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through love he can be disempowered anddefeated.

When suffering, sickness or misfortune be-fall us – if we, like Jesus, make them intoan offering through love, then He can con-tinue his work of redemption in us, so tospeak. Saint Paul confesses this, in fact,when he writes: “It is no longer I who live,

but Christ who lives in me.” In other words,“it is no longer I who suffer, but Christ whosuffers in me.” If we can bear suffering, withour gaze fixed on Jesus, enduring it in Hisstrength, then we can strip Satan of thepower that our sins have given him. More-over, we can apply the redemptive value ofour suffering, borne with selflessness andlove, to others. And so it becomes a blessingand a saving power, not only for us, but alsofor those entrusted to our love. This is theprofound mystery of Divine Mercy, of re-demption and co-redemption. What a con-solation it is for us Christians to know this!And how greatly this divine consolation is

The Year of Mercy, proclaimed by PopeFrancis, will run throughout most of 2016.And so the Holy Father draws our atten-tion to one of the fundamental character-istics of God’s nature. There is no greateror more consoling truth than the truth thatGod is Love and Mercy. Indeed, He evenreveals Himself to us as Father,so we may confidently addressGod with childlike familiarity,as “Abba – Father”.

But if God is infinitely good,then why does He permit suf-fering? Is He not in some way responsiblefor all the misery in the world? Absolutelynot. God never wanted suffering anddeath, just as He never wanted their cause,which is sin. In His mercy, God took uponHimself the suffering of the entire cre-ation. And by bearing it in infinite love Heovercame evil and gave all suffering a re-demptive power, a redeeming value. Thesin of the first man, and the sins of us allhave given the evil one increasing power.In his hatred, Satan uses this power to hurtus through catastrophes and wars, throughsuffering and death and wherever possible,he uses it to separate us from God. But

needed – not only by those visited by warand disaster, but also by the sick, the lonelyand the elderly. We all have a great mission– to participate through love in the salvationof the world, in the victory over evil. Thisis exactly what Pope Saint John Paul II de-scribed when he wrote of “a marvellous ex-change of spiritual gifts, in virtue of whichthe holiness of one benefits others in a way

far exceeding the harm whichthe sin of one has inflicted uponothers. There are people wholeave in their wake a surfeit oflove, of suffering borne well, ofpurity and truth, which involvesand sustains others.”

Dear Friends, you are not just giving money,but also consolation – and in doing so youeven forget your own needs. May your mer-ciful generosity, which brings such bless-ings to so many others, be a source ofconsolation to you as well.

With my grateful blessing on you all,

Father Martin M. BartaEcclesiastical Assistant

God has given suffering redemptive power!

“We are all called to comfort

our brothers and sisters,

to testify that God alone

can eliminate the causes

of existential and

spiritual tragedies.”

Pope Francis, Angelus message, December 7, 2014Priests and sisters are the hands of God. Today they reachout to the poor – even high up in the Andes.

No 1 • January 2016Published eight times per yearwww.acnmalta.org

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Saint Augustine defines mercy as “our heart, sharing in the suffering of an-other person”. Saint Thomas Aquinas goes further and says that the onlyperson who shows true mercy is the person who actively strives to alleviatethe suffering of others.

This is exactly the spirit in which the Instituteof Saint Augustine, in Kampala, Ugandastrives to carry out its work. Suffering and needcan take many forms, and can be experiencedby priests as well as lay people. In applying toACN for help, the Institute wrote: “Those whoalways only give and care for others can risk

Support for ourshepherds

The rising number of seminarians in the“Regina Pacis” seminary in Butembo,(DR Congo) inevitably raises the ques-tion, “Where are we to find bread to feedthem all?” (cf. Mk 8:4).

In actual fact, the seminarians themselves help tomultiply the loaves, so to speak, in this case. Theysow and till the fields. They raise goats and sheep,growing cabbages, carrots, potatoes, bananas andbeans, milk, wool and even providing meat oncea week. It is just enough to feed the 67 seminar-ians and their tutors. But of course, even plantingtheir own crops and raising their own livestockcosts money. For example, two shepherds are

needed to look after the small flock of sheep, andfrom time to time the services of a vet are need –to say nothing of the seed for the sowing or theirrigation of the crops. But in an unstable regionlike this they also give independence and guar-antee the continuing studies of the seminarians.And so the seed of the Word can likewise fallhere, quite literally, on fertile soil.

