Contents

Oblate Bishopsmeet in Rome 4-6 October

General News

• Gina retires
• Bellarmine Award
• Fr. André SeumoisGeneral House dean dies

Canada

• Churchill-Hudson Bay
• St. Paul’s : AgapeStreet Ministry

United States

• Fr. Wittenbrink honouredfor his work for the blind
• Home Missions– North Florida

Africa – Madagascar

• A mobile team for theWestern Sahara
• Namibia : Landminestake shocking toll
• Zambia : First priestin Mongu

Asia – Oceania

• Korea : Looking backover 10 years
• Jaffna Scholasticateis army barracks
• Evolving politicalsituation

Books

Anniversaries

Personnel OMI 2000- Corrections

Suffrages for our deceased

Oblate Bishops meetin Rome
4 – 6 October

The morning of Oct. 5 featureda conference by Fr Bernard DULLIER (France) on “The Founder and theEpiscopate.” According to Fr Dullierthe episcopacy of St. Eugeneis probably the least known aspect of our Founder’s lifeeven today.We Oblates are getting to know him as a missionary and a spiritual manbut there seems to be little interest in him as Bishop of Marseilles.Even the people of Marseilles are almost totally unaware of his existenceand local historians often limit their souvenirs of his episcopacy tothe building of churches. Fr Dullier presented him as one of the outstandingBishops of the Church in France in the 19th century. A close look at hiswritingsespecially his as yet unpublished Lenten Pastoral Lettersrevealsthe seeds of a “theology” of the episcopacy that eventuallyfound its place in Vatican II documents like Lumen Gentium.

There was a panel discussionin the afternoon on the theme “Mission – Evangelization –Post-modern World.” Archbishops Orlando QUEVEDOMarcello ZAGO andButi THLAGALE were the panelists. Archbishop Quevedo spoke on “Evangelizationin a post-modern world: The View from Asia.” He pointed to the challengesin Asia coming from modernization and globalization. The advent of thelatter necessarily results in a clash of culturesa fear of “westernization”and by way of reactionthe rise of religious fundamentalism and evenethnic division and conflict in some areas. The real challenge to evangelizationin Asia is to discover an Asian pedagogical method of retelling the storyof Jesusthe Good News.

Archbishop Zagospeakingfrom a more global point of view as Secretary of the Congregation forthe Evangelization of Peoplesaffirmed many of the trends and challengesarising from globalization and post-modernism mentioned by Quevedo. Amongthe ten challenges he spoke of were the need to synchronize courageousproclamation of the Good News with dialoguea new evangelization of thosewho are no longer Christian in the older churchesand the promotion ofintegral inculturation which goes beyond liturgy.

Speaking from the pointof view of a younger church (about 150 years old) Archbishop Tlhagaleof BloemfonteinSouth Africatouched upon the need to understand andsituate the place and role of ancestor “veneration” and of traditionalhealers. “Traditional healershe saidwho claim to receive theirrevelations from the ancestorsstill ply their trade with a measure ofsuccess. Instructions from the ancestors continue to be communicated throughdreams. This superstitious belief in dreamsand the attributionof supernatural powers to ancestral spiritscontinues to loom large inthe lives of many African Christians. In the African communitytraditionalhealers offer the kind of assistance which clinical psychologists offerin the West.”

On the last dayFr Generaladdressed the bishops on the theme “On our Way into the Third Millennium.”In his presentation he asked“Is there a special Oblate way of beinga bishop?” In the discussion that followedit became clear thateven though an Oblate is juridically separated from the Congregation uponbecoming a bishopthe Oblate charism is part and parcel of his life anddefinitely affects his style of ministry. Fr General also touched uponthe issue of the mutuae relationes between Oblate bishops and theCongregation in those dioceses where Oblates are still the majority ofthe clergy. The discussion that followed was open and franksome of theyounger newly appointed bishops look toward the Congregation for “training”to be a bishop. Some of the older bishops realize that they are probablythe last Oblate bishops in their dioceses and that part of their missionis to prepare both the secular and religious clergy for the inevitablechange.

Who was there?

