Full Stories - May 2005
Papal Recognition to Three Scarboro Missions Priests
Fr. Joe McGuckin, Fr. Lou Quinn and Fr. Lionel Walsh all received a Papal recognition for their work in the Dominican Republic. They were each given a medal of the Great Cross. Fr. McGuckin and Fr. Walsh received their medals on separate occasions. In Fr. Quinn's case, the Papal Nuncio to the Dominican Republic and the Bishop of Bani went to Ocoa to present him with the cross on April 17th as shown in this picture.
Fr. Joe McGuckin
Fr. Lionel Walsh
Scarboro Missions recognized in House of Commons
A statement was read by Ms. Yasmin Ratansi (MP for Don Valley East) in the House of Commons to pay tribute to the extraordinary life of Pope John Paul II. She referred specifically to the Pope inspiring the ecumenical work of the Scarboro Missions. Ms Ratansi is a member of the Muslim faith who has worked with the Scarboro Missions Interfaith Department.
Member Statement - Ms. Yasmin Ratansi, MP - April 6, 2005
Mr. Speak, on behalf of my constituents of Don Valley East, I rise in this House to pay tribute to the extraordinary life of Pope John Paul II.
The Pope reached out and touched the lives of millions of people, not only as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church for 26 years but as a simple human being who lived through remarkable times. In his youth, the Pope challenged Nazi fascism during the occupation of his beloved homeland Poland, and later he played a key role in the fall of communism in that country with his support of the Solidarity movement.
In Toronto the Pope inspired the ecumenical work of the Scarboro Missions to reach out to people of all faiths and cultures. As one of those involved in the ecumenical work of the mission, I can attest to the fact that these efforts of the Pope have been quite successful locally.
I am certain that all members of the House, along with all Canadians, wish to extend our condolences to the Vatican, to Catholics and to people all over the world.
See an image of the official Member Statement. (This is a large image and may take several seconds to download. It opens in a new window.)
LAY MISSION OFFICE NEWS
Are you interested in becoming a Scarboro Missioner? - Different Days and Locations
"Information Days" will be held on the following days and locations, 9 am to 3 pm, $10 for lunch.
May 14 (Saturday)
9:00 - 3:00
Serentiy Renewal Centre for Families
2810 Baycrest Drive, Ottawa, ON
To register: 1-800-260-4815, x213 or x265
email: macinnis@scarboromissions.ca
June 18 (Saturday)
9:00 - 3:00
St. Anne's Ukrainian Catholic Church
455 Douglas Ave., Winnipeg, Manitoba
To register, call Sonia: 204-224-3692
e-mail: esenem@mts.net.
Fr. Mike Traher's Trip to Guyana, South America (March 20 - April 4, 2005)
Visits to our Scarboro missioners overseas sometimes offer a touch of adventure. Travelling recently to Guyana, South America did just that. Shortly after arriving on Palm Sunday, March 20, 2005, I flew out of the capital, Georgetown, with two of our Scarboro Lay Missioners, Kate O'Donnell - who works in New Amsterdam, and Estrela De Sousa who is in Georgetown. Our flight took us to Lethem, a town next to the border of Brazil - mid way down the country. From there it is a long drive across the savannah, "the Rupununi", to the village of Aishalton, where two more of our Lay Missioners are working.
We were six passengers bouncing along the Rupununi, some of us riding high on the back of a loaded-down truck driven by the pastor of the area to where were we headed. Wouldn't you know it, we got stuck in the middle of the Arakwai River on a bed of coarse, dry, loose sand. With darkness soon coming and rain threatening, Fr. Oliver went to find help. After some time, he returned announcing there was no immediate help to get the truck out. But a family back a mile or so would take the Lay Missioners and the two female high school students in for the night.
