Full Stories - June 2010
CALL TO MISSION – Discernment Retreat
Hear the Annual SFM Lecture by Prof. Vincent Miller of March 6th
Scarboro Missions Lecture by Prof. Vincent Miller.
You can hear his 1-hour talk "Where are We? Responsibility, Spirituality and Place in a Global Age". It starts with a short introduction by Fr. Mike Traher. But it may take some time to download this large audio file. Click here to download.
Milestones in Recent Catholic-Jewish Relations
This document chronicles, on a year-by-year basis, the dramatic advances in Catholic-Jewish dialogue since the Second Vatican Council. This detailed profile of significant changes and developments in Catholic-Jewish relations will be very useful to teachers, students, researchers, historians, interfaith practicioners and others. This document can be downloaded free of charge and is available in English and French. Connection is also available to a Hebrew Version.
LAY MISSION OFFICE NEWS
Celebrating with Leis at the Songkran Festival in Thailand
by Glenn and Anne Harty
Scarboro Lay Missioners in Thailand
Thailand has many celebrations that occur throughout the year. Probably the most popular is the Songkran Festival which is an occasion to give thanks for water and the new and continued life that it provides. The official dates for this festival are April 13-15 however it is not uncommon for people to extend it by two days.
Mass of Thanksgiving
Yesterday morning we were asked to attend a Mass in the village at one of the homes. It was followed by a water blessing service and a luncheon. This specific occasion was in recognition of the village seniors and considering I (Glenn) officially turned 60 yesterday, I fit right in.
People were selected to do the washing or blessing. Each of us who were blessed were presented with a lei and a hand towel. Some of us were also blessed with a mixture of water and rice flower as in the case of Anne.
The leis we were presented with were made from jasmine flowers, which happen to be the National flower of some Asian countries. In Thailand the jasmine flower is used as the symbol for Mother.
The flowers are picked early in the morning, stored and then early in the evening when the temperature lowers they begin to open up and display their beauty of sight and fragrance. In Thailand these specific leis are quite frequently used to adorn Religious Images, Buddha’s and other objects.
The village where the party was held is next to our Centre. Many years ago it was a village for lepers, therefore not a prime piece of real-estate. The land costs were low and the Camillian Order purchased the land we are now on. The stigma and cures of the disease have changed greatly in the past few years.
On our way home Sr. Anita introduced us to a family of four generations who currently live together. It was uplifting to witness such joy amidst what I would class as terrible suffering. We never have to look far in order to recognize the blessings we have been given and to be thankful. It was a perfect ending to the Songkran Festival.
Blessing with water
Four generation family
Leis and hand towels being handed out
Blessing with water
Leis are handed out and placed around people's necks
Anne Harty (L) with rice flour on her face
Glenn and Anne Harty in Thailand
Hello Guyana
Girls at St. Ann's doing art with Sylvia
by Sylvia Wilvert
Scarboro Lay Missioner
The first weeks of mission are a time of learning and discovery
Well, it's been five weeks since my arrival in Georgetown, Guyana. God has presented me with new challenges, but I take each day as it comes and feel the presence of the Holy Spirit every step of the way.
I have started working with the girls at St. Ann’s Orphanage, all 50 of them, ages three to 17 years. Many of them have no family; for those who do, the family has insurmountable problems and are unable to care for the children.
My first challenge was to get to know their names. Each of these young people were excited to share their name with me, which may be the only thing they feel is theirs. I am trying to remember, for example, Zelina, Sheneeza, Avella, Makeba, Shemena, Lashonda, Aishonna, and Jamacy. Of course, the list goes on.
Fr. Russ Sampson, who served in Guyana for many years and is now in Canada assisting with the preparation of new mission candidates, confessed to me that he had a difficult time pronouncing the names when it came time to baptize the children.
Sylvia Wilvert with girls from St. Ann's Orphanage
This week I made the biggest faux pas when I was sitting with a table of eight girls at supper. I take turns sitting at different tables as they all clamour for me to sit with them. During the meal, I asked them what would be the consequence if they did not finish all the food on their plate. All eight girls stared at me in disbelief. There is no such thing as not wanting your food, they said. In fact, the staff served me first and heaped my plate. So I took the opportunity to give most of my food to the girls at my table and they readily accepted it. If they are lucky and there is food remaining, they get to have seconds.
