Risking her Life for Another A Guileless Man My 40 Years in Latin

MAGAZINE OF THE COLUMBAN MISSIONARIES
MAY/JUNE 2016
Risking her Life for Another
The story of a young Pakistani girl’s accident
and a Columban’s role in her recovery.
A Guileless Man
A homeless Japanese man struggles
to find a purpose in life.
My 40 Years in Latin America
A Columban writes of 40 years in ministry
in three different countries of Latin America.
CONTENTS
PANORAMA
Panorama
06
08
12
14
16
05. We Are Worthwhile
Fr Keith Gorman concludes
that we are all worthwhile,
especially the elderly, because
we are all children of God.
06. Risking her Life for Another Fr Dan O’Connor writes
of a young girl’s accident
in Pakistan and of his
involvement in her recovery.
08. A Guileless Man
Fr Joe Brooder writes from
Japan of a homeless man,
Tanaka Kun, and of his struggle
to find a purpose in life.
2 –– FAR EAST
He broke with the Sandinistas in 1990,
when the Government of Daniel Ortega lost
the election to a coalition of small parties,
precipitating corruption and power struggles
among the Sandinistas. He resigned for the
same reason that he had joined the party
more than 15 years earlier, his concern for
the poor. He later published Faith and Joy,
a first-person account of what revolutionary
change in the Church meant to the poor.
The book is the first-hand witness of a holy
man to his struggle to be faithful to the
Gospel’s call to care for the poor.
10
10. Breaking the Bonds of
Poverty
Sr Young Mi Choi describes
a number of projects set up
to help educate the migrant
population in the foothills of
the Andes in Lima.
12. Abuse at the Karaoke Bar
Fr Peter O’Neill shares the
story of one of the victims he
has met through his work in
Taiwan.
14. Meat and the Environment
Fr Seán McDonagh raises
questions about the
Jesuit Who Served the Poor
Fr Fernando Cardenal SJ died at the
end of February. Some may remember
the days of the Sandinista Revolution in
Nicaragua, (1978-’79) and the names of
Miguel D’Escoto, Ernesto Cardenal and
Fernando Cardenal. Three priests, the
first a Maryknoller, the other two, Jesuits,
accepted positions in the Sandinista
Government. Rome was less than
enthusiastic at the idea of ordained priests
serving in a Marxist-socialist administration.
Fernando became director of the literacy
crusade and later minister of education
in the post-revolutionary government of
the 1980s. He was eventually forced by
Pope John Paul II to leave the Society of
Jesus. However, he continued to live in
the community and later became the first
person to be readmitted to vows in the
Jesuit order after having been dismissed.
- Mirada Global
consequences of our meateating diet for the environment.
16. My 40 Years in Latin America
An interview with Fr Donald
Hornsey, who has spent over
40 years in three different
countries of Latin America.
18.Obituaries
19.Reflections
20. Saints for our Times
21. Stories from the Bible
22. Children’s Section
Outrageous Inequality
Pope Francis, in a message to the World
Economic Forum held in Davos, denounced
in the strongest terms the growing poverty
and ever-increasing inequality in our world
today. Underlining the same theme, Oxfam
International recently published a report
entitled An Economy at the Service of the
1%. The report claimed that the wealthiest
62 persons in the world now own as
much as all the poorest half of the world
combined. Since 2010, the poorest half of
the world has seen its wealth reduced by
a billion dollars (41%) while the 62 ‘superrich’ have increased their wealth by half a
billion dollars.
economic system whose structures and
rules are designed to benefit those who
have most. The Executive Director of Oxfam
International says, “We cannot continue to
permit that hundreds of millions of people
suffer hunger, while the economic elite
absorb the resources that could help these
people to escape from this situation.”
Today, one in every nine people is hungry,
and one billion people survive on less than
$1.25 a day.
- Misioneros Tercer Milenio.
Islam Encounters Modernity
How does Islam fare by the criterion of
religious freedom? The full picture is quite
complex. Judged by the data found in
the widely-cited 2009 report of the Pew
Forum on Religion and Public Life, Global
Restrictions on Religion, of roughly 47
Muslim-majority countries, 12, or just
over one-fourth, are ranked ‘low’ on a
Government Restrictions Index - meaning
that they are the most religiously free.
Though a minority, they are too numerous
to be dismissed as anomalies. Furthermore,
in many of the 35 Muslim-majority countries
that are less than fully free, Islam is not
the source of the curtailment of religious
freedom.
While 21 of these countries are governed
by Shariah Law, another 14 are “secular
repressive”, which means that the regime
controls Islam in order to further a Western
ideology of modernization .... Partisans of
religious freedom ought to acknowledge
the forces for freedom that exist in Islam,
but also remain firm in their hope that these
forces will broaden their influence.
Fernando Cardenal SJ.
“
He resigned for
the same reason
that he had joined
the party more
than 15 years
earlier, his concern
for the poor.
”
After all, the Church came round to
religious freedom quite late in history, at
the II Vatican Council. In order to arrive at
the “Declaration on Religious Liberty”, the
Church had to leave behind the ideal of
medieval Christendom, where Church and
State worked in close partnership. Heresy
in that milieu was not merely sin but also
an act of sedition. Similarly in Islam’s early
history a doctrine of “Islamdom” came to
prevail. Muslim thought may broaden in the
future, as happened in the Church.
- America
What is worse, this inequality is growing
year by year. We are supporting an
MAY/JUNE 2016 –– 3
The Far East: Published
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Cover: 17-year-old Poni from
Pakistan risked her life for her
younger sister. Picture shows Poni
and her little sister Rebeka with Fr
Dan O’Connor (c.f. pp. 6-7)
4 –– FAR EAST
EDITORIAL
AUSTRALIA
Mercy: God’s Identity Card
We Are Worthwhile
E
ver since he became Pope,
Francis has made the mercy of
God one of his key themes. In
his latest book, The Name of God is
Mercy (Bluebird Books for Life, 2016)
he answers questions from the veteran
Vatican reporter Andrea Tornielli on
this same theme. The book is short,
barely 100 pages, and Pope Francis
speaks simply, illustrating his points
from a variety of Gospel stories, and
from incidents in his own life both as a
penitent and a confessor.
The book is full of short, memorable
quotes like, “Mercy is God’s identity
card”(p.7). Of our own times he
writes, “We lack the actual concrete
experience of mercy. This is also the
fragility of the time in which we live believing that there is no chance of
redemption, a hand to raise you up, an
embrace to save you, forgive you, pick
you up, flood you with infinite, patient,
indulgent love; to put you back on your
feet” (p.14).
For Pope Francis this is the time of
mercy. “The Church showing her
maternal side, her motherly face, to a
humanity that is wounded. She does
not wait for the wounded to knock
at her doors, she looks for them in
the streets, she gathers them in, she
embraces them, she takes care of
them, she makes them feel loved”
(p.4). He refers again to “... thinking of
the Church as a field hospital, where
treatment is given above all to those
who are wounded ...” (p.6). The first
and only step required to experience
mercy is to acknowledge that we need
mercy.
