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MISSIONARIES OF THE PRECIOUS BLOODNo. 28, April 2010

The theme of Justice, Peace and theIntegrity of Creation (JPIC) is

becoming more and more pressing, asmany religious congregations andmissionaries in their ministry of ani-mation consider this issue to be essen-tial. The same is happening in ourcongregation. Fr. Felix Mushobozi, aGeneral Councilor, has the specifictask of promoting this topic for theentire congregation. Here in Rome,the JPIC Committee is the most activecommittee in the office of the Unionof Superiors General. Through specif-ic research, meetings and seminars,and field experience, especially in acity as big and complex as Rome, the

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Motivated by the Blood of Christby Felix Mushobozi, C.PP.S.

Bishop Erwin Kräutler, C.PP.S. speaking at Symposium in Lima, Perú

Three images have come to sym-bolize Precious Blood spirituali-

ty: covenant, cross and the cup.Robert Schreiter, CPPS and BarryFischer, CPPS have written exten-sively regarding these images. Here Iwill recall some of their reflectionsand underline the motivationsderived therein for our missionaryinvolvement in the ministries thatpromote Justice, Peace and theIntegrity of Creation (JPIC).

COVENANT

The biblical image of the covenant iscommonly used to explain a relation-ship of love between humanity andGod. It includes three areas of rela-

tions: between humanity and our cre-ator; between persons and betweenhumanity and mother earth. Accord-ing to Schreiter the image of cove-nant evokes communion, communitybuilding and connectedness. Thecovenant by which God established arelationship of love was sealed bythe blood inviting the parties to faith-fulness. The blood of Christ is thebond of these relationships. Theimplication of this is that we mustwork to counter the individualism ofour culture and the sense of isolationwhich many people experience.

Practically, Schreiter talks about theneed to help people find their identi-

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THE PRECIOUSBLOOD AS AWELLSPRING

FOR JPJCby Francesco Bartoloni, C.PP.S.

The Precious Bloodas a Wellspring for JPICby Fr. Francesco Bartoloni, C.PP.S. 1

Motivated by the Blood of Christby Felix Mushobozi, C.PP.S. 1

Precious Blood Ecology: HealingBlood Flows to our Woundsby Joseph Grilliot, C.PP.S. 5

Responding to the Cry of theBlood in the Slums of Mumbaiby J. Anthony Daniel, C.PP.S. 7

A Seed of Justice calledthe Village of Hopeby Vincenzo Boselli, C.PP.S. 9

Choices for Life in Violent Placesby Kris Schrader, ASC

Dani Brought, ASC 12

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through death, the weakness andthe powerlessness of suffering canbe the road to strength, the instru-ment of human shame becomes thethrone of divine glory. The cross asthe altar of sacrifice through the sonunites earth and heaven, marks theovercoming of death through thedeath of one person”2.

The redemptive power of the crossis found in its power to overcomenegative human experiences withreal hope. Death is overcome by lifeas one places his or her hope inChrist, who not only died on thecross, but rose into an everlastinglife. In this way, blood symbolizesboth death and life.

Thus concludes Schreiter: “Theblood of Christ in which the very

and conflicts, so that through con-crete actions we affirm that everylife is precious.

St. Gaspar sets the example for us.Motivated by the blood shed on thecross, he went to the condemnedvillage of Sonnino to create withthem the means for their survivaland to invite them to conversion.Gaspar was imprisoned for opposi-tion to Napoleon’s invasion ofPapal States and returned fromprison with a zeal to renew theChurch in chaos. Gaspar wasmoved with compassion for thosedying of cholera in Rome andoffered himself and his mission-aries to assist them, even at the sac-rifice of his own health.

Today many of our CPPS and ASCmissionaries hear and respond tothe cry of the same blood of thecross in their varied local circum-stances. In the Central AmericanMission some missionaries havechosen to stay with indigenous peo-ple to make sure that their right toland and culture are respected. Inour Peruvian Mission some mis-sionaries have chosen to stay withthe victims of pollution and degra-dation of environment so that theirrights and responsibilities areattended to and peace is preserved.The cry of the blood of the cross isheard by those working for recon-ciliation among the victims ofcrime and prisoners in the USA orthose attending HIV victims inTanzania. In all our missionaryactivities “the blood of Christ is thesource of strength to endure, butalso the sign of ultimate hope thatno suffering need be for ever4.” Asone motivated by the blood of thecross, to give witness to the socialgospel means that we confront thesuffering, the death, the contradic-tions of our lives with confidencethat there is a larger reality whichcan redeem us.

CUP

The blood of the new and eternalcovenant that was shed on the cross

ty in their relation to God and toone another. Motivated by theblood of Christ we are invited toexplore situations in our ministrieswhich address problems of bondingand communication. Schreiter sug-gests specific areas of possibleactivity: fidelity in marriage andother commitments; isolation of theelderly; and the inclusion of theoppressed and marginalized in soci-eties. To these I would add care ofcreation and concern for the victimsof climate change.

Our call is to take concrete mea-sures so that we share God’s co ve-nant and especially, we share God’sconcern for the poor. Our option forthe poor and marginalized is moti-

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“Eucharist is the source from which weare empowered for mission and to workfor justice, peace and integrity of creation.”

vated by the fact that we are grant-ed the same spirit which entitles usto address God as “Abba” – Father(Gal 4:6) and our recognition thatChrist’s disciples will be judged bythe response they give to those ingreatest need (Mt 25:31-46). Thespirituality of the covenant thatguides our relationships embracesthe whole creation. God creator andsustainer of the world and all it con-tains dwells in all things givingthem life and being. Through God’sspirit we are united with all creationand share responsibility for it asindicated in God’s covenant (Gn9:8-17)1.

