearing for her safety. The people mentioned are all Thai and although our verbal communication is stressed, it has been out of these experiences that our hearts continue to change and we are able to see more clearly the beauty of God's people, here in Thailand. Today I will meet with a lady who agreed to teach me the Hail Mary and the Our Father in Thai. Our days of presence and mission continue in our new home and country.
English and Chinese Camp 2007
This was a overnight camp out, for the students from Nuchanat School. The camp was an opportunity for the students to improve their English and Chinese communication skills. We took part in the English presentations, this was the first time that they had native English speakers attend the camp. We received humbling kindness and hospitality. We had a wonderful time with the students, we even had an opportunity to eat some buffalo skin that had been charred in the firepit, removed and pounded until it was soft, then cut into bite size pieces. It did resemble the texture and taste of chewing on an eraser! We all had a laugh about that delicacy.
Glenn and Anne Harty with fellow staff member Sr. Bene (from Italy) at Nuchanat School in Wiangpapao, Thailand
Anne and Glenn Harty visit a Thai friend who grows mushrooms to supplement the family income. The mushrooms need to be watered once every hour, 24 hours a day.
Meet Scarboro's Wannabe Missioner
Meet Leslie, our newest, youngest wannabe missioner candidate for Scarboro's Lay Program
Scarboro Coordinators Kate O'Donnell and Mary Olenick (R) along with other Religious Groups set up a display at St. Martin de Porres to promote vocations to priesthood and laity. Our newest, accepted, wannabe missioner candidate to the lay program, Leslie Paranuik (L) also participated.
My name is Leslie Paranuik. I would like to share with you a little of my life.
I am 22 years old and I live in the small town of Tweed, Ontario. I grew up with a first hand experience of poverty. My house burnt down when I was six years old and my father lost his job due to downsizing. For most of my childhood, all we had was each other and many times we didn.t know when or what our next meal would be. I do not regret growing up poor because it has made me who I am today. We were only poor in other people's eyes.
I have always loved to help others and have felt abundant joy in doing simple tasks. During my high school and college years, I have been blessed to go on many short term missions which included North Carolina, The Dominican Republic, Mexico, Germany, Prague and Israel. I felt I was called to do more, which has led me to Scarboro Missions. I did a lot of praying and discerning throughout the application process and that will continue while I'm in Formation. My prayers are with anyone who is discerning their call to go on long term mission.
Leslie & Alice hit it off!
Leslie shares her desire to be a Lay Missioner with Alice.
Leslie Paranuik talks to other young people at St. Martin de Porres about being a lay missioner
Lay Mission Coordinators - Changing of the Guard
We give thanks to John and Jean MacInnis for their commitment, hard work and dedication to Scarboro Missions first as missioners in Guyana from 1998 to 2002 and then as Coordinators of our Lay Mission Office from 2002 to 2007. They were like a breath of fresh air! We give thanks to God for the gift that they have been to everyone and wish them well as they settle into a life of retirement. Jean left Scarboro officially on March 30th and John will be leaving in June. Their presence will be missed.
Kate O'Donnell and Mary Olenick arrived at Scarboro from their missions in March to serve as the new coordinators of Scarboro's Lay Mission Office. Kate, originally from St. Catherine's Diocese, has been in mission in New Amsterdam, Guyana since May 2004 and Mary from the Archdiocese of Winnipeg, has been in mission in the Diocese of Mzuzu in Rumphi, Malawi, Central Africa since May 2000.
We look forward to hearing from wannabe missioners!!!
Anyone interested in Scarboro's Lay Mission Program, please contact us at: lmocoord@scarboromissions.ca or telephone us at 416-261-7135 or toll tree 1-800-260-4815 (ext. 265 or 213).
Are you interested in becoming a Scarboro Missioner?
