Make of the world one family

Xaverian Mission
Volume 62 - No. 4 |November 2014

Newsletter

www.xaviermissionaries.org Mission Blog: www.global-catholic.org

Life Consecrated to Mission....................6-7

Papal Message for World Mission Day ..........2

Ebola Emergency in Sierra Leone ...............3
Love that Surpasses All Boundaries ............4
Interfaith Conference ................................5
By the Cry of a Child .................................9
World & US Province News ...................11-12

Fr. Patrick Santiaez Salazar SX in Sierra Leone

World Mission Day Message

World Mission
Day
X averian Missionaries

Excerpt from the Message

from Pope Francis

Provincial Headquarters
12 Helene Court
Wayne, NJ 07470-2813
Tel.: (973) 942-2975
Fax: (973) 942-5012
Email:

orld Mission Day is celebrated

every year in every country
wherever there are Catholics
committed to building a better world for
all of Gods people, a world where everyone has all they need to live a dignified
and fulfilling life. On this day, we reflect
on the urgency to proclaim the Gospel in
our times. This year World Mission Day
[was] Sunday October 19, 2014.

missionmedia@xaviermissionaries.org

Xavier Knoll Mission Center

4500 Xavier Drive
Franklin, WI 53132-9066
Tel.: (414) 421-0831
Fax: (414) 421-9108
Email:

franklin@xaviermissionaries.org

Global Youth Mission Services

(theGYM)
Fatima Shrine
101 Summer Street
P.O. Box 5857
Holliston, MA 01746-5857
Tel.: (508) 429-2144
Fax: (508) 429-4793
Email:

Dear Brothers and Sisters

...All the members of the Church are
called to participate in this mission, for
Fr. Walter Parise SX Baptizing in Brazil
the Church is missionary by her very nature:
she was born to go forth. World Mission
Day is a privileged moment when the faithful of various continents engage in prayer
and concrete gestures of solidarity in support of the young Churches in mission lands.
It is a celebration of grace and joy. A celebration of grace, because the Holy Spirit,
sent by the Father, offers wisdom and strength to those who are obedient to his
action. A celebration of joy, because Jesus Christ, the Fathers Son, sent to evangelize the world, supports and accompanies our missionary efforts...

holliston@xaviermissionaries.org

Xaverian Mission Newsletter

Official publication of the

Xaverian Missionaries
of the United States

Publisher
Fr. Carl Chudy

...On this World Mission Day my thoughts turn to all the local Churches. Let us not be
robbed of the joy of evangelization! I invite you to immerse yourself in the joy of the
Gospel and nurture a love that can light up your vocation and your mission. I urge
each of you to recall, as if you were making an interior pilgrimage, that first love
with which the Lord Jesus Christ warmed your heart, not for the sake of nostalgia
but in order to persevere in joy. The Lords disciples persevere in joy when they
sense his presence, do his will and share with others their faith, hope, and evangelical charity. Let us pray through the intercession of Mary, the model of humble and
joyful evangelization, that the Church may become a welcoming home, a mother for
all peoples and the source of rebirth for our world

Communications Board
Fr. Carl Chudy SX
Fr. Tony Lalli SX
Fr. Rocco Puopolo SX
Fr. Aniello Salicone SX
Editor
Mary Aktay
Printing
AlphaGraphics, Totowa, NJ
Email & Web:

missionmedia@xaviermissionaries.org
Website: www.xaviermissionaries.org
St. Guido site: www.guidoconforti.com
Mission blog: www.global-catholic.org
www.facebook.com/catholicmissionaries
www.twitter.com/worldcatholic

To read the entire message go to:

http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/missions/documents/
papa-francesco_20140608_giornata-missionaria2014.html

Donation: $5.00 per year

Join in the Joy of Evangelization with the Xaverian Missionaries

Contact
Increa
your im se
Fr. Frank Grappoli, SX
pact!
If your
emplo
12 Helene Court
yer
ha s a
Wayne, NJ 07470
Gift P Matching
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contrib ram your
Tel: 973-942-2975
u
Or visit: www.xaviermissionaries.org for online donations

Xaverian Mission Newsletter November 2014

tio
b e d o u n ca n
bled.