The Pope’s own experience as a warmhearted, merciful confessor makes him
appreciate just how difficult it can be
to take the first step. He insists that the
very fact that a penitent has managed
to get himself/herself as far as the
confessional is proof of the desire
to seek God’s mercy. After that, the
words that are used are less important,
and he harshly condemns confessors
W
hen I was chaplain to the Sisters
and residents of Nazareth House
at North Turramurra, a retirement
home in Sydney, Australia, the notion about
being worthwhile grew in my heart. Most
of the residents were quite contented but
some were not, because they thought they
could no longer do anything worthwhile. In
the past they had cared for their children
or had had some trade or profession. Now
they could no longer do these things; as a
result they believed that they were no longer
worthwhile in themselves. This idea became
abhorrent to me: I became convinced of the
opposite - that we can grow as persons,
grow spiritually, as long as we live.
who ask inappropriate questions, or
make the experience difficult for the
penitent. He even quotes a French
novelist who tells the story of one
about to die, who admits that he
enjoyed his sins and is not really
sorry for them, but, at the confessor’s
prompting, can at least say that “he is
sorry that he is not sorry”. Pope Francis
comments on this story, “It’s a good
example of the lengths to which God
goes to enter the heart of man, to find
that small opening that will permit him
to grant grace”. (p.31).
He writes from his own experience of
being constantly, repeatedly forgiven.
“It might seem shocking, but I derive
consolation from Peter: he betrayed
Jesus and even so he was chosen”
(p.39). The more conscious we are of
our own sins, the more we experience
the love and infinite mercy of God,
the more capable we are of looking
at others with acceptance. He even
goes so far as to say, “At times I have
surprised myself by thinking that a few
very rigid people would do well to slip
a little, so that they could remember
that they are sinners and thus meet
Jesus.” (p.66)
This book is the testimony of an
eminently pastoral Pope who has
announced a Year of Mercy. We all
need to hear and heed his wise words.
This is the work of God whom I like to
think of as the Divine Potter. Now and then
a vessel he is making from clay will be
spoilt in his hands, but he will remould it
into another vessel to his liking (Jer 18:24). I love the saying, “Be patient with me;
God hasn’t finished with me yet!”. Maybe
sometimes the Divine Potter will have to
start again, but I am convinced that God will
eventually make us into worthy vessels.
This conviction that we are worthwhile in
ourselves strengthened as I got to know
the patients in the retirement home. I saw
the help they needed with eating, dressing,
having a bath, and going to the toilet. I
understood the spirituality of accepting this,
but I hesitated to speak of it to the patients
because I myself was not dependent in this
way. One day, while we were still together
after Mass, one of the assistants, opened
up the matter for discussion.
Sadie, one of the patients who was unable
to walk, hold a knife or fork, or care for
herself because of arthritis, said simply
that she had reached the stage where she
could accept these services peacefully and
gratefully. She prayed for those who did
them for her. On another occasion Sadie
told me that when she is put into bed at
night she usually goes to sleep quickly, but
if she is unable to sleep, she spends the
time thanking God for the good things of
her life.
By Fr Keith Gorman
Sadie has been
purified by suffering
and is like pure
gold (Book of
Wisdom 3:5-9).
The acceptance of
disability such as
Sadie’s arthritis will
let us enter into the
sufferings of Jesus.
I heard another
beautiful statement
in the nursing
home. Jimmy
had had a stroke
and made a fairly
good recovery but was still confined to a
wheelchair. I discussed with him why he
hadn’t died and we concluded that God
wanted him to live longer. “Why did God
want you to live longer?” I asked.
“To do good,” said Jimmy. “What good can
you do?” I asked. Smiling, he looked around
at the other patients and said, “I can help to
make them happy.”
When we are young and strong we can
care for the physical well-being of others.
Later we cannot, but at any stage of our
lives we can be loving, kind, sensitive,
forgiving, honest and truthful. Even if
we lack money, power, strength, even
health, we can still be worthwhile, as were
Sadie and Jimmy. Fundamentally we are
worthwhile, because we are children of
God. I often think of fellow Columban Fr
Edward Sherry from Bolton, England, who
died in Australia in August 2006. Towards
the end of his life he was cared for lovingly
by the Sisters and staff of the Little Sisters
of the Poor, St Joseph’s Home, Northcote,
Melbourne. Shortly before he died one
of the staff who was going away for two
weeks said, “I’ll see you when I get back.”
To which Eddie replied with a smile, “I may
have changed my address by then.” v
Fr Gorman is living in retirement at St
Columban’s, Essendon, Australia. He was
ordained in 1943 and worked as a missionary
in Japan.
“
Now they could
no longer do these
things; as a result
they believed that
they were no longer
worthwhile in
themselves.
”
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on this article go to
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MAY/JUNE 2016 –– 5
PAKISTAN
Risking
her life for
Another
by Kristan where the family continued to
change her bandages and care for her.
I first heard about the plight of Poni from
parishioners one Sunday after evening
Mass. “This tribal girl had her feet cut off
when the train ran over her feet,” they told
me. When I heard this I was deeply moved.
Like many of the poor in Pakistan,
Poni suffered a tragic accident. Columban
Fr Dan O’Connor writes of her accident
and his involvement in her recovery.
P
oni is a 17-year-old Hindu girl, a member of the
impoverished Parkari Kohli tribal community that
live in the arid Sindh Province of Pakistan. Like
the majority of girls who live in the Sindh Province,
she has never been to school. Her father, Krishan, is
a landless, peasant farmer, who cultivates land for a
landlord, waters and harvests his crops of rice, cotton
and sugar cane. He then receives a meagre share of
the crop to feed his family.
Poni’s mother died when she was very young, as a
reaction to an injection given to her by a local quack
doctor. Her father then remarried, but his second wife
committed suicide. He then remarried a second time.
There is a railway line that runs through Poni’s village.
On the other side of the railway line is a pond of fresh
water, used to wash clothes and cooking utensils,
where the buffaloes drink from wallow.
One morning Poni took her younger sister, Rebeka, to
bathe in the pond. Rebeka then started to walk home
across the railway line. Just at that moment, the train
from Badin to Hyderabad was approaching. Poni
called out to Rebeka to move away from the railway
track. Rebeka thought that Poni was calling her back
to the pond. In desperation, Poni ran to the railway
track where her loose clothing became snagged on
the railway line. She fell face down in the path of the
approaching train.
The train ran over Poni’s feet and dragged her along
the line for some distance. When it halted, a large
crowd from the village including her family gathered.
Her father, Krishan, picked up his daughter, thinking
she had been killed. He then noticed that she was
breathing ever so slightly. He carried her to the main
road where he managed to hire a vehicle to take her
to the hospital at Badin, a distance of 12 kilometers.
Poni’s uncle and the train guard accompanied him.
6 –– FAR EAST
02
At the hospital emergency ward, she was
pronounced dead by the doctor, who asked
whether the family wanted a post-mortem.
Krishan replied that he did not want a
post-mortem. He then thought he saw Poni
take a breath. As he lifted her up from the
stretcher, she said in a soft voice, “Abba Ji
(Daddy Sir), give me water.”
The doctor was amazed and immediately
began emergency treatment by
administering a reviving drip. He then gave
Krishan a referral letter for the Civil Hospital
in Hyderabad. Krishan then paid for an
ambulance to take Poni, himself and the train
guard the two hour journey to Hyderabad.
On arrival at the hospital, the train guard
asked Krishan to give him the doctor’s
referral letter, with his thumbprints on it and
his National Identity Card. He promised to
use these documents to get free medical
treatment for Poni from the Railway
Department. Krishan handed everything
over to the guard who then disappeared
and was never seen again.