The dean of living OblatebishopsArchbishop Denis HURLEYa young 85 years oldand bishop for53 yearstook an active part in the session and charmed everyone notonly with his witbut also with his wisdom. Archbishop Hurley is the62nd Oblate bishopwhile the youngest in the episcopacyArchbishop ButiThlagaleranks 136th.. He has been a bishop for little more than a year.The 137th Oblate bishopEdward RISImissed this meeting since he waspreparing for his episcopal ordination on October 14. Fr Andrzej MADEJecclesiastical superior of the Missio sui juris of Turkmenistanwas also present.

GeneralNews

Gina retires

After 48 years of serviceat the General HouseGina (Regina) Tarquini retired in October. She beganher employment at the age of 18 at the former scholasticate at via Vittorinoda Feltre in downtown Rome. Over the years she served in several capacitiesat the International Scholasticate and the General House. In recent yearsshe has been responsible for the care of the four dining rooms at theGeneral House.

Gina was made an HonoraryOblate in 1993 in recognition of her 40 years of service and of her attachmentto the Oblates. In requesting the conferral of this honorFr Marcel CHÉNIERwrote to the Superior General“She has become attached to usandwe to her.” A member of the family; like a sister to somelike amother to others. She has known countless numbers of Oblateswho wereeither scholasticsstudent priests or onetime residents of 290 via Aurelia..She remembers most by name and it is not uncommon to see visiting Oblatesgo to greet her with a warm hug before going to greet Fr General! Duringher last weeks of work she could be heard sayingwith a wet eye“Thisis my family!”

A native of Rovianointhe low hill country outside of RomeGina lived in a room in the guesthousereturning home only on her day off. She will be moving back toRoviano to live with her mother. Mille grazieGina! Arrivederci!

Bellarmine Award

The Gregorian Universityin Rome has included two Oblates among the recipients of the BellarmineAward for 1999 and 2000: Fr Gasner JOINT (Haiti) for his doctoral thesisLibération du vaudou dans la dynamique d’inculturationen Haïti (The liberation of voodoo in the dynamic of inculturationin Haiti) (cf. OMI Info #380 June ’99pp. 5-6); Fr RonaldWayne YOUNG (U.S.A.) for his doctoral thesisThe Mission of the MissionaryOblates of Mary Immaculate to the Oregon Territory (1847- 1860) (cf.OMI Info #393 Sept. 2000pp. 8-9).

Fr AndréSeumois General House dean dies

Sometime during the nightof Sept. 11the Lord came for General House deanFr André SEUMOIS.He was born April 291917 in Belgium at Flémalle-Grandein theDiocese of Liege. Having entered the novitiate at the age of 17he pronouncedhis first vows on Sept. 81935the beginning of 65 years of religiouslife. Archbishop Marcello ZAGO presided at the funeral mass on ThursdaySept. 14th with more than fifty concelebrants and the participation ofmany members of the five General House communities.

Fr Seumois was ordainedDec. 221940 and ministered as a preacher in Belgium until the end ofthe war in 1945. He was then sent to Rome for further studies in theologyobtaining a doctorate in missiology in 1948. He was asked to go to theUniversity of Ottawa in Canada where he taught missiology for three yearsat the newly founded Institute of Missionary Sciences. Superior GeneralLéo Deschâtelets called him back to Rome in 1952. He wasappointed visiting professor for the course on introduction to missiologyat the Scientific Missionary Institute of the Propaganda Fide Athenaeumand the following yearhe was put in charge of the program. In 1959 PopeJohn XXIII appointed him consultant to the Congregation for the Evangelizationof Peoplesa post he held for thirty years. The next year he was appointeda member of the committee for mission for the preparation of Vatican IIand served as a peritus during the Council.

In 1969Fr Seumois becameprofessor of missiology at the Urban UniversityRomewhere he taughtuntil he retired in 1987. From 1974 to 1977 he was dean of the facultyof missiology and a member of the senate of the university. A prolificwriterhe published more than 150 articles and conferences and severalbooksamong which his five volume work Teologia Missionaria iswidely known.

Canada

Churchill-Hudson Bay

From his “cool”mission at Chesterfield Inlet in the Diocese of Churchill-Hudson Bay FrLouis LEGARÉ sends this bit of news.