Many applicants continue to knock on the door.So the bishop and the rector of the seminary wantto extend the building further, so that all whohave a genuine vocation can take their place attable in the seminary, both in the refectory and inthe classroom. They too will bear fruit later, par-

Food for the body, food for the soul

ticularly for their local parish communities. Wehave promised a contribution of €15,000 for thisinvestment in the future. •

Each seminarian has his own particular task.Joseph is working in the cabbage patch.

one day becoming emotionally and spirituallyexhausted themselves.” Priests pouring outtheir lives like this need a time of prayer andrecollection. If he does not have time to sparefor his own spiritual development he can runthe risk of sinking into a kind of spiritual rut.He needs to recharge spiritually and theologi-cally. And a priest whose seminary studieswere made many years ago, before the techno-logical revolution with its computers andsmartphones – and that was only around 30years ago – can run the risk of being thoughtoutdated, backward or even IT illiterate. Hemay be in need of an “update”, so to speak. Itis this sort of practical and theological knowl-edge, this spiritual refreshment and revival ofthe priest’s relationship with his Creator, thatthe Institute of Saint Augustine offers to allpriests, regardless of age or previous formation.It organises “alumni days” for former seminar-ians after 25 years; it teaches priests how to usecomputers and offers study sessions on the

most recent papal documents. It organises re-treats and prayer sessions, and gives health ad-vice for those suffering burnout or doubts abouttheir mission. Every priest has his own partic-ular struggles, and the better he can cope withthem, the better he can then minister to hisflock. Identifying this need and supportingthese shepherds – this is the mission of mercyhere. We are helping too, as we know howgreatly such institutes are needed in our hectictimes – and not just in Uganda! •

Studying together: not simply a refresher course.

Vocations in A

frica

Brotherly embrace: joyful reunion afteryears of arduous ministry.

Any donation you kindly give will go to support these, or similar

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Seminaries in La

tin America

The criteria for acceptance in the sem-inaries have now been overhauledworldwide, since the abuse scandalsof around five years ago. Now there isgreater attention to psychologicalhealth and a well-adjusted character.

Now there is only one area in which the fu-ture priest is allowed to be somewhat“crazy”– and that is in his love of God. Infact this burning love is a crucial elementin the formation of his priestly personality.We receive numerous letters from the al-most ten thousand seminarians we supportworldwide. One virtue we particularly no-tice in them is gratitude. Gratitude to God,who has granted them this vocation, andgratitude to you all, in whom they see thehand of Divine Providence. For example,Gover Chavez of Yurimaguas in Peru isconscious of the “difficulties of the world”and of his own weakness – yet he sees thatGod nevertheless helps him to fulfil his vo-cation with understanding. Julio Cesar, atthe same seminary, sees further and seesyour help as a spur to remain faithful to hisvocation and “to be able to express his grat-itude one day in service to the Church”. Allof them – Gover, Julio, Enrique, Juan andthe rest – justify us in the hope that theywill worthily receive the sacrament of or-dination and allow themselves to be en-lightened by it in the way that SaintAugustine described: “The spiritual powerof the sacrament is like the light: the onewho is to be illuminated by it receives it inits clarity.” There are 26 young men fromYurimaguas preparing for the priesthood,one of the very poor apostolic vicariates ofPeru. Your support of €7,200 strengthensthem in their vocation.

Likewise in the 172 candidates, from 27 dif-ferent dioceses, currently studying for the priesthood in the seminary of Christ the Priest (Cristo Sacerdote) in La Ceja,Colombia, we can confidently hope for

faithful pastors and missionaries. We arehelping here with €21,500. The selection cri-teria are strict, and the expectations high.German Dario sensed his vocation even as asmall child. “One day a Capuchin priestcame to our village and sang the song ElSembrador (the Sower). That struck me verydeeply and I knewthat this was the pathfor me.” His motherdid not understandhim, nor did hisparish priest. He entered the seminary, butwas forced to work because of financialproblems. Now, at the age of 32, he is de-lighted to have returned. “I thank God withall my heart for this wonderful vocation, andalso all the benefactors who are strengthen-ing me in my vocation. You will always bein my prayers, so that God may reward you

Grateful for God’s call

Stages in the life of the seminarian: clothing, study, prayer, ordination.

with many blessings.” Reinaldo too had totake a roundabout route. But the seed of hisvocation – planted in his heart by his grand-mother, “who taught me a great love for Godand his Church”, and by his parish priest“through the witness of his life” – sproutedand flourished within him. Reinaldo was

successful in manyoccupations – andyet he still found hisway into the semi-nary. Others have

come here straight from school and aregrateful, like Oscar Alirio, to everyone “whohas helped me to hear the call of God withinme, since the day he first tenderly calledme”. Each of the 172 candidates has his ownstory, for God calls each one by his name.And we have the privilege of helping eachone to respond. •

The many differentpaths of vocation

projects, and enable the pastoral work of Aid to the Church in Need.

