From L-R: Sr. Anselm, Sr. Reginette, Sr. Judith, Sr. Marguerite. 
 
 
Sister Anslem, Sister Reginette, Sister Judith, and Sister Marguerite were serving as caretakers at the Missionaries of Charity’s convent and nursing home in Aden, Yemen.
These sisters left their homes in India and Africa to serve the poor, elderly, and disabled in the war-torn country of Yemen. They worked together with volunteers at the convent’s home care centre, where they served around sixty to eighty patients of all religions.
“They were serving all poor people irrespective of their religion. Their duty was to help the poor,” a representative from the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia told CNA.
But on March 4, the convent was attacked by two gunmen who killed Sr. Anslem, Sr. Judith, Sr. Marguerite, and Sr. Reginette, along with sixteen other victims, including volunteers from Ethiopia and Yemen. Each victim was found handcuffed and shot in the head.
No residents of the nursing home were harmed.
Pope Francis called the sisters “martyrs of today” who “gave their blood for the Church.”
According to a statement from the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, Sr. Anslem was from Ranchi, India and would have turned 60 years old on May 8. Sr. Judith was from Kenya and had just turned 41 years old on Feb. 2. Sr. Marguerite was from Rwanda and would have been 44 years old on April 29. The youngest nun, Sr. Reginette, was from Rwanda and would’ve turned 33 on June 29.
Since the attack, the Missionaries of Charity’s nursing home has been relying on the aid of volunteers and government support to continue their care of the elderly, which has lasted for 24 years in Aden.
“Now, the local government is taking care of the elderly with the help of some volunteers, university students and young people,” the representative said.
The convent’s superior, Sister Sally, was originally reported missing during the attack, but she has since been declared safe.
“Sister Sally is safe and I think she will go to her regional superior’s house that is in Jordan,” the representative added.
However, Salesian priest Father Tom Uzhunnalil is still missing after his reported abduction. Fr. Uzhunnalil is an Indian priest who had been staying with the sisters and has not been found since the attack on March 4.
No group has claimed responsibility for the onslaught against the Missionaries of Charity convent, but the country of Yemen is in the midst of a year-long civil war which has claimed the lives of more than 6,000 people.
Rome, Italy, Mar 8, 2016 (CNA/EWTN News) – By Maggie Maslak and Alan Holdren
 
 
 

Pursuing our Provincial Chapter commitment to collaborate with other organisations in support of refugees, a first port of call was the JRS (Jesuit Refugee Service). Some sisters, including Margaret Muldoon, had the privilege of meeting Louise Zanré who was JRS (UK) Director up to the end of last year. She stepped down from her post at the beginning of this year because of ill health, although she was continuing to work with JRS and contribute her great experience. She died on16 February deeply regretted by all who knew her.
 
Louise was the person that the Holy Family were in dialogue with regarding welcoming refugees into our communities in London. I first met her in November and was very impressed and inspired by her welcoming attitude, her ability to give her full attention to whoever was speaking with her, whether refugee or volunteer, and her total committed to the cause of refugees, and to upholding their dignity. She was well versed in the law and so a great help in advocating on their behalf. As one volunteer put it, “She was a very special colleague and a wonderful example of how to live a full Christian life.” In my short experience, I learnt a lot from her. The volunteers who had worked with her for years were truly shattered.
JRS has an open day every Thursday and welcomes between 70-80 asylum seekers – those who have no legal status, many of whom have been waiting for years. Some stay all day, grateful to have a welcoming place, where they can just be themselves, while others come and go. They receive a hot meal, other material aid, one to one conversations and other needs are attended to discreetly, with great respect for each one. The information given to volunteers during their induction states: “Whilst having little control over whether they will be granted leave to remain, or whether they will be deported tomorrow or even where they will be sleeping, each person needs to retain their sense of identity, an ability to make choices and find positive ways to use their time and talents.” I see this lived out at the Centre.
 
