CHAD: A School For Semi-Nomadic Children
The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) opened a primary school for 94 semi-nomadic children in Chad, in Himede village, near the eastern city of Goz Beida. The school is the result of a close collaboration with the semi-nomadic communities of the area. The communities agree to build the schools with materials at hand and take responsibility for paying their teachers, who are local volunteers and who often have little formal training. For its part, JRS provides training to empower teachers and encourages the establishment of parent-teacher associations to manage the schools. In addition, JRS, in cooperation with UNICEF, distributes school supplies.
CHINA: A Rather Original Complaint
Chinese Catholics have expressed sadness that two bronze animal-head sculptures, designed by an 18th Century Jesuit missionary for Beijing’s Summer Palace, were auctioned off in Paris. The artist was the Italian Brother Giuseppe Castiglione, S.J. (1688-1766), known as Lang Shining to the Chinese. Some Chinese lawyers sent a request to the law courts in the French capital to ban the auction, but the appeal was rejected and the sculptures were sold on February 25 for 14 million € each. A Catholic businessmen from Hebei stated: “Those relics belong to us, and they refused to return them because they are worth a huge amount of money.”
PHILIPPINES: “Vietnam Service” Moves to Vietnam
At the end of 2008 the Vietnam Desk and the Vietnam Service moved from Manila to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The Service began in 1975 and was, for many years, lead by Jesuit Father Fernando Larrañaga; its mission was to send resources, especially financial ones, to Vietnamese Christians. The decision to transfer services to Vietnam was taken in 2003 by Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, when he was president of the JCEAO (Jesuit Conference of East Asia and Oceania). Father Felipe Gomez, former assistant to Father Larrañaga said: “It is impossible to quantify the services done by Vietnam Service. On education, it granted thousands of scholarship each year, mainly to rural children. Hundreds of sisters and seminarians have been helped yearly in their studies, and thousands of catechists have been regularly sustained. Hundreds of rural schools have been built or repaired. In the socio-economic domain, I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that the wells dug number in the thousands, small bridges built in the hundreds, thousands of farmers have been helped with seeds, fertilizer, and other materials. We financed the construction of many multipurpose buildings which was often the only way to obtain a chapel, rural dispensaries, family homes, and ‘facilities’ for religious Sisters, not to mention the aid to lepers, in form of food, medicines and housing, and other emergency supplies.”
JAPAN: A Film on the Martyrs
The martyrdom of Japanese Christians in the 17th century is the subject of a film being produced by the Italian-American director Martin Scorsese. The film is based on the novel Chinmoku (“Silence”) written by Japanese Catholic writer Endo Shusaku. He describes the persecution suffered by Japanese Christians during Edo period, especially in the Nagasaki region. The novel, written in 1966, tells the story of a Jesuit Portuguese missionary in Japan in early 17th century, during the time of the anti-Christian persecution. The title, “Silence”, harkens back to the silence of God in front of Christ’s cross, and recounts the forced recantation of the faith by the missionary after enduring horrendous torture. The books of Endo Shusaku reflect his special research of Christianity in the oriental culture, and present his particular vision of human fragility, sin and grace. The announcement of the film comes shortly after the beatification of 188 Christian martyrs of that period. That event took place on the 24th of November 2008. According to Japanese bishops, this event represented a milestone for the history Japan where the Christian religion had been prohibited for centuries. Shooting will begin around the end of the year in New Zealand.
SPAIN: Pilgrimage to Xavier Castle
On the 8th of March, thousands of pilgrims participated in the annual march to the Xavier Castle, in Navarra. Most pilgrims walked the final eight kilometers as a remembrance of the Via Crucis. Following his arrival at the Sanctuary, the Eucharist was presided over by Mons. Francisco Pérez González, Archbishop of Pamplona-Tudela. At the beginning of the ceremony, the Archbishop read a message sent by the Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone in the name of the Holy Father; in it the Pope exhorted everyone to live the faith in imitation of Saint Francis Xavier in order to bring the evangelical message to the whole world. Mons. Pérez González, after reading the message, added that every time he met him, the Pope expressed is fondness and devotion to e Xavier Castle, which he knows personally. In the homily, focused on the missionary vocation of every faithful, Mons. Pérez stated that a Christian is a citizen of this world who offers a message of hope to everybody. In spite of the bad weather, there were a total of 8,000 participants. An even greater number took part to the second march, on the 14th March.
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For further information: Fr. Giuseppe Bellucci
Jesuit Press and Information Office, Borgo S. Spirito 4, 00193 Roma, Italy
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