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October 31, 2007
Greetings from the Holy
Mountain of La Salette
As
we come to the end of the 2007 Pilgrimage Season on the Holy
Mountain, I thought it might interest you to know some of the
distinguished visitors we had at the Shrine these past three
months. Their visit here at the Shrine has been a source of
blessings not only for them, but for all of us, as well. We are
grateful for their presence.
-
I hasten to mention the
short visit of Fr. Castelli of the Diocese of
Armidale. He is the Treasurer of the Diocese of Armidale. He
was on his vacation and combined to it a pilgrimage to some
of the Shrines of Europe and France. He managed to come to
La Salette, in spite of the difficulties and made it a point
to look for me. He was of course all praise for the beauty
of the location chosen by our Blessed Mother. During a short
conversation we had, he conveyed his surprise that the
Philippine Province has not as yet sent additional
Missionaries to the Diocese, in spite of the promise made to
Bishop Luc Mathys when he came to visit the Philippines. I
could only assure him that efforts are being made to
re-enforce the presence of our two confreres (who have been
there for more two years without help)….and that hopefully
they will be given help soon!
-
The Great Joe Nax,
came to La Salette in pilgrimage for his Golden Jubilee of
Ordination. Unfortunately his other peregrination did not
turn out well for him, as he had an accident some where…and
sprained his legs and forced him to move around in a
wheel-chair and later with crutches. He was still dependent
on a crutch when he arrived at La Salette and was hampered
by his inability to move around as he wanted. We did our
best to make his stay as comfortable as possible…and he was
mentioned in a special way at the Vigil Mass on 18th
of September as the Rector invited every one to join him in
giving thanks to God for 50 years of priestly ministry.
-
The Bishop of Grenoble…Most
Rev. Guy de Kerimel, came to La Salette three times,
during the season. He came with a group of young people in
June, and then again for the perpetual profession of two
Sisters of La Salette – Nur from Madagascar and Carol
from Burma. Then he was back with many members of his
Diocesan Flock for the annual pilgrimage of the Diocese of
Grenoble. In fact, he uses the week-end after the 19th
of September each year to outline the Diocesan Program and
Priorities for the coming year. It is really a beautiful and
prayerful way to instruct the faithful of the important
events in the life of the Diocese. Bishop Kerimel, like his
predecessors is very much devoted to La Salette, as it is
one of the sources of many blessings for his Diocese.
-
A pilgrim asked me once
if there were Bishops who came to La Salette in Pilgrimage.
This year, there have been several of them…including one
from Australia, the U.S. and Mexico.
Naturally, there were other French Bishops who came.
This year we also had the Bishop of Chambery for the 15th
of August. I am particularly impressed by the presence of
the Bishop of Chihuahua in Mexico, who accompanied a
group of pilgrims from his Diocese. He came with no pomps…very
simply attired… and did give a good homily to his pilgrims
on La Salette.
-
Fr. General Dennis Loomis
and his council came in September to hold their quarterly
meeting at the cradle of the Congregation. All the
Councilors were present, including the Secretary General,
Fr. Rojan Cheriyadan, M. S. of India. Fr. General also
presided at the main Mass on the 19th of
September. You may soon receive whatever decisions they have
taken that will concern you. I have not seen any decision as
yet.
-
Another distinguished
visitor is Fr. Rafael Di Orio, the reputed
priest-healer from the East Coast of the U.S. Some of you
may recall that the late Fr. Albert Fredette, M. S., Bro.
Armand’s brother, collaborated with him… in the healing
ministry before Fr. Albert died. Fr. Di Orio came with a
group of pilgrims from the U.S. – many of whom are
Charismatic devotees. They stayed for two days….and
celebrated Mass twice in the Basilica. I was with them on
the first day…when, during the prolonged Mass, at communion
time, two or three of the members were “slain” by the Holy
Spirit…and fell on their back and remained in a “trance”.
Our Sacristan, not knowing what was going on, thought that
the ‘slain” persons fainted and needed medical attention.
She immediately called the infirmary and before we knew it,
the whole team of nurses and aids were there at the
sacristy, complete with wheel chairs and stretchers ready to
help out in the “emergency”. It was nice to know how
prepared our staff were and quick to come to the rescue. But
their well intended help was not necessary, as the persons
in a “trance” soon got up, as if nothing had happened. It
took quite a bit of explanation on my part to let the staff
know what was going on, to the chagrin of the French, who
are not used to such demonstrations of personal “faith” and
devotion.
