Lenten Blessings
What does Lent mean to you? It's actually from an old English word meaning "to lengthen" because the daylight hours are now getting longer as Spring approaches. It's something to look forward to, not only as penatential, but as a time to "lengthen" and strengthen our relationship with Christ.
Lengthy Blessings! |
Fr. Carl Chudy sx Fr. John Convery sx
Xaverian Missionaries USA Xaverian Missionaries UK |
Reflection for Lent:
The Tortured Christ in Our Midst
 Lent provides us an opportunity to adjust our vision - to sharpen our focus on the least and the most vulnerable in our midst and to begin to see our world more clearly through the lens of faith. The traditional Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving continue to be important, and these practices can help us see things more clearly as people of faith. But Lent, in many ways, is essentially about our vision problem and how we deal with it.... Download the Reflection here.
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Believing in Charity Calls Forth Charity
 As Lent approaches, the Holy Father's Lenten Message encourages us to reflect on the relationship between charity and faith:
The celebration of Lent, in the context of the Year of Faith, offers us a valuable opportunity to meditate on the relationship between faith and charity: between believing in God - the God of Jesus Christ - and love, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit and which guides us on the path of devotion to God and others.
When we decide on what we will do to mark this season of preparation for the joy of the Resurrection at Easter, let's think about how 'giving up something for Lent' can help us to bring joy into the lives of those in need. |
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Blessed Are the Peacemakers:
A Lenten Session Encouraging Young People to Fast from Violence
 This two-hour session from the NFCYM will lead young people to reflect on the many types of violence that exist in the world and in their lives today, culminating in a prayer experience inviting them to commit to fasting from violence during the season of Lent. A series of six weekly follow-up prayer and journal reflections is included as a resource that can be e-mailed to those who commit to the fast. Each reflection highlights one of the six types of violence that is reviewed within the session itself. Download it here. |
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News from theGYM
Learning about Child Soldiers
 On January 31st, Fr. Rocco Puopolo, Xaverian Missionary, and Fr. Godfrey Bamuganyire, a priest of the Diocese of Fort Portal, Uganda who is visiting the USA, spoke at St. Bernadette Middle School in Northboro, MA in a literature class that was studying a book  written by a journalist on child soldiers in Africa. Through a power point and personal witness, Frs. Puopolo and Bamuganyire were able not only to present a realistic background that aided the students in understanding this piece of journalistic literature, but also to direct the students to some of the consequences of using children as soldiers, not only in Africa but in many conflict areas around the world. The presentation was well received and teachers in the social studies and religion department asked that Frs Puopolo and Bamuganyire return. If you would like Fr. Puopolo to come to your school, contact him at theGYM.
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IF...
 In July 2005, 250,000 marchers from all over the UK and Europe created a giant white band of protest around Edinburgh city centre calling on the G8 group of world leaders meeting in Scotland to make poverty a thing of the past. Their efforts encouraged some positive steps toward a fairer world but the economic collapse in 2008 halted progress.
 As the UK Government prepares to welcome the leaders of the world's most powerful economies to Northern Ireland this summer, SCIAF (Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund) has joined forces with other aid and development charities to campaign for an end to world hunger. The IF... campaign was launched throughout the UK on 23 January with huge ambitions: to reach 20 million people across the UK with our message and inspire 5 million of them to get involved. Between now and the G8 in June, a broad coalition of organizations are joining forces to petition Prime Minister David Cameron relentlessly and every which way to use his presidency of the G8 to take a lead on hunger. Add your voice to the call for an end to hunger for the nearly 1 billion people who go to bed hungry every night.
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Operation Rice Bowl
What You Give Up For LENT Changes Lives.
 We fast, or give things up, as a reminder to remove things in our lives that get in the way of our relationship with God. When we feel hungry or choose not to eat the things we like, we are reminded that everything we have is a gift from God. Our fasting also reminds us of those who do not have enough food, who experience hunger without a choice. God calls each of us to care for those who are in need. Find out more.
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The Scottish Pupil Voice Initiative
Over the past two years groups of experienced teachers have been visiting Catholic secondary schools and spoken to hundreds of young people. Under the auspices of The Scottish Catholic Education Commission, the visiting team meet with groups of pupils to hear about their views on faith formation and the quality of learning in Religious Education classes.
Michael Canning, Project Consultant at The Conforti institute has been part of the visiting team and states: "What has been particularly impressive was how the students' were happy to discuss their own faith journey and the challenges that can arise for them. They also commented on how much they had enjoyed participating in residential retreats."
A report on the outcomes of each school visit has been provided to each school and summary reports have been provided to all schools each year.
Read about this initiative and other aspects of Catholic Education in Scotland for yourself.
Opening Hearts and Minds to God
 The intention of these materials is to help schools to use Catholic Education Week as the launch platform for a range of activities which can take place throughout the Year of Faith, leading to a significant celebration of faith in the school/parish before the end of the Year of Faith. Download the resource.
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World Interfaith Harmony Week - February 1-8, 2013
 From Fr. Carl's Blog: The World Interfaith Harmony Week was first proposed at the UN General Assembly on September 23, 2010 by H.M. King Abdullah II of Jordan. Just under a month later, on October 20, 2010, it was unanimously adopted by the UN and henceforth the first week of February will be observed as a World Interfaith Harmony Week.The World Interfaith Harmony Week is based on the pioneering work of The Common Word initiative. This initiative, which started in 2007, called for Muslim and Christian leaders to engage in a dialogue based on two common fundamental religious Commandments; Love of God, and Love of the Neighbor, without compromising any of their own religious tenets. The Two commandments are at the heart of the three Monotheistic religions and therefore provide the most solid theological ground possible.
For the Xaverian Missionaries, dialogue and cooperation between the great faiths of the world is integral to task of evangelization and the proclamation of Christ to the world. In 1983 John Paul II said that dialogue with other faiths must be the commitment of the local church, "helping all the faithful to respect and to esteem the values, traditions and convictions of other believers." More>>> |
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Essay Contest
 Peace Islands Institute announces its 4th Annual Art & Essay Contest for the middle and high school students in the State of New Jersey. This year's theme is: Cyber Bullying: Coping with the Electronic Realm; be heard, organize, achieve!
PII advances the causes of peace, cross-cultural tolerance and human dignity, and believes that establishment of dialog environments is a means to appreciate diverse opinions and eliminate the stereotypes often assigned to 'others.' In this respect the Art and Essay Contest is very instrumental in building bridges between New Jersey communities as well as other segments of the larger society. For more information, visit the PII website. |
Sister Joan Chittister OSB is Inviting Us to Dance!
 | | BREAK THE CHAIN |
It is time for those who really believe in the full humanity of their daughters and in the moral integrity of their sons to tell the world they will no longer tolerate violence against women.
Actually, whether you know it or not, your entire life, if you are a woman, has been directed at a moment like this. If you are a man living in a distorted and deformed gender-driven world, you have been looking for something like this to demonstrate your real manhood, your genuine convictions, for a long time now. Read more. |
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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 February 2013 edition of the Xaverian Mission Newsletter is available online. Read about Protecting All God's Children, The Magi in Bangladesh and a Message of Hope in Mozambique.
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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
 | | All God's Children |
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Join us In the Global Mission of the Church!
Thank you for sharing in our mission.
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