After waiting several hours, Krishan and
Poni were now in a desperate state, with no
hope of admission to the hospital. Finally,
a man from a local political party, took
up their case and managed to have Poni
admitted. Treatment at the hospital lasted
for 20 days with Poni’s family staying night
and day at her side, bringing her food which
is the practice in these hospitals. At the
end of treatment, Poni was brought home
I then informed the parish’s Health Team who
went with me to visit Poni in her village. We
brought her to see a local doctor who said
to take her to the Jinnah Hospital in Karachi.
We have an important contact in Karachi,
who fights for the rights of the poor and
sick. With Columban help, she organised to
have Poni admitted to hospital, where what
remained of her feet was amputated. After
this, we managed to have her admitted to
another hospital for plastic surgery.
“
Throughout her
journey Poni always
smiled whenever I
met her. Now her
smile shone ever
more brightly.
”
Some weeks later on one of my visits to
Poni in hospital, I noticed her jaw was
jammed and her teeth closed. The family
told me that they managed to feed her by
pushing soft food through her teeth. I spoke
with the authorities who some time later
operated successfully to release her jaw.
Then when the stubs of her two legs
had been healed sufficiently, it was back
to Karachi for the fitting of shoes with
supports. Poni, with the aid of helpers,
took a few small hesitant steps with a smile
radiating from her and those attending her.
Throughout her journey Poni always smiled
whenever I met her. Now her smile shone
ever more brightly. With practice she is now
able to walk even without the supports and
to collect water again.
Recently Poni said to me, “I am very happy
that I now have a new life and am able to
walk again. I had felt so sad and upset
when I lost my feet. Thanks so much to Fr
Dan and all the Columban supporters and
everyone who has helped me.” v
P.S. Recently the brother of Poni’s step-mother lost
his two legs in an accident with a wheat thrasher
harvester - one leg was lost above the knee and
the other below the knee.
New Zealand Columban Fr Dan O’Connor has
spent many years as a missionary in Pakistan.
01. Poni is very happy that she
can now walk again.
02. Poni with Fr Dan O’Connor,
Catechist Master Dilaver and
some of her family.
Photos courtesy of the author.
To make a comment
on this article go to
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MAY/JUNE 2016 –– 7
01
JAPAN
A Guileless Man
By Fr Joe Brooder
His family name was Tanaka, a name as
common as Murphy in Ireland, or Smith
in England. He used to call me Joe Chan
which is a very familiar way to call your
friends. He told me of the village where
he was born and reared; he had left after
Middle School never to return. I offered
to drive him back to his hometown for
old time’s sake but he politely refused, “I
cannot go back. I am too well-known there”.
Whatever had happened there I never did
find out. It was not for me to probe but for
him to reveal. He chose not to.
“
As I heard his
story, all I could
think of was
of Nathanael
meeting Jesus
for the first time.
Here was a good
man who did not
know the good
things of life and
the Good Man
that came from
humble Nazareth.
”
W
ord came into the Church that
a homeless man was sleeping
rough under Sotohori Bridge,
in Japan. The local Church-group looking
after the homeless went to visit him. Yes he
was there living in an exquisite home-made
cardboard-style home. He would slide in
and out of it like a drawer. He was a quiet
soft-spoken man, and my first impression
was that there was no guile in this man,
“incapable of deceit” - just like Nathanael in
St John’s Gospel 1:45-48.
The first winter I invited him to stay in the
Church Hall overnight with seven other
homeless men. He accepted and for four
months he stayed, each morning getting
up early to sweep up the fallen leaves in
the Church grounds, and the discarded
rubbish on the pavement outside. The
following winter he declined the Church
offer as he found living with other homeless
was stressful. He wanted his freedom and
privacy, and returned to his castle under the
bridge.
After our initial contact, we would visit him
once or twice a week, bringing him rice
balls, soup and items he might ask for,
but overall, he fended for himself, doing
odd jobs and eating sample foods handed
out free at supermarkets. His home under
the bridge was a car park by day so each
morning he got up early to tidy up the place,
stashed away on a ledge above what he
did not need, and moved off on his bicycle
until the car park emptied at night. His
belongings were few. He did his laundry
and washing at a water tap in a local park.
Some years later, word came in that he had
disappeared. There was no trace of him. His
abode was immaculate - no evidence left
that anyone had lived there. We searched
high and low for him but all in vain. We
presumed he had just taken off on his
bicycle to rediscover himself in another part
of Japan. During my daily walks I would
always look under the bridge hoping against
hope that he might have returned, but only
darkness and silence welcomed me.
When I visited while out for my late
evening walk, I often found him alone. I
would sit down beside him in the twilight
and gradually we became good friends.
8 –– FAR EAST
One early morning, months later, I opened
up the Church to let God out and fresh
air in. I went down to the Convent to say
early Mass for the nuns. I could sense it
was going to be a good day. I expanded
my lungs to breathe in the fresh air and at
that moment I heard a gentle, angelic voice
saying, “Joe Chan”. There he was under
a tree with a gentle smile on his haggard
face. I gave him a bear hug and told him to
wait around as I had to go to the Convent.
The nuns never got such a short Mass
before, and for the first time ever, I refused
breakfast with them. He was waiting for me
when I got back and he told me his story of
disappearance:
“I got tired of living. I felt I was a burden
to the nation, to the Church and to you. I
decided to say goodbye to this world and
go to the other world, if there is one. I did
not want to leave a mess behind for others
to clear up. I brought my bicycle to the junk
yard and put all my clothes and cardboard
boxes into the proper disposal bins. I made
sure not to leave a scrap behind. I silently
said goodbye to this world and from the top
of the bridge I jumped into the river below.
But I could not sink. I kept coming up for
air. I jumped again but with the same result.
I gave up. I walked all night to the next
town and dried out. I managed to survive
on scraps of food. The sea beckoned me.
I waded out into the deep but the waves
kept driving me back ashore. I tried that a
few times too but I ended up what I am - a
failure.
One day, walking aimlessly along the beach
I found a rope obviously discarded by some
fisherman. I was given new hope. The river
and the sea refused me. Surely, I figured,
the wood would not let me down. I went
into the woods, climbed a tree, tied the rope
to a branch and to my neck and jumped.
I had no luck. The rope broke and I nearly
broke my leg when I met mother earth again.
Joe Chan, that was last night. I decided I
was not worthy to die. Then I thought of you.
That is why I am here. Where do I go from
here?”
As I heard his story, all I could think of was
of Nathanael meeting Jesus for the first time.
Here was a good man who did not know the
good things of life and the Good Man that
came from humble Nazareth. Then he got
up, looked into the Church and gazed on
the big, life-size crucifix on the wall behind
the altar, “That is my kind of man. I can
identify with him. He is a good man. I like
him.” I thought not bad from a non-Christian.
Since then, through the efforts of the
Church-group looking after the homeless,
Tanaka Kun is now nestled in his own
apartment, receives assistance through
social welfare from the City Hall, and
each day enjoys sweeping up the fallen
leaves around the Church grounds. He
is very active also in helping to look after
other homeless people, with other Church
members. He has kept gentle, soft-spoken
and guileless. I have now moved away from
that area but occasionally I do get chances
to return.
Meeting Mr Tanaka Kun is one of my great
joys and he still calls me Joe Chan. He is
not far from the Kingdom of God: in fact he
is part of it but does not realise it yet. Some
day, please God, he will.
