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Cardinal Cushing's Vision |
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October, 2009 In this Jubilee Year of ministry in South America, it is worthwhile to recall some important characteristics of Cardinal Cushing’s vision for the Missionary Society of St. James the Apostle. He wanted the Society priests to work among the “poorest of the poor.” Though this phrase has possibly become a cliché over the years from over use, it was – and is - a living norm for the selection of our mission sites. They were to be neglected areas where others couldn’t – or wouldn’t – go. A goal for the missionary was “to work himself out of a job.” The St. James priest went to South America for a term of five years, established a parish and worked for the day when the mission-now-functioning parish would be handed over to the local diocese. He would then return home to share the richness of his experience with the people of his “Sending Diocese.” Over the course of the years, many priests discovered that their call to mission was more long-term. This month we will reflect upon the experience of a priest from Scotland who has completed his five year commitment to mission, a priest from Boston who is at the beginning of his road and a missionary for twelve years from England who has been called home to his eternal rest. Fr. Martin Chambers of the Diocese of Galloway, Scotland, came to the Society in 2004. He worked in a new settlement area on the outskirts of Guayaquil, Ecuador. Like all St. James missionaries, his priestly ministry focused on evangelization and human development projects. Any new mission site demands that a great deal of time be spent on the liturgy, sacramental preparation and celebrations, the training of the lay ministers, along with attending to the sick and burying the dead. And if this weren’t enough, there are also the various human development projects that Fr. Martin initiated such as a clean water project for the parish and state schools and a medical center. In all this activity a community of faith was formed. Fr. Martin shares his thoughts on these last five years: "The day I left my mission of Nueva Prosperina, Guayaquil, I was very sad. When I passed through the departure doors, I could hardly see the people I was saying farewell to - there were so many tears in my eyes. I had been their pastor for five years. "At the airport I could see Olga, a 73 year-old woman who lived nearby the chapel house. I would often visit her where she shared her bamboo house with her husband, Jaime. They were so poor, they did not have enough money to buy daily food, let alone pay for the great medical needs. "I could see the many young people that formed part of our growing youth ministry and made my time in the parish so lively. We have heard so much in Latin America about the Church’s preferential option for the poor, but I have decided that one of the things I will try in my new Scottish Parish is to have a preferential option for the young. The young people keep our parishes alive with a true joy. "I could see many of our teachers from our parish school. Five years ago we had nine teachers and 300 pupils in bamboo huts. Now I was leaving a school that had 23 teachers and 700 pupils and all in brick built classrooms. They were my closest collaborators and very quickly became my closest friends. So many faces, so many memories! And as I passed through the departure gates, I began to realize that I had received more than I had given. St. Francis of Assisi was correct in saying: 'In giving, you shall receive.' And so the words going through my head as I flew off to my home Diocese of Galloway in Scotland were those of the psalm that says 'How can I repay the Lord for his goodness to me?' " As Fr. Martin heads back to Scotland, a new priest joins the Society. He is Fr. Mark DeAngelis from the Archdiocese of Boston, ordained in 1988. During these years he has served at parishes in Stoneham, Danvers, Reading and Revere, Massachusetts. Even as a boy Fr. Mark was being prepared for the missions by listening to the stories told by two grandaunts, Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, who had worked in New Guinea and Japan. The United States Navy seemed also to have planted the seed of a missionary ministry. While serving as a chaplain he had a first-hand experience of the Catholic faith as it is lived in the different cultures of Southeast and Northeast Asia. Last year a three week mission experience with a youth apostolate and the prayer life of local parishes in San Bartolo and Lima, Peru, seemed to have sealed the deal. Cardinal O’Malley gave him permission to join the Society at the beginning of this year. Fr. Mark is back in Lima at language school and has been assigned to work in Peru. Fr. Darius Cama came to the Society in December, 1992, from his home diocese of Clifton, England and was assigned to work in Bolivia. His first assignment was in the Archdiocese of Santa Cruz in the farming area of eastern Bolivia in a small town called Santa Rosa. After two years he felt the call to a greater challenge. He went to work in the high Andean plateau at an elevation of 13,000 feet at Paria in the Mission Parish of San Ildefonso. It is an area of extreme poverty, if not misery, where he served the Quechua speaking people in forty-five rural villages scattered over 800 square miles. He returned to England on October 30th, 2004. The Lord called him home on September 9th, 2009. Rest in peace, Fr. Darius. Be they long-term or short-term mission assignments, we can be grateful for Cardinal Cushing’s global vision, which allowed diocesan priests to serve in South American missions. In the same spirit the Society is grateful to you, our friends, whose generosity makes it all possible. Sincerely, Rev. Kevin Hays
Upcoming Events: The Annual Boston Banquet will be held in Boston, on Sunday, November 8th, 2009. This year, the Society will honor The Honorable James T. Brett, Mr. & Mrs. Robert B. Crimmins and Most Reverend Robert F. Hennessey. For more information please visit www.socstjames.com/upcomingevents.html.
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