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The seminary in Jaffna is almost 35 yearsold. Several times the seminarians wereforced to flee during the war. They couldtake no more than a few books and other es-sentials with them. And yet despite these cir-cumstances, 125 priests were trained duringthis time. At first there were just five ofthem; now there are 34 young men, and it isbecoming cramped – very cramped. At pres-ent they share two large dormitories. Yet the

senior seminarians,who are close to or-dination, should re-ally have rooms oftheir own. For as the

rector tells them, in the words of the Pope,“even if you lose everything else in life, youmust hold on to your profound relationshipwith Christ in your hearts.” That is why theyneed a room to which they can retire, aloneto seek communion with Christ. So now theseminary is building a new block to housethese more senior students. We are support-ing the project with €106,500. For in thewords of Pope Francis, the relationship withChrist is the “guarantee of success, the wayforward.” By helping these seminarians inthis way you will be showing them that

Christ is indeed the Good Shepherd, whounites love and truth in His Church.

However, seminarians cannot live on wordsalone. They must eat, drink, sleep as well.And eating and drinking are likewise oppor-tunities for fraternal communion among the seminarians. But they also need a tableto sit at and a chair to sit on. As they don’teven have enough for all the students at theseminary of Saint Francis Xavier in Lahore,Pakistan. It has been in existence for 15years, and there are numerous vocations. Ithas 92 seminarians preparing for the priest-hood, including 18 students from differentreligious orders. Already they have had toextend the refectory, and now they are stillshort of four tables and 25 chairs, plus an-other 25 chairs and desks for the studyrooms. And there is a pressing need for an-other 40 beds as well. The diocese and theseminary between them have just about man-aged for the building work. But now there isnothing left for the furniture. We have prom-ised them €9,000, as these future witnessesto the Resurrection ought also to be able tolive and study in dignity! •

Christ, the guarantor of success

Seminaries i

n Asia

Future priests must be witnesses tothe Resurrection, Pope Francisteaches, for “ultimately, it is not ad-ministrators and managers we aretraining, but brothers and fathers,who will accompany the people ontheir journey through life.”

These words of the Pope are quoted withfeeling by the rector of the Saint FrancisSeminary in Jaffna,Sri Lanka, in hisannual report. Forhis most heartfeltconcern is to traingood shepherds, and the words of PopeFrancis are an encouragement to him. Nat-urally, all the other subjects are alsotaught, starting with Philosophy, viaCanon Law and right through to DogmaticTheology. But after 25 years of civil warpeople in Sri Lanka are in need of a help-ing hand rather than a wagging finger.Love and Logos – this is the rector'smotto, which echoes the words of PopeBenedict XVI: “Love alone is not enough;only when love and truth agree, then manis made free.”

Cramped but clean: a dormitory for 17 seminarians.

Diligent in poverty: a future shepherdin his study corner.

Hold on to your rela-tionship with Christ.

Any donation you kindly give will go to support these, or similar

5

tual centre where seminarians could pre-pare for their future life, shortly before or-dination, and where active priests couldgather new strength after years ofpainstaking labour in the missions. “Wegive, and we expect nothing in return. Andwhat we do receive, we share.” And thepresent Bishop Dieudonné Espoir Atan-gana, likewise sees in the Saint FrancisCentre a means of support and spiritual re-newal for priests and bishops – and for thelaity also. But the need is great; manypriests are exhausted, some of themburned out. They need a place of silent re-treat. So the centre needs to be extended.Once the extension work is completed it

will be able to ac-commodate over100 people. Thenthere are the dailyvisitors for Holy

Mass and catechesis. For this too theyneed a large conference hall and publictoilets. And at the same time the commu-nity kitchens need to be properly furnishedand equipped for both modern and tradi-tional methods of cooking. Brother Denis-Antoine has already found help for thefurniture, but the overall constructioncosts fall heavy on his small budget. Wehave promised him €150,000.

“Some of the local bishops’ conferenceswould very much like to hold their retreat

days here”, he tells us. “As they also needa few days of silence and recollectionfrom time to time. They too need under-standing and to be reminded again andagain: I am redeemed.” In short, the SaintFrancis Centre is an oasis. Islam is ad-vancing in the north of the country, whilein the south Evangelical sects and super-stitions are spreading like wild fire. “Theremedy for all this is love, is friendship.”The radiance of this spiritual centre is thepower of love. “It is love that redeems,that takes shape in our friendship with oneanother. A friendship built on mutual trustand esteem. Such a friendship conveys thefeeling of being loved by God.” •

“Bringing the Good News to some-one means saying to him, you too,you too are loved by God. And notonly to say this, but also truly to thinkit. And not only to think it, but also tobehave in such a way towards thisperson that he discovers within him-self that there is indeed somethinggreat: I too am redeemed.”