Fr Joe Brooder SSC lives and works in Japan and
has been a missionary priest there since 1969.
01. Tanaka Kun (left) with
Fr Joe Brooder.
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on this article go to
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MAY/JUNE 2016 –– 9
02
01
Breaking the
Bonds of Poverty
By Sr Young Mi Choi
M
y name Sr Young Mi Choi and I live
and works in the parish of Cristo
Liberador, one of twelve parishes
which comprise the district of San Juan
de Lurigancho in the eastern part of Lima,
in the foothills of the Andes. It is the most
densely populated district in all Latin
America, with a population of over one
million people. Most of the people who live
there have come as migrants from other
parts of Peru over the last 25 to 30 years.
In our parish we have a population of
about 130,000 people. Those who live
in the valleys have basic services and
conditions have improved greatly over the
years. However, there are still thousands
10 –– FAR EAST
of people, living on the cerros (hills) in
precarious dwellings, who do not yet have
running water or basic services.
We have started a number of projects to
help educate the migrant population in
the area. One is a small pre-school for 3
to 5 year-olds, with a room for children
with special needs. Many are children of
very young single mothers who have very
little education themselves. We saw this
project as a way of giving basic formation
to these children, so that they could have
more options for life and a better future. We
also wanted to have something for special
children because there are no services
for them in our area. My own background
is in Montessori and special education.
We have about 80 children in the school.
They come around 8.30am and are with
us until 3.30pm. This gives the mothers
the opportunity to work, as many do, in the
local market and other areas. We provide
breakfast, dinner and a snack for the
children before they leave in the afternoon.
Three years ago, a little girl named Sandra
came to our school. Her mother, a widow
with three children, who sold pieces of
charcoal in the market, asked me with tears
in her eyes if I could take her because
Sandra had a hearing problem. She almost
caused a serious car accident that day
as she was unable to communicate with
anyone. Sandra stayed with us for three
years. We worked with her on her own
and at other times she joined the normal
children for classes. From being wild and
without even minimal education, she has
become a caring, confident and beautiful
child who has become an example to the
other children in her class. The director of
the local elementary school says, “When
I see Sandra blossoming in our school
and playing with normal children I see the
value of inclusive education.” Our task is
to maintain the quality of our educational
programme, to prepare our teachers and
to provide education for the parents. We
get no government assistance whatever for
running this school.
Our second project is in Cristo Rey at one
end of our parish where the people live
on a series of high hills, in extremely poor
living conditions, with huge social problems
of alcohol abuse and family violence. The
alcohol abuse and domestic violence
coupled with a lack of education - very
few adults have completed high school means that education is not a priority for
the children. For example Susana, age
11, is still struggling to read and write
because the parents ask her to mind her
four younger siblings at home instead of
going to school. She asked me to convince
her parents to allow her to come to our
educational programme.
Last year we began an educational
programme in this deprived area as an
outreach from our school. The general idea
was to build up the community. I could
see from our school that the problem was
where the children were coming from, and
I felt that in Cristo Rey we could help the
community beginning with children and
women. With our teachers and others
volunteering, we began workshops in
the afternoons with children of different
age-levels, helping them with their reading
and writing skills. On Saturdays we have
handicraft and drama workshops for the
children, and a programme for women
with a psychologist and social worker.
This year we hope to have a threepronged educational programme for
adults - development of practical life skills,
human development, and leadership in the
community and chapel, so that they can
take responsibility for their lives. We will
also continue the work with the children. v
Korean Columban Sr Young Mi Choi lives and
works in Peru.
“
When I see
Sandra
blossoming in
our school and
playing with
normal children
I see the value
of inclusive
education.
”
01. Children enjoy some
foot-painting.
02. Sr Young Mi with a
student.
Photos Far East.
To make a comment
on this article go to
www.columban.com
MAY/JUNE 2016 –– 11
TAIWAN
Abuse at the Karaoke Bar
By Fr Peter O’Neill
www.shutterstock.com
need to continue her bank-loan repayments.
As time went on Siti started suffering
severe stress and the beginnings of a
mental breakdown.
Columban Fr Peter O’Neill works with migrant workers,
immigrants and victims of human trafficking at a centre run
by the Diocese of Hsinchu, Taiwan. He shares with us the
story of one of the victims he meets in his work.
S
“
Siti was terrified
that her family
would lose their
home and land.
She and the other
girls were locked
in the bar after it
closed each night.
They had no
means of escape.
”
iti (not her real name) comes from
a very poor family in Indonesia.
Her family managed to send her
to primary school but could not afford
secondary education for her. Siti’s family
own a small plot of land on which they
barely support themselves by growing rice.
When Siti turned 18 a man from the village
came to her home offering her a job as a
carer of elderly people in Taiwan. This man
worked as a recruiter for a labour agency.
Siti was told that she would be able to earn
a lot of money which she could send home
to her family.
Siti accepted the job offer. She was then
sent to the agency’s office in Jakarta where
for several months she learnt Mandarin
Chinese, Chinese cooking and how to use
modern utensils, unknown in Siti’s village,
such as microwave ovens, electric irons
and washing machines. She also learnt the
different skills necessary to be a carer of the
elderly.
A few days before Siti was due to leave for
Taiwan, she was told by the Agency to take
out a loan from the local bank at an interest
rate of 18%. This loan and the interest
rate added up to $3000 that was to be
deducted from her first year’s salary. Siti’s
12 –– FAR EAST
parent’s home and small plot of land were
offered as collateral to the bank, in case she
could not pay back the loan.
Siti then flew to Taiwan. She was met at the
airport by the Taiwanese agent and taken
to the family where she was to care for the
elderly. The family that received Siti live on
the second floor of a two-storey building.
They own a restaurant located on the
ground floor. Siti soon discovered that she
had to rise at 4am every morning to go to
the market to buy ingredients for use in the
restaurant. She then had a full day ahead of
her, working in the restaurant. She prepared
and served meals, cleaned tables and
washed dishes.
Throughout the day, Siti constantly had to
check on the elderly members of the family
on the second floor. When the restaurant
closed at 9pm she then had to spend the
next three hours cleaning, washing and
ironing for the family on the second floor.
Her salary was $600 per month. At the
end of her first month, however, she only
received $40. She had to repay her bankloan at $300 per month over 10 months.
Another $200 went to pay for her visa and
her medical certificate and $60 went to the
labour agency.
After six months of working like this,
Siti was sleep-deprived and in a totally
exhausted state. When she complained to
the labour agent he threatened to send her
home which she greatly feared due to the
It was in this weakened state that Siti fell
prey to the promises of an illegal labour
agent who offered her an illegal job in a
karaoke bar. She accepted and ran away
from the family where she was working. She
had to pay this agent $300 to get this job
which would be deducted from her salary.
She was introduced to the mamasan (the
female manager) of the karaoke bar who
told her all she had to do was to serve
the customers (all male) and sing karaoke
songs. She would live with the other women
at the bar.
Siti remained at the Shelter for one and
a half years until a court decision was
made about her case. The mamasan and
the owner of the karaoke bar were sent to
prison. But although Siti had been a victim
of abuse, the fact that she had run away
from the family where she first worked
meant that Siti could not remain in Taiwan
and would have to return home. This was
the end of her opportunity to earn money to
support her family.
We, at the Diocesan Migrant Workers
Centre, continue to lobby the Taiwanese
government to protect victims like Siti.