Meanwhile I stayed with the truck. Some time passed, and as luck would have it, in the dark and pouring rain a big truck appeared coming in my direction. The driver stopped, found out I was really stuck, and signalled to his co-workers to help out. They released a long cable and hook from the front of their vehicle, and quickly pulled our truck out of the river bed. Generously, in the pouring rain, these same workers loaded back all the cargo and drove the truck for me to high ground. What more could I have asked?
My thought returned to my companions, so I thought I'll go out and try to find them. But as I walked along the wet and slippery savannah, I soon realized with my luck I would probably end up lost. So I went back and waited in the truck. A short time later Fr. Oliver showed up. We decided to press on to Aishalton and come back in the morning for the girls. Arriving around 11:00 pm, we were greeted warmly by our Lay Missioners, Barbara White and Maxine Bell who soon warmed up a bit of supper for us. Of course we had to take some teasing about 'abandoning' the women. Next morning, Fr. Oliver drove back to get our stranded companions, and found them waiting by the river where we had been stuck. They had passed the night in a house, sleeping on cowhides generously offered by the family.
The people of Aishalton are Amerindian, whose native tongue is Wapishana. But to my surprise, the village people spoke very good English. Living at the parish house, was a delightful, 86 year old Jesuit priest, Fr Britt. With Fr Oliver off to several other villages to celebrate Holy Week and Easter services with them, Fr Britt, joined me in celebrating Holy Week and Easter liturgies. He was a great font of history about the place, and such good company for our Lay Missioners, Barb and Maxine.
Village life in Aishalton reminded me of rural life in the Philippines, especially in the mountains. I actually felt right at home with the people. How quickly the people of Aishalton have come to appreciate the witness of Barbara and Maxine, who are involved in health education, children's catechism, sewing classes, visiting the sick and elderly, and other activities that respond to needs they can address. Time flew by, and Easter Sunday afternoon, the parish leaders invited us to an informal farewell party; some songs, a few impromptu speeches, and gestures to gently say goodbye. We gathered for this under a big mango tree in front of a long, thatched roof church. It was a scene that might suggest living in another century. But it was for me a glimpse of the kingdom of God alive and well among the people of Aishalton, in the heart of the Rupununi.
The rest of my time in Guyana was spent mostly with Fr. Linus Wall, who recently celebrated 50 years of priestly service in Guyana, and Fr. Russ Sampson my classmate. Fr. Russ is now working in Mackenzie - Linden, a new parish area well outside of Georgetown. The city of Georgetown is just recovering from serious flooding due to extensive rain last January / February. Getting rid of water is a huge problem for this city which is situated a bit below sea level.
Travelling briefly to New Amsterdam, I enjoyed visiting two, long time missionary friends, in New Amsterdam, Sr. Doris MacDonnell and Sr. Joan Missiaen of Our Lady's Missionaries. Their pastor is himself a missionary priest from the Philippines, where Sr. Joan and I had served in the past. As I look back now, I realize even more how the world we are living in now is a global community. As missionaries we welcome this reality, and the opportunity it offers to continue our witness to Christ and the good news of God's love for all peoples.
See trip pictures in the Photo Gallery
News from China Mission
Celebrating 23 years as a Scarboro Lay Missioner, Louise Malnachuk received the following tribute at a celebration of Scarboro's China missioners during the Society's XIth General Chapter in August 2002. Written by Fr. Mike Traher and Beveley Vantomme, it was later published in the October 2002 Scarboro Missions Magazine.
Four Scarboro missioners continue to teach English at the university level in Mainland China. Through their teaching, they co-operate with the Chinese people in their efforts to develop their country. Our missioners are a Christian presence and witness to the Gospel on the university campuses where most of the students have had no contact and little information about Christianity. Recently one of our teachers celebrated her birthday with her University students. She sent us this birthday story:
"My birthday was filled with fun and laughter. I bought a birthday cake and invited my students over for an evening of fun. It was an open invitation with no rsvp's so I didn't know who and how many would come. Two dozen came. Of course there weren't enough seats for everyone. Some squeezed two to a chair. Some sat on the floor (thanks to cushions) and on the side table (after we finish the cake.)