“>From July 19 toAugust 2 the missionaries of the diocese together with fifty or so delegatesfrom the various communities gathered with their bishopReynald ROULEAUat the Grey Nuns retreat house in EdmontonAlberta. The program includedstudy of the Right of Christian Initiation for Adults (R.C.I.A.)theproclamation of the Word at Sunday assembliesas well as a three dayreflection on the parable of the prodigal son using a copy of Rembrandt’sfamous painting.

“On July 25-26wejoined the pilgrimage to Lac Sainte Anne where we participated in theEucharistthe blessing of the lake and the traditional immersion in thewaters. Archbishop Peter SUTTON of Keewatin-Le Pas presided at this massand ceremony – in the rain.

“All returned homeenriched by these experiences which they look forward to sharing withtheir communities.”

In a recent visit to Romefor the Bishops’ JubileeBishop Rouleau explained that the missionariesof his diocese (clergyreligious and full time lay missionaries) meeteach year with the Inuit pastoral leaders of the various communitiesfor a two week session. Since 1970 the diocese has been recruiting andforming lay leader-couples. They are called “pastoral leaders”and their role in the communities is similar to that of deacons: theydo the preparation for the reception of sacramentslead the prayer servicesin the absence of the priest. They represent the Church in their localsociety. This session not only provides time for formationbut is alsoan occasion for them to share about the problems and difficulties in carryingout their responsibilities. This year the three day recollection on theparable of the prodigal son was led by the Inuit pastoral leaders.

Asked why the meeting washeld in EdmontonBishop Rouleau noted that there are no suitable andaffordable accommodations for such a meeting in the north country. Furthermorehe addedmost of the air routes run north to south and not east to west.Being in another diocese also gives the pastoral leaders the sense ofbeing linked to a Church that is broader than their isolated village communities.

The Diocese of Churchill-HudsonBay is the largest in Canada – 2.3 million km2.. It extends fromChurchill in the northeast corner of Hudson Bay in Manitoba across toBaffin Bay and up to Ellesmere Island and the North Pole. The total populationis about 24000of whom 20000 are Inuitand 7400 are Catholics.

St. Paul’s Agape Street Ministry

Every night teams of volunteerswalk the streets of eastside Vancouver. Their mission: “We try tobring the love of Jesus to our girls because we believe that this is whatheals.” That is how Vicki Conroy describes the purpose of Agape StreetMinistry. The girls are the prostitutes who work the streets of the drug-riddeneast side of the city. Three years ago Fr Raymond L’HENAFFwho wasthen Provincial of St. Paul’s Provinceinvited Vicki and her husbandPat to come to Vancouver to develop some evangelization programs. He knewof their experience in youth ministry. They accepted and moved into anapartment in Sacred Heart Parish in downtown Vancouver. After much prayerand discernment they felt the Lord was calling them to “walk thestreets.” After their first night out they were convinced. Everystreet was lined with poor or sick girls. Many of them are addicted todrugs and reduced to this means of eking out a living.

At first the girls ran awaybecause they thought Pat and Vicki were police officers. So they startedhanding out brochures about “Mary’s Place”a safe placewhere the girls could get coffeesandwiches and even a shower. When thegirls realized that Pat and Vicki did not want anythingthey began toaccept them. But the brochure thing become funny after awhile. One nighta girl jokingly said“I already have five of themdo you need some?”Female ingenuity led Vicki to start preparing small bags of chocolatesor cookies“wrapped prettilyfeminine like” and a holy cardwith a brief message like “God loves you.” For the first yearand a half the Conroys walked the streets alonebut soon felt the needfor help. The response was very good. RecentlyFr Robert DOUGLASparishpriest at Sacred Heartcommissioned 30 more “street ministers”bringing to 60 the number of active volunteers.

In the warm weather theteams are seeing more than 100 prostitutes each night. The teamsknownas the red jackets’ because of the distinctive red blazer they wearlisten to the girls’ storiespray with themhelp some get to adetoxification center or to get needed medical attention. As a relationshipof trust has been built up the girls share freely and ask for prayer.There are more and more requests for the “red jackets” to praywith them right there on the street. The girls sometimes even line upto have their turn for prayer.