Australian Columban Fr Peter O’Neill first went
to Taiwan in 1991.
To make a comment
on this article go to
www.columban.com
When Siti began work, she soon
discovered that she was forced to wear
“suggestive” clothing which made her
feel uncomfortable. She was told by the
mamasan that if a customer wanted “extra
service”, she had to provide it. Siti told the
mamasan that she did not want to work as
a prostitute.
The mamasan threatened her that if she
did not, she would inform the police of
her illegal situation and she would be sent
to prison. Siti was terrified that her family
would lose their home and land. She and
the other girls were locked in the bar after
it closed each night. They had no means of
escape.
Unknown to Siti, the local Taiwanese police
had received a tip off about the karaoke
bar and it was raided. Siti and four other
Indonesian women were rescued by the
police and sent to the Hsinchu Diocesan
“Shelter for Abused Migrant Workers and
Victims of Human Trafficking”.
The Shelter offered Siti and the other victims
legal aid and helped them find another
job while their case was being processed
through the courts. In this way, Siti could
continue to repay her bank loan. The Shelter
offers victims a variety of support such as
counselling, Chinese classes, computer
lessons, arts and crafts, dance lessons and
workshops on personal development.
MAY/JUNE 2016 –– 13
Making
your
Will?
By Fr Seán McDonagh
Impact of Meat on Humans
and the Global Environment
I
n his encyclical, Laudato Si’, Pope
Francis reminds us that “our sister (planet
earth) now cries out to us because of
the harm we have inflicted on her by our
irresponsible use and abuse of the goods
with which God has endowed her. We have
come to see ourselves as her lords and
masters, entitled to plunder her at will” (No.
2). Shortly after, he tells us that he ...” would
like to enter into dialogue with all the people
of our common home” in order to determine
what needs to be done. The Pope is aware
that this will call for serious sacrifices
which amount to changing our modes of
production and consumption and opting for
an ecological conversion (No. 5).
“
One of the
most difficult
conversations which
must take place is
about the amount of
meat which many of
us eat each day.
”
14 –– FAR EAST
One of the most difficult conversations
which must take place is about the amount
of meat which many of us eat each day.
In November 2015, the World Health
Organisation (WHO) warned us that
eating too much meat can cause cancers
and heart disease. Our human body is not
designed for a heavy meat diet. Our hands
are flat which facilitates pulling fruit and
nuts from trees. Our teeth are designed to
grind plant material. Our intestines are 12
times longer than our trunks in order that
they can absorb nutrients slowly. Finally,
our stomachs and livers have a low
tolerance for acids which are needed to
digest animal protein. Contrast that with
a tiger - a true carnivore. Their intestine
is only three times longer than their
trunk. Their stomach and liver have high
concentrates of uric acid to help them
break down animal protein. So, even if we
do not become vegetarians, meat should
only be a small portion of our diet.
We might think that this generation is merely
following the tradition of our ancestors
when it comes to eating meat. In reality the
global meat industry has grown dramatically
in recent decades. Between 1963 and
2014 meat production globally has grown
from 78 million tons to 300 million tons.
This amounts to a fourfold increase.1 With
growing prosperity in Asia, meat-eating
has increased in China and India. Experts
believe that with population increase and a
growing appetite for meat, production will
increase by 75 percent by 2050.
According to Damien Carrington in The
Guardian, to reach a healthy level of meat
consumption, citizens of the United States
would have to cut their meat consumption
by two-thirds, while in Britain and Ireland
we should be eating half as much meat as
we do.2
01
Our current effort to produce meat takes
a huge toll on our environment. A total of
40 percent of the world’s land surface is
used to feed the world’s population which
now stands at 7.2 billion. Much of this land
is grazed by cattle, pigs and chickens. One
third of the world’s fresh water is used in
food production. The 75 percent increase
which is expected to take place by 2050
would be disastrous, making it impossible
to keep the increase in the average global
temperature to 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.
Please
remember
the needs
of the
Columban
missions.
Without
your help
we cannot
continue
our work.
While people are aware that transport
and industry contribute hugely to climate
change, most people do not realise that
agriculture is responsible for 25 per cent of
greenhouse gas emissions. Fifteen percent
of greenhouse gases are attributed to the
meat industry globally, because ruminants
produce methane, which is 20 times more
heat retentive than carbon dioxide. This is
more than all the cars, trains, planes and
ships combined.
We are expected to reduce greenhouse
gases in response to the agreement made
at the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC), in Paris in
December 2015. I have pointed out on
numerous occasions the contradiction in
the commitment made by An Taoiseach,
Enda Kenny, in Paris, to be actively involved
in reducing greenhouse gases, while at the
same time planning to increase our bovine
herd in Ireland by 300,000.
An analysis from Glasgow University and
the Chatham House think-tank found that in
12 countries measures to change peoples’
behaviour can be acceptable to the public if
they are seen to promote the common good.
Of course, if there was a concerted effort
to begin to tax our use of meat, the farming
lobby and large multinational agribusiness
corporations would be up in arms. The
average subsidy on livestock in 13 OECD
countries in 2013, was $190 per cow.
There would need to be a huge education
campaign to support initiatives such as
Missionary Society
of St Columban,
Dalgan Park,
Navan, Co. Meath,
C15 H5NA
02
cutting subsidies to livestock farmers.
Farmers would have to be given support to
diversify their food production. v
Any
Old Irish
Currency?
Fr Seán McDonagh, a missionary in the Philippines
for many years, has worked tirelessly to improve the
care of the earth, and has published numerous books.
1 Conor Purcell, “Meat production Big Environmental beef,”
The Irish Times, January 21st 2016, page 12.
2
Damian Carrington, “Tax on meat not too hard to swallow,
study suggests,” The Guardian, November 2nd 2015,
page 11.
01. Grass-fed beef on an Irish farm.
02. Front cover of Pope’s encyclical
on the environment which has a
commentary by Fr Seán McDonagh,
the author of this article (Orbis
Books, April 2016).
To make a comment
on this article go to
www.columban.com
Sincere thanks
to our readers
who have sent their
pre-Euro currency
as a donation for
the missions.
We are most
grateful for
your generosity.
Donations can
be sent to
Missionary Society of
St Columban,
Dalgan Park,
Navan, Co. Meath,
C15 H5NA
MAY/JUNE 2016 –– 15
LATIN AMERICA
My 40 Years in Latin America
02
later, one night during a raid by the army on
our shantytown, with a total blackout and an
army tank parked 20 metres away, I heard a
loud knock at the door.
01
Columban Fr Donald Hornsey has spent over 40 years of priestly life
in Latin America, working in all three countries where the Columbans
have or had a mission. He spoke with the Far East magazine.
“
Perhaps the
busyness of many
people in the
western world
creates an obstacle
to seeing God in
nature, in our lives,
and in others.
”
Tell us about your missionary experience in
Latin America.
I have been very fortunate to work 10 years
in Chile, 17 years in Brazil and 13 years in
Peru. After ordination in 1964 I was sent to
Rome to study Theology and Liturgy. After
that I became a member of the teaching
staff at the Columban Seminary in Sydney
for seven years.
From there, I went on to spend the next
40 years as a missionary to Latin America
where for the first time I came face to face
with people living in poverty. During these
40 years, I have always been impressed
by the deep lifelong friendship which Latin
American people offer you.
Your first experience was in Chile?