I am also inspired by the faith of the people who come, their resilience, their ability “to seek life” in the midst of daily struggles and despite the traumatic circumstances of their lives. While no intrusive questions are ever asked and confidentiality is a high priority – occasionally someone will share something of his/her reality and I often reflect on how difficult it would be for me to live in their shoes even for a day. It is a humbling and thought provoking experience. I am also aware that they are a small percentage of the huge and growing number of migrants in our world today.
Last Thursday, as each one arrived, he/she was informed of Louise’s death. The atmosphere was emotional all day. They were very shocked and moved, women sobbed, men sat there with eyes full of tears. These people who had experienced so much suffering in their lives reached beyond themselves to truly grieve for another. With limited knowledge of English, they struggled to write a few words of appreciation, gratitude or sympathy in a condolence book. Those who couldn’t manage to write by themselves asked for help while remaining determined to make the, often quite laborious, effort to copy what they wished to say into the book. They knew she was their friend and, in the context in which they live, this was a rare treasure.
 
I am reminded of the words of Pope Francis: We are called to find Christ in them, to lend our voices to their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to speak for them, and to embrace the mysterious wisdom which God wishes to share with us through them (EG 198)
No one of us can think we are exempt from concern for the poor and for social justice. I trust in the openness and readiness of all Christians, and I ask you to seek, as a community, creative ways of accepting this renewed call. (EG 201)
Margaret Muldoon
St. Gabriel’s Road

We have heard the word Mercy a lot recently. In fact, the theme of this edition of Vocation for Justice is Mercy. On the centre pages you will find a very interesting modern interpretation of the traditional Christian teaching of the seven Corporal Works of Mercy. Mercy is so important for Pope Francis that it is the central theme of his Papacy, and he speaks of it often in homilies. His apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (‘The Joy of the Gospel’), uses the word 32 times.
This year – 2016 – he calls on the entire global Roman Catholic Church to a Jubilee Year, to be called the Holy Year of Mercy. The Pope also says he wants the Church to live the upcoming holy year “in the light” of Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Luke: “Be merciful, just as your father is merciful”. Mercy, he tells us, is the Lord’s most powerful message.
Mercy is a door, an opening, an invitation to touch a life, to make a difference. But it is not a destination. Mercy beckons us into unexplored territory. Often it ushers us into a world of pressing human need – the destitute needing food and clothes, the homeless needing shelter, the refugee needing a friend. Mercy and justice are two sides of the same coin. Twinned together they lead us to holistic involvement. Divorced they become deformed. Mercy without justice degenerates into dependency. Mercy that doesn’t move intentionally in the direction of justice will end up doing more harm than good to both giver and recipient. Justice without mercy grows cold and impersonal, more concerned about rights than relationships.
Against dark and overpowering forces, acts of mercy can seem meagre. Food banks, although they are necessary, are an insufficient response when we live in a society that discriminates against the poor? What good are a sandwich and a cup of soup in the long term when a severe addiction has control of a person’s life? We may ask, what good is simply campaigning for peace when our governments are so immersed in the arms trade. Perhaps that is why the Bible places equal emphasis on both mercy and justice.
Mercy is a force that compels us to acts of compassion. But over time mercy often will collide with an ominous, opposing force – injustice. Mercy is a door. It is a portal through which we glimpse the heart of God. The tug on our heartstrings draws us in. But soon we encounter brokenness so overwhelming that neither a tender heart nor an inventive problem-solver feel up to the task. Our solutions fall short. Pathologies are too deep, poverty too entrenched. And we descend into our own poverty, a poverty of spirit, a crisis of confidence in our own ability to rescue. And, like the broken, we find ourselves calling out to God for answers. When our best efforts have failed us, we are left with nothing to cling to but frail faith.
In a strange twist of divine irony, those who would extend mercy discover that they themselves are in need of mercy. Out of our own need we are readied for service that is
both humble and wise. “The call of Jesus pushes each of us never to stop at the surface of things, especially when we are dealing with a person”, the pope says. “We are called to look beyond, to focus on the heart to see how much generosity everyone is capable of” he adds.
Francis said in announcing the Jubilee Year: “I am convinced that the whole Church — that has much need to receive mercy because we are sinners — will find in this jubilee the joy to rediscover and render fruitful the mercy of God, with which we are all called to give consolation to every man and woman of our time.”
During this Holy Year, let us respond to the call of Pope Francis to live lives where mercy and justice are central.  Peter Hughes
(This Editorial is taken from the  publication of Columban Mission Collaborating with the National Justice and Peace network of England and Wales & Justice and Peace, Scotland)
 