Tea is served at 4:00 p.m. each day, a hangover from the time when Guyana was a British colony I suppose. This meal usually consists of a sweet drink, cake, or a small sandwich. The girls’ favorite cake is a sponge cake.
I still have the vision of their sleeping quarters, consisting of one large dormitory for all 50 girls. The cots sit side by side, row after row, with a night stand between each. The teens have their area partitioned off by a curtain. There is a long trough with a tap at both ends of the room where all the girls have a "foot bath" before getting into bed.
On my last visit, six year old Angelique greeted me with "You did come back!" Maybe just being with these young women is all I need to do right now. It certainly is rewarding.
As I get to know them and they teach me about Guyana, I hope in turn to share my life experiences with these beautiful children.
Sylvia Wilvert with girls at St. Ann's
Girls at St. Ann's dancing to music
Welcome new lay missioners!
by Kate O'Donnell & Mary Olenick
Coordinators
Lay Mission Office
We are pleased to introduce our two newest lay missioners, after completing their three-month preparation program for overseas mission. On December 3, 2009, during the Feast of St. Francis Xavier celebration, they made their 3 year commitment to serve as Scarboro lay missioners. We are delighted to acknowledge Sylvia Wilvert who will be serving in Guyana and Mark Driediger who will be serving in Malawi.
We extend a special thanks to Fr. Russ Sampson,sfm who so graciously facilitated the spiritual component of the Formation Program. Special thanks to Scarboro priests and lay missioners along with Sharon Willan who continue to be our great support and facilitated some of the workshops.
Missioner's Commitment Statements
Mark Driediger's commitment statement .....
It is with gratitude to God, to Scarboro Missions and to you my friends and family that I make this commitment. I, Mark Driediger, commit myself to God and to Scarboro to journey with the people of Malawi for the next three years. My hope is, together with you and the people I will work with and encounter to serve our Lord Jesus diligently, to grow in faith in God, to delight in the fellowship of His Holy Spirit, and to allow the Light of the World each day to shine ever more brightly and beautifully in the hearts of people and in His world.
Sylvia Wilvert's commitment statement .....
I, Sylvia Wilvert with the Grace of God, in the presence of my family and friends who are here and away and this community, I commit myself for three years to serve as a lay missioner with Scarboro Missions in Guyana.
May my compass remain steadfast on the needs of the people of Guyana through dialogue, sharing, witness and service.
Lord, as in the prayer of St. Theresa of Avila, may I be your hands, eyes, ears, feet and heart .... May your will be done.
I ask my family, friends and new Scarboro family to pray for me as I journey into mission to follow Christ's call.
Feast of St Francis Xavier
By Fr. Mike Traher sfm
It is always a joy to celebrate the feast of St Francis Xavier who is traditionally one of four missionary patrons for Scarboro. The others are, St. Therese of Lisieux, patroness of missions, St. Theophane Venard, a young missionary martyred in Vietnam 1800's, Mary, Queen of Apostles. Each year we invite other mission societies from the Toronto area to join us and some of them do, like Our Lady's Missionaries, the Jesuits, the Spiritans, and others.
St. Francis Xavier has an amazing record of accomplishments in his ten years of evangelizing (1542-1552) in South Asia, India, and Japan. As a young missionary priest, from the Basque region of Spain, he sent many letters back home to Ignatius, founder of their Jesuit order. They were filled with stories of heroic sacrifice, long hours of ministry, joy among people eager to hear the Good News, as well as the challenges of bringing the Gospel to new cultures and peoples. Francis Xavier was undaunted. He spoke enthusiastically about the need for more missioners to come to Asia, musing that if he were back in Europe he would visit the all the universities and challenge students to come and give their lives to Christ's mission for the salvation of the world. While planning in 1552 to enter China, Francis Xavier became ill seriously and died on the island of Sancian, just off the coast off China.