After several months of Spanish language
classes in Bolivia, I spent my first three
years in a parish in the Archdiocese of
Santiago, in the Chilean capital. During that
time my mother became ill and died. When
I returned from her funeral in New Zealand
I was met at the airport by a truck load of
parish youth welcoming me back. When the
Columbans decided to open a new mission
in the far north of Chile in the Diocese of
Arica, I volunteered along with two Scottish
Columban priest-associates.
16 –– FAR EAST
On arrival the Bishop offered us a rather
well-off parish which we decided not to
accept. Soon after while walking around the
city, a man yelled out to us from across the
street, “Go up there!” He pointed to a large
shantytown on the side of the large hill that
dominates the city of Arica.
As there was no church presence there and
the people were very poor, we decided to
take this area. We soon settled into our new
home, our ‘maisonette’, a shack similar to
those of our neighbours.
My seven years in Arica coincided with
the earlier years of Chile’s oppressive
military dictatorship. On one occasion
when I joined our shantytown residents in
a protest against the military dictatorship,
an army truck arrived full of soldiers who
soon formed a line in front of us pointing
their rifles at us. Someone said to me,
“Play a song on your guitar, Padre!” I
replied, “I think it is more sensible for us to
remain quiet.” I was denounced in the local
newspaper as a foreign agitator.
When the Columbans decided to open a
new mission in Brazil in 1984, I placed my
name on the list of volunteers even though
I had been very happy in Arica. A short time
Thinking that the army had come to take
me away for interrogation, I said to myself
I am not going to hide, I will open the door.
I opened it and heard a voice which said
to me in Portuguese, “Welcome to Brazil,
Padre”. It was a Brazilian seminarian visiting
Chile who somehow had heard from the
Columbans before I did that I was to be
appointed to Brazil.
You then went to Brazil.
We were divided into two groups. One
group worked in the Archdiocese of
Salvador on the north east coast of Brazil
and the other group, which I joined, worked
1000kms inland in the Diocese of Barreiras.
For the first two years, I lived on the
outskirts of the city of Cristopolis and rode
a push bike 16kms a day to the town of
Bainopolis. During the wet season the only
way to get that bicycle up the steep muddy
slopes was by walking backwards and
pulling the mud-caked bike behind me.
I later moved to Bainopolis, becoming the
first resident priest there. There I spent
eight years organising the church in the
surrounding townships into Christian
communities. I shared the same diet of
beans, rice and tapioca-root as the local
subsistence farmers.
My last seven years in Brazil were spent
working on the outskirts of the city of
Barreiras. There I managed to change my
diet on Sundays at least to boiled potatoes,
a tin of peas and canned sardines.
03
You then moved to Peru after the
Columbans decided to close the
Brazilian mission
At the age of 63, I left the 40 degree night
and day temperatures of Brazil for the night
temperatures of 10 degrees below zero of
the Peruvian Andes mountains. I joined my
fellow New Zealander, Columban Fr Paul
Prendergast, in Sicuani, a Quechua-speaking
area at 3500 metres above sea level.
I now had to learn the language of the local
indigenous people, “Quechua”, in addition
to my Spanish for Chile and Portuguese
for Brazil.
In all of my time in Latin America, this was
probably the place that suited me the most,
due to my rural New Zealand background,
my love of nature, my interest in indigenous
cultures and my desire to work with, and
accompany, the local subsistence Quechua
farmers.
What are the main things you have learnt
during your 40 years in Latin America?
The people of the Andes have taught me to
pray in a contemplative manner. I believe it
is because they spend the entire day up on
the mountainside watching over their llamas
and cattle and are close to nature.
Perhaps the busyness of many people in the
western world creates an obstacle to seeing
God in nature, in our lives, and in others. In
town, when the bank system breaks down,
I go home trying to find something to make
me busy. The local people wait patiently for
the bank to reopen. One can learn so much
from other cultures. v
New Zealand Columban Fr Donald Hornsey has
spent over 40 years in Latin America.
1. A group of community
leaders welcome Fr
Donald to their village.
2. Fr Donald celebrates
Mass for farmers whose
livelihood is under threat.
3. Protestors enjoy a wellearned rest in the shade.
Photos courtesy of the author.
To make a comment
on this article go to
www.columban.com
MAY/JUNE 2016 –– 17
OBITUARIES
REFLECTIONS
Rest in Peace
Fr Geoffrey (Geoff) Revatto died
peacefully in the Columban Nursing Home
in Dalgan on 28th December 2015. Born
on 15 October 1925 at Guileen, Whitegate,
Co. Cork, he was educated at Guileen NS
and at St Colman’s College, Fermoy, Co.
Cork. He came to Dalgan in 1943 and was
ordained priest on 21 December 1949.
In 1988 he was appointed back to Ireland,
where he took up various tasks in the “Far
East” offices. Even as he gradually lost the
use of his legs, he continued to drive in a
specially modified car and to faithfully put in
a day’s work at his desk. By the year 2000
he had to give up that activity also. Geoff
was a quiet, dedicated, patient man who
rarely complained as his health deteriorated
and when even the simplest activities
demanded huge effort. He enjoyed a joke
in the company of fellow-Columbans and
always found ways of contributing to the life
of the community.
May he rest in peace.
Fr Brendan Fahey died peacefully in the
Columban Nursing Home in Dalgan on
24th January 2016. Born on 8th May, 1930,
in Cloonfad Co. Mayo and educated at
Derrylea NS, Cloonfad NS and St Jarlath’s,
Tuam, he joined the Columbans in 1947. He
was ordained on 21 December 1953 and
appointed to Japan. In Japan he ministered in
Wakayama, Chigasaki, and Kisarazu in Chiba
district. He developed great skills in Japanese
language and culture and maintained his links
with people there all his life.
He left Japan for the U.S. in 1978 and took
the opportunity to pursue his interest in
spirituality and spiritual direction. He was
then assigned to Britain and to St Bede’s
Parish in Widnes where he spent ten years.
This was followed by years on the staff of
St Bueno’s Centre for Spirituality in Wales
where his skills as a spiritual director were
highly regarded. Following this, he became
18 –– FAR EAST
Returning to Ireland in 2002, he made
himself available to help out in the Nursing
Home and continued to care for less-abled
colleagues till he needed that level of care
himself. His health deteriorated rapidly in the
last few months. Brendan’s quiet and caring
personality, made him an attractive and
approachable mentor and guide for many
people. He left us with memories of a caring
missionary, with an impish sense of humour,
who introduced many people to the loving
God whom he served so well.
Fr Geoffrey Revatto
Everyday
Faith
www.shutterstock.com
He was assigned to the Philippines and
to the island of Negros. He spent the next
twenty-seven years in various assignments
on that island, including La Castelana,
Sipalay, Ma-ao Central, Dancalan,
Binalbagan and Biscom. He served for three
years on mission promotion in Ireland from
1978 to 1980. Then he was once again
assigned to Negros where he served as
District Bursar in Batang and Cawayan.
pastor of the nearby Parish of Denbigh,
where he spent ten happy years.
May he rest in peace.
Sr Genevieve Blanchfield died peacefully
in Magheramore on February 15, 2016.
She was 91 years old. She grew up in
Killarney, Co. Kerry where she attended
the Presentation Convent School. After
her secondary education she entered the
Columban Convent in Cahiracon, Co.