A couple of weeks later, a
charismatic group from the La Salette parishes in England also
came and spent 6 days of retreat at the Shrine. This group was
composed of English and Polish parishioners. Apparently, they
also had prayer sessions and Masses where the Holy Spirit was
active “slaying” members. This time, our medical staff was no
longer summoned to action. The French people, our volunteers and
staff, had a grand time “talking” about these events, and many
of them reacting with much incredulity.
In conclusion, I would like
to share with you some of the changes that will take place
shortly at the Shrine. Fr. Louis de Pontbriand, the
Rector, ends his third term as Rector and will be replaced by
Fr. Herve Bougeard effective December 1, 2007> Fr.
Bernard Gaidioz, the Superior at La Tronche will serve, on a
part time basis as Vice-Rector, as Editor of the magazine “Les
Annales de La Salette.” Soon, a replacement for Andre Zontek,
who was spiritual animator of the volunteers, will also be
announced. Fr. Andre will be Superior at a new house, the Shrine
of Notre Dame des Chenes, in the area of Besancon.
Another interesting
phenomenon in France…the Provincial is very actively pursuing La
Salettes from Madagascar and Poland to join the French Province,
in addition to Fr. Jerome and an Angolan priest who are assigned
to the Shrine during the pilgrimage season.
And I say “Bravo” …. It will
assure the continuing existence and ministry of the French
Province, in spite of dwindling number of French La Salettes.
God bless you all….. and hope
to see you soon in the Philippines.
Fr. Efren, M. S.
UPDATES
October 7, 2007
Funny Stories:
page 2 |
page 3 |
page 4
Maurice's Anecdotes:
page 2
|
page 3 |
page 4
|
page 5
Maurice's Historical
Notes on the Philippines:
page 2
| page 3
DATELINE: MORENO
VALLEY
September 23,
2007
The 50th foundation
anniversary of St. Christopher Catholic Church is just around
the corner.
Read an article written by
Fr. Romeo Seleccion, MS about this occasion.
GO....
GALLERY UPDATES
September
20, 2007
1. The QC Cluster
celebrated at a later date the 25th Founding anniversary of the
Province. Fr. Rutty gave the homily which dwelt on his
recollection of the history of the Province as reflected in the
many ministries he had assumed.
Click
to see how animated he was in giving the homily.
2. Daylong pouring
rains and the occurrence of flash floods along major streets
were the weather forecast for September 19. But the
celebration of the 161st Apparition Anniversary at the National
Shrine of our Lady of La Salette in Biga, Silang, Cavite was
still a huge success.
Click to take a look how undeterred we were.
UPDATES
September
19, 2007
1. A few had been
requesting a web page for funny stories.
Click to be
entertained.
2. "All in a day's
work," so, to speak. These are anecdotes of Fr. Maurice
Cardinal, mostly from the early years of his ministries.
Click to know
how things were.
3. Memory... is the
diary that we all carry about with us.
~Oscar Wilde, "The
Importance of Being Earnest".
That quoted, presenting the historical notes of Fr. Maurice
Cardinal on the Philippine Province which he wrote in 1988.
Click to
read the first installment.
(If you have
jokes to share (original or not), anecdotes in the course of
your ministries or stories in the similitude of Fr. Cardinal's,
have me emailed immediately.)
DISTRICT OF BURMA
Fr. Mya Thein, M.S.
Fr.
Bernard Taylor just sent in the September Issue of the
Mandalay News.
Feast of La Salette, 2007
Dear Brother,
A number of years ago, an author who was
famous for his “human interest” stories, was asked to be a judge
in a contest whose purpose was to find the most caring child in
a large city. Surprisingly enough, the winner was a four year
old boy. This boy lived next door to an elderly man who had
recently lost his wife of many years. One day, the child
happened upon the man sitting and crying, so the boy went into
the man’s yard, climbed into the man’s lap, and just sat there.
When the boy’s mother asked him what he had said to the elderly
man, the little boy answered, “Nothing, I just helped him cry.”
Over the years, we have focused much
attention on words of the message of La Salette, maybe because
Mary spoke so briefly and so richly on that occasion. So
briefly in fact, many have been able to commit the whole message
to memory, thereby easily retelling every word spoken to Maximin
and Melanie on that crisp Autumn day of September 19, 1846 in
the French Alps. What is easy to forget as we retell the
message, is that knowing the words spoken that day does not mean
that one knows the entire message. Because the message, you see,
began even before the first word was spoken. And that message
was and is, God is compassionate towards his people.
