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A Look At The Society Over 50 Years |
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July, 2009 On July 25th the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of St. James the Apostle, the patron saint of the Missionary Society. It is the date on which Cardinal Cushing founded the Society. Last year in both South America and Boston, there were celebrations to observe the 50th Anniversary. This year can be considered a Golden Jubilee year as well. The first group of missionaries arrived in Peru in the month of March in 1959. The Feast of St. James the Apostle provides us with the opportunity in this Jubilee Year to reflect on the work of the Society over the years – a work made possible by your faith-inspired generosity. Popular religious art has tended to put a fierce face on the Apostle. Very often he is depicted on horseback, sword in hand, conquering the infidels, with the horse’s hooves crushing a head or two. There is another image, however, that is more apt for the Missionary Society. It is an image that originates in a pilgrimage site for centuries in the northwest of Spain. St. James is depicted with walking staff in hand, hiking through the mountains, a Walking Evangelizer. Popular religious tradition holds that he is the Apostle who brought the Good News to the Iberian Peninsula of the Roman Empire (now Portugal and Spain, along with the Basque and Catalan Regions). Over the centuries, since the year 1100, uncounted millions of pilgrims have hiked some four hundred miles from the French border to the sanctuary at Compostela to give reverence to the remains of the first Apostle, who died a martyr’s death at the hands of Herod. “He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword” (Acts 12:2). The hiker with the message is a fitting model for the Society. James was one of the three closest associates of Jesus in His earthly ministry. In key moments in proclaiming the Kingdom of God, Peter, James and John accompany Jesus. They were present when Jesus raised the daughter of Jarius (Mark 5:37), at His Transfiguration (Matthew 17: 1-10) and at the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14: 32-42). In the Garden, James, like the other two Apostles, shows a human weakness by falling asleep though wishing to accompany the Lord in prayer. Another human weakness is seen when he gets involved in a discussion over who is the greatest (Mark 9:34). Perhaps the fierce face for James finds its origin in the moment when he wanted to “call down fire” on an inhospitable Samaritan town (Luke 9: 51-56). But in spite of their human weaknesses, James and the other Apostles were sent by the Lord to continue His work. With the exception of St. John, all died a martyr’s death. Over the course of these fifty years, some four hundred priests of the Society have headed to South America, ready to give all, following the footsteps of the Walking Evangelizer. They have worked in urban shantytowns and mountain villages accessible only on horseback. They have shared the poverty of the people and have had guns pointed at their heads by robbers and terrorists of the Shining Path Revolutionary Movement. They have suffered through floods and earthquakes, ready to start all over again. Only one member of the Society has died in the line of duty – a Canadian named Giovanni Battaglini. The eighth anniversary of his tragic death will be commemorated on August 18th. He died as a result of the great 8.4 Moquegua Peru Earthquake of June 23, 2001 at 3:33 PM. Fr. Gio was responsible for a high country ministry based in the town of Carumas, Peru, with twenty-seven villages, some at elevations over 15,000 feet. The Church in Carumas was built in the late 1780s. The sanctuary/altar area collapsed that day. Gio dug through the rubble until he found the Eucharist. Over the next two months he worked tirelessly in the relief effort. On that Saturday afternoon in August, on a mountain road in a truck with relief supplies, he gave all for the people in a horrific sideswipe with a dump truck. At the spot where he died, a monument to him still stands, built by the people he loved and surrounded by the stark beauty of the Andes Mountains. It was my honor to bring his body home to Canada for burial. There are hundreds of stories that have unfolded over these fifty years. With the grace of God there will be many more to tell. May God bless you in your generosity, which makes it all possible. Fr. Kevin Hays
The Society Over The Years July 25th will mark the one year anniversary of the 50th Golden Jubilee celebrations in Boston, as well as the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Society. Although the celebrations of the golden jubilee year came to a close last December, this year, 2009 is a year to remember another 50th anniversary. Cardinal Richard Cushing founded the Society in 1958, however, it was in March,1959 when the first groups of missionaries boarded planes to begin the Cardinal’s mission in South America. Perhaps now is a good time to reflect upon the Society’s work over the past 50 years, and look ahead to the work the Society’s missionaries face in the future, for what is good is never finished. The photos to the right show various projects and work of the different Society members in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, from 1959 to today. |
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