Clare and made her first vows there in
1943. In the early fifties, she was sent
to California where the Sisters were
involved in education. A natural teacher, Sr
Genevieve, worked tirelessly for the good
of her students, many of them immigrant
children, encouraging them to develop their
talents. She herself took graduate degrees
in Pitsburg and San Francisco.
After thirty years in the US, Genevieve was
sent to the Philippines. With her singleminded dedication and her commitment to
helping people, especially the students, she
soon found herself at home in Columban
College, Ozamis City. Artistic by nature,
her classes were always marked by great
originality. Her tireless work was greatly
appreciated by her students. Genevieve
loved teaching and in sharing this love
with others, she inspired them to greater
commitment.
Her later years were spent in Manila where
she continued with adult education before
finally returning to Ireland. Her gentle manner
endeared her to everyone and she was
seldom without a smile. Genevieve bore
her increasing infirmities with characteristic
patience; she never complained of her
suffering. After a long struggle she died
in the Nursing Home and is buried in the
convent cemetery.
May she rest in peace.
Fr Brendan Fahey
S
Sr Genevieve Blanchfield
ome days when it feels that God is
far from us we may begin to harbour
a real doubt: is there a God at all?
Am I fooling myself giving time day after
day to pray and nothing seems to happen?
Others who don’t believe at all do well,
are happy and live life to the full. Not only
that, everything seems to come their way
whereas I can be beset with troubles of one
kind or another. “How is it,” a woman asked
at a prayer meeting, “that though I really
believe in God and pray to him every day my
family is coming apart? And my neighbour,
who never puts a foot inside the church has
everything going for her?”
This is a situation well known to the
psalmists. “I was envious of the arrogant
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For
they have no pangs, their bodies are sound
and sleek. They are not troubled as others
are, they are not stricken as other people. ...
People praise them and find no fault in them.
And they say ‘How can God know?’ ... All in
vain have I kept my heart clean and washed
my hands in innocence. For all day long I
have been stricken, and chastened every
morning ...” (Ps 73)
We may feel like the psalmist, bitter over our
fate especially when we see the pleasant life
others have without God. But in the end the
man recovered his balance and in an act of
great faith he understood that, “My flesh and
my heart may fail, but God is the strength
of my heart and my portion forever.” We too,
deep in our hearts know that this is the truth;
like a homing pigeon we keep coming back
to God. “For God alone my soul waits in
silence, my hope is from him” (Ps 62).
We will find strength and hope in these
psalms, the inspired word of God, in times
of bleakness, times of doubt. No matter how
dreadful, how painful our situation the Lord
really is with us. “Trust him and He will act”
(Ps 37). Leave it to God and in the meantime
pay attention to those little moments of
grace which come gently throughout your
day. St Ignatius said that grace is “delicate,
delightful. It may be compared to a drop
of water penetrating a sponge.” The very
gentleness of the Holy Spirit in our lives
may not be noticed at all unless we make a
habit of naming the good things that come
our way. Little things mostly, like small brush
strokes, but full of blessings. To note these
and to give thanks is to deepen our faith and
our relationship with God.
God is found, as St Teresa of Avila said,
“among the pots and pans.” No need to go
looking for him in ‘special’ places; He is by
your side. We can take each task, no matter
how uncongenial, as an opportunity to say
‘Yes’ to God in our lives. As one writer put it,
“ordinary tasks carry a kind of redemption.”
Making the tea, writing that report, listening
to your teenager, doing the laundry – here
you will find Him waiting for you because
as scripture says: “You are precious in my
eyes” (Is 43), - whether or not you are full of
doubt. v
S.R.T.
“
No need to go
looking for him in
‘special’ places;
He is by your
side. We can
take each task,
no matter how
uncongenial, as
an opportunity to
say ‘Yes’ to God
in our lives.
”
To make a comment
on this article go to
www.columban.com
MAY/JUNE 2016 –– 19
BIBLE STORY
Bible Quiz No. 57
1. In Acts ch. 8, who asked Philip, “Why shouldn’t
I be baptised?”
......................................................................................
2. In Genesis ch. 50, who said to his brothers, “I
am about to die, but God will surely come to
your aid and take you up out of this land?”.
.......................................................................................
3. “Go make the tomb as secure as you can”:
who in Matthew ch. 27 gave this instruction?
........................................................................................
4. In Deuteronomy ch. 31, who told the Israelites,
“At 120 years old I am no longer able to lead
you”?
........................................................................................
5. In Acts ch. 7, who said while being stoned,
“Look I see the heavens open and the Son of
Man standing at the right side of God”?
........................................................................................
6 In Numbers ch. 22, which king of Moab said,
“A whole nation has just arrived from Egypt,
they cover the face of the land”?
........................................................................................
7. In Acts 16, who said to Paul, “The magistrates
have ordered that you and Silas be released”?
........................................................................................
8. In Acts ch. 27, who urged his travelling
companions, “Have something to eat I beg you
your lives depend on it”?
..........................................................................................
Consult your Bible, answer the questions
above and send your entry to: Bible Quiz
No. 57 St Columban’s, Navan, Co. Meath,
C15 H5NA, before 30th June 2016.
Book vouchers for the first three correct
entries received.
Name:
Address:
Age:
Bible Quiz No 55 Winners: Mairead Porter, Raphoe,
Co. Donegal; Stéphane de Bairéid, Enniskerry, Co.
Wicklow and Elaine Masterston, Birr, Co. Offaly.
20 –– FAR EAST
Saints for our Times
“I do not intend to work just for my own eternal
salvation, closing my eyes to the people around me”.
Satoko Kitahara, “The Mary of Ants Town” (1929-1958).
Satoko Kitahara was raised in an affluent Tokyo suburb. Her
father was a professor, a position of considerable status.
They all suffered during World War II, her father was drafted
into the army, her brother died, while Satoko collapsed with
tuberculosis. She survived the firebombing of Tokyo, but in the
wake of her country’s defeat and revelations of its war crimes,
she suffered a crisis of meaning. Her younger sister had
enrolled in a Catholic school run by the Mercedarian Sisters.
When Satoko asked one of the Sisters about the meaning
of life, she was encouraged to study the Catholic faith. This
eventually led to her Baptism, to the dismay of her family.
Around this time she read an article about a shanty-town of
homeless squatters who supported themselves by collecting
recyclable scrap and rubbish. They called themselves “Ants
Town”. Satoko decided to go and see for herself; she was
profoundly shocked by their poverty. However she found
the people hard-working and was attracted to the idea of
helping them. At night she would return to her affluent home.
Eventually her father challenged her concept of charity. His
words left her speechless: it seemed as if Christ himself had
spoken through this unbeliever. Next day she joined some
children begging from door to door and searching trash cans.
Shortly after this her recurring tuberculosis forced her to leave
her work at Ants Town for six months.
Upon recovering, she told her family she wanted to go and
live there permanently. To her surprise the leaders of the
community opposed this, fearing that the harsh conditions
would kill her. Though deeply hurt at their refusal, Satoko
entrusted herself to the will of God. But, as her condition
deteriorated, her doctor suggested that she should be
allowed to follow her heart’s desire. The leaders agreed: she
would probably die in Ants Town but at least she would die
happy. In fact, so moved were they by Satoko’s faith and her
devotion to the poor that two of the principal leaders asked to
be baptised.
With this issue we continue our
series of stories from the Bible.
Joseph sees his family again
F
or seven years, there was plenty of food. Joseph was put in charge of making sure
that grain was stored carefully all over Egypt. Then came seven years without rain.