Lay Mission work in October 2006 Magazine Issue
To read about the current Lay Mission work in the latest magazine issue, click here
INTERFAITH DESK NEWS
Winners of the Golden Rule Art Contest (Mar/Apr. 2007 issue)
Toronto Mayor meets with Toronto Interfaith Council
On March 20, Toronto mayor, David Miller, met with representatives of the Toronto Interfaith Council. This historic day marked the largest gathering of faith leaders in the city's history. Thirty-five faith groups and fifteen interfaith groups were in attendance.
All speakers, including Mayor Miller, called for new levels of dialogue and cooperation among Toronto's rich array of faith groups. Interfaith councils like the one in Toronto have been established in most North American cities.
In the first picture, Fr.Damian MacPherson (director of Ecumenical & Interfaith Affairs for Toronto Archdiocese) presents Scarboro Golden Rule Poster to Mayor David Miller on behalf of Toronto Interfaith Council. In the second one, Mayor David Miller addresses the 200 representatives of the Toronto Interfaith Council.
Building a Global Interfaith Community - Jan-Feb 2007 issue
This special edition of Scarboro magazine reports on the international interfaith activity of the Catholic Church. The reader is taken on a journey from Egypt to Rome, Canada, Guyana, the United States and to Africa and across Asia. With inspiration from the last four Popes, Catholics around the globe are embracing interfaith dialogue and often in leadership roles. Read articles from this Jan-Feb 2007 issue.
The Golden Rule and Business Ethics
By exploring this collection of 50 websites, you can investigate, in the spirit of the Golden Rule, the many moral issues associated with the practice of business in today's world. Read the document
Golden Rule Curriculum for Schools
This comprehensive and well-organized curriculum can be used in public, religious and private schools as well as by Sunday school teachers, home-schooling parents, scout leaders and other youth educators. Read more
Learn more about Interfaith Resources
There is a wealth of information about Interfaith Dialogue (e.g., Golden Rule, Teaching Models, Guidelines for Dialogue) on this web site. Read more...
JUSTICE AND PEACE OFFICE NEWS
Calling on G8 leaders to prioritize poverty and justice
In May Scarboro Missions sent a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper calling on him to work with G8 leaders to make poverty history and to go to the G8 Summit in June prepared to:
- Announce a timetable for Canada to reach the 0.7% of GNI aid target by 2015: The 2007 Federal Budget commitment around 0.34 % of GNI does not reach halfway and appears to drop even further next year. As the G7 country with the lowest debt burden and the only one in surplus in 2006, Canada can contribute more to international aid.
- Urge full debt cancellation without onerous conditions for all countries that need it to reach the Millennium Development Goals: The debt cancellation agreement signed at the 2005 Gleneagles Summit was not enough–too few countries qualified and too many conditions were still attached. Many more impoverished countries need unconditional debt cancellation so they can redirect their resources towards health, education, and economic development on their own terms.
- Press for trade and investment rules that are just: Help reduce poverty by not forcing impoverished countries to open their markets to unfair competition and ensure governments and their citizens can choose the best solutions to end poverty and protect the environment.
- Encourage and take action to achieve Kyoto targets and provide funds to help poor countries develop sustainably and adapt to climate change: Impoverished people in the South will experience some of the worst impacts of climate change, a problem created primarily by wealthy countries such as Canada in the North. We have a moral obligation to act.
Make Poverty History Canada has an e-mail campaign and information available on their website if you would like to send a similar message to Prime Minister Harper. Visit http://www.makepovertyhistory.ca.
