In this season of hope and anticipation
may the light of Christ's love and compassion shine in our world. Join with the Xaverians and other seekers of justice and peace in this Advent meditation.
 Christmas - celebratory, joyful, Christ-centred, devoid of stress. That's the way it should be but for many it is not. Stress, debt, a quick nativity play and worry for many is the reality. Here's the "alternative."
and some more inspiration.
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Fr. Carl Chudy sx Fr. John Convery sx
Xaverian Missionaries USA Xaverian Missionaries UK
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Pope Francis Calls for Missionaries "In the Streets."
 Pope Francis once again called for Catholics to adopt a missionary mindset and make mission the priority of all pastoral activities. The pope, speaking from the Vatican via video to an audience of clergy, religious and laity at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, also called for participants to cast aside clericalism and to get out of their churches to serve people where they are. "It's vital for the church to not shut itself off, not feel satisfied with what it already has achieved," Pope Francis said. Read more."I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security," Francis said in the first teaching document of his papacy that he alone composed. Read more. And read still more here. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Mt. 5:3). The Holy Father has decided on the themes for the next three World Youth Days, which will mark a three-year itinerary of spiritual preparation that will culminate with the international World Youth Day.Discover more.
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Pope declares Foundress of the Xaverian Missionaries of Mary as Venerable.
At the age of 50, a vocation within a vocation arrived unexpectedly for Celestina and she found it difficult to grasp at first. In 1935 she had already begun teaching in the schools of the Xaverian Missionaries and the following year she visited India for a few months to see her sister Maria who was living there as a missionary. The prospect of the mission was also beginning to open up to her, because in a short time she received the offer to cooperate on the foundation of the female branch of the Xaverian missionaries. Discover more.
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Helping the Philippines
 Catholics in Scotland have responded with incredible generosity to help the storm-ravaged islands of the Philippines.
The Filipino people are struggling to recover from the devastation of super typhoon Haiyan. It's estimated that at least 10,000 people have been killed by the most powerful storm in the country's history. Learn more here and here.
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Presence of Religious among Youth Helps Plant 'Seed' for Vocations
 Besides tens of thousands of teenagers, 216 representatives of 62 religious communities in the United States also participated in the National Catholic Youth Conference Nov. 21-23 in the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium. They interacted with teens in a variety of settings in two large exhibit halls in the Indiana Convention Center that had been turned into a thematic park called "Inspiration Junction." It was a place where Catholic teens could create arts and crafts projects, put together meals for those in need, listen to Catholic musicians sing or pray in a variety of settings.
Representatives of different religious communities worked together in groups as they helped the teens in the thematic park. Discover more.
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 | | How to keep your faith at university, Fr Stephen Wang |
It works in other places too!
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Celebrating Missionaries
 Let us celebrate our missionaries, those who have spent decades looking after strangers in strange lands Theirs has been 'a poor church for the poor.' Discover more.
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YCW launch new National Campaign: Good Work!
 The Young Christian Workers of England and Wales announce the launch of a national campaign which will get to the heart of the reality of the employment practices that young people in the UK face. The campaign will also focus on the effects of youth unemployment as the latest statistics show that one in five 16-25 year olds are currently unemployed. Learn more.
Catholic schools encouraged to pay the living wage.
 More than 2,100 Catholic schools are being encouraged and supported to become Living Wage employers, following a resolution passed by the Catholic Bishops' Conference. The resolution has sparked a landmark agreement between UNISON, the UK's largest union, and the Catholic Education Service of England and Wales (CES) to celebrate Living Wage Week (4 - 8 November). Read more.
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Scotland: Catholic Bishops announce new safeguarding initiatives:
 The Bishops' Conference of Scotland has announced details of three safeguarding initiatives, which will be launched over the next 12 months. Learn more.
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In conversations with parishioners, pope reveals he once was a bouncer
 In addition to having worked sweeping floors and running tests in a chemical laboratory as a teenager, Pope Francis revealed he also used to work as a bouncer. No longer kicking troublemakers out of clubs, he has discovered the secret to bringing people back, this time, into the church, according to the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, Dec. 2. Discover more. |
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And a wee bit from us:
 The Conforti Institute has had a busy month! We started the month with a "breathing space" reflection weekend for teachers. It was an opportunity to step back from the school routine and give the teachers time to look at their role in the wider faith community and how they themselves need time to pause and reflect on what they are doing. This was the first time for this type of weekend and the feedback from the participants was very positive. We are hoping to offer more of these experiences in the coming months.
Another first was the Health and Wealth Conference that was organised at the South Lanarkshire Council Buildings on Monday November 4th. This was for secondary school pupils who are sitting the Modern Studies Higher and focused on the Living Wage and how health and wealth are connected. There were schools from Inverness, in the North, to Jedburgh in the Boarders and over 200 pupils and staff were engaged by a variety of speakers. The Conference ended with a question and answer session where pupils were able to ask prominent elected Members of the Scottish Parliament about policies and positions regarding poverty and the living wage. Again feedback has been positive with a few ideas about improvements for the next time. Well, next year anyway!
And another first in the opening days of November was A Conversation among Religious Believers and Humanists on Values and Ethics. This was held with the participation and planning of the Xaverians in the USA. Held on the weekend of November 8th-10th here in Conforti, it offered space for religious and non-religious to talk and listen to one another. It could be said that this was just the opening sentences in a dialogue that has many more chapters to be written. A visit to the Scottish Parliament on the Saturday evening helped place this event in the wider societal context of this dialogue. We are looking forward to seeing where this leads us all in the weeks, months and years ahead! We invite you to visit the Blog and join the conversation on Twitter.
After such a momentous start the rest of the month went like clockwork. Highlighting: venturing further afield, Michael and Paddy, spent two Wednesdays in Perth working with young people from the St John the Baptist Parish. There was the launch of the Global Learning Plan on Monday November 25th, of which Conforti will play a vital role (more news about the Project next month!). With the help and support of local parishes, politicians and volunteers, we opened a Food Bank on Saturday November 30th that will help many families in the Coatbridge area. For more information go to the website.
With Advent upon us we are looking towards working with the Additional Supported Needs Schools and many other things in the lead up to Christmas! Phew!!
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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 2013 edition of the Xaverian Mission Newsletter is available online. Learn about World Mission Sunday, Girl Power in Sierra Leone; the CMSM. See the beautiful Christmas Lights in our Fatima Shrine in Holliston MA and discover lots more.
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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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Join us In the Global Mission of the Church!
Thank you for sharing in our mission.
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