Compassion is the ability to share in the
suffering of another; to have a special kindness for those who
suffer. Compassion is at the core of our faith. It was out of
compassion for us sinners that Jesus died on the cross for our
salvation and redemption. For us who profess to be disciples of
the Lord Jesus, compassion is an absolute necessity. Without it,
our faith, our forgiveness and yes, even our love will simply be
“resounding gongs or clashing cymbals”
(1cor. 13:1).
On that day in 1846 at La Salette, if Mary
had never spoken a word her whole message could have been
communicated by her tears. Similar to the tears that her son
shed over Jerusalem (jn11:35),
Mary’s tears were not tears of anger or condemnation, rather
they were (and continue to be) tears of love and compassion. And
like her son, Mary’s tears were born from the anguish of a heart
that witnesses the needless pain and suffering that often occurs
in this world. In this broken world of ours, for us to be
reconcilers, we must also be men of compassion. The message of
La Salette, which is ultimately the message of the Gospel, will
never resonate with those we seek to serve in our ministries if
we ourselves do not share in the compassion of Jesus, the
compassion of God.
In a sense Mary at La Salette was like the
little boy that was mentioned at the beginning of this letter.
Her tears are meant to be tears of comfort. But more than that,
they are also the prelude to an invitation that remains today,
“Come near my children, be not afraid…” For the Good News of
the Gospel to be truly good news, let us never tire of retelling
the simple truth spoken by Jesus during his time on earth and
Mary at La Salette: God Loves you more than you can ever
imagine. The world we live in needs to hear this message,
and we need to have the courage to speak it
May we all receive the grace to hear this
invitation and respond to it.
In the name of the members of the General
Administration, we wish you a happy and holy celebration of our
Feast Day.
Peace,
Dennis J. Loomis, MS
Superior General
Sanctuaire de Notre
Dame de La Salette
38970 La Salette
France
September 3, 2007
Greetings of Peace & Joy from the Holy Mountain of La Salette
August
brought us in the middle of summer, and in the height of the
Pilgrimage Season. It is vacation time in Europe and naturally
in France as well. So we had many families that came over,
putting together vacation time and pilgrimage, in private cars
and campers. However, we continued to have many groups as well,
from France and other European countries, especially from Poland
and Italy.
The
Climactic Disturbances:
August
started with a little warmer weather. In fact for a few days we
thought we would have a heat wave. Then colder weather set in
with cloudy hazy skies and even rain, and sometimes wintry
winds. Temperature remained in the lower teens, most of the
month. In fact, at one time, for almost one week, the
temperature dropped to 6 & 7 degrees centigrade (40-45 F). One
morning, we woke up, it was 4 degrees (38F) and the mountain
tops were covered with snow. And it was supposed to be the
height of summer! Nevertheless, it was a pleasant scene to see.
Because of all this, vacationers in France had difficult time
looking for a sunny place to spend their vacation. Beaches and
other vacation resorts complained of low occupancy, mostly
because of the rainy, windy and cloudy weather. While we were
enjoying cool weather, it is sad to say that in many other
places, there was drought, heat wave, and fires….notably in
Italy and Greece, and floods in India and Bangladesh and U.S.A.!
Feast
of the Assumption:
We were,
however, blessed with pleasant weather on the 15th of
August. The clouds disappeared, the sun shone brightly and the
temperature was in the mid twenties (73F). We had a beautiful
celebration outdoors. The altar was set up near the place of the
Apparition, and people positioned themselves around the lower
slopes of the Gargas, and on the esplanade in front of the
Basilica and every where they can have a view of the altar and
the concelebrants. The Bishop of Chambery was invited to preside
at the celebration along with more than thirty concelebrants
from different corners of the globe. The attendance was
estimated at 2500 people. Throughout the day, more pilgrims came
for other Masses and for the procession of the Blessed Sacrament
in the afternoon. All in all, it is estimated that around 5,000
people visited the Shrine, on that day. Blessed be God!
