In Nepal, people greet each other saying “Namaste!” with a slight bow, made with hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointed upwards. It literally means “To You!” This sign of respect was explained to me as one of the participants at the National Meeting of the Pontifical Mission Societies held in Seattle, Washington a few years ago. Our teacher was Bishop Anthony Sharma, S.J., Vicar Apostolic of Nepal, part of our extended One Family in Mission. 

Bishop Sharma travelled from his country to share the work of the Church in Nepal: work that all four Pontifical Mission Societies have had a hand in helping to build. He told us a bit about the geography and culture of his country. Located between China and India, Nepal is a mostly Hindu country; just one per cent of the population is Christian. The Bishop shared that while there are many outside forces working against Christianity in Nepal, hope sustains his people. They know that “Tomorrow will be a better day because God is in control.”

Nepal’s Shepherd also came to thank us as representatives of you, our benefactors. He told us that without support from the Propagation of the Faith, the Church in Nepal would not have survived. This support made his own vocation possible.

Born twelve hours after his father’s death, Bishop Sharma knew that as the only son, he must care for his mother and carry on the family line. When his Jesuit principal asked him about the priesthood, he responded very simply, “No Way!” He knew he had other obligations. When he finally worked up the courage to tell his mother that he wanted to enter the Jesuits, she told him, “Over my dead body will you be a priest!” But as he tried to pray the thought away, the desire to serve God became greater. The day he was to leave for the seminary, he finally broke the news to his mother who walked to the doorway and prostrated herself. She told him, “You want to leave? Walk over me.” 

“That was a step I had to take,” Bishop Sharma shared.

Catholics of Nepal have been graced with a courageous leader, whose strength and courage have led him to stand against many obstacles, be they political or personal. We wish him the same blessing that his mother finally gave him on the day of his ordination: “May all rocks before you turn to dust!”

Namaste!

-Maureen Crowley Heil

On one of his visits to the Mission Office, Fr. Patrick McGillicuddy, C.Ss.R.  shared details of his work outside Sao Paulo, Brazil. Fr. Pat has worked for many years with what he terms ‘the throw-aways’ of society – prostitutes, drug addicts and troubled young adults. He told us the ministry at his center, named for Our Lady of Perpetual Help, is not easy to promote because of the people who he serves. “There are no adorable children or cuddly elderly people to put on a poster,” he says. “These are people that society considers trouble; most of us would rather look away.”

Fr. Pat does not avert his gaze. Instead, he has welcomed all in faith; people find shelter, food, drug rehabilitation if they need it, and, most importantly, education.

On this subject, he does not mince words. He tells us that many of the young people who come to him from the streets actually have the equivalent of a high school diploma. When they are tested for proficiency, however, they are found to be reading and writing at about a second grade level. They have been passed from grade to grade just to keep them moving through the system. Fr. Pat calls this “a disaster”.

Catholic schools in Brazil are not an option for these young people – they cannot afford the tuition. And so, they are left on the margins of their community to eke out a living any way they can unless they are blessed to have Fr. Pat enter their lives.

Because of support that he has received through the Pontifical Mission Societies in parishes across our Archdiocese, Fr. Pat offers people a new way of life. He invites them to learn about themselves, teaches them life skills, and introduces them to the key: faith in Jesus. “We never force it on anyone, of course,” Father says with his slight Irish lilt. “But they all end up asking to be baptized – every one of them.”

To hear Fr. Pat speak about his work in Brazil, click here.

Then, say a prayer of thanksgiving for your own education that allows you to read this story, and please, add a prayer for those that Fr. Pat serves – the “least of our brothers and sisters.”

-Maureen Crowley Heil

Part of our “One Family in Mission” Team here in the Pontifical Mission Societies’ office is Sr. Lisa Valentini, a Missionary Sister of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sr. Lisa visits the Archdiocese most summers – many of you have had the pleasure of hearing her speak in your parish as part of the Propagation of the Faith’s Missionary Cooperative Appeal. The MSC Sisters serve in 22 countries around the world; much of their work is supported by the generous prayers and sacrifices made by the donors to all four Pontifical Mission Societies.

During one visit to our office, Sr. Lisa shared the charism statement of her order with us: We, as MSC Sisters, are called to make Jesus known and loved everywhere. 

Sister feels that this gives her and her Sisters the freedom to be exactly who God calls them to be as His witnesses in the world. The Sisters are nurses, doctors, social workers, teachers…it’s an endless list of professional women sent out into the world to minister to God’s people.

You might be surprised to learn that, while it was still travelling, MSC Sisters serving the 300 workers of the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus! Srs. Dorothy and Bernard, who once served in Papua New Guinea, worked for ten years as teachers and catechists for the child performers and children of the circus workers, most of whom are Catholic and from mission countries. As they traveled to perform, the children obviously needed to be taught to read and write, but they most importantly need the consistency of Catholic Religious Education. The sisters provided it all, including sacramental preparation. One year, when the circus came to Boston, they coordinated seven First Holy Communions, six Confirmations and a wedding at St. Michael’s Church in North Andover!

Sister Lisa has been a foreign missionary in Peru, Mexico, Haiti and the Dominican Republic where she was called by God to be a teacher. She is quick to remind us, however, that we are all called to be missionaries, no matter where we live or what our work is, because we are baptized. This gives us all a share in her Sisters’ charism: to make Jesus Christ known and loved to the ends of the earth.

-Maureen Crowley Heil