Muslim leaders from around the world adopted a declaration defending the rights of religious minorities in predominantly Muslim countries.
Participants said the Marrakesh Declaration, developed during a Jan. 25-27 conference, was based on the Medina Charter, a constitutional contract between the Prophet Muhammad and the people of Medina. The declaration said the charter, instituted 1,400 years ago, guaranteed the religious liberty of all, regardless of faith.
The conference included Muslim leaders from more than 120 countries, representatives of persecuted religious communities — including Chaldean Catholics from Iraq — and government officials.
The declaration said “conditions in various parts of the Muslim world have deteriorated dangerously due to the use of violence and armed struggle as a tool for settling conflicts and imposing one’s point of view,” which has enabled criminal groups to issue edicts that “alarmingly distort” Islam’s “fundamental principles and goals.”
“It is unconscionable to employ religion for the purpose of aggressing upon the rights of religious minorities in Muslim countries,” the declaration said.
It called on:
Muslim scholars “to develop a jurisprudence of the concept of ‘citizenship’ which is inclusive of diverse groups.”
Muslim educational institutions to review their curricula to address material that “instigates aggression and extremism, leads to war and chaos, and results in the destruction of our shared societies.”
Politicians and leaders to take necessary steps to legally “fortify relations and understanding among the various religious groups in the Muslim world.”
All members of society “to establish a broad movement for the just treatment of religious minorities in Muslim countries and to raise awareness as to their rights, and to work together to ensure the success of these efforts.”
Religious groups to remove “selective amnesia that blocks memories of centuries of joint and shared living on the same land.”
Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington, provided the public report from the interfaith observers at the conference.
“It is truly a great document, one that will influence our times and our history. It is a document that our world has been waiting for and a tribute to the Muslim scholars who prepared it. As one of the People of the Book, I thank you for this document and I thank the Lord God who has provided his followers the courage to prepare this document.”

Prayer
Lord our God, I need your light …
When you can use my faith, my hope,
My example, in spite of my sufferings or my failures,
Please help me! Let me be a guide to my sisters and brothers;
I know you are there to rescue us from the wrong path.
 
When I am lost in my own comfort, help me
To see the hunger, the injustice or the misery facing
my neighbours.
 
When I am lost and searching for you, you know me;
Relieve me and call me back to your life.
 
When I am in my final sufferings that overcome me
Give me the strength to trust in you steadfastly
and secure me in the freedom you won for us in Eternal life.
Thank you for being there!
Amen.
Ronald Dupont
Lay Associate – Canada

I would like to share my forty-eight years’ experience of missionary life in Africa with you.  The Communications Team of the Unit wanted me to do it in the form of an interview. 
Fidèle: What led you to Africa, in particular to Cameroon Chad?
Caroline: The words in the Encyclical letter “Fidei donum” of Pius XII – “The success of evangelisation grows in proportion to the number of apostles” created a great desire to work for evangelisation in Africa. On the eve of my final profession, I expressed my missionary desire, preferably Africa.  It was  years later that I was sent to Tagal in August 1971.
Fidèle: You were very young.  What motivated you to go to unknown countries?
Caroline: I had a great desire to give my life to following Jesus in spite of my fears. The welcome I received in Tagal reassured me and the close accompaniment of Sr. Sole and Fr.  Gaby Blouin helped me greatly in taking my first steps as a missionary.  I cared for the sick with zeal and devotedness in spite of the language difficulty and in a context where facilities were minimum, I learned to totally rely on God.
Fidèle: As a professional nurse, what did you do for the people who came to you?
Caroline: Thirty years nursing in health centres – fifteen in Chad and fifteen in Sir; seven years, I worked in Mokolo prison.  I also nursed in the villages and educated people to take preventative measures.  My Community, where I found consolation and support was very important to me.
 Fidèle: What values did you find in our society to help you to live your consecrated   life?
Caroline: Africa is very welcoming; I felt at ease immediately. All decisions are taken preferably by the extended family. Respect for life is a great value; even an animal is not killed unless it has done something wrong.   Inter-faith marriages show their respect for the different faiths; celebrations are an important part of life.  These values helped me to live in a multicultural community. 
Unfortunately, these are gradually being lost.  The people are not in solidarity with one another as they used to be and are more attracted by money than by values. In the north, near Nigerian border, unemployment forces young people to be drawn by Boko haram.My heart is filled with joy and peace because I did the Lord’s mission.My Sisters have been an oasis for me where I could share my joys and pains and, above all, daily prayer.  It was that prayer that got me going for the day.
I am very happy to see the number of autochthonous Sisters growing and I am going to continue to pray for you all.
 