CROSS

As a symbol for Precious Bloodspirituality, the cross carries awealth of meaning. Explaining theuniqueness of the cross as a symbol,Schreiter has this to say: “The crosssymbolizes the great paradox inChristian faith: life come about

divine life was lodged is shed inthis violent act; but out of that shed-ding has come new life, the Churchand the enduring grace by which weare all freed from everlastingdeath.3” Such a spirituality of thecross has implications for our mis-sion in the area of promotion ofJPIC. First, we are motivated by theblood of Christ shed on the cross tobe responsible for those who suffer,whose blood is diminished anddevalued physically, mentally,morally, and in any of the circum-stances of their life.

Secondly, we are urged by the sameblood of Christ to be interested instaying with people in their suffer-ing to help them find their waythrough that suffering, transformingand redeeming their circumstances.Conscious of the violence withwhich the blood of Christ was shedon the cross, we are invited toreflect on the blood of many inno-cent people shed through violence

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An international community of CPPS members respond to the cry of the blood of illegal immigrants held in the Detention Center for Foreigners in Aluche (Madrid)

they shall be called sons of God”(Mt 5:6.9). We need to drink fromthe cup of the blood of Christ toquench our thirst for justice. Wedrink from the cup to be purified sothat we may be able to share thatlove and hope with others.

It is obvious that we need to evan-gelize ourselves before we can besent for mission. Our life in com-munity should be a witness to theworld that we are people of thecovenant. The bond of charityshould form us as a people of thecross so that when we gather incommunity to celebrate Eucharist,“the sharing of the bread and wineopen up new spaces in our dailylives to share from our abundanceas the small child shared what hehad in offering of the loaves andfishes to Jesus in the miracle of themultiplication of bread.5” Havingshared the cross and the cup incommunity, we are able to go forth

for salvation of humanity andwhich is offered daily on the altar,is a sacrament of love unitinghumanity in praise and thanksgiv-ing. That blood was offered on thecross so that whoever would thirstfor love and hope, might receive itin the cup of salvation. It is cele-brated in obedience to the com-mand of the Lord: “do this in mem-ory of me” (1Cor 11:23-26). Theaspirations of the Eucharistic cele-bration do not end with the mass;“ite missa est” literally means “go,it is sent”. Misa from missio impliesthat what we celebrate in Eucharist,is to be sent and put into action. Inthis way we can see that Eucharistis the source from which we areempowered for mission and to workfor justice, peace and integrity ofcreation.

“Happy are those who hunger andthirst for what is right, they shall besatisfied”; Happy the peacemakers,

to proclaim and witness the socialgospel, because we have experi-enced that bond, love and peace incommunity. In this way, our respon-sibility for one another is moreeffective and capable of reachingout to the poor and the marginal-ized.

The spirituality of the cup urges usto identify ourselves with thosewho live extreme human experi-ences such as hunger, diseases, per-secution, discrimination, migration,refugees and the like. Fischer sum-marizes well how a missionary ofthe Precious Blood should feelwhen he raises the cup of theEucharist: “When we gaze into theEucharistic cup, which we hold inreverence, we see our lives as anintermingling of joys and sorrows,successes and fai lures, victories anddefeats, virtue and sin.”

“The Eu charistic cup brings togeth-er the signs of death and of suffer-

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ing and of injustices with the pas-sion of Christ.6” This is the synthe-sis of what we see as the spiritualityof the cup offered and shared in theEucharist, which becomes the impe-tus for our missionary activities.

CONCLUSION

I am convinced that our choice to beactively involved in ministrieswhich promote justice, peace, andintegrity of creation is proper to ourcharism and is an expression of ourspirituality. My reflections about ourengagement in apostolic activitieswhich promote JPIC have the objec-tive of affirming that we must readthe signs of times so that we can bemore prophetic. My experience inmeeting with other congregations inwhich JPIC is a priority is that thereare a number of reasons for which acongregation may be resistant inmaking JPIC a priority of its mis-sion. In some congregations therecan be unwillingness to take radicalpositions and thus are satisfied witha kind of spirituality focused solelyon prayer and interior life,untouched by pain and injustices ofthe marginalized in today’s world. Inothers, it is the shortage of personnelwhich limit our options to engage inministries demanding mobility.

In some congregations, especiallyin Latin America, inactivity can bethe result of a clash between ideolo-gies, theologies and ecclesiologies.In some extreme cases, a prejudiceagainst JPIC activities has arisenwhich seems to reflect a certainkind of degeneration that has creat-ed a fear of being disturbed, with aresistance to any change of life-style.

The renewal of our congregationwill not be effective if we do not

reconsider and broaden our under-standing of mission. The workshopon mission which took place inSalzburg in July 2009 marks animportant step forward toward thisgoal. With the help of modernscholarship in Missiology we werehelped to pinpoint six essential ele-ments of CPPS mission. Witnessand proclamation; Liturgy, prayerand contemplation; Justice, Peaceand Integrity of Creation; Inter -religious dialogue; Incul tura tion;and Reconciliation.

As you can see JPIC is included asan essential element of CPPS mis-sion. In this we echo one of the mostimportant affirmations of thechurch’s social mission. From theSynod of Bishops in 1971: “Actionon behalf of justice and participationin the transformation of the worldfully appear to us as a constitutivedimension of the preaching of theGospel, or, in other words, of thechurch’s mission for the redem ptionof the human race and its liberationfrom every oppressive situation.7”

The importance of this affirmationlies in the fact that the social mis-

sion of the Church is now seen ascentral to the mission of the church.