In three years it is estimatedthat the teams have come into contact with 1500 prostitutes. Pat andVicki know 800 of them personallyand have a prayer list of that manynames. Some of these young women have been able to leave the streets thanksto the “red jackets”. Many keep in contact and call to thankPat and Vicki for giving them hope. “These girls are the lepers ofmodern societydespised and used.” Adam EXNERArchbishop of Vancouversays“the street ministers help them get back some of their humandignity by letting them know that someone cares… Someone loves them.”

A copy of the prayer listand real life experiences of the teams is available from Pat and VickiConroy9887 Keefer St.VancouverBC V6A 1Y8Canada.

Fr Wittenbrink honored for his work forthe blind

At the 27th Annual VisionAwards held June 17in Beverly HillsCaliforniaFr. Boniface Leo Wittenbrinkwas awarded the Agrama Harmony Gold and Light Award. The award was presentedto him “For his special gifts of compassiondedication and innovativevision.” The Vision Awards honours pioneers with vision in filmtelevisionmusic and radio technology.

Father Wittenbrink has dedicatedhis energies to championing the cause of the blind and vision impairedespecially childrenfor more than five decades. In 1972he founded theRadio Information Service (RIS) for the Blind and Handicapped and becameits first director. The service is based at Our Lady of the Snows Shrinein BellevilleIllinois.

RIS broadcasting tothe blind for 26 years

For 26 years this smallradio station has been the eyes for blind people in the St. Louis areagiving them valuable information every day and a feeling of belonging.The station’s call letters are RIS - for Radio Information Service.It transmits at 67 kilohertz on the FM band. A special radio is neededto catch this signalwhich covers a 60 mile radius.

When Fr. Bonias he isknowngot the station on the air on March 11973there were only 6radios placed in homes. NowRIS has more than 14000 listeners acrossthe region. Most of them rely on the reading of newspaper articles eachdayplus many other programs.

The station is on the airfrom 7 AM until 11 PM. In the morning volunteers read news from the localnewspapers. Each day a Happy Birthday message goes out to some listeners.Ben Abell of St. Louis University has volunteered his services for thelast two decades by phoning in weather reports three times a day.

Listeners learn what ison sale at storeshear magazine articles being readand get reportson blindnessmedical and business news. A very popular program on theradio is Talkbackwhich features live call-ins. The Talkback show ishosted by John Weidilicha blind announcer with an easygoing style.

There is a dailyhour-longreading of an installment of a popular book by a volunteer. The readingof the newspapers and the books are repeated at night. The radio stationhas 230 volunteers who donated 12800 hours last yeardoing everythingfrom reading the news and books to making quilts to raise funds.

Four out of five listenersare over 55. The broadcast is received by about 5000 special radios andis also sent to residents in 80 nursing homes and retirement centers whereresidents can tune in on their AM radios. (From the US Province Website – www.omiusa.org).

Home Missions – North Florida

“This is real missioncountry!” That is Fr Ernest SYLVESTRE’s impression after movingfrom OaklandCalifornia to MadisonFlorida. The Oblates have been innorth Florida since 1968 when they accepted the pastoral care of St. Vincentde Paul parish in Madison. Three Oblates serve four parishes in the northernsector of the diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee: Edward HAUF at PerryJames MACGEE at Medartand Ernest Sylvestre at Madison and Monticello.Each parish is a whole county with few Catholics in the general population.

The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahasseewas created in 1975. On the total population of 1275000 there are only65900 Catholics. “This is the ?Bible Belt’ where Baptist churchesare in the majority. Until recently there was open hostility towards Catholics”says Fr Sylvestre.

In Madison county thereare 104 churches for some 37000 people. St. Vincent de Paul’s inMadison is the only Catholic one. It has about 350 parishioners with 93households registered. There are a good number of Catholics married tonon-Catholics; in some cases the Catholic party joined the spouse’schurch. The non-Catholic parties are being visited and invited to theChurch. Hopefully many will enter the R.C.I.A. program this year.

Fr Sylvestre has found Catholicswho have lived in Madison for two or more yearsyet did not know therewas a Catholic church thereso unusual is a Catholic church in this area.Spanish speaking people are especially lost here with their language handicap.Every effort is being made to make the Church visible. The local newspapersare being given articles regularly. The parish places spot ads on television.“Parish activities like the barbecues and rummage sales bring somepeople to take notice of our existence” says Ernie. “Houseto house visitations and conspicuous presence of the pastor around townhas been making a difference.”

