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Network of Prayer - June 2006Editor: Sr Elizabeth Roberts mfic
A whole year has gone by since Father Luigi Padovese, OFM Capuchin, became Bishop of Anatolia, Turkey, and asked for me to be his personal secretary. So, with the blessing of my superiors, I became a missionary in Turkey! In his last pastoral letter, our Bishop said that it was easier to be a witness to Christianity in a Christian environment than in a non-Christian one – this witnessing is what I believe my mission here is all about. Iskenderun, the seat of the Bishopric, lies in the south of Turkey, almost on the border with Syria. I live here along with three Italian Sisters of the Order of Maria Bambina, the Parish Priest and his assistant, a Conventual Brother and a young consecrated German girl who teaches catechetics in the parish. We are a very happy family, living and working together in the service of the Lord. My ministry entails the usual work of a secretary. As you can imagine, there is never a dull moment, with innumerable requests on my desk each day. The Turkish language is not easy, but I do have a gift for learning a new language and have had the opportunity to learn and speak fluently in Italian and French as well as English so I am making every effort to learn Turkish in order to be able to communicate well with these friendly and hospitable people. Our little town is very peaceful and after my many years in Rome, I find the pace relatively slow … and I feel grateful for that.
Having been to Turkey at least 25 times for our Symposiums run by the Franciscan Institute of Spirituality, the experience here is not exactly new. What is new however, is living here permanently! Please keep our mission in your prayers. Who knows what the God of Surprises has in store for our ministry here! St Clare - Passion for Christ and Passion for Humanity I recently attended a meeting for Major Superiors in Port Moresby – the theme for the Conference was “Passion for Christ and Passion for Humanity”. We were given two icons for reflection – The Samaritan Woman at the Well and The Good Samaritan.
We can allow ourselves to be immersed in these disasters and be overwhelmed by them, especially if our prayer life is weak. We have all been called to give Christian witness through our lives. In Chapter Five of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus gives the Parable of "Salt and Light”. Salt and light are important ingredients of our daily living. The present state of our world seems to indicate that these two important elements have gone out the back door. We are all being called to be salt for the earth and light for the world … for each other and for all those we meet. The world cannot change unless these qualities are evident in us. I believe that St Clare has been and still is for us a guiding star in this matter – she was certainly a woman of contemplation and gave witness through her life to Passion for Christ and Passion for Humanity – fruits born of contemplation.
In February Sister M Rita and I were invited to participate in an International Seminar-Workshop known as the Comprehensive Course on Franciscan Mission Charism (CCFMC) which is held every second year in one of the Asian countries. The theme of the Conference this year was “To Walk Together as Prophetic Witnesses, in the Spirit of Francis and Clare, through a Globalized World Towards a Church of the Poor”. The Conference, held at the Benedictine Retreat House high up in the hills of Kandy, is an inter-Franciscan, intercultural and international project dating from 1982 and has the following goals:
We learnt to live without hot water, radio, television, papers or modern laundry facilities. Some days were dauntingly full and often finished at 9.30pm, but there was ample time for personal exchanges and meetings. There were over 60 priests, brothers and sisters from 14 different countries taking part. We appreciated the fact that those directing and guiding the seminar joined us for every activity. The creativity and spontaneity of the group contributed to making this seminar a truly electrifying experience and the liturgies were something I will never forget. On the very day that Fr Moghul OFM was giving a lecture on “Encounter With Muslims” a sister from Pakistan received news that her convent, school and church had been attacked and burnt to the ground – an aftermath of the cartoons published in Denmark. Her grief and shock were shared by us all and the experience made us realise how many difficulties and dangers our Franciscan brothers and sisters have to face daily in that part of the world. Sri Lanka is 75% Buddhist so on a Sunday afternoon we were able to visit the “Temple of Truth” in Kandy. Our visit there, and the friendly guidance we were given, made this a very rewarding experience. I was deeply impressed with the prayerfulness of the people – even little children seemed to be aware that they were in a holy place. The CCFMC seminar is now part of history but the joy and the friendships forged with Franciscans from so many parts of the world are what will stay with us forever. The fraternal bonds that linked us as Franciscans from many lands will be the support we need to meet our global challenges. On our last night, holding lighted candles, each of us promised to be true to our Franciscan commitment. It was impressed on us that the course would really begin on our return home as we meet friends of Francis and Clare. As we struggle to live a simpler lifestyle and take more care of Mother Earth, it is a challenge for us all “for up until now we have done nothing” (St Francis).
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We
can say that the mission here is truly ecumenical. We welcome
our Orthodox brothers and sisters to our Sunday Masses in the Cathedral:
they make up a major part of the congregation as the catholic population
is minimal. We enjoy a very open and genial relationship
with everyone. The Protestant minister also visits us from
time to time and invites us to his place for certain liturgical celebrations.
For me, those two icons spoke loudly and clearly of our world today.
As in a mirror, we can also see ourselves in those icons. Today
we are faced with violence, rape, terrorism and natural disasters. We
know that thousands of people have died as a result of these, and thousands
more have been left homeless. Despite the great strides in
science and technology, humankind is still incapable of resolving these
constant problems.
Conference
in Sri Lanka