Fidèle: What message have you for us?
Caroline: Live joyfully, your call in the Holy Family, following Jesus, Mary and Joseph; Serve the poor; be centred on God and live for the mission. Young religious, do not turn away from the love of Jesus.  Community is our source of enrichment -find joy and support there. Be open, sharing all experiences.  Avoid engaging in entertaining oneself later in to the night which is unhealthy but be discerning in using the media.
Sr. Caroline Martinez
Missionary in Cameroon Chad

I had the opportunity of taking part in the 1st Oblate Latin American Congress on the pastoral care of vocations which took place in Aparecida, San Paulo, from 27 October to 2 November.
I was quite impressed by their openness.  Only three women took part: two Oblate Associate laywomen – one single and one married, and I who was looked on as a “cousin” because of our historical links.  The others were Oblate Priests and Brothers and included two General Councillors.  In all, we were 27 participants representing 10 countries and 14 nationalities.
We had three days of formation including reflection on our own vocation, strategies for working with young people (to be adapted to each country later) and conclusions.  We had  a nationwide televised Mass in the National Basilica of  Aparecida, in thanksgiving for 70  years of Oblate presence in Brazil.  The atmosphere was very friendly.
What made me write this letter was the conviction of the value of our vocation and of the  need for all the members of the Family to remind one another about it
Fr. Louis Lougen, Superior General of the Oblates was present by means of a video link.  For me, he was a witness of humility, of enthusiasm for vocations and of missionary spirituality. He spoke very simply and committed himself to give spiritual, financial and physical help to the group’s initiatives.
In a letter which was read to us beforehand, he identified three groups in the Oblates:  those who have decided to die, those who are stagnating or paralysed and those who want to be re-born.   
The first group, he said,  pray for light and are ready to die.  Then he spoke about those who use the Congregation as a trampoline to achieve their own personal ambition and oppose the common projects of the Congregation.  They have a very poor sense of belonging to the Congregation. This is a sad state of affairs.
However, there is another group who are enthusiastic about the Charism and have opted for re-birth with enthusiasm and passion.  These are also concerned about community re-birth and vocations.  They are totally supportive. They have also thought about “model community experiences” with some Oblates who want to bring about a kind of utopia.  They depend on the General Administration while moving forward with their plans.
I think that our Founder, Pierre Bienvenu Noailles, spoke about the advantage of being joined to the Oblates in the context of our spiritual health.  I felt this and, with the permission of the Provincial, Fr. P. Francisco Rubeaux, I adapted the material we worked with for our Family.  That is what I want to share with you simply and joyfully.  It could be useful.
United in the Holy Family.
Silvia Elena Coronel Mundaca. (Paulo de Moraes – Brazil)

After almost 13 years of a rocky road in 2 different religious congregations, which I left thinking that I no longer wanted anything to do with religious life, I have finally found my spiritual home. After almost 8 years of reflecting, pondering, praying, listening carefully to what God was saying to me and searching profoundly, (and telling God not to call me back or bring me anywhere near a convent), I eventually made a crucial decision to join the Holy Family Secular Institute. When you are called, you are called, I tried to run away from this precious and unique call from God but I could not. I actually ended up feeling like Jonah – I had Jonah’s experience and it was an eye opening experience. That is when I realised that it is very difficult to run away from God – when God marks you for mission even if you run away like Jonah, you cannot get away from God’s special call. I thank God for the spiritual journey begun in the two religious congregations and the strong and deep foundation I received there. I will lean on this throughout my life as a Consecrated Secular.
 