The situation in Jeffersoncountywhere Monticello is the centeris about the same as in Madisonall the numbers being slightly smaller. A monthly mass in Spanish is beingplanned for both Madison and Monticello. Fr Sylvestre has joined the ministers’associations in both counties. He is the only Catholic priest in both.

A mobile team for theWestern Sahara

As a result of a visit tothe small Oblate community in Western Sahara at Layoune (Morocco)theProvincial of Spain has decided to increase our presence there with amobile team. For many years two Oblates have been the sole Catholic clergyin the Apostolic Prefecture of Western SaharaAcacio VALBUENA (age 78)Prefect Apostolicand Fr Camilo GONZALEZ (age 70). The provincial newsletterNosotros (N·179) names three Oblates who will be part ofthis team: Frs Rafael ALVAREZDavid LOPEZ and Scholastic Brother MarioLÉON. They have accepted to reside there for a period of adaptationand to take part in the review of our Oblate missionary presence thereand in the search for new ways of being present. They will also help todraw up a statute for the Mission that describes the relationship of thePrefecture to the Oblate community.

Data sent to the Congregationfor the Evangelization of Peoples in April this year describes the Prefectureas follows: surface of the territory 250000 km2; population approximately350000. The entire population is Muslim except for 250 who are Christians.Only 150 of these are Catholics. Of the 150 Catholics only 30 are properlyspeaking residents. The other 120 Catholics are members of the UnitedNations mission (MINURSO). Given that the members of this mission (about800) have their work spread throughout the desertor in other citiesof the Prefecturethe number of Catholics in Layoune is no more than60.

The Mission has three placesof worship: a church in Layouneone in Dakhla (about 550 km away)anda chapel in the Port of Layoune. The two Oblates reside in Layoune. Theycelebrate the Eucharist daily in this church. Once a month one of themgoes to Dakhla to celebrate the Eucharist and to visit the dozen or soCatholics who live or work there.

The Saturday and Sundaymasses in Layouneare attended by a small number of Catholics (anywherefrom 7 to 30) and sometimes one or another Orthodox. They are of all raceslanguagesand colors: Asianssub-Saharan AfricansArabs from PalestineLebanonIraqKoreansEuropeansand some from NorthCentral and SouthAmerica. A beautiful and true Pentecost. All the participants at the Eucharistshare the feeling of joy and the universality of the faith.

The two missionaries say“The Muslims are certainly outsidebut our union with them in Abraham’sfaith finds its deeper expression in prayer. The public call to prayerfrom the loudspeakers of the mosques five times a day — with thepunctuality of a novitiate bell — and the faithful answer of so manyof them to this callalso challenges us to present ourselves during theday before the Blessed Sacrament in the silence of our houseto perseverein prayer in our solitude or when traveling.

“This union in faithamong believers of two religions so close yet so differentpermits usto transcend the differences and to live as brothers and fellow citizenssharing a common concern for matters relating to justicethe familycharity and a multitude of religious and moral matters.

“The difficult politicalsituation in the territory means that our mission activity must be limitedto a mere presence in this Islamic worldto tending to the religiousneeds of the Catholicsand to the fraternal and friendly coexistencewith the Muslims. We also try to help the neediestwhose number is everincreasingthough we cannot yet think of open organizations with charitableor cultural purposes.

“The mission triesto live with faith the Gospel maximEach day has enough trouble of its own.’ At present, the mission in the Sahara has before it a beautiful task, among both Catholics and Muslims: to be with all trying to serve, love and praise the Lord.”

Namibia: Landmines take shocking toll

Namibia ProvincialFr BernhardWOLFbrought to the attention of Fr General the shocking toll taken bylandmines in the Kavango Regionthe north-eastern sector of Namibia alongthe Angolan border. A local newspaperthe Namibian (Sept. 22)quoting Government sourcessaid that more than 130 personsboth Namibiansand Angolanscivilians as well as soldiershave lost limbs due to landminessince last December. This is in addition to the many who have lost theirlives or who have suffered injuries or displacement as a result of theongoing conflict.