Francis Xavier has been the inspiration of many missionary societies, and he continues to fulfill that role with us in Scarboro. At our community Eucharist for December 3rd, our Superior General, Fr. Jack Lynch presided, and a very inspiring homily was given by Fr Russ on the theme of our Baptism, and the call to be missionary. The missioning of two new lay missioners really capped our celebration. It is for this reason that Scarboro exists, to give a global witness to the Good News. In past years as seminarians, we used to sing a traditional missionary hymn, "Ad Multos Annos" , ('For many years to come'!) May we see many more ready and willing vocations come to join us in our future missionary endeavours.
Are you interested in becoming a Scarboro Missioner?
Lay Mission work in December 2007 Magazine Issue
To read about the current Lay Mission work in the latest magazine issue, click here
INTERFAITH DESK NEWS
The Seven Stages of Interfaith Deep-Dialogue
Interfaith dialogue is a journey involving challenge, change and an awakening to global consciousness. This article outlines seven stages that many people experience in their dialogue with other religions and cultures. Read more…
John Paul II–Interfaith Giant
John Paul II was one of the most influential interfaith figures of the twentieth century. His commitment to dialogue, his extensive global travel and his acute awareness of our interdependent lives in the global village made him a significant force in the international interfaith movement. This article offers a chronological profile of the interfaith journey of Pope John Paul II from his election to the papacy in 1978 until his death in 2005. To read article, click here.
Review of Scarboro Golden Rule Movie
Earlier this year, Scarboro Missions released its Golden Rule video entitled, Animating the Golden Rule. The movie features Grade 11 students embodying Golden Rule values by way of skits, artwork, song, dance, rap and interviews. An exciting review of the DVD has been published in the Toronto Interfaith Unity newsletter. To read the review, click here.
13 Golden Rule Texts Translated into Hebrew
Scarboro Missions is proud to announce that the Golden Rule sacred writings from thirteen religions have been translated into Hebrew. This new addition complements translations in Spanish, French, Italian, German and Portuguese that are already posted on our website.
To view or download the thirteen Golden Rule texts in Hebrew, click here
Learn about Official Church Documents on Dialogue
This listing features official Church documents on interfaith dialogue that have been published during and since the era of the Second Vatican Council. Included here are papal encyclicals as well as documents produced by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, by Bishops' Conferences and by Congregations within the Vatican (e.g. the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith). Each listing contains a one or two-sentence description of the document's contents. To read listing, click here.
JUSTICE AND PEACE OFFICE NEWS
KAIROS News: KAIROS G20 Climate Justice Tour
Climate Change as a Moral Issue—Will we love life deeply enough to protect it?
“We know enough of our own history by now to be aware that people exploit what they have merely concluded to be of value, but they defend what they love.” Wendell Berry, Life is a Miracle.
Dr. Mishka Lysack of the Oikos Centre for the Environment at the University of Calgary, is convinced that God’s “deep protective even fierce love for creation” is “deeply planted in who we are as God’s children… and that part of our vocation as Christians, as God’s people, is very much to protect the Earth, to reconnect with that same passionate love that God has.” This was one of the main themes at a retreat on Climate Change and Environmental Decline as a Moral Issue.
The Oikos Centre and the Elliott Allen Institute for Theology and Ecology at the University of Toronto co-chaired the retreat at the United Church of Canada headquarters in Toronto on April 16 and 17. Two weekday evening public events were also held at two downtown Toronto churches.
Approximately 80 participants from mainly Christian but also other faith traditions as well as from environmental and international development NGOs gathered for the retreat. The first day examined the impacts of climate change and environmental decline as well as related spiritual, ethical and justice issues. A broad overview of the biblical basis for creation care opened the second day. Participants then focused on effective engagement with faith communities, political advocacy, movement building and media outreach.
Canadian environmental author and journalist, Alanna Mitchell, was one of the speakers in the session on the impacts of climate change and ocean change. In her book, Sea Sick, the Global Ocean in Crisis, Alanna writes about her visits with scientists working in several critical ocean research areas including coral reef bleaching, oxygen-less dead zones and impacts of ocean change on plankton, a vital species which produces half the oxygen we breathe and on which life depends. She calls attention to a major hidden ecological crisis—ocean scientists around the world are finding that climate change and other human activities are beginning to have measurable impacts on the ocean and that the “vital signs of this critical medium of life are showing clear signs of distress”.