It was the stated goal of the missionworkshop and the discussions in theunits which have followed theworkshop, to help the congregationmove forward towards a commonunderstanding of a CPPS theologyof mission. The recent symposiumon “Mission in Defense of ourCommon Home” (Earth Com -munity) held in Peru, also advancedthe dialogue between JPIC andPrecious Blood spirituality. Wemust keep this conversation alive sothat all will hear the cry of theblood and be sent forth intoPrecious Blood ministries that pro-mote Justice, Peace and theIntegrity of Creation. ◆

1 For these observations see Brian Davies,“A spirituality of Justice: A spiritualitywhich can give coherence to every area ofour life” in hexhamndnewcastlejustice-andpeace.org.

2 Schreiter, Robert, “Covenant, CrossChalice”. (Published in the CincinnatiProvince Newsletter, July 1, 1985), 1658.

3 Schreiter, R., op. cit., p. 1658.4 Ibid.5 Fischer, Barry, Cry of the Blood,

(Carthagena, OH: Messenger Press, 2004),164-165.

6 Fischer B., op. cit., pp. 165-166.7 Synod of Bishops, 1971, Justice in the

World, “Introduction”, in David J. O’Brienand Thomas A. Shannon, eds., CatholicSocial Thought: The DocumentaryHeritage (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books,1992), 289.

“Action on behalf of justice and participa-tion in the transformation of the worldfully appear to us as a constitutive dimen-sion of the preaching of the Gospel.”

CPPS FORMATORS’ WORKSHOPA workshop for current formators and vocation promoters andthose who might be working in these ministries in the near future

Via Narni (Rome)With trips to Albano & Giano

July 4 - July 17, 2010

Goals of the Workshop● To improve our formation programs by developing the

formators theoretical understanding and practical skills.● To create a network of support among the formators

and vocation promoters.

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We live in a time of great ad -vances in technology and a

time of great abuses when the greedyactions of a few violate the good dig-nity of the many and the earth itself.In ways this is not a new occurrence.We know from Genesis (Gen 6) thestory of the Great Flood that over-whelmed the earth in the times ofNoah. At that time God was angrywith the human beings who hadbecome violent, choosing only evil sothat their corruption had contaminat-ed even the earth. Because of this,God brought forth a surging flood todestroy what was evil. God howeversaved Noah and his family and pairsof all the animals on earth so that theycould begin anew. After the floodwa-ters receded, God established acovenant with Noah, his family, andwith all the creatures so that theywould be blessed, multiply, and neverbe destroyed again (Gen 9:7-17).

The Rainbow: a sign of God’s covenant with Noah and humanity

our reliance on coal, oil, and naturalgas for energy. The increased carbonin the air traps more heat from thesun and warms the average tempera-ture of the earth. This increased heatalters the ecosystems of all livingthings and pushes the climate sys-tems to create storms of incrediblestrength. Because the carbon levelsin the atmosphere are so high and arereleased at increasing rates, the glob-al climate system may be on thebrink of changes that would take mil-lions of years to reverse. With thisreality, it is clearly time to reduce ourcarbon emissions by using less ener-gy. We can also begin mining ourspiritual resources that might just fillmany of our needs.

A PRECIOUS BLOOD ECOLOGY

In such challenging times a spiritual-ity of the blood of Christ offers

In this way, God affirmed throughthe bonds of covenantal relationshipthe blessing on humans, animals,and the plants and earth as well.From this epic history perhaps wecan learn from the mistakes of thosewho chose evil: Human a ctionsaffect all of God’s creation!

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

Currently, one of the biggest chal-lenges for our earth is global climatechange. This frightful complex hasalready begun affecting our worldand poses many problems in our nearfuture from rising oceans to trauma-tic mega storms. We are using toomany resources and burning toomany fossil fuels. We’re pulling car-bon stored in the ground and releas-ing it into the atmosphere through

PRECIOUS BLOOD ECOLOGY:HEALING BLOOD FLOWS TO OUR WOUNDS

by Joseph Grilliot, C.PP.S.

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opportune insights. Within the triuneGod there is a creative movement oflife that pours out into the creationand re-creation of the world. Thismovement of life flows into us likeblood and water into our cups. As thedivine grace flows into our vessels wemight try to capture it not losing anounce. However, the flow is too largeand our chalices too small to containthe flow of life. If we try to hold ontoit, the water becomes stagnant and theblood clots. However, by living withthe flow and letting our life bloodpour out for others, we are continual-ly renewed. Saint Paul’s letterreminds us, “But we have this treasurein clay jars, so that it may be madeclear that this extraordinary powerbelongs to God and does not comefrom us.1” The grace of God is notmeant just for us but to be shared andflow through the lives of all people.

In a mystical way the life blood andwater flowing from the Triune Godis the same sap flowing through theboughs of the trees and the shoots ofall plants. This same life flowsthrough mammals, frogs, insects,and all creatures on the earth. Thissame life breathes through everyhuman being from Tanzania, Co -lombia, the United States, India,Italy, and everywhere else on theearth! We are truly rooted in connec-tion with all of life through the Spiritof God and the Blood of Jesus Christthat flows through us all.

Through this manifest connection,the healing blood of life flows to thewounds in our world. Just like in ourbodies blood flows with warmth andhealing to our injuries, the life ofGod flows to our wounded relation-ships. If we are attentive, patient,and willing to respond faithfully, ourrelationship with ourselves, ourcommunities, and with all that Godhas created may travel the path ofreconciliation.

