We "rejoice heartily" that our Savior comes, that he models for us the actions that "generate new life." In Advent, we long for this kind of new life, and we look to the fragile child who will lead us out of our self-centered darkness to the luminous epiphany of solidarity. In Christ's affirmation of his mission, we hear an invitation. We rejoice that we too are called to bear glad tidings to the poor, to heal those in need, to proclaim liberty and justice. This is our greatest gift we can share.
Fr. Carl Chudy sx Fr. John Convery sx
Xaverian Missionaries USA Xaverian Missionaries UK |
God is Already with You.
 Anticipation. Uncertainty. Expectation. Hope. Promise. Each of these words can be used to describe the season of Advent. It is a time in which we join with Mary, anticipating the arrival of a newborn son...This Advent try to take some time to experience the gifts of unknowing, of trusting, of being present to the present without stressing over what tomorrow will bring. Be aware of what is, not what might be. Appreciate the opportunity to stay focused on the now. Feel the peace that comes from letting go of all the anxieties that try to consume us. Realize that God is already with you. The Prince of Peace has already come. - Rosemarie Pace, in a Seasonal Reflection for Pax Christi
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The Angel Factory
 It's that time of year again when thoughts turn towards Christmas and the excitement of preparation grows. At Conforti we have some special visitors during December when the children from Cardinal Winning and St Oswald Secondary Schools join us for a day of reflection.
 This year our theme is 'Angels' and the students have great fun first of all learning to work together in teams and then considering the role angels played in the lives of Mary and Joseph and announcing the birth of the infant Jesus to the world. This leads on to considering who are our 'angels', helping and advising us, and how we can be angels for others.
Our day ends with a short reflection, when the pupils bring the colourful results of their work together.
In very simple ways, we can help make God present in our world this Christmas, for those in need on our own doorstep or further afield. |
"I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me."
 This three-page prayer service is an invitation to reflect on what it means to welcome the stranger in our midst. It concludes with suggestions on ways to put one's faith in service to action by serving as "bridge builders" in welcoming immigrants to our churches, communities, and country. Download a separate prayer dialogue between a migrant woman and an immigration official which can be incorporated into the service.
One Family under God!
USCCB Justice for Immigrants website.
"I urge the President and Congress to seize the moment and begin the challenging process of fashioning a bipartisan agreement," Archbishop Gomez said. "Millions of persons remain in the shadows, without legal protection and marginalized from society. As a moral matter, this suffering must end." Read more. |
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TheGym: Exercise in Service
 From November 29th to December 1st, Frs. Rocco Puopolo and Adolph Men�ndez of theGYM joined 2,500 participants from around the USA who are committed to Youth Ministry as the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry celebrated its 30th year. This conference is held every two years and offers professional input, opportunities to pray, network and strengthen relationships with one another. TheGYM team exhibited at the Resource Expo for all of these Youth Ministers. Fr. Rocco offered a workshop on service week opportunities entitled ReachOut/ReachIn: Glued by Gospel Service. Fr. Rocco was one of the founders of the ReachOut/ReachIn service week in Milwaukee which still is being offered to youth today. It is one of many examples from the USA as well as from Africa that was shared where youth are offered opportunities to "reach out" in service which becomes a road to "reach in" and discover the power of the Gospel, self and the other. Service is a "verb" that moves the disciple to engage in kingdom building.
You can always reach Fr. Rocco and Fr. Aldoph at TheGym. |
Can there ever be Peace on Earth?
In this season of Joy and Wonder we ask this most profund question when wars and conflicts continue to ignite and flare in our weary world. We invite you to take our poll, join the discussion and add a comment on our Facebook page.
The Other War Rages Unnoticed
 The conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains the deadliest since World War II and has resulted in the loss of over 4 million lives since 1998 and the displacement of millions more. As many as 1,000 people a day continue to die from war-related causes -- mainly disease and malnutrition, but also continuing violence, primarily in the eastern region. Read more.
The Xaverian Missionaries, arrived in DRC (formerly Zaire) in 1958. Starting from Uvira, we have multiplied our mission stations, built schools, prepared community leaders, and provided for the birth of numerous Christian communities. We have given particular attention to the younger generations to provide them with a sense of justice, dignity of work, and openness to others in charity and mercy.
Today we have forty four priests working in the DRC over large expanses of territory. In light of the violence they are not going anywhere. We would like to share a small diary Fr. Faustino Turco, the regional superior of the Xaverian Missionaries in the DRC:
Friday 16 Oct: I arrived in the Xaverian Parish of Ndosho, Goma.
Saturday 17: Reports of clashes between the army and the M23 troops at 30 kilometers from Goma.
Sunday18: We celebrate four Masses...
Army canons are stationed near the airport to keep away the M23 troops... In the early evening we take about 300 people into the parish compound...
Monday 19: I finish morning Mass shortly before ten o'clock. Upon leaving the church, I observed that the majority of the previous evening's evacuees already left...
At 10.30 I traveled to the city center to check on Antonina Lo Schiavo, a lay missionary who has been in the Congo since the 1970s. After greeting her, I visit the family of Gilbert Mbula, who lives close by, yet this short distance seems enormous to me.
Just before three o'clock, I hear cannon fire very nearby and the noise continues until 11.30 pm.