Brother Denis-Antoine of the FranciscanEmmanuel community in Cameroon notonly quotes Saint Francis but actuallythinks and lives these words, together withhis 22 brothers and 95 lay members in fivedioceses of the country. They go out andvisit leprosy suffer-ers, blind people,prisoners, youngpeople, families,and pray with them.“They are my brothers and sisters. In theireyes I see Christ, I see the joy of the redeemed.” It was 15 years ago whenBrother Denis-Antoine founded the community, together with a few otherbrothers from Canada, in the diocese of Nkongsamba. Their joy is infectious.“We are children of God. What harm canbefall us ?”

Their infectiousness also rubbed off on thebishop of the diocese at the time. He in-vited the community to establish a spiri-

“It is love that redeems”

Infectious joy: “We are children ofGod. What harm can befall us?”

Comfort the sorrowful!A work of mercy.

Building an oasis of love: “Whatever we receive, we share.” The blind, the poor and the lepers: “They are all our brothersand sisters.”

The Year of M

ercy

projects, and enable the pastoral work of Aid to the Church in Need.

Johannes FreiherrHeereman,Executive President, ACN (International)

Dear Friends,Just under two years ago I told you how we feltthe time had come for ACN to adopt a moreunified, worldwide identity as a charity. Foreven as the world seems to be falling apart, yetin terms of the information media it is growingever closer together. Having a unified nameand identity enables us to present just who weare – and what makes us distinctive in termsof our priorities as an international charity –in a much more coherent manner.

Initially we attempted, with your help, to thinkof a new international name to be used in allour different national offices. We ended upwith over 600 different suggestions, but noneof them, we felt, would ultimately justify therisk of changing our name, which for so longhas symbolised the immense trust placed in usover so many years by our benefactors in allthe different countries where we are present. So our name will remain unchanged. But itwill be supplemented, in every country, by theabbreviated form ACN – already familiar inthe English-speaking world. And the graphicdesign of the name will also be unified acrossall countries in order to emphasise that we areone unified charity. The first step will be thechange of name at our international head-quarters in Germany, from “Kirche in Not” tothe universally recognised form: “Aid to theChurch in Need”, or ACN for short.Nothing dramatic, then, but still a step forwardfor us. Thank you once again for your contin-uing faithful support.

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Success story in East Timor God speaks to His chil-dren – “Maromak koaliaba nia oan sira”. This isthe name of the ACNChild’s Bible in EastTimor. The Salesians ofDon Bosco have nowdistributed copies to the50 primary schools intheir parishes. It is usedhere as part of theschool curriculum, andnow many teachers in state schools are increasingly interested in this littlechildren’s Bible. And so the Good News success story continues. The chil-dren are delighted with it, and so too is the provincial Superior of the SalesianFathers , Father João Paulino Aparício Guterres. He thanks you for your gen-erosity, on behalf of the children, and the teachers too.

Need, love and thanks − your letters A drop in the ocean Just a little drop, for our suffering brethrenin the East: we enclose the offerings fromJeanne’s Baptism. Our little girl has justbeen operated on and offered up her suf-ferings in her own way for the Christianmartyrs. She’s doing well now.

A benefactress in France

Wedding gift for eternity I had long wanted to help persecutedChristians, but didn’t know how. As mywedding day approached, the desire grewstronger, so I asked ACN’s Madrid officehow I could combine this desire to helpwith my wedding. The solution they sug-gested was simple but beautiful: have aMass celebrated for each wedding guest.This way I would be helping the priests ofthe persecuted Church and at the same timegiving our guests a spiritual gift for all eter-nity. So I gave one hundred Mass offeringsand at the same time sent out Holy Mass

offering cards to each of the guests, so thatthey would know where it came from and atthe same time perhaps use the idea them-selves for other occasions.

A young bride in Madrid, Spain

Bringing God’s Word to the childrenI have recently realised the importanceand power of God’s word in the Bible,something I wish had happened in mychildhood. How different my life wouldhave been. This word is now changing meand changing my life, and I want for thisto happen for others also. I believe it is im-portant for children to be taught God’sword at an early age, and so I am enclos-ing a cheque for $50 to enable you to pro-vide Bibles for children, or to spend as yousee fit. Thank you for doing God’s works in theworld, and for spreading God’s light andstrength in the darkness.

A benefactress in Australia

Editors: Jürgen Liminski & Stephen AxisaPublisher: Aid to the Church in Need,39B Mdina Road, Attard ATD 9038Printed in MaltaDe licentia competentis auctoritatis ecclesiasticae

www.acnmalta.org

Where to send your contribution for the Church in NeedPlease use the envelope. Aid to the Church in Need, 39B Mdina Road, Attard ATD 9038; Tel: 21487818; Fax: 21586257Bank of Valletta Plc, IBAN MT89 VALL 2201 3000 0000 4002 2153 500

Email: info@acnmalta.org – facebook//Aid to the Church in Need MaltaPass this leaflet on to your neighbours, friends or leave it at the ParishChurch for others to review.