Num.2____________________________________________________________________2006/ 7

Greetings to all!

It is hard to believe how fast time goes by. Many interesting things have happened during 2006 and thanks to many of you much was accomplished in our missions around the world.

In February, together with our General Superior, Fr. Ottaviano D´Egidio and his Council, I visited the jungles of Peru where we witnessed our Passionist missionary presence in that area. This is an area of the Peruvian Amazon where the Basque Passionists arrived in 1913. (note: click on smaller maps to see a larger readable version)

Many missionaries have sacrificed their lives here in service since then. A difficult area and one in which four missionaries over the years have lost their lives drowned in the Huallaga and Marañón rivers.  

The mission center is in Yurimaguas. From here the missionaries reach out in their efforts to serve communities spread out throughout an extensive area of 50,000 km.² (19,600 sq.miles) that borders with Ecuador. The only access to the different tribal groups and communities are basically the rivers. As a tropical area, the climate is severe. Always hot and heavy rains frequently lead rivers to change course. This leads communities to have to emigrate from one place to another.

It is admirable to see the spirit with which young and veteran missionaries alike work, like Fr. Pio Zarrabe Garro who at 76 still risks navigating rivers. And the good thing is that many young Peruvian Passionists already feel inserted into that missionary world with great ideals and hope.

The missionary work of the Passionists has been accompanied by human promotion: parochial schools, hospitals, medical clinics, etc. Today a lot of attention is given to promoting Animators of small communities which we believe is a great way in assisting faith communities especially in remote areas.

One of the serious concerns at present is to counsel and assist people in the acquisition of written land rights. Times are changing and that which previously was not important, today it is an urgent necessity. Until recently the jungle was something distant and to a certain extent excluded from the national scene. Now, with petroleum and the presence of new industries, a new configuration is emerging. This evidently creates conflicting situations with the natives and with the missionaries who try to protect them so that they are not robbed of that which up to now has been part of their possession, but without registered land rights.

Throughout history we have had seven bishops at the service of the mission in poor areas: at present are Mons José Luis Astigarraga in Yurimaguas, Mons Santos Iztueta in Moyobamba, and Mons. Miguel Irizar in Callao, on the outskirts of Lima. Some Peruvian students studying Theology make a Pastoral in our missions, which helps them discover our missionary reality and to mature in the missionary charism of the Congregation. 

In recent years it has been possible to count on the generous support of ADECO which with the help of Fr. Jesús Aristín, a missionary during many years in these areas, has been a help for different programs such as construction of chapels, bridges, lines electric, etc. 

During our presence in Lima, two youth men committed themselves for life to be Passionists Missionaries. Also a gathering of the mayor superiors of Latin America took place here. 

Another exiting trip this year has been to visit our missionaries in India. I had been invited along with many other Passionists, who had served in India over the years, along with other dignitaries, to celebrate 25 years since the foundation in 1981. This included Bishop Paul Boyle, CP who was instrumental as Superior General of the Passionists in getting this missionary presence in India put into effect. Among those absent was our founding superior, Fr. Walter Kaelin, who returned to the Lord in the U.S. in 2005 and Fr. Carlos Elizarde at present in Cuba. The celebrations were impressive. It was so nice to see how much had developed over the years since the “first seeds had been planted.” In early 1982 we had been 5 Passionists missionaries from 5 different countries present in India, a true expression of the universality of our Congregation and of the Church. Within this festive environment, one of our Indian Passionists, Marcilin Sony Kannanaikal, was ordained to the priesthood.

All 17 Passionists invited to India were recognized and honoured publicly. This all took place at our postulancy of  Kochi, in the state of Kerala, South India, which is where we host at present some 27 young men aspiring to be Passionists.

From Kochi, I spent a few days with our community at Pallipuram, not far from Kochi, on the west coast, where we have a parish among the poor fishermen and their families. Also not far from there, I visited our postulancy for our candidates of the Syro Malabar Rite in Angamally. It was nice to be accompanied during these visits by Fr. Lombardo Lonoce from southern Italy with whom we shared so much together in the early years in Kochi; he was one of the pioneers of our mission in India.

From Kerala, we traveled by train to Randham in the state of Tamil Nudu, to the east of Kerala. There we have a mission parish attended by three Passionist Missionaries in an extremely poor area. Apart from attending to the spiritual needs of the people, much has been done here in the last years to lift the people out of utter poverty. From a small village of shacks with no public facilities of services, different projects are taking place to improve the situation: a parish school that serves not only Randham, but also neighbouring villages; a milk cow project for the families that bring a source of income and nutrition; a construction project that has produced many new small but more suitable houses that especially protect people from getting soaked during the rainy season. These are some of the important projects going on. Whether Christian or Hindu, all have benefited from these services.

From Randham, we traveled to Bangalore, state of Karnataka to the north of Tamil Nadu. There we stayed at our Theologate, a community of three senior Passionists, and 9 in Theology or pastoral year. Also we visited our community of philosophy students and retreat center in Bangalore as well as a post prison facility run by two of our Passionists who help ex prisoners to get their lives together and be re-introduced into society; they also visit a nearby prison regularly which hold 4400 inmates and celebrate mass there.

It is a blessing that this development of our missionaries in India if performed at present by Indian Passionists. There is only one foreigner now living in India. Having been the vocation director at the time all these young men came to know the Passionists, made this visit particularly meaningful to me and I feel proud for each one of them.

Our mission in India would have been an impossible task without the help of so many generous benefactors from the U.S. who have supported us through the years! May God reward them!

During 3 weeks in October, 85 Passionist delegates from around the world met in Rome for what we call a General Chapter which takes place every six years. During this period we re-examined our life and mission in the world. We are seriously focused on ‘re-structuring’ our Congregation in order to be a more effective missionary presence in the changed world we find ourselves in. It was also a time when we elect new leadership. Our Superior General Fr. Ottaviano D’Egidio was re-elected for  another six years along with 4 general consulters, 2 of which were re-elections.

This year we have been able to help our missions around the world in different ways. Financially we have assisted our missions in Indonesia, Mexico, Peru, India, Congo, Tanzania and Mozambique. Much of this assistance has been donations for the kids on our missions sponsored by generous people in Italy and the U.S.A. A special thanks to our parish in Paris who donated so generously to our much needed mission in Mozambique! Thanks also to our churches in Romitelo (PA) Sicily, Novoli and Trepuzzi (LE), in Italy, Minsteraches in England and Prestonpans in Scotland, for their donations and to the Passionists who generously hosted me here and in all the places I traveled this year.

Slowly but surely the Mission Web Page is developing Mission Web at http://www.cpmissioni.org Much remains to be done but it takes time. I encourage you to check up on it periodically.

On behalf of our missionaries, I would like to thank all our benefactors who have helped our missions through their generous gift offerings, the sponsoring of children and through the mass stipends, while dwindling in number, still help our missionaries especially in very impoverished areas. I would also like to thank all the generous people who have helped me personally out of their own personal time to fulfill my ministry.

especially Luca Bondi and his group “Semi di Pace” in Tarquinia, Italy, with whom we put together a missionary exposition in September. For those receiving this before 2007, may Our Savior grant you a very blessed Christmas and to all of you, I wish you a very fruitful 2007.

Rev. Christopher Gibson, CP

General Secretary for the Passionist Missions

Click on this link to see photographs related to the visit to Peru

Click on this link to see photographs related to the visit to India

"PDF" downloadable file of the newsletter with photos in colour (870 K)

"PDF" downloadable file of the newsletter with photos in colour - better quality (2,600 K)

"PDF" downloadable file of the newsletter with photos in black and white (400 K)