The situationcontinuesthe Namibian is further exacerbated by the closure of schoolsand the withdrawal of teachersnurses and other volunteers from the region.More and more people will be unemployable as school drop-out rates increase.Jobs will dwindle further as tourist operators and other businesses inthe northeast withdraw or go bankrupt due to the untenable circumstancesthere. No end appears in sight to this simmering civil war that has quietlyspread from neighboring Angola across the Namibian border .

Zambia: First priests in Mongu

The diocesan newsletterMongu Diocesan Drumbeatrejoiced to announce the ordination ofthe first two diocesan priests since the creation three years ago of theDiocese of Mongu. July 16Bishop Paul DUFFY ordained Kaiko Mumbuna andWilfrid Hodari. At the end of the massFr Kaiko reminded the assemblythat the time has come for Zambians to take the local church in handand for parents to allow and encourage their sons and daughters to enterthe priesthood and religious life. Fr Hodaria native of Rwanda who wasforced to leave his homeland during the 1994 warthanked the Zambianpeople who have “adopted” himand the Bishop for receivinghim into the diocese.

A week lateron July 22Bishop Duffy ordained Oblate scholastics Freeborn Isaac KIBOMBWE and PatrickCHISO. The two new priests have been assigned to ministry in the Dioceseof Mongu at Lukulu and Lumulunga respectivelywhere they ministered previouslyas deacons. Later in the summerBishop Duffy ordained Evans CHINYEMBAto the priesthood in his home parishSancta MariaLukulu. That bringsto four the number of native Zambian Oblate priests. Fr. Joseph PHIRIordained in 1999 was the first.

The Zambia Delegation isgrowing by leaps and bounds. There are fourteen pre-novices in the two-yearpre-novitiate program. There were 50 applications for the 2001 program.The Admission Board will select 8 from among these. Presently there are3 novices at Our Lady of Hope Novitiate in Johannesburg. The scholasticsnumber 25: there are 19 at St. Joseph Institute in CedaraSouth Africa;2 at the International Scholasticate in Rome; 2 at Oblate School of Theologyin San AntonioTexas; 2 at Catholic Theological Union in ChicagoIllinois.(Statistics from Zambia “OMI Delegation Brief” Sept. 2000).

Korea: Looking back over 10 years

It was May 121990 whenthe first two Italian Oblates arrived in Korea: Frs Vincenzo BORDO andMauro CONCARDI. They were later joined by two other ItaliansFrs GiovanniZEVOLA (1991) and Maurizio GIORGIANNI (1993). The Mission became internationalwith the arrival in 1996 of Frs James JEYACHANDRAN from the Jaffna ViceProvinceand Varam ANTHONYSAMY this year. Fr. Varam is from the IndianDelegation.

The Mission SuperiorMaurizioGiorgianni writes“The first five years were a time of searching.We searched for a house to live infor a place in the local churchfora place inside the Japanese Vice- Provinceto which the Korea Missionis attachedfor our personal and common identity. We worked for the handicappedthe homelessthe joblessthe young and oldand even had some contactswith non-Catholics.”

In Korea 13% of the populationis Catholic and the Church is well established. There are 3.5 millionCatholics out of a total of 40 million. 92% of the clergy is local andall the bishops in the 13 dioceses except one are Koreans. 82 % of thepriests are diocesan. Fr Maurizio feels that instability and flexibilityare two characteristics of the Oblate mission in Korea. “We are continuallychallenged by the changes in a society that moves very fast. Inside theKorean church we are called to be a different type of priestto helpthe local clergy by being an example and a support for their spirituallife. Our presence and work should be done in communion and collaborationwith the local church.” These were two points stressed in a recentmeeting with the new Bishop of SuwonChoi Tok Hee.

The Oblates have no parishof their own in Korea. They work in the dioceses of Seoul and Suwoninthe poorer areaswith the homelessthe joblessand migrant workers.They also work in a hospitalhelp in parishesand since the arrivalin 1995 of two Korean candidates they are developing a formation program.