Many regions went hungry, but not Egypt, and soon people started travelling to
Egypt to buy food. Amongst them were Joseph’s elder brothers.
Joseph knew them at once. But they did not recognise him.
Joseph accused them of being spies. They assured him they were not, but Joseph kept
one brother as hostage and told the others to return home and fetch their youngest
brother, to prove their story was true. It was just a trick so that Joseph could see his
brother Benjamin again.
The next time the brothers came to Egypt, they brought Benjamin with them. Joseph hid
a silver cup inside the bag that Benjamin carried. Then, when the brothers tried to leave
the palace, he had them arrested. Benjamin was ordered to remain in Egypt as a slave.
“That would break our father Jacob’s heart,” said the brothers. “Take one of us instead.”
Joseph could not hide his secret from them any longer. Overcome with tears
of joy, he told his brothers who he was, and begged them to hurry home to
fetch their father, Jacob.
So it was that Jacob and his whole family came to live in Egypt, joyfully
reunited with Joseph. The people of God lived in Egypt for many years,
and Jacob’s twelve sons eventually became the ancestors of the
twelve tribes of Israel.
Read also Chapters 42-47
Illustration by Val Biro, from One Hundred Bible Stories for Children
published by Award Publications Ltd.
Meanwhile the city was making plans to evict the ragpickers.
Satoko said that if they attempted this she would sit in front
of city hall fasting and praying until they relented, or she died.
One of the city officials was so touched by her witness that
he personally arranged for an alternative site under financial
terms that the ragpickers could afford. The leaders credited
this victory to Satoko’s prayers. Now, they said, was time to
pray for her recovery. She refused adamantly to hear of this
and so they concluded that she had offered her life for the
people of Ants Town. The next day she slipped into a coma
and died at the age of twenty-nine.
To read more, see Blessed Among All Women by Robert Ellsberg,
The Crossroad Publishing Company, New York, 2005.
MAY/JUNE 2016 –– 21
KIDZONE
Pontius’s Puddle
Jazzy Jellyfish
By Elizabeth McArdle
www.shutterstock.com
light and this may also help them to
attract prey or distract predators. If
we could keep jellyfish in our homes,
they would emit light and think of
all the money we would save on
electricity.
J
ellyfish first appeared in the fossil
record about 650 million years
ago and are in every ocean on
the planet from surface waters to the
deep sea. Some are also found in
freshwater.
Pudsy’s Diry
A new prieest kem to our class an he
was tellin us that people can say their
prayers in lots of difrent ways like some
while they are workin or walkin or even
ridin their bikes. Theres no need to be
always kneelin down he sed but some
do that too. Then he sed any qwestions
An nobody said anythin for a long time
then I put up my hand and sed our Uncle
Edward sez his prayers kneelin down in
front of Humphrey and wavin a spanner
at the same time and one time I asked
him what he was doin and he sed he was
sayin his prayers. And the new priest
said this is very intrestin and who is this
Humphrey you are tellin us about. And I
said Humphrey is the traktor and when
it wont start our Uncle Edward has to
kneel in front of it with a spanner and
saying somethin at the same time. An the
priest sed as I was sayin difrent peeple
have difrent ways an no doubt Humphrey
starts then. And I sed yes father; but I
didnt say the prayers were not like what
we had to learn in skool......
Ha! Ha!
1. Why did the turkey cross the road?
2. Why are teddy bears never hungry?
3. Why do French people like to eat snails?
4. What kind of tree can fit into your hand?
5. What kind of table can you eat?
A Gaelic Proverb
Ní scéal rúin é ó tá a fhios ag triúr é.
It is not a secret if it is known to three persons.
Competition Winners - January/February 2016
Colpaint Winners
6. What’s the only school where you have to drop
out to graduate?
6. Skydiving school!
5. A vege-table!
4. A palm tree!
3. Because they don’t like fast food!
2. They are always stuffed!
1. To prove he wasn’t chicken!
22 –– FAR EAST
Win a prize for writing a
corrected version of Pudsy’s
Diry and send it to Pudsy’s Diry,
St Columban’s, Navan,
Co. Meath, C15 H5NA,
before 30th June 2016.
Under 8: 1st Olivia McBride, Coleraine, Northern Ireland.
2nd Calum Morrissey, Ballytruckle, Waterford.
3rd Nicole Condron, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co. Leitrim.
Scientists have popularized the terms
jellies or sea jellies because jellyfish
are not fish at all. Since they are
composed of 90% water, floating is
easy for them and they can float for
miles and miles waiting for a meal
to come to them. Their nearly clear
bodies which blend into the water,
plus their slow movements, make
jellyfish almost invisible. And meals
do come their way because they
are remarkably efficient predators,
able to stun and kill their prey with
stinging cells called nematocysts.
Each cell contains a tiny harpoon
which, when triggered by touch or
movement, shoots into the prey and
delivers a toxin. Many jellyfish have
bioluminescent organs which emit
What is most amazing is that all of
this is done without a brain. Jellyfish
do not have brains but rather have a
loose network of nerves called the
nerve net. These nerve nets sense
changes in the environment and
coordinate the jellies’ responses. This
would be the same as you or I having
to live our lives and survive with our
heads chopped off.
Jellyfish have been around for a very
long time (long before the dinosaurs),
therefore God must have a special
place in His heart for these very old
friends. If you look them up on the
internet their wonders and colours
will definitely give you the wobbles.
Colpaint
Colour the drawing and send it
with your name and address to:
COLPAINT, St Columban’s,
Navan, Co. Meath, C15 H5NA,
before 30th June 2016.
Prizes for under and over age 8. Don’t
forget, if you also send a corrected
version of Pudsy’s Diry, you’ll have
another chance to win a prize.
Name:
Address:
8 and Over: 1st Damien Finnerty, Gort, Co. Galway.
2nd Gráinne Casey, Bruff, Co. Limerick.
3rd Ciara Dempsey, Carrigeen, Co. Kilkenny.
Pudsy’s Diry
Bridget Sheehan, Killarney, Co. Kerry.
Age:
MAY/JUNE 2016 –– 23
Burial of a Woman
of The Old Stock
Down along the ebbing laneway
lurching to the graveyard and the sea
they shouldered Annie’s coffin.
It was varnished like a new canoe.
More people than she ever knew
came to see the launching.
Half a cable inland from the shore
lay the hulk of a battered church:
two centuries before the English gunners
gave their corvine kin an entrance
her people roofed it for the psalter.
When the bearers bowed and went inside,
the walls stood up erect;
then they placed her coffin on the trestles
in the very chancel, of all sacred places:
it was the same as setting up an altar.
The mourners entered and at once
stepped out of the footwear of their talk
and stood in silence. Through the window
slender as a lance Longinus peered,
and on the ground next to the open grave
there was a mound of fine grained earth
the sainted powder of four hundred years.
There are strong farmers buried in a bog
and bishops inside concrete bunkers.
Outside the ring of friends
outside the folded arms of church
there was a third enclosure.
This was a lios of circling fog
a rath enclosing as raths always did
people and cattle, life and death.
Beyond it, there was no world to be seen;
within it, was a world of reverence
and at the centre of that quiet world
there was a coffin, an altar, a canoe
and a woman of the old stock, through and through.
Jerome Kiely
Swallows in December
Trafford Publishing (UK) Ltd, 2005
Reprinted with permission