Xaverian Missionaries in the World

Ebola Emergency in Sierra Leone

akeni and Port Loko are two districts in Sierra Leone hardest hit by the rapidly advancing Ebola virus. The small
hospital of Yele in the Diocese of Makeni was quarantined because some people died of Ebola. The two doctors
directing the hospital, members of a Dutch NGO, returned to their country.

The virus spreads because many people dont believe it is a medical issue
and continue to think it is a matter of witchcraft. For example a sick
man was brought to a clinic where the nurse determined that he had
contracted Ebola. She alerted his family, and called the authorities.
When the ambulance came to pick up the sick, almost all of the people
had fled into the forest and had carried the man with them. Think of all
who potentially will be affected by this action?
The situation may seem to be out of control. However there are efforts
at the national level to limit travel to riskier areas and train personnel to
track possible cases of infection and keep them under observation. But
the situation caused by the epidemic remains very critical. Anxiety and
tension are everywhere. More concrete help is needed, especially for
families in quarantine. Churches are collecting cash for food, which is
distributed to families in need.
Throughout the country there are only three laboratories specialized in
Ebola. A blood sample taken in Makeni must be sent 120 miles to
Freetown and takes at least three days to get the results. It would be
very useful to have a laboratory to test for Ebola in Makeni.
What stresses us most as missionaries is the realization that we can do
little to defeat the virus. But we can combat it. We are working with the
authorities and other organizations in the fight against the virus and in
the support of people stricken, or who are at risk of contagion. These
are the actions that we have undertaken:

Prepare people to go into the villages to raise awareness of people to prevent infection;
Provide disinfectants.
Provide appropriate clothing to protect staff and provide medicines to the sick in hospitals.
Bring food to quarantined families and
Help families who have lost loved ones due to the Ebola virus.

Fr. Natale Paganelli

is Administrator
of the Diocese
of Makeni and Fr.
Carlo Di Sopra is
Provincial Superior
of the Xaverians in
Sierra Leone

We are grateful to the Xaverian Leadership for having sent funds to provide for necessities, but we
want to make an appeal to all to help in this desperate attempt to stop the deadly virus. We ask everyone to remember
in their prayers to the Divine Physician in this perilous time, our people, missionaries and medical personnel. Thank you.
~Fr. Natale Paganelli SX and Fr. Carlo Di Sopra, SX

Xaverian Mission Newsletter November 2014

Xaverian Missionaries in the World

A Love that Surpasses All Boundaries

Excerpted from the Letter from the General Directorate of the Missionary Sisters of Mary to the
Congregation on the murder of the Xaverian Missionary Sisters in Burundi, Africa: Lucia Pulici XMM,
75, Olga Raschietti XMM, 82, and Bernadetta Boggian XMM, 79

We

seek to provide
comfort; and
encourage all of us
to unite the pain caused by the murder of Olga, Bernadetta and Lucy
with the pain of all those who suffer
violence throughout the world, often
anonymously and forgotten yet in
communion with the Lord Jesus.
So many memories crowd our minds.
We thank the Lord for giving us these
sisters. We have enjoyed their fraternity and friendship; and have witnessed their passion for Jesus and
the Gospel to the poor. All three,
despite advanced age and frail health,
had ardently desired to return to
Africa.
Olga preserved a great apostolic zeal.
She loved to meet people on the
street, visiting families and elderly
people who were unable to travel to
the parish to receive the sacraments.

Lucia discovered that what mattered

most was her life given with joy to
the Lord for the mission, charity and
prayer. She was committed to serving
the community, welcoming people,
caring for the poor and sick and participating in parish ministries.
Bernadetta had the gift of bringing all
people together with simplicity and
tenderness. Her smile greeted all who
approached her. For years she was
the superior and participated in the
life of the Christian community,
accompanying young people in the
Parish School, always attentive to the
needs of the poorest.
Beautiful testimony was given by the
Xaverian priests of Kamenge, where
our sisters collaborated: Its three
sisters, said Fr. Claudio Marano in an
interview to Vatican Radio, who have
lived and given their lives for Africa
Fr. Mario Pulcini stated: Sister Lucy
cared for thousands of patients; did
an amazing
job for the
parish, for
the Church,
and was very
well supported by the
people. Sister
Olga had
worked many
years in
Congo in catechesis, in
pastoral work
of teaching
and had a great feeling for the sick. Sister
Bernadetta, who was
superior for several
years, and in the general direction, devoted herself especially
to the sewing school
for girls. This is a
great loss for us, for
the Church in Burundi,

Xaverian Mission Newsletter November 2014

the DRC and Africa.