Over 50,000 citizens around the world have so far supported the international Catholic campaign 'Make Aid Work–the World Can't Wait', coordinated by CIDSE and Caritas Internationalis. The campaign calls on governments in rich and poor countries to ensure development aid makes a difference for the poor. In support of the campaign an international delegation of Cardinals and Bishops from North and South met UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, German President Horst Koehler and Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minster Romano Prodi of Italy in early May. The international delegation delivered a statement Taking Responsibility for Human Development and Global Solidarity:
"Together with the Bishops in our home regions, with the faithful in our communities, with millions of men, women and children of different beliefs and all ages, we are deeply concerned by our increasingly divided world. We are disappointed too by the lack of progress on the part of G8 countries towards the targets they set for themselves two years ago at Gleneagles and concerned that, without immediate and urgent corrective action the G8 countries will fail to meet their commitments on development assistance. We are now at the halfway point between 2000 when the UN Millennium Declaration set out the Millennium Development Goals and 2015, year in which they are to be achieved. We are only too well aware that many countries are years behind schedule. Only an urgent injection of resources and renewed commitment, on the part of donor and recipient countries, can now put them back on track."
Read the Caritas news report on the delegation and campaign here.Pope Benedict XVI Urges G8 to Focus on Poverty
Pope Benedict XVI welcomed the inclusion of poverty on the agenda of the G8 leaders meeting in Germany and called for poverty to "be given the highest attention and priority, for the sake of poor and rich countries alike". On April 23rd the Vatican publicized letters exchanged between Benedict XVI and Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany, discussing the upcoming G8 summit to be held this June 6-8 in Heiligendamm"
In his letter the Pope emphasized the need for "trade conditions favourable to poor countries" and "the rapid, total and unconditional cancellation" of their external debt. He urged developed countries to fulfil their external aid commitments and called for "a substantial investment of resources for research and for the development of medicines to treat AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other tropical diseases". Pope Benedict highlighted that "people from different religions and cultures throughout the world are convinced that achieving the goal of eradicating extreme poverty by the year 2015 is one of the most important tasks in today's world."
In her response letter Chancellor Merkel concluded "only if all strong players in the world shoulder their responsibility will we be able to build more justice and peace."
To read the letters visit the ZENIT archives for April 23, 2007.
Less Debt and More Aid–Calling on the G8 to act in June
This year 2007 marks the halfway point set out by governments around the world to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – to meet minimum targets by 2015 for reducing poverty, hunger, illiteracy, discrimination against women, child mortality, disease, and environmental degradation. While there have been some hopeful steps on the way, it is not yet enough. If current trends continue, the MDGs will not be met.
Too many countries are still excluded from debt cancellation. Too many conditions are still attached to debt relief, new loans and even aid making it difficult for countries to qualify or benefit. The world.s governments have repeatedly committed to the foreign aid target of 0.7% of wealthy countries. Gross National Income (GNI). Although the United Nations General Assembly first pledged this target in 1970, most countries have failed to reach it. The Canadian Council for International Cooperation calculates that Canada will contribute only 0.32% of GNI to foreign aid in 2007/08 under the latest Federal Budget.
This year Germany will host the G8 summit, this time in Heiligendamm from June 6 to 8. Make Poverty History will be calling on G8 leaders to commit to a timetable to reach the 0.7% of GNI aid target by 2015 as well as take further steps on debt cancellation. Visit the Make Poverty History Canada website and find out how to participate in ongoing actions, including the G8 Send Off Day of Action on June 2nd.
To learn more, read the Scarboro Magazine article Less Debt and More Aid in the April Easter issue. This article outlines the highlights of debt cancellation since the Jubilee debt campaign in 1999 and describes further action needed so that, in the words of Pope John Paul II, "citizens of the poorest countries can have a fuller share at the banquet of life".
Make Aid Work - The World Can't Wait
In February two international Catholic aid and development networks, Caritas Internationalis and CIDSE, launched Make Aid Work – The World Can't Wait. The campaign calls on Catholics around the world to put pressure on the richest countries to keep their promises of increased debt relief and aid to poor countries as well as to make aid work for poverty reduction and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
To learn more about this campaign, download a petition, or sign online visit http://www.make-aid-work.org. In May, an international delegation of Bishops from North and South will hand over to the German government the declarations of support signed in petitions and on the website in hope that the German government, which is hosting this year's G8 summit, will put the demands for responsible development aid on the agenda of the summit meeting.