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New Year...New Possibilities...New Resolutions

"And now, we welcome the new year, full of things that never have been." -Rainer Maria Rilke
 
May this new year be a place we wonder at the dreams of God for all of humanity and for all that God wishes to be possible. May we spend our lives as disciples of Christ, believing we are here to make His dreams come true.
Fr. Carl Chudy sx             Fr. John Convery sx

Xaverian Missionaries USA  Xaverian Missionaries UK

World Day of Peace
Pope Francis calls on fraternity to build peace 
Pope Francis calls on fraternity to build peace
"Everyone must be committed to building a society that is truly just and caring," said Pope Francis on Jan 1st. Read more. 

Time Magazine's "Man of the Year," Pope Francis said in the first peace message of his pontificate that huge salaries and bonuses are symptoms of an economy based on greed and inequality and called again for nations to narrow the wealth gap. In his message for World Day of Peace, he called for sharing of wealth and for nations to shrink the gap between rich and poor, more of whom are getting only "crumbs." Discover more. 

 

Let us have faith in the possibility

Of walking the path of peace...   

Read the full Prayer for World Day of Peace here.  

 

Pope Francis calls on religious orders to 'wake up the world!'

"Those who work with youth cannot be content with simply saying things that are too tidy and structured, as in a tract; these things go in one ear and out the other of young people. We need a new language, a new way of saying things. Today God asks this of us: to leave the nest which encloses us in order to be sent," he said. Learn more. 

Christmas @ Conforti

December is always a quieter month here at Conforti. As we prepared for the Birth of our Savior, there was a feeling of expectancy: both for Christmas and for a break from the usual routine and a chance to spend time with family and friends! During Advent pupils from Cardinal Winning Secondary School participated in our "Commonwealth Days" reflections. It was a chance to look at the diverse world in which we live and see how much we have in common.

As well as end of term liturgies in different schools, we had a full staff Christmas Party with Frs John Convery, Tom Welsh and Paddy Duffy providing the food, the drink and the entertainment! And despite this 'handicap' an enjoyable night was had by all. We also had our volunteers from the Charity Shop for an evening and then hosted a Christmas Party Night and a Hogmanay (New Year's Eve) Party! Again friends and contacts were present and by all accounts they were a success!

And now we are in the dark days of January with Burns Night to look forward to and Celtic Connections art and music festival in Glasgow!

FYI: We provide our Executive Summary on the preliminary findings of the Conforti Institute's anti-sectarian project here. 

Best wishes and blessings for 2014!

Week of Christian Unity


At least once a year, many Christians become aware of the great diversity of ways of adoring God. Hearts are touched, and people realize that their neighbours' ways are not so strange. Discover more at the
UK and USA sites.   

Octave of prayer for Christian Unity: Here are two resources for this special moment for our faith!

Visit our website for more resources and links. And here's a beautiful symbol of ecumenism. 
From ASHARBARI ("Place of Hope") BANGLADESH 

Frankly we have been going through a bad time for months in Bangladesh with the policy that is sending this poor country to ruin. Irreconcilable clashes surround the election on January 5 and cause chain strikes. That means everything locked: roads, railways, rivers, everything. If there is an emergency or fire, nothing can move, so there can be no help. Yesterday a 35 year old mother and her 5 year old daughter died as a result of a bomb thrown into the vehicle in which she was traveling to an emergency. Absolutely everything is prohibited: all the domestic and foreign trade as well. So far the only exception is Friday, the Muslim Sabbath. Learn more. 

Inequality Briefing
Wealth inequality in the UK
Wealth inequality in the UK

Inequality Briefing is non-political, the purpose is to spread information rather than to suggest policy solutions.

News from theGYM

 

From January 3rd to 7th Frs Adolph Menendez and Rocco Puopolo exhibited at the Student Leadership Summit 2014 sponsored by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) in Dallas Texas. Two thousand leaders from the many campuses where FOCUS has a presence gathered for an inspirational five days of learning, prayer and fellowship. Our exhibit presented not only the ministry of the Xaverian Missionaries worldwide, but particularly, the study aids that theGYM has produced through Fr. Adolph which assists Catholic students on campuses to understand, initiate and be part of reaching out in dialogue with fellow students of other faith traditions. The two publications, "ONE GOD: Many Faiths" and "Religious of the World" were made available to all who stopped by our exhibit. Many found these tools valuable for their quest to better understand the role of dialogue in our evangelization efforts.  As is mentioned in the introduction to one of the pamphlets, "Today we are more deeply aware of the tremendous diversity we live with each day. This diversity, often exemplified in our communities and neighborhoods, is the place where Catholic s begin this dialogue and collaboration with peoples of other faiths in any and all of the ways our evangelical mission requires us to connect with a world beyond our faith and cultural boundaries."  And a college and university setting is a very real "neighborhood" where dialogue is a welcome initiative.  If you would like a copy of either of these pamphlets, email us. 

 

British Jesuits launch online anniversary calendar

Check out this multilingual and audio/visual website.  

 

 

"Someday, after mastering winds, waves, tides and gravity, we shall harness the energy of love; and for the second time in the history of the world, humanity will have discovered fire." ~Tielhard de Chardin SJ

 

Podcasts on Interfaith Literacy from Interfaith Youth Core
One of the important organizations with which the Xaverian Missionaries collaborate is the Interfaith Youth Core based in Chicago. IFYC encourages, trains, and develops interfaith leadership in college campuses across the country.Discover more.

World Faith: Interfaith Youth in Action

 

What makes World Faith uniquely effective at de-incentivizing religious violence? It's all about how we change the system. Learn more. 

New Bishop Named for Dunkeld, Scotland

 

Bishop Stephen Robson, auxiliary bishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, has been chosen to lead the Scottish diocese. Find out more.

Jean Vanier at Heythrop College

Jean Vanier, founder of the L'Arche movement, gave a talk at Heythrop College about his new book: Signs of the Times - Seven Paths of Hope for a Troubled World. In 2010, Asteroid 8604 was renamed in honour of Jean Vanier. In response, Vanier commented: "I feel uncomfortable when people say nice things about me". He then began...

 

 

Life Teen

As a Eucharist-centered movement within the Roman Catholic Church, Life Teen leads teenagers and their families into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. With the Blessed Virgin Mary as our intercessor and guide, Life Teen seeks to unleash the fullness of the Sacramental power present within the young Church. Discover more.     

Lord I Want to Feel with Your Heart... 

 

Casting Crowns - Until the Whole World Hears (Full Album)
Casting Crowns - Until the Whole World Hears
(Full Album)

 

  

New MOBILE APP

 

conforti mobile
 
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! 

 

Church Teaching on World Mission

 

  
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XAVERIAN MISSIONARIES
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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.

Founder of the 

Xaverian Missionaries

Saint Guido Maria Conforti 
 
Our "missionary to the world" became a saint on World Mission Sunday, October 23, 2011.   

 

Click here to discover more
Saint Guido Conforti: The Bishop Who Loved the Whole World 
Saint Guido Conforti: The Bishop Who Loved the Whole World

 

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