Now the bodies of our sisters rest in
Bukavu alongside other missionaries in
the land which they loved and where
they lived most of their years.
Through their deaths our sisters are
forcefully proclaiming to the whole
world the beauty and boldness of love
that surpasses all boundaries. They
feel young and alive more than ever,
even though we lack their physical
presence.
The sacrifice of our sisters has painfully shocked us and made us experience
once again our littleness. We have the
ability and grace to believe that when
the grain of wheat falls to the ground,
it dies and then bears much fruit. We
can witness to people that the Holy
Spirit has planted in our hearts hope
and forgiveness.
Olga, Bernadetta and Lucy have participated in the passion of the Lord
Jesus. They are for us missionaries living icons that put their trust in the
Lord in a constant effort to get out of
themselves to accept and go toward
the other, abundant with spirit and
good heart.
Pope Francis was struck by the tragic
death of our sisters and expressed
the hope that the blood shed
becomes the seed of hope for building
an authentic fraternity among peoples.
In communion among us, with Fr.
James Spagnolo SX and Mother
Celestina Bottega, with all the sisters
who have preceded us in heaven, we
continue the journey with faith in him
who has loved us first and who gave
his life for us. Mary, mother of hope
accompany us. We continue to feel
united in affection and prayer.
~Sister

Giordana
Bertacchini XMM and Sisters
of the General Directorate

Xaverian Missionaries in the USA

Diversity not as a threat, but as

gift to be received with
gratitude

THE 26TH ANNUAL NAIN CONNECT CONFERENCE

hesitant at the beginning, being new

he Inter-Faith Leadership
to the group, I become more confident
Council of Metropolitan Detroit
hosted the 26th North American and at ease as we were progressing,
and found myself among friends and at
Interfaith Network (NAIN) Connect
home at the end.
Conference, Bridging Borders and
Boundaries, on the Wayne State
Thumbing through the booklet and the
University campus this past summer.
various messages of welcome and the
Participants listed 46 different
conference sponsors, I noticed that,
religious affiliations, representing
seemingly, leaders of the great historian impressive cross-section of North
cal religions were missing at the ConferAmericas religious thought and
ence. It was regrettable since events
spiritual identity. I had the privilege
of this kind are a golden opportunity
of attending it as
to gain better
the representative ...the reality, God/Divine, we knowledge and
of the Xaverian
understanding
Missionaries, and try to describe, defies words.
of each other.
it was quite a
The patient
memorable experience.
weaving of connections that made the
There were two mornings of interacConference possible was done at grass
tive workshops which included topics root level, by the so -called laity. It
such as: Exploring values that bridge
turned out to be a blessing in disguise
boundaries; Spirituality and meditasince the discussions became more
tion; Welcoming the stranger.
informal and cordial.
In the afternoon we had site visits
In the course of the conversations
showcasing the city of Detroit and its there were no attempts at proselyting,
rich tapestry of faith communities.
only the witness to the personal faithIt was good to see how our shared
beliefs and the desire to clarify and
values, and interesting differences,
dispel possible misrepresentations and
can become means to build vibrant
prejudices.
communities where people of differTalks over a cup of coffee during breaks
ent religions and creeds can live in
became a precious way of collecting
friendship, side by side.
information and beginning new friendFocusing in particular on the area of
ships.
education, Prof. Robert Bruttell, of
There were moments of silent prayer.
Religious Studies at the University of
In the deep silence which enveloped us,
Detroit Mercy and Chair of Interfaith
we came to realize how silent-prayer
Leadership of Metropolitan Detroit,
can help people to connect at a very
noticed how very few people know
deep level, deeper than any verbal
much about other peoples religions,
discussion. This powerful experience
and more lamentable, how most
made me wish that, alongside with the
people in the United States know so
time dedicated to sharing and bondlittle about their own religious tradiing, equal amount of time should be
tions. This religious illiteracy, as he given to listening and silence.
calls this phenomenon, is making it
Failure to listen leads to judgment,
difficult for us to live together.
prejudice and fear. Also the reality,
The Conference looked like more of
God/Divine, we try to describe, defies
a reunion of old friends than of a
words.
formal Symposium. A bit nervous and We are aware how between Creator