TAKING ACTION

This flow of healing blood and abun-dant life brings me the courage torespond faithfully to climate changeand environmental problems. In ourcommunity house in Chicago wehave taken a purposeful approach to

recycling. We examined the guide-lines from our local recycling centerfor what kinds of materials theyaccept. Then, we prepared a little sys-tem of trash cans marked for metals,glass, cardboard, paper, batteries, andplastics. We take turns hauling thebags of materials to the nearby recy-cling center. In doing this I ambecoming aware of just how manycardboard boxes and plastic bags weuse on a regular basis. Perhaps wecould create a little less waste bybringing reusable bags to the grocerystore. I am also grateful for the wayour recycling is a communal effort toreduce the use of resources. Al thoughrecycling programs are only one part,doing this with purpose and persis-tence is a clear step toward livingmore sustainably.

become more aware of how I amfundamentally connected to my fam-ily, friends, and community; the soil,water, and air around me; the ants,birds, and coyotes in my backyard;the coal mines in West Virginia, oilrigs in the Gulf of Mexico, loggingfields in Brazil, and the many peoplewho toil in these places. I am learn-ing just how much ecological justiceand human justice are interwovenand mutually reinforce one another2.Because justice is grounded in rightrelationship, I must learn to live inharmony with the whole network ofrelationships that give me life fromthe roots of the soil to the birds of thesky. Where the economic and mate-rial systems that I live in exploit peo-ple and earth, justice calls me tomove with healing blood towardrestored relationships.

Impelled by the flow of PreciousBlood I long to live more fully God’scovenant with Noah and humanity,the animals, plants, and with thewhole earth. In this way I seek tolive sustainably, be joyful in commu-nity, and honor the creatures andplants of the Earth with whom Ishare life. By taking up thiscovenantal journey in the healingblood of Jesus, perhaps we can sharea world of beauty, peace, and sus-tainable life with the children oftoday and those of many generationsinto the future3. ◆

1 The Green Bible, New Revised StandardVersion 1989, National Council ofChurches of Christ in the U.S.A. (NewYork: Harper Collins, 2008), 2 Corinthians4:7.

2 “Every violation of solidarity and civicfriendship harms the environment, just asenvironmental deterioration in turn upsetsrelations in society. Nature...is so integrat-ed into the dynamics of society and culturethat by now it hardly constitutes an inde-pendent variable.” Pope Benedict XVI,Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, Vatican, 29June 2009, http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html, Accessed 29 January2010, #51.

3 “We must recognize our grave duty to handthe earth on to future generations in such acondition that they too can worthily inhab-it it and continue to cultivate it,” PopeBenedict, Caritas in Veritate, #50.

“ Where the eco-nomic and materi-al systems exploitpeople and earth,justice calls me tomove with heal-ing blood towardrestored relation-ships.”

Recycling is a good first step ofhealing in the blood of Christ, but awhole lot more is possible. We canall continue learning about sustain-ability, raise awareness about eco-logical issues, be more energy effi-cient, drive less and walk more, eathealthy food, write letters to law-makers, buy from companies thatpractice sustainable methods, andeven participate in direct actions thatpromote policies to better sustain ourworld. While there are many ways torespond to ecological challenges,every step moves me more deeplyinto restored relationships with theearth community.

ALL LIFE IS CONNECTED IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS

My understanding of the blood ofJesus flows through all of life. I’ve

RReessppoonnddiinngg ttoo tthhee CCrryy ooff tthhee BBllooooddiinn tthhee SSlluummss ooff MMuummbbaaii

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Our Precious Blood missionarypresence in Mumbai began on

May 31, 2007 in response to aninvitation from Bishop BoscoPhena, the Auxiliary Bishop of theArchdiocese of Mumbai. Frs. JohnPeter and J. Anthony Daniel areserving as chaplains to the Tamilpeople in some ten slums. Beforeour arrival there were other Tamilchaplains from different dioceseswho ministered for three to fouryears. Some of them were commit-ted to the people, while othersmerely seemed to be passing theirtime. All the work we do in thesums is in collaboration with thelocal Bishops and the parish priestswho support our efforts.

Among the most challenging areaswe serve are Ray Road, Juhu, andCheeta Camp. In these slums thepeople are living in pathetic condi-tions. Until our arrival, a big prob-lem existed between the slumdwellers and the parish due to lan-guage. Because they did not speakthe local language it was difficultfor them to participate in the sacra-mental life of the Church.

We spent the first six months get-ting acquainted with the situationand then trying to find solutions tothe many problems that the peoplefaced, like the need for food, cloth-ing and shelter. We also motivatedthe parents to send their children toschool for education, especially thegirls. Some attend Catholic schoolswhile others are in Governmentschools. Since many parents couldnot afford the fees for the catholicschools they could not go there. Sowe negotiated with the parishpriests and arranged that specialreduced fees be asked of theseneedy families.

The next problem we tackled wasthat of the rectification of mar-

by J. Anthony Daniel, C.PP.S occurred at 8:45 PM. Fr. J.Anthony Daniel rushed to thescene and opened the Church,which served as a shelter for thepeople as the people abandonedeverything and ran for shelter.Muslims, Hindus and Christianstook refuge together in the Church,without discrimination of religion.

With the help of the Missionariesof Charity and the Church we wereable to provide clothing, food, bis-cuits, milk powder, mats, buckets,mugs, bed sheets, etc. There was agreat show of solidarity as this wasthe biggest tragedy Mumbai faced,

riages. Fr. John Peter has rectified28 marriages and I, five. We alsoface the problems of mixed mar-riage and the sacraments of initia-tion. All these problems we tried tosolve with the help of the Chan -cellor/Episcopal Vicar.