Priesthood Anniversary:
The
vigil of Assumption marked my 46th anniversary of
priesthood. I was to be busy all week, with various Italian
groups of pilgrims, and so I was given the day off on the 14th
of August. Along with a couple the Chaplains from Madagascar and
Bro. Del Ronquillo, off we went to Annecy to the Shrine of St.
Francis the Sales and St. Jeanne de Chantal. Annecy is a
beautiful medieval city at the foot of northern Alps, near the
French borders to Switzerland and to Italy. It has a beautiful
lake, around which is a beautiful park that was particularly
crowded on the 14th of August. Along the tourist belt
are stores and eateries, but also four of the Churches of Annecy
including the Cathedral and one dedicated to St. Francis, and
another to St. Jeanne de Chantal. We spent a leisurely afternoon
enjoying the scenery and the people. It was a pleasant surprise
to see many young people, who spent the day at the park with
their families. Yes, there are still young people in France, and
there are still families that spend time together for fun and
togetherness.
Delicious Italian treat!
After
our visit to Annecy, we were treated to a delicious Italian meal
by friends in Grenoble: Anne Marie and her twin brother Jean.
Their father, who passed away last week (God rest his soul), was
Italian. He was very active in the parish, until he was
incapacitated due to illness. Anne Marie prepared an entire
meal, complete with anti-pasti, and primo and secondo piato…delicisous
spaghetti, and a succulent desert. My diet was set aside that
day. Oh well, it was my anniversary. Grazie mille, Anne Marie!
Bro. Del Ronquillo,
M. S.
Bro. Del has been with us at the
Shrine since the middle of July. He was assigned to work in the
restaurant serving meals to pilgrims. He has done a wonderful
job. In spite of difficulty in communication, he has conquered
the hearts of many pilgrims, by his smile, joyful service, and
affability. He has picked up a bit of French through the help of
other volunteers, who found him easy to relate with, and who
willingly come to his aid. Bravo, Del! Keep up the good work.
His stay
in France has been a series of joyous discovery. He marveled at
seeing an apple tree laden with fruits, for the first time. His
joy was even greater when he discovered grape vines and was able
to come close to budding grapes and admire the bunches of
grapes. He was ecstatic at the Lake of Annecy, when he saw a
graceful swan (click to see him
feeding the swan: del_1.jpg
del_2.jpg)
floating along majestically on the water. More ecstasy when the
swan suddenly flipped bottoms up to feed from the bottom of the
lake. He feels like Christmas in August as he admired all the
“Christmas trees” on the hills and mountains. He sang
“Maligayang Pasko” on September 1. On our day of conge, he
savors the shrimps and grilled chicken that we usually get for
our picnic in a park or forest some where. I am sure his French
experience will mark his life as a La Salette religious!
161st
Anniversary of Apparition!
Fr.
Jerome of Myanmar, Del and I join you in praising the Lord for
the gift of La Salette, as we glorify Mama Mary on the 19th
of September. May the day be a source of added strength and
deeper commitment to all of us for our Salettine Vocation and a
day of blessings to all our relatives and friends, and our
collaborators in the service of the Lord! Happy Fiesta! You will
be remembered in a special way at the place of the Apparition.
God love
you all in our Blessed Mother!
Fr.
Efren, M. S.
Sanctuaire de Notre Dame de La Salette
38970 La Salette
France
August 4, 2007
Greetings
of Peace & Love from the Mountain of La Salette!
July has come and gone! What
a month it has been for us here at La Salette – full of
surprises, as well as, events and activities that launched us
into the peak of the pilgrimage season:
Welcome to
Summer heat!
After the autumnal and some
time wintry weather we had in May and June, summer heat came,
almost with a vengeance, especially in countries east of us,
like Italy, Greece, Romania and others. The heat wave that came
brought on much discomfort to people, especially the sick and
the elderly, but also forest fires that brought havoc to
property and homes. Almost every where in Europe, people were
talking of lack of water, that contributes to the fires and
endanger the crops. And yet, elsewhere, in England, Bangladesh
and India, there were floods that were equally devastating. Is
this a result of global warming? Here at the Holy Mountain, we
continue to have fair weather…no heat wave. Nights and days are
still cool.
Geological
Wednesdays & Mountains as God’s Gift!