Birthday cake business is still relatively new in China. It certainly is well thought out. I ordered the cake a day ahead. It was a pleasant surprise when I picked it up the next day. Firstly, it was prettier than the sample in the display window. Secondly, the cake came with small plates, forks and a candle assembly. The candle is in the shape of a flower bud. Each petal bears a tiny candle. You put the candle in the centre of the cake and light it up with the lighting stick from the package. It's no small flame because it's an assembly of some 12 tiny candles. As the candles burn, the bud opens up to a flower and fireworks came out AND a birthday song starts to play (the song will continue until the battery is no more!) What an ingenious design! China may be a late comer to the birthday business, but they certainly know how to make it fun. My students have seen this before and so they enjoyed it very much. I was seeing it for the first time and was, of course, both amazed and impressed.
We spent the evening telling jokes, singing songs and playing games. We had a great time. It's also a good way to consolidate friendships. I thank God for continuing to put wonderful people in my life."
INTERFAITH DESK NEWS
The Golden Rule in Three Languages
The Golden Rule is a universal moral principle and is expressed in all the languages of the world. The Golden Rule (Sacred Texts) in of 13 religions is now availablein English, French and German on the website. These various translations will be great resources for these language groups as well as for language teachers. In a few months, Spanish and Italian will also be available. Read more...
Mixing Apples and Oranges - An Ecumenical and Interfaith Melange
The Scarboro Missions Interfaith Desk has recently been doing ground-breaking work in the Scarborough region. During Lent, the Agincourt Christian Ministerial Association, composed of 30 congregations, sponsored a Bible study series that took place in 6 denominational churches.
But this was a Bible study with a difference! The organizers felt a need to deal with the multifaith and multicultural personality of Scarborough region. These churches are also interested in looking for ways to forge bonds with other world faiths in the area.
Scarboro Missions was approached and subsequently played a key role in organizing this wonderful interchurch and interfaith mélange.
In the first two sessions, participants worked in small groups wrestling with a number of Biblical texts in which Jesus dealt with people of other faiths. In the next two sessions, representatives from four faiths - Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism - spoke about how their sacred books address the issue of the poor and oppressed.
In the final two sessions, the multifaith audience worked with texts from the New Testament which address the issue of compassion for poor and oppressed peoples.
This very successful series is living proof that you can mix apples and oranges. The various world faiths are not the same - they are apples and oranges. But that doesn't mean that dialogue among them can not be "fruitful".
The fruits of this interchurch and interfaith mélange were many. On one evening, twenty Sikhs attended. There were a number of Hindus in attendance at all the events. Christians of numerous denominations including lots of Roman Catholics were present. The rainbow of participating cultures, colours and faiths looked like a miniature United Nations.
This series is only the beginning - a stepping stone to new levels of cooperation which will eventually include visits to each other's houses of worship and collaboration around community service and social justice issues.
The next step in journey begins on April 5 - the first event in Scarboro Missions Interfaith Educational Series. Many who participated in the Agincourt Bible Study will be joining us.
Interfaith Educational Series - starting April 5th
Inspired by the inter-racial, intercultural and inter-religious vision of Mahatma Gandhi, Scarboro Missions has been sponsoring interfaith events since 1995. Through these events, the multi-faith public learns more about other faiths and about interfaith dialogue. These gatherings also contribute to the larger goal of building interfaith community in the Greater Toronto Area.
- April 5 — Understanding Native Spirituality
- April 12 — From Holocaust Survivor to Multi-faith Peace Activist
- April 19 — Understanding Unitarianism
- April 26 — Understanding Sikhism
- May 3 — Sacred Cinema - Interfaith on Film
All above events begin at 7:00 p.m. at Scarboro Missions.
On Mother's Day, May 8, at 1 p.m., Scarboro Missions presents a multicultural concert by the Toronto World Unity Choir.