On January 6, 2009 there was a bigfire in Cheeta Camp caused by theexplosion of an LP Gas cylinder. Itwas a real tragedy. Some 400 fam-ilies lost everything and in a shorttime nearly half of the slum houseswere burnt into charcoal. The fire

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Mumbai. We also thank Fr. BarryFischer and Fr. Francesco Barto -loni who cooperated for this newventure, as well as Fr. Amaladoss,the Vicariate Director.

Through the availability of ourMissionaries, Fr. J. Anthony Danieland Fr. John Peter, Fr. SagayaRuben, the dream became realityand this new community is aliveand continues to grow, grow andgrow. ◆

Missio naries and their work in theParish. Fr. John Peter, CPPS andFr. Maria Anthony, CPPS rendertheir collaboration and support.

The crises that the Missionariesfaced in the initial stages were thecrown for the Society to grow andto yield bountiful fruit. Thanksmust be given to Fr. Joseph Monte -negro, the Provincial Director ofthe Italian province who alwaysdreamed of having a mission in

as a slum was turned into ashes.With the financial assistance of theIndian Vicariate, on December 24th

we distributed blankets, mats,plates, glasses and food grain tohelp these needy families.

Among all the difficulties andcrises that we face in the slums, arethe celebrations held at CheetaCamp’s “Mother VelankanniChurch.” The chapel is thirty-threeyears old. Previous to our arrivalthe people would come onWednesdays and Sundays for aliturgical celebration conducted bythe lay people but with no recep-tion of Eucharist.

There was no communication withthe diocese. The Bishop realizedthe difficulties that we would faceand asked the Missionaries of thePrecious Blood if we would takethis new unit. Due to some difficul-ties, we did not assume the missionin 2008.

With the help of Bishop Agneloand Fr. J. Anthony Daniel, CPPS,we constructed a residence for theMissionaries and on June 1, 2009this new ministerial unit wasformed and Fr. Daniel appointed asfirst Priest-in Charge. Fr. F. SagayaRuben, CPPS was the new TamilChaplain with residence in the newcommunity.

The people and the Diocese arevery happy with the presence of the

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“ We spent the first six months gettingacquainted with the situation and thentrying to find solutions to the many prob-lems that the people faced...”

CINEMAThe New Stained Glass WindowThis retreat-workshop represents an imaginative, open-

minded dialogue between Theology and Cinemawith

Br. ANTONIO SISON, C.PP.S.

International Center of Precious Blood SpiritualitySalzburg, Austria

June 25-27, 2010

“ The crises that theMissionaries facedin the initialstages were thecrown for theSociety to growand to yield boun-tiful fruit.”

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The Village of Hope is theresponse of the Sisters Adorers

of the Blood of Christ and theMissionaries of the Precious Bloodto one of the current crisis inTanzania: the plague of AIDS. Thework is situated six kilometersfrom the city of Dodoma, in one ofthe poorest regions of the country.

There are many reasons for thisproject and we have faced manychallenges since we began in 2001.We respond to the persons who aresuffering from AIDS, not only witha generic and preventative supportbut with the desire to give a newhope for life by means of treatmentwith antiretroviral.

When we began, this perspectivedid not exist in Tanzania. The bigeffort of the government was justlydirected toward sensitizing andeducating the population on theproblem of AIDS, in order to avoidthe transmission of the virus. Thismeant that the principal target ofthe entire AIDS program wasdirected towards healthy people,while those suffering with AIDSwere simply ignored. For thosewith the disease, there was littlecare as they waited for death. Thisdid not seem right to us. A dreambegan to take shape of creating aplace which would privilege thosesuffering from AIDS, giving themconcretely the possibility of afuture. We want the silent voice ofthe AIDS sufferer to be heard.

Faced with the immense number ofpeople who needed help and giventhe limitedness of our resources,we needed to make a choice abouthow to direct our efforts. Aftercareful consideration, the choicefell to the children who have lostboth parents from AIDS; thesechildren themselves being affectedby this terrible illness.

WHY THE CHILDREN?

It was not a choice simply dictatedby the tenderness which arises inone’s heart for a child who is suf-fering, but from affirming that thiswas the group that suffered most inthis social context.

The orphan has never been anunsolvable problem in Africa. Onthe contrary, the extended familymodel responded well to this prob-lem. The great patriarchal familywelcomes an orphan child andtreated them like the others whostill had a father and a mother. Theorphans received love, care, helpand treatment the same as the rest,

elderly people find the necessaryfood when finding food for them-selves is the major undertaking ofeveryday? These children, beingrecognized as orphans of parentswho died of AIDS, become a visi-ble witness that someone in thefamily died of AIDS. This illness isstill a source of shame for thegreater part of the population ofTanzania, because it is associatedwith conjugal infidelity or extra-marital relations. And finally, thereis the fear that these children canbecome a source of infection forthe whole family. All of this ren-dered these children to be consid-ered an unbearable weight, whichis sometimes cruelly expressed as,“The sooner they pass away thebetter.”

AA SSEEEEDD OOFF JJUUSSTTIICCEE CCAALLLLEEDDTTHHEE VVIILLLLAAGGEE OOFF HHOOPPEE

by Vincenzo Boselli, C.PP.S.

“A dream began to take shape of creat-ing a place which would privilege thosesuffering from AIDS, giving them con-cretely the possibility of a future.”

since children in a patriarchal soci-ety were not only the responsibilityof the parents but of the whole clan.