Tuesday20: At midday, we hear that the M23 troops have taken control of the city. The firing ceases and the people leave their houses and cautiously walk along the roads to see the situation for themselves....
Aware of the risk, I decide to return to Ndo-sho...
I called the parish to inform them I am on my way. They tell me to stay where I am because shooting continues in the area. |
Generations of Faith
 "We have high hopes for you - for you are the future hands and feet of God in the world. ...This task of interreligious dialogue, a task that requires your hands and feet, that is, your commitment to interreligious service and cooperation, as well as understanding and solidarity, is of immense importance at this point in history." Such were words of Bishop Terry Knestout, auxiliary Bishop of Washington at a special gathering this past November of young adults from the Catholic, Sikh, Muslim and Hindu traditions at a day-long conference at St. Paul's College. Generations of Faith 2012 was the second such event sponsored by the Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Read about the conferance, the keynote address and more; and post your comments on our Blog.
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Global Citizenship Matters
A One Day Conference for Secondary Teachers
23 January 2013
10 - 4.15
Looking at the role education has to play in creating a more just and sustainable world.
Speakers: Colm Regan, editor of "80:20 Development in an Unequal World" Why world inequality matters and what it has to do with education
Education Scotland The role of Global Learning in Scottish Education today
Workshops will support classroom practice and illustrate ways that global citizenship can provide meaningful contexts for learning across the curriculum.
The event is free but places are limited, so early booking is advised. |
Images of Peacemaking in the Middle East
 | | Weaving Life - Film Trailer |
"Weaving Life: The Life and Death of Peacemaker Dan Terry" is a documentary from MennoMedia. It is the story of Dan Terry, one of 10 humanitarian workers killed on Aug. 5, 2010, as they made their way to Kabul, Afghanistan, from the Nuristan Province in the south. Terry emerges from the film as an adventurer, an extraordinary gentleman who taught his daughters to always be gracious to others and that wherever they put their carpets was home. Terry was a Christian but not a missionary, per se. He said he was "giving witness, not by preaching, but by being the face of love." Read more.
![WHERE DO WE GO NOW Trailer 2012 Movie - Official [HD]](https://thumbnail.constantcontact.com/remoting/v1/vthumb/YOUTUBE/a9463f9491814fefa89f3068b7711b5e) | | WHERE DO WE GO NOW Trailer 2012 Movie - Official [HD] |
"Where Do We Go Now?" is a DVD from Sony Pictures Classics. It is a wry film that plays on irony but is never cynical. It is from Lebanese director Nadine Labaki and takes place in an unnamed "lonely town" that is "split to its core." Yes, divided between cross and crescent, but more than anything, the division is between the men who fight at the least provocation and the women who live to bury them. But the Muslim and Catholic Christian women are tired of it. The women, who understand one another on a deeply organic level and genuinely like and respect each other, get along in true harmony in ways their men don't even notice. The women take things into their own hands to create peace to gentle comic effect. |
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Mission Education Conference
 On December 5, 2012, the Propagation of the Faith Office of the Archdiocese of Boston hosted the first annual Mission Education Conference at Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in Newton, MA. Over 100 participants from 15 parish schools and religious education programs gathered to come to a deeper understanding of the Missionary Childhood Association. Fr. Rocco Puopolo, SX was invited to give the opening Keynote presentation. Fr. Rocco is from this archdiocese, so he 'came back to give back.' Fr. Rocco shared his mission vocation story that moved from his home town parish of St. Catherine's in Norwood to Africa and back.
 The purpose for this conference is to aid students and Religious Education Directors to make mission awareness a central part of their overall education program. Mission is a direct outcome of our Baptismal Call. And inviting young people to be part of the Missionary Childhood is the beginning of many years of service and solidarity with all people of our world. The day included a Mass lead by Boston's archbishop, Cardinal Sean O'Malley.
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Human Rights Day, 10 December
Human Rights Day presents an opportunity, every year, to celebrate human rights, highlight a specific issue, and advocate for the full enjoyment of all human rights by everyone everywhere.
This year, the spotlight is on the rights of all people - women, youth, minorities, persons with disabilities, indigenous people, the poor and marginalized - to make their voices heard in public life and be included in political decision-making. Learn more.
Make your voice count!
Share your thoughts about the right to participate in public life and political decision-making, using #VoiceCount. |
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New MOBILE APP
The Xaverian Missionaries have a new Mobile App. Now you can take us with you wherever you go. Remember: We are ALWAYS here for you!
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Church Teaching on World Mission
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AcrossBorders
Passion for Christ
Passion for Humanity
is a collaborative media project of the Xaverian Missionaries of the USA and the United Kingdom.
XAVERIAN MISSIONARIES 12 Helene Court Wayne, New Jersey 07470 |
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XMN
The November 2012 edition of the Xaverian Mission Newsletter is available online. Find out about our Missions in Colombia, Cameroon and Chad and much more. Read it here. |
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Founder of the
Xaverian Missionaries
Saint Guido Maria Conforti
Our "missionary to the world" became a saint on World Mission Sunday, October 23, 2011.
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Saint Guido Conforti: The Bishop Who Loved the Whole World |
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Check out our latest video on YouTube
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Who is My Neighbor? |
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Join us In the Global Mission of the Church!
Thank you for sharing in our mission.
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