For more information, contact Scarboro's Interfaith desk at 416-261-7135 ext. 296 or interfaith@scarboromissions.ca.
Special Interfaith Edition of Scarboro Missions magazine
Don’t miss the January-February 2005 issue of Scarboro Missions. This special issue on "Interfaith Dialogue - A Golden Conversation" features articles on Islam, Muslim-Christian dialogue, parish-based interfaith work, the Native Talking Circle and the dramatic interfaith initiatives of John Paul II. This issue also presents other aspects of Scarboro’s ground-breaking interfaith work. View these articles. To order print copies, contact Kathy VanLoon at tel. 416-261-7135 ext. 296 or editor@scarboromissions.ca.
JUSTICE AND PEACE OFFICE NEWS
Time to tell the G8: We need Debt Cancellation Now!
More than 130,000 Africans die every week from preventable causes, including HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and contaminated water. Yet Sub-Saharan African countries continue to pay about US$12 billion a year servicing debts rather than spending this money on urgently needed health care, clean water and sanitation.
The leaders of the world's wealthiest countries are preparing to meet from July 6th to 8th in Scotland for their annual G8 Summit. The G8 Finance Ministers are arguing over various "debt relief" proposals that will benefit only a few countries adhering to IMF and World Bank conditions. Current proposals by Canada and the United Kingdom would make multilateral debt payments on behalf of some poor countries only until 2015 which would still leave two-thirds of their debt not cancelled in 2015. This is not enough. We need Debt Cancellation Now!
Around the world peoples of all faiths and political beliefs are taking action against poverty and using this moment in time to call for more debt cancellation. KAIROS is calling this a time of grace and opportunity when God challenges us to take decisive action. They invite us to join the call for debt cancellation now and have organized a debt campaign with a letter for participants to copy, sign and send throughout May and June.
During May Scarboro Missions is participating in this KAIROS campaign as well as one organized by the SEDOS Religious Debt Coalition. Read more and find out how to participate
Good News for Indigenous peoples in Brazil! Yet violence persists
On April 15, 2005 President Lula of Brazil ratified the Raposa/Serra do Sol Reserve in the state of Roraima as one continuous reserve for approximately 16,000 Indigenous people. This is considered a historic restitution of indigenous rights after more than thirty years of struggle by the Macuxi, Wapichana, Ingarikó, Taurepang and Patamona peoples for legal recognition of their traditional land. All non-indigenous people have one year to leave the reserve and will be compensated.
Amnesty International is calling on the Federal government in Brazil to provide security in the region during the first years of the officially recognized territory and the time during which compensation claims will have to be settled.
More violence is already the reality. Activities for the Brazil's National Indigenous Peoples' Week in April were cancelled in Roraima in solidarity with a University professor who was attacked on April 19th, Brazil's Indigenous Peoples' Day. This professor coordinates an innovative university program enabling indigenous teachers to gain a university degree oriented to indigenous reality. A Molotov cocktail was thrown at the professor's house. No one was hurt, but his car was damaged. Anonymous callers threatened to kill his daughters unless he left Roraima. Over 100 federal police are in the Raposa Reserve area for security.
Let us pray for peace in Roraima! Read more...
Read more about this story and others on Indigenous peoples in Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana, Thailand, and Canada in the May special edition of Scarboro Magazine.
Oil sands development threatens Lubicon Land
Friends of the Lubicon, a group advocating for Lubicon rights, report even more proposed oil development in Lubicon Traditional Territory. In August 2004 the Province of Alberta issued oil sands exploration leases to Deep Well Oil and Gas, which now has a majority interest in leases covering more than 63 square miles inside Lubicon Traditional Territory. The company has announced plans to drill up to 512 wells on land that overlaps a one-mile buffer zone around the proposed Lubicon reserve. The Lubicon are concerned about how these wells and possible further development might affect fish and wildlife habitat as well as local surface and ground water supplies. Read more here