and creature no similitude can be

expressed without implying an even
greater dissimilitude (Catechism of
the Catholic Church); and concerning
God, we cannot grasp what he/she is,
but rather only what he/she is not.
Believers can only point at, not describe, this reality. The best way to
honor it is silence; at this stage it is
no longer a silence of ignorance, but
a silence of fullness. It is like wanting to describe the fragrance of a
rose, in the words of late Fr. Anthony
De Mello. It is simply impossible.
The various speakers also tried to
dispel prejudices emphasizing what
unites us as far more than that which
could divide us, recommitting themselves to the pursuit of peace. With
so much violence in our current
headlines, it is important that people
of all faith orientations support peace
and justice. It is necessary that all
factions in the bloody conflicts across
our globe should be urged by believers to work out peaceable and just
solutions.
At the end of the Conference we realized how two full days are too short
a time to tackle problems of this
caliber, nevertheless we had taken
one more baby step in the journey
towards that peace which is the aim
of all religions.
The journey ahead of us is long and
it can be covered only one step at a
time.

Fr. Michael Davitti SX

Xaverian Mission Newsletter November 2014

I want to say one word to you and this word is joy.

Wherever consecrated people are, there is always joy!.
~Pope Francis

Life

Consecrated
to Mission

ope Francis is dedicating 2015 as the Year for Consecrated

Life, emphasizing the gift of religious life in the Church
today. Historically, since the 300s AD, religious life has
continually grown and developed in response to crisis of
the day and each religious congregation or order offers a specific
charism or purpose which is meant to answer the deepest needs of
humanity.
For us Xaverian Missionaries, our religious life and lifelong
dedication to the global mission of the Church are inextricably
intertwined. The Gospel we share against the backdrop of the
Kingdom of God is the Good News embodied in Jesus Christ;
the most fitting and radical proposal in the search for solutions
to the most serious problems afflicting humanity. We have
been called and gathered into community to give ourselves
totally to share the compassion and mercy of Christ across
cultural and faith boundaries.
Opening new vistas for new Christian communities in places
where they never existed before, assisting young, struggling
dioceses in Latin America, Africa, and Asia are key to our
consecration and our commitment to the Churchs mission. In
particular today, in view of the enormous pluralism of faiths
worldwide, we also seek ways to connect the Catholic Church
with those of other faiths, or no faith at all, in meaningful
engagement, interfaith and intercultural dialogue. We strive to
promote the common values of the Kingdom through a fraternal
and qualified dialogue of faith and life.

Background: Fr. Patrick Santiaez Salazar SX

Profession of Vows in Sierra Leone

~Fr. Carl Chudy SX

Xaverian Missionaries in Community and

Ministry:
Left to right from top left: US Provincial Council
& the Franklin WI Community, Fr. Salvador Cruz
Rojo in NJ, Fr. Michael Davitti in the Philippines,
Fr. Adolph Menndez in El
Salvador, Fr. Frank Grappoli
in Sierra Leone, Sister Susana
Miranda Jimenez renewing vows, Fr. Martin Alikeke
Ndemsou SX ordained in
Cameroon, Fr. Tony Lalli in
Brazil, Fr. Rocco Puopolo
meeting Pope John Paul II, Fr.
Joe Matteucig in Taiwan and
Fr. Mark Marangone in Colombia. Opposite page: Fr. Carl
Chudy in the Philippines, the
Xaverian fathers and sisters in
Massachusetts

Xaverian Spirituality

Merry Christmas from the Xaverian Missionaries!