Now that relations withNorth Korea are improvingthe dream of entering the north is becomingmore real. “We often remind ourselves that we have to reach thosepeople that normally the Church does not reach and that our future isin the hands of our Korean Oblates.” (From OMIInformation… Japansummer edition.)

Jaffna: Scholasticate is army barracks

For the past three monthsSri Lankan government forces have been occupying the Oblate scholasticatein Jaffna. The property is on the edge of the no-man’s-land betweenthe opposing forces. The officer- in-charge happens to be an ex-seminarianwho has promised to take care of the building. One of the veteran OblatesFr Pavilupillai still remains there with domestic staffcome what may.The ProvincialFr. Jeevendra PAULvisits the place with permission fromthe armed forces.

This new building has notyet been used by the scholasticate community. It was built to accommodatethe increasing numbers of scholastics who were formerly occupying theretired Father’s Home. The scholastics were supposed to move in onMay 21stthe Founder’s feast daybut fighting erupted between thegovernment and rebel forces. They had to seek refuge in Sillalaia smallvillage 10 miles northwest of Jaffna city. This place is called “LittleRome”.. The scholastics and juniorists have to move along with theMajor Seminary of the Jaffna Diocese since the 14 scholastics do theirtheology in the diocesan seminary. Classes are now being held in a retreathouse. The scholastics are lodged in private homes.

A recent visitor at theGeneral House reports that the situation in Jaffna is tense. Most partsof the Jaffna peninsula are controlled by the Sri Lankan armed forcesthough some outskirts of Jaffna are controlled by Tamil rebels. The Provincialhouse is situated in the center of the city of Jaffna which is surroundedby the Sri Lankan armed forces camps. It is considered to be a high securityzonea vulnerable spot if a fight erupts between the army and the rebels.Fr. Provincialsome Oblate preachers and the hospital chaplain stillremain there with uncertainty. The Tamil rebels are trying their bestto capture Jaffna and both sides have already paid a heavy price by losingmany soldiers and cadres.

It is said that the Tamilrebels are consolidating their positions in the outskirts of Jaffna andthat there is a strong possibility of a big battle to recapture Jaffna.Surely this will lead to more deathsdisplacement and misery.

Evolving political situation:

The eleventh Parliamentaryelections were held on the 10th of October for electing 225 parliamentarymembers. About 5048 candidates competed for these seats. Sri Lankan PresidentChandrika Kumaratunga’s ruling People’s Alliance Party won 107seats in the elections falling short of a simple majority by 6 seats.Her party could form the new Government with the help of small partiesas a coalition Government. It was reported that there was violenceriggingof votesand murder during the polls.

The 17 year old civil warin Sri Lanka has claimed 70000 lives and left hundreds of people livingin refugee camps. The Sri Lankan Government is battling the Tamil rebelswho seek a separate state for Tamils in the northern and eastern partsof the country. The fight continues unnoticed by the international communitywith both sides using heavy weapons like artillerymortars. Governmentforces even use fighter jetswhich are normally used in conventionalwarfare. Last August President Chandrika tried to introduce a new constitutionto devolve power to the minority Tamils but failed due to pressure fromthe Buddhist clergy — Buddhists are the majority — and the mainopposition United National Party. In any casethe minority Tamil partieswere not satisfied with the new constitution. They thought that it didnot fulfill Tamil aspirations. It remains to be seen how the new Governmentis going to end the warby devolution of power or by military victory.Meanwhileinnocent civilians continue to be killed and displaced everyday.

Bro. I.S.R. AlphonseC.R.: A Fool for Christ. A biography of Fr. B.A. THOMASthe founderof the Congregation of the Rosarians. Translated from Tamil. RosarianPublicationsBangalore2000203 pp.

Fabio CIARDI (Italy) : Espertidi comunione. (Experts in communion). (cf. OMI Info. #383Oct. ’99). Korean translation of the original Italian by Seo Ke-sun.St. Paul’sSeoulKorea2000247 pp.

Fabio CIARDI (Italy) : Semnde comunione. Romanian translation of Esperti di comunione.(Experts in communion). Arhiepiscopia Romano-Catolica de Bucuresti2000141 pp.

