Year of Consecrated Life

Pope Francis issued a letter for the Year of Consecrated Life, which will start throughout the universal Church on the first Sunday of Advent, 30 November. The observance will end on the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, 2 February 2016. In his message, the Pope underlined the aims of the Year of Consecrated Life, namely to look to the past with gratitude, to live the present with passion and to embrace the future with hope. Listen and read more here, and here.

Xaverian Family News

Fr. Patrick with three of his students at the Catholic High School

Bringing the Embrace of God during the Ebola Crisis

by Fr. Patrick Santianez, SX
Xaverian Missionary working in Sierra Leone, West Africa

Pope Francis entrusted to us consecrated men and women the task of bringing the embrace of God to all not only by our words (by our preaching and by our shouting) but more importantly by our actions. Pope Francis says, "People today certainly need words, but above all they need a witness to the mercy and tenderness of the Lord, which inflames the heart, awaken hope, appeals to the good." Discover more.

Conforti Update

Reflections from Geraldine Hill, Conforti Institute on a Conversation with Ken Cloke

On Saturday 22nd November and along with five others, I spent some hours in conversation with Ken Cloke at the Scotsman hotel in Edinburgh. Ken is the Director of the Center for Dispute Resolution in California and has many years of experience in mediating conflict internationally. I was invited by A Place for Hope to take part in this discussion and it felt like a real privilege to do so, especially since there were so few of us which really gave the opportunity to engage fully with each other in what was quite an intimate setting. Throughout the conversation it felt like we were truly benefiting from Ken's wisdom and many years of experience of facilitating community dialogue. Read more.

ADVENTures

This Advent Prayer Service centers on the theme: "Longing for Light in the Darkness." It includes the lighting of the Advent wreath, scripted parts for leaders, readers and participants, scripture readings, psalm response, and suggestions for songs.

This Prayer for the Christmas season invites us to respond to the signs of the times and to see the Christ Child in the sick, the wounded, the oppressed, and the vulnerable.

JUST GOD, SIMPLY CHRISTMAS

Christmas: a stress-free, joyful, Christ-centred celebration?

That's the way it should be but it rarely turns out that way! Find out how here. And check out this great advert.

10 Ways to Simplify Christmas

Much of society has lost sight of what is important about Christmas. Consumerism and commercialism often mar this holy season. Education for Justice's (EFJ's) unique resource provides ten ways to remind ourselves about the true meaning of Christmas, to simplify the celebration while still maintaining the joy of the season.

There Is a Light in This World

Loving Jesus,

In your name, we mark this season:

As we bring forth light to defy the claims of darkness,

As we bring forth joy and song to defy the claims of sadness,

As we bring forth a spirit of generosity to defy the claims of want,

As we bring forth peace to defy the claims of war. Pray more.

theGYM Experience

Year Long Celebration of Mission Ad Gentes

Pope Francis has asked that we celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life from November 2014 to February 2016. Also 2015 is the 50th anniversary of the Vatican II Mission Document Ad Gentes. To bring attention to both Consecrated Life and Mission the Xaverian Missionaries are offering a monthly RETREAT on the Second Sunday of each Month (except May) giving those who come an opportunity to celebrate the many ways that Mission can be expressed, proclaiming the Lord Jesus to all God's people.

The first of this series of retreats will be Sunday December 14th, beginning at the 11:00am Mass. A second input will be offered for those who wish to stay for the retreat at 1:45pm, concluding with the World Mission Rosary at 3:00pm. There will be a light lunch. The first retreat director will be Fr. Rocco Puopolo, SX and the theme will be "Mission Today: Look at what has changed in these few years." For more info please contact Fr. Rocco.

NCCYM 2014 - Promo

theGYM team, Fr. Rocco Puopolo SX, Fr. Adolph Men�ndez SX and Fr. Alex Rodriguez SX, will be at San Antonio for the National Conference on Catholic Youth Ministry this weekend,

December 4th to 6th. Come and visit us at Booth 700!

INTERFAITH DIALOGUE

Pope in Turkey Calls for 'The Solidarity of All Believers' to Counter Fundamentalism, Fanaticism and Irrational Phobias

[Pope Francis] expressed his conviction that interreligious and intercultural dialogue "can make an important contribution" to reaching this "urgent goal", so that there will be "an end to all forms of fundamentalism and terrorism which gravely demean the dignity of every man and woman and exploit religion."

The solidarity of all believes can play a crucial role here, he said, but it must rest on the following pillars: "respect for human life and for religious freedom, that is the freedom to worship and to live according to the moral teachings of one's religion; commitment to ensuring what each person requires for a dignified life; and care for the natural environment." Learn more.

Pope, Patriarch pray for unity

"In our journey of faith and fraternal living, the more we allow ourselves to be humbly guided by the Spirit of the Lord, the more we will overcome misunderstandings, divisions, and disagreements and be a credible sign of unity and peace." Discover more.

Giving a young perspective on the 2014 UNESCO ESD World Conference

"Education for Sustainable Development allows every human being to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future." - This means including main sustainable development issues in teaching and learning; such as, climate change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, poverty reduction, and sustainable consumption. See more.

OPEN BETHLEHEM

Trailer: Open Bethlehem

Open Bethlehem, a new film from Palestinian director Leila Sansour, goes on general release in the UK on 5 December. The film was shown earlier this year at a special screening at the Royal Geographical Society, hosted by broadcaster Melvyn Bragg. During the evening Bragg commented: "On my visit in 2012, I was moved by the contrasts Bethlehem presents. This film explores the personal and broader story of a holy city and the struggle to ensure its survival, capturing the experience of life in Bethlehem today." Discover more. And still more.

Miracles are made by people who refuse to stop believing.

The Good Lie - Official Trailer [HD]

"I wanted to make this as real as possible. This needed to be a reminder that heroism is not just about soldiers and firefighters, but about kids without any means or resources finding a way to survive." ~Director Philippe Falardeau Discover more.

WRITE A LETTER. CHANGE A LIFE.

DECEMBER 1-17, 2014

Your letters, combined with hundreds of thousands of letters from around the world, will make a difference in the fight against injustice. Your letter can change a life. Sign up to Write for Rights on your own or with friends and join the largest grassroots human rights movement in the world. Learn more.

NETWORK Associate Program

This 11 month intensive educational and professional development experience in legislative advocacy is rooted in Catholic principles of social justice. It gives young professionals the chance to give back to the community by advocating for federal legislation that has the potential to improve the lives of millions of women, men, and children. Applications are being accepted for the 2015-2016 Associate Program. Deadline is January 31, 2015.

MOBILE APP

The Xaverian Missionaries have a new Mobile App

available on Apple, Android & Amazon. Now you can take us with you wherever you go. Remember: We are ALWAYS here for you!

The Fall 2014 edition of the Xaverian Mission Newsletter is available online.

This issue highlights the Year of Consecrated Life and excerpts Pope Francis' Message for World Mission Day. It covers stories on the Ebola crisis in Sierra Leone and the murder of three Xaverian Sisters in Burundi. There is a Christmas poem by Fr. Tony Lalli SX and commentary on the North American Interfaith Network (NAIN) Conference by Fr. Michael Davitti SX.

Read it here.