8

Xaverian Mission Newsletter November 2014

Christmas Reflection

...By The Cry of a Child...

onight therell be rejoicing in

the village,
the one time in the year
when Holy Mass will be
celebrated there.
But . . . its getting late,
and our guide has delayed
much beyond the time we agreed on . . .

I know the way to the village.

Ive come by here before.
So reassuringly spoken,
my words do hide, though, a reticent
doubt.
We leave the jeep in a clearing of the
forest,
Sister and I, and set out on the path
that opens before us.
Its wide and inviting,
and it does look familiar . . .
We are soon drenched in sweat.
The tree-cover that protects us
from the noonday sun
also encloses us in the heavy humid
heat of the Amazon forest.
The afternoon moves forward,
and the path wanders and meanders
and it thins out
as it continues to diverge in sundry
branches
like the vein that distributes itself
into new and ever thinner capillaries . . .
Familiar signs are gone.
My assurance wanes into mounting fear;
worry comes to the fore,
no longer hiding its chiding faces.
-
. . . We are lost! . . .
The sun will soon set.
(In the equator, six oclock is its bed
time) .
We have already turned around
to retrace our steps . . . , we think!.
But by now every path looks the same,

no longer obvious,
and nothing marks our passage.
We have seen no hut,
and sense no sign of human presence.
Night in the Amazon forest
can be frightening
to those who are strangers to it.
In the growing darkness
every little movement startles,
and not even the croaking cacophony
of the myriads of frogs
eases the overpowering silence.
The mere thought of passing the night
balancing on hammocks strung
high up between two trees
crushes our last ounce of courage.
Up there,
safe from the ground-stalking animals,
wed be open and juicy targets
for the fierce mosquitoes, numberless,
to gorge themselves
on our enticing flesh and blood.
. . . Sister weeps, silently! . . .
But, lo! . . . a childs cry, distant;
In the forest sound travels far . .
We strain to heart it at first
as our hearts skip a beat and
grabs at the welcome cry
with hope uplifted.
We follow its direction,
our way more laborious for the hurry
and the darkness.
Low-lying branches and thorny bushes
brush us, to caress and to wound;
fallen trees become stumbling blocks,
bridges over muddy trails,
and support lest we slip in the swampy
bogs.
Our hearts sink when the child stops
crying,
and pray that, this night,
only this night,

his sleep be restless . . .,for our sake!

And it is . . .
(Oh, bless you, little child,
dream of dragons tonight and cry,
throw us that lasso on which
to hang our slipping hopes
pull in our faltering steps! . . .)
The night is no longer young
when, led by the childs cries,
we reach his fathers hut. At last! . . .
Astounded as the man is
at seeing us at this hour
and in a sorry state,
he cant stop embracing us
overcome with care,
as only a prodigals father can be.
We too cry tears of joy, Father and
Sister,
shepherds lost, in search
of the sheep entrusted to our care.
We are home,
Here in the hut of Maria and Jose,
led by the cry of their child.
(Oh, dream now of mothers breast,
blessed little savior.
What would your name be?) . . .
Brothers and sisters,
In all that takes your time and
attention,
that tarries you and frightens you,
in the doubts and the darkness
that may overwhelm you,
and in the joys that uplift your spirits,
may you hear, deep and sure in your
hearts,
the Cry of the Child, the Savior,
who comes to lead you and me,
lost sheep and shepherds,
to Our Fathers Home.

Fr. Tony Lalli, SX

Photo;: Mother and child in another part of the
Xaverian world family, Indonesia by Fr. Angelo
Costalonga SX

Xaverian Mission Newsletter November 2014

World Mission News Digest

World Mission News Digest

AFRICA/
SIERRA
LEONE
Ebola Emergency:
on October 4 in
just 24 hours 121
deaths and 81
new cases were
recorded