One of the special
attractions for pilgrims during the months of July and August is
called “Geological Wednesday – the Earth and the Planet we
must Love and Protect – A Garden to Cultivate!” There are
various displays in the Gallerie (the main corridor of the
Shrine,) of rocks and stones, pictures of mountains, animals,
and plants and flowers, and illustrations of what has been
happening to our Planet Earth. There is a short film that is
shown to those interested, demonstrating what could happen in
2160, if we continue to abuse the gift of nature: waste of
water, cutting down of trees, denudation of forests, the
continuing pollution by our use or abuse of energy for our
vehicles….etc. all contributing to the “Warming of the Planet”.
We have already many of the signs in the very serious climactic
disorders we are experiencing every where today.
I think of what has been
happening in the Philippines: denudation of our forests…so
much, so that we no longer get rain unless there is an
accompanying typhoon. Santa Fe and the Cordillera…on the way to
Isabela, used to be forested…and every time we passed through
there, we had to wear our sweaters or heavy jackets because it
was always very cool. No longer that way… we have to put on air
conditioning, because it is just as hot there, if not hotter, at
all times of the year.
I think of Our National
Shrine in Silang, which used to be graced with many trees and
all sorts of flowering plants and bushes. People enjoyed the
fresh air and the cool climate and the beauty of the lawns and
gardens. Not so, today. Even in December, January and February,
one perspires, just by sitting at the desk inside the room. It
saddened me to be told that those in charge had all the trees
lining the entrance boulevard cut down. Global warming has come
to the Shrine prematurely!
Three Days of
Rest in the Hospital!
July 4th 2007 will
be a memorable day! It was the day I woke up with my left hand
partially paralyzed. I was rushed to the doctor’s and to the
local hospital in La Mure for tests and evaluation. I
experienced being transferred from the local hospital of La Mure
to one of the hospitals in Grenoble in an ambulance. It was a
first for me. I was moved around from room to room on a wheeled
stretcher and told not to move too much. For a while, I could
not even go to the bathroom. A cat scan and an arterial scope
all showed no lingering damage. Meanwhile, the use of my left
hand gradually returned towards the end of the day. Nevertheless
I was brought back to the local hospital and kept there for two
more days for more tests…including a 24 hour echogram of the
heart. Diabetes was ruled out; HBP control maintained, and
cholesterol control were recommended. A visit to a cardiologist
was scheduled for later in the month. The cardiologist
subsequently gave me a clean bill of health. Thanks be to God,
and to the maternal care of Our Lady of La Salette!
Other
Highlights of the Month
Three days of lecture and
dialogue on the family and the relationship problems
encountered today, were held in July. This was followed by the
Second Colloquium on Reconciliation in Europe,
particularly in Eastern Europe: Ukraine, Poland, Russia &
others. The Colloquium was an attempt to forget the past
conflicts and move on together towards the future. Young people
were participants. Hopefully, these tiny steps of dialogue and
reconciliation will have their effects in the countries
involved.
Tragic
Accident near Grenoble!
You have all heard or read
about the accident involving pilgrims from Poland on their way
home. The accident took place near the historic town of Vizille
(where the French Revolution was mapped out), close to Grenoble.
It was at the end of a steep descent from Laffrey to Vizille,
where busses are not allowed to travel. Break failure caused the
bus to plunge into a ravine and landed about 40 meters down and
on impact the bus caught fire. 26 Pilgrims died and dozens
injured, about ten of them are still kept in the Grenoble
Hospital. We thank all of you who sent messages of sympathy and
joined us in prayer for the victims of the tragic accident.
Highlight of
the month: Televised Mass!
The special event of the
month was the Mass in the Basilica, televised live in France and
Belgium and Poland on the 29th of July. The telecast
is a weekly project of the French Channel 2 in collaboration
with “The Day of Lord” – a project of the French Bishop’s
Conference. Mass was offered in memory of those pilgrims who
suffered and died in that tragic accident. It was especially an
opportunity to show the beautiful surroundings of La Salette,
and the Basilica. It was foremost another opportunity to spread
the message of Love and Reconciliation of Our Lady here at La
Salette Mountain. The last Mass televised from the Basilica was
ten years ago.
This will be all for now. I
continue to keep you in my prayers, every time I go to the site
of the Apparition, and at all our Eucharistic celebrations. May
God continue to bless and guide you through the intercession of
Our Lady of La Salette.
Fr. Efren, M. S.
NEWSLETTER
Read two articles from the April 15, 2007 Issue of "The
Pincers," the Silang College Seminary Newsletter.
DISTRICT OF BURMA
Fr. Mya Thein, M.S.