The advent of the great number oforphans suffering from AIDS over-whelmed Tanzanian society, whichwas unprepared to give an ade-quate response. The old model wasno longer feasible. Caring for themwas often placed on the shouldersof the weakest of the family, name-ly the grandfathers or grandmoth-ers, who most of the time weredependent on alms for their ownsupport.

These children need adequate,quality food. Where can these

Is it just the poorest link of society,the elderly, who has the responsi-bility to provide a solution for theorphans? Was it just that the mostinnocent should suffer and die forthe mistakes of others? No. It wasthis that led us to decide to focusour response to caring for the chil-dren. And thus, with the orphanchild suffering from AIDS at thecenter of our attention, this projectwas born.

WELCOMING INTO A FAMILY

After the death of their second par-ent, the majority of the children arefound in a state of complete aban-donment. There is no one who can

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or wants to take care of them; noneto provide for their affective, med-ical, nutritional, and instructionalneeds.

The first part of the project was tocreate an environment that couldreceive, from all over Tanzania,children orphaned of both parentsand affected by AIDS. Our aimwas to diminish the impact of theconsequences of the illness. Wewanted to create an environment inwhich the children will have thedesire to live; to have them redis-cover the love of a family, withsomeone they can still call Dad orMom; and to have them understandthat they still have the possibility

will open up for them new perspec-tives on life. In this way the chil-dren are reinserted into a largercontext than that of the villagecommunity. They find people whorespect them and they find theoccasion to begin again to recoverthose relations necessary for everychild to grow normally.

HOME ASSISTANCE

A second part of our ministry is toreduce the number of these chil-dren. To do this we created a net-work of contacts to seek out thosechildren who have lost only oneparent. Through accompaniment,we seek to help the remaining par-ent to understand the importance ofhis or her role for the care of thechild, as well as, to provide for thechild’s future. In fact, it is neces-sary that the parent also enter intotherapy and regain a way of lifethat benefits the child. As the par-ent benefits from therapy andbegins to feel better, they feel astronger desire to take the medi-

to look to the future with serenity.Twelve family homes have beencreated in which these children livewith adoptive parents. Each familyis composed of ten or more chil-dren, a “mom and dad,” plus anurse who acts as a big sister. Shesubstitutes for the parents on thedays on which they return to theirown family and she helps the momwith the daily household chores.After getting up and having break-fast, the smallest go to nurseryschool. The bigger ones go to ele-mentary school where they joinhealthy children who are going tothe same school. Since January ofthis year, the older ones havebegun to go to high school, which

“ We wanted to create an environment inwhich the children will have the desire tolive... to have them rediscover the love ofa family.”

Sr. Rosaria, ASC with children in the Village of Hope

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towards the children in Tanzania.But was this what God was askingof us? Or rather was God asking usto be salt and to be the light of jus-tice in this situation, reversing thecourse of injustice in our littleway? We don’t know and we can-not know. But we know the joy andthe new hope of life of these chil-dren suffering from AIDS. Weknow of those who are bornhealthy in the project of safe mater-nity. And we know a small wave ofAIDS sufferers that everyday finda welcome and a new hope in lifein the medical clinics of the Villageof Hope. This makes us think thatmaybe a seed of justice has beenplanted. ◆

cine precisely for the love that theyhave for their child. The programseeks to stir up in the remainingparent the desire to begin again, theawareness of their responsibilitytowards the child, and above all,the hope that there is still a futurefor both.

SAFE MATERNITY

A third part of the project is encour-aging pregnant women to be testedfor AIDS. If they test positive forAIDS, they are encouraged to fol-low an antiretroviral therapy begin-ning in the sixth month of pregnan-cy. By means of monthly visits, theexpectant mother is followed forthe whole period of pregnancy,until the moment of delivery. Atthat time she will receive care inorder to give birth in a secure wayand avoid having the child beinfected during delivery.

The mother will remain in theCenter for a brief period to avoidbreastfeeding, to learn to preparethe necessary nourishment for herown baby and will attend shortcourses on child care, hygiene andeconomics in order to undertakesmall initiatives for self-supportonce she leaves the center.

This is the reason we created thematernity center within the Village:to be a center that helps the coupleto accept their illness; that protectsthem from the stress of relativesand curious people; and instructsthem in the preparation of alterna-tive food instead of maternal milk,while helping them with a contri-bution for the purchasing of milk.

CONCLUSION

It is said, “In order to change theworld it is necessary that someone,however small, have the courage tobegin.” When we began, manyoffered discouragement. But wetrusted in God and providence. Wewelcomed his invitation, and in

August 2002, we received the firstthree babies.

Today, there are more than 160children within the institution andmore than 350 being helped in ourexternal programs. In total, thenumber of those suffering fromAIDS who are followed by theVillage of Hope has already sur-passed 2000. Many HIV positivemothers are embracing healthychildren and many adults havebegun to hope and to live again.

Certainly we have not eradicatedthe roots of the injustice that hasbeen perpetrated towards theseAIDS victims, and especially

Fr. Vincenzo, CPPS lifting up hope for renewed life

“Was it just that the most innocentshould suffer and die for the mistakesof others?”

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father can read, but they are soproud of their daughter. They owna small store in a very populatedbarrio area near us. Two monthsago the entire family moved out,leaving home, store and a future

And we are women religious whoare marked and called by the spiri-tuality of the Blood of Christ. Howappropriate that the family of thePrecious Blood is present inGuatemala at this time.