Freetown (Agenzia
Fides) - As the World
Health Organization
Fr. Patrick Santiaez SX with students in
updates the data on
Sierra Leone in happier times.
the victims of Ebola in
West Africa, Doctors
with Africa (CUAMM) sent
two Italian surgeons
to help the other 4
present in Pujehun who
coordinate a group of
about 200 local health
providers. It is like an
irrepressible obsession
Xaverian Missionaries in Brazil
that will not abandon
you and does not
give you peace. You do not
see it, but it is everywhere
and chases and persecutes
you, said Dr. Potuto, one
of the surgeons. The data
is increasingly negative.
Cases increase without
social inequality, gender or
generation. The victims are
Black Nazarene Celebration in the Philip- men and women, children and
pines
elders, clerics and laity, rich
and poor, peasants and city
dwellers. Everyone seeks a sign of hope,
a positive sign, a simple perspective: to
return to a normal life, with dignity,
at peace with nature.
Dr. Bottecchia, the other surgeon,
stated: It is a disoriented country,
the presence of Ebola is everywhere,
as soon as you step off a plane one
is greeted by chlorinated water to
wash your hands, material information
about the infection are handed out
and there are health check points
just after customs controls. In more

10 Xaverian Mission Newsletter November 2014

peripheral areas such as Pujehun, the

roads linking a number of small towns
scattered throughout the area are at
the limit of viability. CUAMM continues
to support the two isolation centers,
one hospital in Pujehun, the other in
Zimmi.

AMERICA/BRAZIL
Missionary Campaign 2014:
One cannot combat human
trafficking without combatting poverty and inequality

Brasilia (Agenzia Fides) The October

2014 Missionary Campaign theme was
Mission to Liberate focusing on the
tragedy of human trafficking. Bishop
Sergio Arthur Braschi, President of the
Episcopal Commission for Missionary
Action of the Brazilian Catholic Bishops
Conference (CNBB), spoke of the
presence of missionaries, religious men
and women, priests, lay people and
young people who work with many
victims of human trafficking in its
various forms, and stressed that these
are the slaves of our time. Commission
member Sister Irene Lopes spoke
about the presence of missionaries
in the Amazon and their unique and
decisive work. Waking the missionary
consciousness was the first task of
the Commission for the Amazon in
recent years but in 2014 we took this
concrete commitment to combat human
trafficking because unfortunately it is
happening in this area of the Amazon.
She explained that human trafficking
is an old phenomenon in the area,
which has deep roots and is related to
the labor market that, in the name of
profit, sees everything as a commodity.
One cannot combat human trafficking
without combatting poverty and
socioeconomic and cultural inequality.

ASIA/PHILIPPINES
Mercy and Compassion is
the theme of the Popes
visit

Manila (Agenzia Fides) - The theme

that will mark Pope Francis visit

in the Philippines (from 15 to 19
January 2015) is mercy and compassion announced the Catholic
Bishops Conference of the
Philippines. The Philippine Church
has also launched a website (www.
papalvisit.ph) dedicated entirely to
the event, which contains all the
necessary information and will
monitor all aspects of the Popes
visit.
With the presence of the Pope, the
God of mercy and compassion
comes close to us, said Bishop
Mylo Vergara, President of the
Episcopal Commission for Social
Communication This is a great
blessing for the Church in the
Philippines. Pope Francis visit can
be considered a visit from God to
the Filipino people, in need of His
mercy and compassion.
The Bishops urge the faithful to
prepare themselves through the
words of Francis, and be apostles
through mass media: We try to
make ours the Popes messages,
quotes, apostolic exhortations on
the subject of mercy and compassion. Through social media we can
collect and share them with others.
Secondly, we invite the faithful to
use what we gather and receive on
the teaching of Pope Francis as a
matter of reflection, prayer and
action. In this way, mass media
and social networks can become a
powerful tool for us to practice
works of mercy such as visiting
prisoners, the sick and the elderly,
especially showing compassion
towards the poor.

