What's New

The report from the British-Irish Province on Justice & Peace has been posted to the J&P page. It can also be accessed here (CF. Justice and Peace in the British Hebernian Province). According to Carlos Alberto da Costa Silva (CU) this will be the last in this series.

A letter from Carlos Alberto da Costa Silva (CU) to promoters of Justice & Peace in the congregation has been posted to the J&P page (Cf. Secretariatus 0 Justitia et Pax April 7, 1999)

What's Happening

During the course of its spring meetings the General Council will appoint six provincial administrations, including the new council for France & Luxembourg combined:

 

1. HI (Spain) to begin on May 1, 1999
2. GA/LW (France/Luxembourg) to begin on May 1, 1999
3. PO (Poland) to begin on June 1, 1999
4. CM (Cameroon) to begin on June 14, 1999
5. IM (South Italy) to begin on July 1, 1999
6. FL (Flanders) to begin on September 1, 1999

The representatives of J&P of South America met in Pindaré Mirim, MAR, Brazil, from 8 to 10 March 1999. The following were present: Hernán Lemreijse (CH), Hector Gonzaléz (AU), Belmiro Rauber (BM), Marcos Alves (BS), Renato Cadore, Eugênio Venzon and Inâncio Dalcin (MAR), and C. Costa e Silva (CU) representing the general Administration. They exchanged information about their work and prepared the Assembly of J&P to take place in Santiago (CH), in January 2000. That assembly will be another step in preparation for the General Conference of Recife. It will also decide the type of organization of J&P in this area. Representatives of US, CA, CGA, LU and HI will be invited.
    Latin American J&P representatives meeting at São Luis, Brazil

The minutes of that meeting, in Portuguese, and a chronicle on Maranhão, in Spanish, are available.

Representatives of J&P of Northern Europe met in Kadier en Keer (NE), from 21 to 23 March 1999. All provinces were represented: Delodère (GA), H. Faller (GE), E. Ahnen (LW), P. Harnett (BH), W. Bekedam (NE), T. Schugens (FL), the provincial of NE, R. van Langen and the general counselor C. A. da Costa Silva. They talked about their work in each Province and concentrated attention on two main points: the creation of a secretary for Justice and Peace in Northern Europe and to found a house for immigrants and refugees in Luxembourg. In addition, the group visited the Mission Center, which is a house for immigrants and refugees that inspired the second option of this area.
 

Carlos Alberto da Costa Silva (CU) and members of Northern Europe Justice & Peace representatives.

Congratulations to the following members of the Polish Province who made their final profession on Sunday, April 11, 1999 in the seminary chapel at Stadniki!

Janusz Bieszczad Józef Cempura Marek Gawle Krzysztof Napra Pawel Nowakowski and Br. Józef Ragan

Mary Gorski was kind enough to pass on the following excerpt from an article appearing in the next issue of SCJ NEWS.

Fr. Michael [van der Peet] was in India for the first part of the year at the invitation of Fr. Sebastian Pitz (BM), novice master, who asked him to conduct the profession retreat for the novices. Originally from Holland, Fr. Michael is a member of the US Province. He has done retreat ministry around the world for a variety of congregations and organizations. He writes ...

...In India religion is very public. At least once or twice a week I see a procession marching down our street and people carrying the statue of a saint or of one or another deity. People here love religious celebrations and most of the time Indian celebrations have a festival-like feel. People come in colorful outfits -- headdresses with flowers -- burning incense, playing drums and in the end, always the firecrackers and fireworks. It can be very disturbing at times when this continues deep into the night or early in the morning. Even the roosters don't get any sleep!

At this time of Lent, neighborhoods plan their own Stations of the Cross, carrying a big cross from house to house. Just now I was interrupted by such a group. Our chapel is filled with people every morning for the 6:45 Mass and many join us for adoration and benediction in the evening. There are no pews: people just stand, kneel or sit on the bare floor

Especially delightful are the children running to you, their hands folded saying, 'Praised be Jesus Christ.' You are supposed to enfold these little hands in your own and say, 'Amen.' They love to do that and often the adults do the same. For me it is a wonderful inspiration...
 

Michael van der Peet & friends