July 2007. Fr.
Bernard Taylor just sent in the July Issue of the
Mandalay News.
Sanctuaire de Notre Dame de La Salette
38970 La Salette
France
July 1, 2007
GREETINGS OF PEACE AND JOY FROM LA SALETTE MOUNTAIN!
May and June 2007 have gone by. July brings us to the heart of
the Pilgrimage Season as people every where spend their annual
vacation. Many come to La Salette, joining organized pilgrimage
or tour groups. We have, for the most part many groups from
France, but also from other countries, notably from Poland,
Italy, Germany, Check Republic, Spain, Portugal and other
countries in Europe. But we also have an increasing number of
groups coming from America, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Asian
countries like Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and the
Philippines. We had three groups from Singapore in June, and
their leaders promised that there would be more. Others come in
small family groups, or individually. More and more we see many
“campers” or “R V’s”. Our parking lot invariably has several of
these every day.
Among the French and European groups are noticeably the elderly
pilgrims. Occasionally, we see young people among these groups,
but these are few and far between. Fortunately, we do have a
program for young people in collaboration with the various
dioceses around and their youth coordinators. They bring their
young people who are preparing for their First Communion and
Confirmation. These groups come especially in June. The
Wednesdays of June are devoted to receive them at La Salette. It
is heartening to see young people from the ages of 7 years to 20
running around or climbing the mountains and gathering together
for special study sessions as well as for special liturgies.
Most of the groups coming from other countries, especially the
Americas, Australia and Asia, spend only a short time at La
Salette. Some stay for only a few hours, others an overnight,
and occasionally some stay a day or two. No matter how long or
short their time of stay, we help them to make their time here
truly spiritually uplifting and an occasion for growth and
renewal. Many of them, even in the short time that they spend
here, seek the sacrament of reconciliation or simply desire to
dialogue with a priest…something they are not able to do any
more in many of their parishes, especially here in Europe. They
grasp every opportunity to have sacramental reconciliation.
One of the inspiring characteristics of European pilgrims,
especially those from France, is their active participation in
the liturgy. They sing wholeheartedly at Mass and in the
chanting of morning and evening prayer. They come from different
areas in France, and yet, at Mass they all sing. All the song
leader has to do is intone the hymn and all of them join in the
singing. Furthermore, many of them attend our community prayers.
They chant the psalms and canticles for morning and evening
prayer. That is something truly admirable. I think of the
experience I had in Santiago in November & December 2006. I
constantly challenged the people of Santiago to sing, in stead
of just listening to the choir. Our people have not learned how
to actively participate. The same was true in Silang, where the
people seem to simply rely on the seminarians and novices to do
the singing and they simply listen. I dream of the day, a
Sunday, when at Mass in Silang, all mass goers will be singing
during Mass.
May and June were rather cool months. Temperature remained in
the 40’s and 50’s degree Fahrenheit. In fact we had snow twice
in May and once in the first week of June. We had people from
Singapore when there was snow… and they were happy to have seen
snow. The grass on the mountain slopes are green, and the wild
flowers are still in bloom. Soon our volunteer grass trimmers
will come…and mow the lawns, and along with it, the wild
blossoms. At the moment, the grounds seem like multicolor
carpets because of the different colored flowers. It is really a
sight to see.
Fortunately, we have water in abundance. Many times from Mt.
Chamoux, the water comes down in torrents….a beautiful sight to
see, and hear the water cascading down the mountains.
Unfortunately none of the water, even from the Seizia, is being
saved for our use. The Seizia flows all the way down to Lake
Sautet, where it generates electricity for the region. How
helpful it would be to catch this water into a cistern so we can
utilize it. At the moment, we are almost totally dependent on
the Corps water system. A considerable amount of the Shrines
financial resources are spent to pump water up here. Some day,
they will find a way of capturing all that water from the
mountains for shrine use.
Incidentally, last Sunday was my turn to preach at all the
week-end Masses…and to celebrate the Shrine’s main Mass. Each of
the MS priests of the community, as well as the Chaplains who
are able to handle French takes turn to do this. I probably put
in more time preparing when it is my turn… because of my
inadequate handling of the French language. I have to write
everything down. The efforts I put in preparing was amply
rewarded when I was complimented by none other than the Superior
and one of the French priests who teaches French to the PPP
Candidates, Fr. Denis Richard. In fact, he even asked for a copy
of my homily so he could use some of the ideas in his mass
today. I give thanks to the Lord for he blessed me with the
grace to know a few of the languages used over here.