Luciano CUPIA (Italy) :Voglia di casa. (Wanting a home.) A look at family life and thesearch for affectivity at the turn of the centuryco-authored with RosalbaFanelli. Fr Cupia is a psychologist and family consultantfounder andpresident of the Family Center in Rome (Centro “La Famiglia”).Vol. 3 of Famiglia: Palestra di Valori. PaolineMilan1998100 pp.

Luciano CUPIA (Italy) :Come una carezza. (Like a Caress). The author thumbs through theBible from Genesis to the Apocalypse discovering the tenderness and mercyof God. PaolineMilano1999251 pp.

Joseph DEBERGH & DonSharkey : Our Lady of Beauraing. (The Complete Story of Our Lady’sAppearances at Beauraing). Third edition by the Pro Maria CommitteeLowellMA (U.S.A.)May 2000. First edition by Hanover HouseGarden CityNewYork1958257 pp.

Kevin Paul ELENDU (Nigeria): Christian Forgiveness and Reconciliation within the Traditional IgboNigeria Concept at the Turn of the Millennium. Dissertation for thelicentiate in theology presented at the Claretianum. Rome200085 pp.

André HUT (BelgiumSouth) : Congés payés 1936. Histoire et idéologies.(Paid Holidays 1936…). Acts of a symposium of the movement for Culture-Tourism-Leisure(CTL)held in Brussels Nov. 291986. Edited by Fr Hutand including3 papers presented by him. Editions ArtelBrussels1991126 pp.

Mark KEMSEKE (Belgium North): De gemeenschap bij de heilige Eugeen de Mazenod. Flemish translationof Community for Eugene de Mazenod by Bernard DULLIERpublishedin OMI Documentation (Nos. 230-231)40 pp.

Andrzej MADEJ (Turkmenistan): Niski profil. Collection of Polish poemssimple and withoutpretense or ambition. They speak of daily life and of how many have survivedbecause they believed. Particularly noteworthy is the last one“Aletter to the men of the 21st century.” It is steeped with hope rootedin the conviction that God never ceases to be the Lord of history andthe God of our hearts. Wyd. Sw. Jacka – Katowice2000160 pp.

Jean MONBOURQUETTE (St.Joseph) : A chacun sa mission. (Everyone Has a Mission). A bookto help people face transitions in life. Some chapters include practicalexercises. NovalisSaint Paul UniversityOttawa1999201 pp.

Antonio OSTAN (St. Joseph): Anthony Fedrigo. Un Laico Impegnato. (... a committed layman).Second Italian edition of a biography that first appeared in 1997. St.Paul UniversityOttawa2000119 pp.

Lucien A. SAWYER (U.S.A.)The Man Lowell Remembered – Andre-Marie GarinOMI 1822 1895.Translation from the French of Gaston CARRIÈRE’s 1964 biographyof GarinL’inoubliable fondateur. 106 pp.

Jo Schoormans : Geestvan bevrijding. Henk SCHRAM (1919-1984) en zijn zienoordelenhandelen.(A Spirit of Liberation. Henk Schram … SeeingJudgingActing).A biography. Valkhof PersUitgeverij2000216 pp.

Carmine SCOGNAMIGLIO (Italy): Miscellanea. Preghiere Monoteiste. (Miscellanea. Mono-theisticprayers). Collection of 79 poems that the author hopes will help everyonediscover that every human being can be a temple of the Holy Spirit. NewItal-TecNaples200082 pp.

Egbert STANG (St. Mary’s): Where I Am You also May Be. Biographical sketches of the Saintsof the liturgical calendarbased on the unpublished manuscript of FrJoseph SCHNEIDER. PrintWestSaskatoonCanada2000627 pp.

Romeo P. VILLANUEVA (Philippines): The Wafted Feathers.. Collection of 80 poems published to commemoratethe 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Oblates in the Philippines.Holy Cross PressDavao City198996 pp.

Bernardo E. WITTE (Argentina): Mi vida misionera. (My Missionary Life) Autobiography of theBishop of Ssma. Concepción-TucumánArgentina. GAMA ProducciónGráficasBuenos Aires1999144 pp.

Bernardo E. WITTE (Argentina): A mis amados sacerdotes. (To my dear priests). A collection ofmeditations and homilies for the priests of his diocese. Private printing.200089 pp.

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