I took courage and started my formation in the Holy Family Secular Institute. Being in initial formation for five years was challenging, daunting, inspiring, empowering and profoundly enlightening… especially getting to know such a diverse and dynamic religious family, through spiritual direction with dedicated apostolic sisters and family meetings. I have been inspired and empowered to live my life according to Holy Family spirituality and charism. I am overwhelmed at being given permission to make my first commitment as a Holy Family Consecrated Secular, which is a milestone and a huge achievement.
 
I am excited about this special journey of getting to know God more deeply and closely and to grow in my knowledge of the diverse and dynamic family of Pierre Bienvenu Noailles, with whom I will live my vows radically, and be on mission. Living according to the three evangelical vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience and being guided by PBN’s spirituality and charism is what will keep me growing and going, in the church and in this new and final spiritual home.
 
Holy Family Consecrated Secular, South Africa.
(From Weavings, the publication from SA.)

Approximately 2.8 million Syrian children are out of school as a result of the war, 550,000 of whom are in Lebanon. The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) center in Jbeil serves nearly 500 Syrian refugee children, including providing psychosocial support to children through Peace Education classes. An experience that allows you to see the “educational emergency” that must be addressed urgently, so as not to jeopardize the future generations of young Syrians.

The report of the activities of the center in Jbeil, released by JRS, shows that all of the children at the centre have been touched by war, with mortars and bombs a daily risk. Some children have experienced violence in the home, and most currently live in unsuitable or overcrowded homes. For most of the children, the traumatic experience has negative consequences in terms of behavior, starting with the inability to stay in the class.
 
A condition that must be addressed with patience, bearing in mind – emphasizes Majed Mardini, a Syrian teacher at the JRS Jbeil centre, that Syrian children “need more than a traditional education”. All of the teachers play a double role as social worker. “Many of the children” refers Mardini “do not know how to be in school. We teach children how to behave, how to interact with others, but most importantly, how to love one another”. Only this kind of daily work and patience allows to obtain satisfying results, and to record an actual improvement in behavior and learning ability of children. Many of them – say the operators – recognize school as the only place where they can be happy, and do not want to stop going to school during the holiday, which for many is a time of sadness and neglect. Yet whether they decide to return to Syria or not, “education”, says Mardini “is the only way to build a future for these children”. 

Between September 23 and 26 I participated in the II Congress of Consecrated Youth held in Cz?stochowa, Poland. The Congress theme was “The joy of Consecration” and the motto “…that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11)
Nearly a thousand young people from different male and female congregations participated in this gathering organized as part of the celebrations of the Year of Consecrated Life proclaimed by Pope Francis. The congress was a response to Pope’s exhortation to continually rediscover the beauty of consecration and his invitation to support one another in the joyful proclamation of our YES to the Lord.
The program was well organized; there were Masses, conferences, an evening of worship, common meals, discussion groups and a procession with the relics of the Martyrs of Consecrated Life. During these days we talked about the different forms and charisms of consecrated life, we reflected on the reasons for joy and crises in consecrated life and we gave thanks to God for the gift of vocation and for the multitude of charisms.
The meeting of all these young consecrated persons at the feet of the Black Madonna of Cz?stochowa testified the richness of the Church and of Consecrated Life according to the words of the Congress hymn:
We are so different but we are all blessed by the love of one Father.
Our charisms and gifts are not the same but they are one in the Holy Spirit.
O Lord, give us joy. Jesus, pour out your Spirit on us,
So that our earthen vessels may hold your treasure,
So that your joy may be in us.
Sr. Magdalena