Finally, I also make myself useful by teaching the Sisters from
Burma and Madagascar….some English. The Burmese sisters speak it
better than the Malagash Sisters. They are all interested to
learn more, especially to have the opportunity to listen and to
improve their pronunciation.
This will be all. Please know that I have you all in my prayers
each day…especially at Mass. Continue to pray for us also.
In Our Weeping Mother.
Fr. Efren, M. S.
P. S. July 7, 2007. After I wrote this, and before I could send
it out, I had a minor health concern. I woke up on July 4 with
my left hand paralyzed. I thought it was just cramps. I was told
to see the doctor right away and I was sent to the hospital by
the doctor. Fortunately, all tests, including a scan – proved
negative….and I was released after three days in the hospital. I
have recovered use of my left hand….thanks God. I will still
undergo another test with a visit to the Cardiologist on July
23rd. . Please thank the Lord with me for saving me from more
serious health concern, through the protection and intercession
of Our Lady of La Salette.
FROM FR. MUSNGI, MS
May 5, 2007
Dear Loved Ones,
Greetings of Peace and Love from La Salette Mountain!
I am back on the
Holy Mountain. After more than 18 hours of travel, I landed in
Lyon where I was met by no less than the Rector himself, Fr.
Louis de Pontbriand. Since I had very little sleep on the plane,
I was not much of a conversationist as we made our way to La
Salette. However, he took the time to brief me on the
developments at the Shrine during my long absence. There are
many changes in the personnel, notably the new Superior for the
community of Fathers and Brothers, Fr. Isidro Perin, M.S., the
former Superior General; also new Director of the Hostelry, and
the presence of La Salette Polish chaplains etc. He told me too
of the presence of four postulants of the La Salette Sisters
from Myanmar or Burma. There is also a new Superior for the
community of the Sisters of Our Lady of La Salette.
The blessed Mother rolled out the white carpet on my
arrival. The hills were covered with a thin coat of snow that
made the moutain tops very beautiful. And She must have wanted
me to have a little taste of winter with the snow fall and the
cold weather we have been having since I got here. The
temperature went as low as 2 degrees celsius and has been
hovering around 10 degrees these days. It certainly is a big
change from the 35 degrees we had in Manila when I left.
The pilgrimage season is in full swing. We are getting
many groups from Poland and Italy. I am told a couple of
Filipino groups came two weeks before I got here. I think they
were from Paris and London. A couple more English speaking
groups are expected in the coming weeks. And so, the day after
my arrival I was already on duty for the day, coordinating the
programs for the day. Fortunately I remembered well how things
are done. It promises to be a very interesting and busy season!
I appreciate very much the community prayers we have
each day. It did not take much for me to get back to the rhythm
of the chanting of the office morning and evening. Of course, I
think of all of you each day and include your intentions in our
prayers and especially at the daily Eucharist.
On the political front, tomorrow the second vote for a
new President of France will be held. The people will choose
from the two candidates that got the highest number of votes on
the first round: Sarkozy, of the ruling party, and a woman,
Zegolene Royal of the Socialist Party. She would be the first
woman President of France if she wins. Sarkozy is responsible
for the tightening of immigration laws and if he wins, there
might be more restrictive laws on immigration. We will know the
results by tomorrow night.
Thank for all your kindness and support for me during
the winter months. It was nice being with you and at least
talking with you during the past months. I look forward to
seeing you again when I return after the pilgrimage season. In
the meantime, I know you will pray for me too.
Much love and prayers.
PACIFIC REGION OF HAWAII AND CALIFORNIA
March, 2007. Fr. Romeo N.
Seleccion's re-appointment:
"Having consulted with the
Ministerial Personnel and Placement Board (MPPB) at a recent
meeting, Bishop Barnes woul like to announce the following
personnel actions:
1. RE-APPOINTMENT OF REVEREND ROMEO N. SELECCION, MS:
We congratulate Reverend Romeo N. Seleccion, MS, for
having successfully completed an extensive and evaluation of his
pastoral ministry as Pastor of St. Christopher Parish, Moreno
Valley. Father Seleccion has been re-appointed by Bishop Barnes
for a second and final term as Pastor of St. Christopher Parish
for a period of 6 years effective July 1, 2007."
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