March, 2010   

Dear friends,     
Each year the missionaries of the Society of St. James the Apostle gather in Barranco, Lima, Peru, for our Annual General Meeting. This year’s meeting began on Monday, February 1st and concluded on Thursday, February 4th, 2010. It was our honor and pleasure to welcome Cardinal Sean O’Malley to our gathering. In this Year of the Priest, he reflected with us on the theme of our priestly vocation in two talks and the homily of  mass. As the Archbishop of Boston, he is not only our spiritual guide but the President of the Society as well. His presence was a blessing and an encouragement at the start of our meeting.

The Gospel reading for the Opening Mass on Monday afternoon coincidently, or providentially enough, had a missionary theme. It was taken from Mark’s Gospel, chapter 5, verses 1-20 - the Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac.

“They came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out with a loud voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!’ (He had been saying to him, ‘Unclean spirit, come out of the man.’) He asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He replied, ‘Legion is my name. There are many of us.’ And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. And they pleaded with him, ‘Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.’ And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank and into the sea, where they were drowned. The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And the people came out to see what had happened. As they approached Jesus, they caught site of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their district. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But he would not permit him but told him instead, ‘Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.’ Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.”

This remarkable passage from St. Mark allows us to reflect on the essence of mission and to see it reflected in two persons. Through mission, be it at home or far away, the Good News of God’s love for all is proclaimed. While it is a message that all need to hear, the Church makes the preferential, though not exclusive, option to bring this message of God’s love to the poor, the needy and the suffering. The poor man among the tombs is a perfect example.

The portrait of him painted by St. Mark’s words stands in stark contrast to the love of God. It is a shocking, powerful description of a poor, suffering man in need of God’s love. He dwells among the dead. Unrestrained evil, powerful as a fighting mob, has taken over his life. His personal anguish and suffering are unending. And so typical of St. Mark’s Gospel, he’s just the one then to proclaim the identity of Jesus.

He knows that there is new life in the “Son of the Most High God.” Jesus had been addressing the power that controlled that man’s life. There is a preliminary work that must be done. The evil spirits are to be driven into unclean animals. No evil destructive force can keep anyone from the transforming grace of God. The man’s life is transformed. Even though Jesus wishes that he return to his family and share the Good News with them, the man himself feels that he must spread the Word to a much larger audience. It seems that a missionary has been born.

Then, of course, there is the other missionary in this reading: Jesus Christ, the first and foremost. Just as there is One Priesthood and One Priest, Jesus Christ, who shares His priesthood with those whom He calls, there is One Missionary. He is the Word of God made flesh and sent to humankind with God’s message of love. In this Gospel reading, Jesus the missionary is in pagan territory. He searches out the most desperate, needy individual and transforms his life. Once that love has been received, it must be shared.

And that is what we missionaries do. This reading was a reminder of the Good News we share as we began our Annual General Meeting.

With the reversal of the seasons in South America, February is summer. Soon a new program year in the mission sites will begin. As one year concludes and we look to the future, a few points are obvious. Administrative and financial issues dominated the year 2009. The Society did not escape the financial collapse that began at the end of 2008. The realities of a smaller and older group of missionaries cannot be ignored. While the value of the US stock market has risen, we will not recover from our 50% drop in revenue in just a few months. Finance will continue to dominate the administration of the Society, mandating what we can and cannot do.

Sincerely,

Rev. Kevin Hays
Director

Dancers from Cristo Luz del Mundo Parish, in the Diocese of Carabayllo, Peru, take part in the Carnaval (Peruvian Mardi Gras) festivities.

Fr. Denis Parry, left, visits the construction site of the parish center of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe which will serve as a center for the community to come together for worship and activities.

Much work has been done in the main church of Cristo Luz del Mundo, including the painting of the walls which has made for a much brighter interior. Projects such as these enable parishioners to take ownership of their parish.

The youth of the parish come together to share the joy of Christ Jesus. They bring great exuberance and enthusiasm to parish celebrations.

Last year during Lent the parishioners of Cristo Luz del Mundo gave up a few hours a week to clean and paint the main church.

Fr. Jonathan Hart celebrates a first Communion Mass at San José chapel, Cristo Luz del Mundo.

Fr. Denis Parry (right) explains the construction plans of the parish center to Fr. Des Tynan, who also works in the Diocese of Carabayllo.

The above image shows the current stage of construction of the parish center of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.

Fr. Kevin made his first visit as director to the mission sites in February, 2009, when he traveled to Carabayllo. At that time, the parish center was only in the planning stages.

Parishioners of Cristo Luz del Mundo are confirmed.

At this year's Annual General Meeting Society members were joined by Society President, Cardinal Seán O'Malley (6th from right, back row).