Speaking at the second public event, World Vision Canada President and CEO Dave Toycen asked whether we can truly love our neighbour “if creation is being trashed”. He called climate change a huge global threat to poor children and families. Changing rainfall patterns, increasing temperatures and more extreme weather events will increase the risk of current significant causes of death to children such as malnutrition, diarrhea and malaria. He closed with a quote from Jim Wallis of Sojourners: “We cannot claim to care for the poor while we turn our backs on our role in the destruction of the most basic resources our neighbors need for survival. Love for your neighbor and love for the planet on which your neighbor lives cannot be separated.”
Dennis O’Hara, Director of the Elliott Allen Institute for Theology and Ecology, provided an estimate from the Global Humanitarian Forum “that the effects of climate change cost 300,000 deaths each year and seriously impacts on the lives of 325 million people”. He finds the lethargy of developed nations in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to be “morally reprehensible”. He clarified that “the requirement to act is not dependent on the ability or the desire of the polluter to bear the economic costs associated with their harmful acts but is determined by the victim’s right to life, health and security”.
As well, denial, despair and indifference are serious problems hindering effective action on climate change explained Loren Wilkinson, a professor at Regent College.
In responding to the questions of what are we prepared to do and where do we go from here, United Church moderator Mardi Tindal emphasized beginning with personal action and integrity as well as being “prepared to speak the truth even in the midst of denial, and even in the midst of ridicule”. She called for mutual support and encouragement as well as working together “in communities of congruence”.
On the second day speakers from various faiths and organizations such as KAIROS, Faith and the Common Good, the United Church of Canada, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and A Rocha Canada shared with retreat participants their perspectives and actions to address environmental concerns. One of the messages during the retreat was that we can learn and find hope from the great movements in history, such as the abolition of slavery movement in England as well as the civil rights and anti-apartheid movements. Several presenters and participants offered insights and practical suggestions for effective action.
Yet it is love which Mardi Tindal calls “the most powerful force for change”. Speaking of contemplation as “the long loving gaze on reality, on what is real” she concluded: “We must practice long loving gazes on our children, on others’ children, on the whole planet, on what is real… putting the contemplative and the active together for whole earth justice. This is our call.”
Please visit the website of the Oikos Centre for the Environment where videos and PowerPoint presentations from the retreat will soon be posted as well as details about upcoming similar events.
KAIROS News: Support the Robin Hood Tax on financial activities that would raise billions for fighting climate change and poverty
Canada hosts G8 and G20 Summits in June—Campaigns calling for action on poverty, climate change and peace
Canada will host the G8 Summit in Huntsville, Ontario on June 25, 2010 as well as the G20 Summit in Toronto from June 26 to 27. Many organizations and faith groups are working together to coordinate events and campaigns calling for action by G8 and G20 political leaders on such concerns as poverty, climate change, economic justice and peace. There are different possibilities for citizen participation during the time leading up to the June summits.
At the Table 2010 is a campaign organized by international NGOs, faith groups, poverty groups, climate change groups, students and others including Development and Peace, KAIROS, and Make Poverty History. This campaign mobilizes citizens around the world to "take their place" at this year's G8 and G20 summit tables. Action possibilities include signing the declaration, organizing community At the Table dinners and events which include inviting elected officials to discuss the issues, participating in urgent action appeals on key issues that arise during the campaign, and others. Find out more by visiting the At the Table 2010 website here…
A World Religions Summit will take place from June 21 – 23, 2010 in Winnipeg. Since 2005 faith leaders have gathered in parallel to the G8 Summits to challenge G8 nations to live up to commitments made to the world’s most poor and vulnerable citizens. A Faith Leaders’ Statement and petition call on G8 and G20 political leaders to demonstrate inspired leadership and action on poverty, peace and the environment. Learn more, sign the petition or find resources for hosting an interfaith dinner with your MP by visiting http://www.faithchallengeg8.com/.