Every morning in our prayer shar-ing we are questioned by the reali-

Ottie is a soft-spoken 24 yearold who graduated from

Maria De Mattias Institute (sec-ondary school) and has workedwith the Sangre de CristoHealthcare Project for the last 5years. She continues her studies inpsychology in the evenings at thenational university. Or she has untilrecently. She was an “accidental”victim of a bus shooting, a far toocommon occurrence in Guatemala.Her recovery process will be long.The out-of-control violence againstbus drivers and owners who refuseto pay the local extortion fees hascatapulted Guatemala to the UnitedNation’s #3 spot for current viola-tions of human rights.

Dina is a wife and mother of two.She has worked with theHealthcare Project for 10 years andbrings great enthusiasm and com-passion as a nurse. The patientslove her. But she and her familywere forced to move out of our sec-tor to an undisclosed location, inthe middle of the night. Her hus-band owns a bus and has now beentargeted for “safety” payments.Phone threats made it clear thatthey know his family, where hiswife works, where his children goto school.

Ana Lucia is a 13 year old from afamily of 6 children. She is the firstto be able to study beyond gradeschool and has a “scholarship”from a parish in the States to attendour Institute. Neither mother nor

CHOICES FOR LIFEIN VIOLENT PLACES

by Kris Schrader, ASCDani Brought, ASC

“ Anyone who lives within a culture of violenceand death can probably identify with theoverwhelming feelings of powerlessness.”

full of hope. They had not beenmaking the payments to area extor-tionists and when an entire familytwo blocks down was murdered intheir own home, they knew theyhad to leave.

ty around us, the desire within usand the power of the Spirit callingus forth.

How are we affected? Anyone wholives within a culture of violenceand death can probably identifywith the overwhelming feelings ofpowerlessness, sadness and anger.When the phone rings at an unusu-al hour, you hold your breath forjust a moment, trying not to runahead and anticipate bad news.When driving in the city at dark,

Oti and children from the dental health education program

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“ We consciously look for ways to promotea culture of hope and reconciliation inGuatemala.”

Sr. Dani, ASC conversing with women from the health clinic

we are constantly monitoringpedestrians, other cars with tintedwindows, debating whether toremain in place at stop lights. Wehave both been victims of armedrobberies, up close and personal,with big guns in our faces anddoubts about the stability of theattackers. It wasn’t what we expect-ed would be the Guatemalan realitywhen we came years ago. At thattime it was a wounded land tryingto recover from a horrendous civilwar that had claimed over 50,000lives and devastated the native peo-ples. But the scars of violence rundeep and when not addressed in ahealthy way have a tendency to fes-ter and infect the whole body.Guatemala is an infected countryand signs of it are all around.

This is our reality. And yet, it is notthe entire reality. Guatemala is aland of great beauty as well, pri-

marily found in its people andwealth of natural resources. It isthe place where we have workedalongside others who desire to beabout life, about new opportunitiesand helping to bring about whatour foundress Maria De Mattiascalls “the beautiful order ofthings.” The healthcare project andthe education initiative are twoprojects which speak most to peo-ple where they are and where theylive. The fact that the projects havegrown and impacted the entireregion so significantly, speak to thetruth of that.

As a local community of PreciousBlood women, Adorers of theBlood of Christ, we have been veryintentional in identifying the reali-ty in which we live and from thatbase developing our statement ofmission and community life plan.And there are four integral compo-nents that call to us and at the sametime nurture us as we walk in thisland. We acknowledge the graceand blessing of our spiritualityand the unfailing support of ourASC community, family, friendsand lay communities. We pray wemight always begin from a stance

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of gratitude. We recognize the gift-edness of those with whom we areprivileged to work, and pray thatour way of being with mightencourage initiative-taking indesigning and guiding the healthcare and education projects. Weknow we bring gifts to the work wedo. We consciously look for waysto promote a culture of hope andreconciliation in Guatemala,beginning with these two projects,projects which both exist as con-crete expressions of the healingpower of the Blood of Christ atwork in the world. We pray that weare an expression of the hospitali-ty of God in the ways in which weopen ourselves and our home toall, encouraging each person toknow they are a part of this min-istry. Those, of course, are thebroad statements of our desire andwhat we believe to be God’s desirefor us. They are translated into spe-cific actions that we know to be atthe heart of what sustains us in themidst of this reality.

We choose to share prayer eachmorning for about an hour, con-scious of God’s word, our congre-gational words and the word ofGuatemala’s unfolding story.Drawing upon the graces of ourmorning reflections, with eachexperience we continue to supportone another and come to knoweven more the grace of connectionand walking in solidarity with theother. Once a week we bring to ourprayer news articles and informa-tion about the national reality.Once a month we try to condense itall into a one page informationalletter which we share with our ASCfamily, friends, acquaintances and

anyone who might be interested.[You can request a copy at sister-adorer@gmail.com] Our desire isto look at the big picture ofGuatemala and the local realitythrough the lens of our spiritualityand our mission statement.

Once a week our morning prayertime is dedicated to deepening ourown understanding of non-vio-lence so that we are able to makechoices for life and not succumb tothe numbing darkness of thesetimes. We have intentionally cho-

sen to have opportunities for bothprojects (and at times together) togo deeper in our common under-standing of the spirituality of theBlood and to flesh out what thatmeans in concrete choices. It isimperative that we foster a cultureof hope and take the necessarysteps, however small they may be,to see it become more a reality.

We doubt that we are unusual inthe choices we make. Many of youare doing the same thing, and thatis a great source of comfort andsupport for us. As we recognizeand embrace the truth that we arepart of one human community weknow that each of us and all of ustogether can stand with sure hopethat the power of God’s love,revealed in the total gift of Jesussustains us and animates our desireto go forward. ◆

Sr. Kris, ASC assisting children in the library

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☛ Continued from front page (India); Fr. Vincenzo Boselli, whoevery day fights his battle to alleviatethe suffering of children sufferingfrom AIDS in Dodoma (Tanzania);and ASC Sisters Kris Schrader andDani Brought, who live in one of themost violent quarters of one of themost violent cities in Latin America,Guatemala City − each have given usarticles which describe how theygive witness to life.