News from our USA Communities

News from our USA Communities

FRANKLIN
CELEBRATES 51ST
BANQUET
On Friday, October 17 the Xaverian
fathers in Franklin celebrated the
51st Mission Banquet with their
friends and benefactors.
The big hall of the Italian Community Center of Milwaukee was chosen.
Mrs. Linda Gonia, the secretary of
the Franklin Community, and her
husband Greg welcomed and assigned
the seats to the 371 guests. The
youngest guest was the 3 month old
Henry Smith, and the oldest one was
98 year old Sr. Mary of the Sisters of
Saint Joan Antida.
The atmosphere was joyful and
friendly with tasty food, libations,
games and a silent auction. Fr. Alejandro Gomes Rodriguez, who likes to
be called Fr. Alex, gave the key note
speech on missionary cooperation.
The annual Arthur Vander Heyden
Award was given to the Knights of
Columbus and Ladies Auxiliaries of
the South Milwaukee Council 1709.
The Oral auction concluded the celebration. And everybody went home
smiling and happy!

~ Fr. Aniello Salicone SX

HOLLISTON HOSTS
62ND CELEBRATION
On Saturday October 4th, we gathered with friends and benefactors to
celebrate our 62nd Annual Mission
Banquet! Once again we express our
gratitude to Msgr. Timothy Moran
for welcoming us to the St. Josephs
Parish Center, Medway, MA. This
years banquet was a celebration of
the presence of the Xaverian Missionaries in the world with the Hall
decorated with the national flags of
the countries where Xaverian Missionaries serve, as well as a memorial
to honor Fr. Gerry who passed away
last December and to remember the

three Xaverian Sisters who were killed

in Burundi in September. Fr. Martin
Alikeke Ndemsou, our first confrere
from Chad, who is with us for English
Language Studies, shared his vocation
story and his future assignment to
Sierra Leone.
We started the evening with the
celebration of the Eucharist with main
presider, Fr. Francis, and Fr. Joe as
homilist. Music was provided by Fr.
Rocco and Lelia Tenreyro-Viana a good
friend and Music Minister at St. Cecilias
Parish in Ashland. A hopeful sign was
the presence of a number of families,
with young children (from babies to
teenagers) and a good representation of
the Local Chapter of the Knights of Columbus. All enjoyed the buffet provided
by Primavera in Millis and music by DJ
John Guido. The winner of the main
prize of the raffle, a 50 TV donated by
James and Phillys DiGeronimo) was a
worker at the St. Josephs Parish Hall.
He bought one ticket (yes... 1 ticket)
Lucky him!

Franklin Mission Banquet

Clockwise from right: Angie Hopkins
with Linda and Greg Gonia assigning
seats to the guests. Les Koster, Fr.
Alex and Don Castle. Jake, Todd
Leonardelli and Kymberly Smith with
3 month old Henry. Sr. Celeste, Sr.
Mary and Fr. Aniello.

Holliston Celebration
Clockwise
from left:
Children
view
prizes. Fr.
Martin
Alikeke
Ndemsou.
Party
time at St.
Josephs.

~Fr. Joe Matteucig SX

BERCETO FOUNDATION SPONSORS

52ND ANNUAL DINNER DANCE
On October 5, 2014 the Berceto Foundation held a dinner dance at Riccardos
Restaurant & Catering in Astoria, Queens
in honor and appreciation for the work of
the Xaverian missions which was founded
by Bishop Conforti who is the glory of
Parma. Fr. Frank Grappoli SX representing
the Xaverian Missions, led us in a prayer
for peace. He was presented with a wood
engraved picture of St. John Paul II.
The feast was organized by Anna Sabini
(president of the Berceto Foundation) with
the help of volunteers. Fifteen baskets
were raffled, which included pasta/cheese/
oil a prosciutto donated by Rino Spagnoli
and gifts from Isola di Capri restaurant on
Manhattans upper east side and Colonial
Flower Shop of North Bellmore.

~ Peter Raccasi

Berceto Dinner
Dance
Above: Merrymakers
at tables. Prosciutto
and prizes. Right:
Fr. Frank with the
Berceto Foundation
leadership team.

Xaverian Mission Newsletter November 2014

11

Xaverian Mission Newsletter November 2014

Is Life Consecrated to Mission calling you?

Answer the Call!
Contact:

Fr. Rocco Puopolo at

The GYM

for information on becoming a

Xaverian Missionary!

thegym@xaviermissionaries.org
508-429-2144
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