The spirituality of Christ’s blood isboth the source and well spring oftheir missionary commitment to cre-ate a society where peace and justiceare equally important objectives ofdevelopment. Sisters Kris and Daniopenly say that living in the mostviolent quarter of Guatemala City,bearing witness to reconciliation andsocial progress through educationand health care, is “appropriate“ forthose who have this spirituality as acharism.

I visited the slums of Mumbai whereFr Daniel and his fellow missionar-ies carry out their ministry. The peo-ple in these slums live an unimagin-able life in an environment which Icannot find words to describe. Fr.Daniel was offered accommodationsoutside the slum. From there, it wasthought, he could go to exercise his

members of this committee are a ref-erence point for those superiors gen-eral who want to animate all themembers of their Congregations onthis issue.

Fr. Mushobozi actively participatesin the activities and commitments ofthis committee. From the very begin-ning, we have been committed tohelping all our members understandthat the theme of Justice, Peace, andthe Integrity of Creation is an essen-tial part of the spirituality of theblood of Christ. This effort includesinitiatives and strategies that enableus to reach all members. Althoughmany understand that this theme isan important and increasingly anessential part of our spirituality, theydo not know how to put it into prac-tice, given the complexity and diffi-culty of the challenges that they facein their lives and ministries.

The first article in this edition of TheCup is written by Fr. Mushobozi. Hewrites about the motivation of ourcommitment to Justice, Peace andthe Integrity of Creation. It is not justthat JPIC has become a popular areaof concern; we find our motivationin the spirituality of Christ’s blood,which is the root of our charism. Thethree images, which I would call theclassical symbols of expression forour spirituality − the covenant, thecross and the cup − are revisited byFr. Felix and relocated within thesocial reality which cries out forJustice, Peace and the Integrity ofCreation. The covenant stresses thenew and dynamic need for relation-ship, no longer just with humanity ingeneral, but above all with thosewho are most excluded from everyrelationship and marginalized. It isfor these that Christ’s blood wasshed and for whom he died “outsidethe walls.”

Joseph Grilliot, in his article onEcology and Spirituality adds to thisconcept of our covenant withhumanity the idea of a covenant withall creatures and all creation. Hehighlights the example of thecovenant which God made withNoah and all creatures and creation

saved from the flood. This is anaspect of our spirituality that is per-haps new to many. It is part of anincreasingly new and dynamicunderstanding of our spirituality ofthe blood of Christ. It expresses analmost cosmic vision. The cosmosbecomes the altar upon which theblood of Christ is offered as a sign ofcovenant and redemption. The recentsymposium held in Lima (Peru),Ecology and Spirituality of the MostPrecious Blood in Defense of theEarth, our Common Home, high-lighted this aspect of our cosmicspirituality.

The covenant and redemption areoffered to humanity in our environ-ment. And it is humanity who mustbe committed to seeing that this envi-ronment is respected and defended.The cross and the cup are the symbolsof suffering and mission. By partici-pating in Christ’s suffering we fulfillhis mission of sharing the suffering ofhumanity and its redemption. TheEucharist which we celebrate inChurch continues with us being sentout into the world to achieve that‘justice’ for which Christ gave his lifeand shed his blood.

Fr. Daniel Anthony, who carries outhis ministry in the slums of Mumbai

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ministry for a few days a week.Instead, he and the other priests ofthe Vicariate of India wanted to livein the unimaginable environment ofthe slums, in the midst of its people,the vast majority of whom are notCatholic or Christian. He wanted tobuild his house there. For him andhis companions the charism of thespirituality of Christ’s blood was“appropriate” for making such a rad-ical choice. It was as appropriate asthe choice of Fr. Vincenzo Boselliand the ASC sisters in Tanzania whodedicate their lives to childrenaffected by AIDS.

I remember a phrase by MotherTeresa of Calcutta: “All the works ofjustice are works of love.” Theseprojects are a dynamic expression ofour spirituality and shows the truthof Mother Teresa’s words. They area response to a reading of the timesand responding in light of ourcharism and spirituality. To quote thewords of Sisters Kris and Dani, it is“appropriate” for us to work forJPIC. By doing so, we find newmethods and new ways of sharingand extending to all the “merits” ofthe blood of reconciliation andredemption. (Saint Gaspar) ◆

Next Issue: OCTOBER, 2010“Kaleidoscope of the Precious Blood Family”

OUR AUTHORS

Fr. Felix Mushoboshi, C.PP.S. of the Vicariate ofTanzania serves on the CPPS General Council. He isresponsible for the area of Justice, Peace, and theIntegrity of Creation.

Joseph Grilliot, C.PP.S. is a definitively incorporat-ed member of the Cincinnati Province. He is cur-rently in his fourth year of theology at the CatholicTheological Union in Chicago.

Fr. Anthony Daniel, C.PP.S. is a priest of theVicariate of India. Along with other CPPSMissionaries he exercises his ministry in the slums ofMumbai.

Fr. Vincenzo Boselli, C.PP.S. completed his theolog-ical studies in Tanzania and has exercised a variety of ministries and leadership roles there for the pastthirty-three years.

Sr. Daniel Brought and Sr. Kris ShraderASC are Adorers of the Blood of Christ fromthe US Region. They serve in varied min-istries in La Labor, Guatemala.