For this Sunday’s Mission Appeal, we welcome a special guest speaker, Meg Connors. Meg is a Parishioner from St. Patrick’s Church in Gympie. In 1981-82 Meg and her husband Dave and their 2 children, spent two years working in Zimbabwe as part of Australian Aid Abroad funded by the Federal Govt. Meg is a volunteer parish office helper and volunteer on the Liturgy Committee and Care and Concern Group in Gympie. Here is a copy of Meg’s Talk:
Mission talk: October 2010. Maryborough
Good evening/morning. I would like to thank Fr Paul for his welcome and for giving up his homily time for our talk today
This is World Mission Day and it is an opportunity to focus on the broader picture of events on a world wide scale. It is a really humbling experience and a privilege for me to be able to be the voice on behalf of all the missionaries and indigenous people around the world, and so I hope and pray that I can do them justice.
Catholic Mission is the Australian name for the three Mission societies under the patronage of the Pope – The Propagation of the Faith, Children’s Mission and the Society of St Peter the Apostle. These three Societies have been part of the Catholic Church for 186 years and are working in 160 countries. You can help priests, religious and lay missionaries around the world bring practical and Spiritual assistance to people in great need.
I have experienced what it is like to work in a missionary capacity. In 1981-82 Dave myself and our 2 children accepted a position from the Dept of Foreign Affairs to work in Zimbabwe for 2 years. To help out financially Dave taught in one of high Schools in Bulawayo and I worked part-time in a building society. Our children attended black African schools. The biggest challenge that faced us was to understand the struggle of the white people and how their situation fitted in with the Gospel values and to appreciate how very poor were the African people and how they had been treated. Our personal faith and values were tested at every corner and with that we grew to understand God’s plan for us. The Zimbabwe we experienced back then is certainly not the Zimbabwe of today.
We met and worked with nuns and priests from the African suburbs helping with literacy and numeracy programmes for adults, helping at an African medical clinic, organizing marriage encounter weekends and visiting patients at a mental asylum which was pretty primitive. Last year an article in the Catholic Leader said the country had the highest rate of unemployment and the highest orphan rate in the world both running at about 90%, because of the high incidence of aids and government policies. How would I feel now if that offer back then were to present itself to us now? I honestly don’t know and we would have to have a long prayer list to God.
Exodus in the Old Testament tells us that back then, times were very tough. God warns Moses that his people were to treat widows and especially those borrowing money, well. That meant not charging interest, and returning borrowed items by sunset, otherwise they would experience God’s wrath. Different to today isn’t it? This reading is a precursor to the Gospel reading.
In the second reading St.Paul praises the Thessalonians for the way in which they had embraced the gospel and their faith in God, in the face of very strong opposition. He speaks enthusiastically about how others have told him how they have become a model for all believers.
St. Matthew’s Gospel is one we have heard many times. There is no surprise when we hear it again. Perhaps this is the Challenge: to listen with new ears and a receptive heart. You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. How do we really fare with this? Do we hand over to God our whole love or do we still have strings attached? Do we really enter into the heart of God and abandon ourselves to him to love unconditionally without holding to a part of ourselves?
You must love your neighbour as yourself. This is the 2nd greatest commandment. Who is our neighbour? Let’s face it. We all have people in our lives who we find very hard to love. I’m reminded of the aboriginal lady who lay ill on a transit seat at Mt. Gravatt and not one person went near her or at least phoned for an ambulance because they thought she was drunk. In St. Lukes Gospel, loving our neighbour is tied in with the parable of the good Samaritan. But Matthew gives it importance by having it on it, own Can we cross our own boundaries and help someone who seems repugnant to us? Can we cross over the boundaries of colour race or creed? We are faced daily in our communities, by the media especially now on the subject of asylum seekers. We all have views, but are we game enough to make a stand on what God is asking of us to do, or do we put it into the too hard basket?
Today we will look at 2 indigenous communities featured on your envelopes The Q’echi people in Guatemala and Our own indigenous people from Wadeye in the Northern Territory. The Q’echi people live in a place of peace now after enduring injustice, 36 years of civil war and torture, from which over 200,00 people have died. Their Bishop was murdered two days after delivering a damming report on the injustices of the civil war. Catholic Mission helps to train Catechists as the Parish Priest can only visit the villages every 6 or 8 weeks. Life is tough and faith is all they have to keep them going Don Pedro is a catechist who has been trained with the help of Catholic Mission. He helps to continue the life of the Sacraments in his village by holding Liturgy of the Word and Communion Services, training leaders to help him and by taking the Sacraments to the sick and dying as well as officiating as funerals. Catechists are essential to the life of the Church and Catholic Mission supports 2,800 Catechists in the diocese.
Here at home we have our own opportunity to hear the voice of our own indigenous Australians. Bishop Eugene Hurley of the Darwin Diocese said it has been a great privilege for him to discover the depth and prayerfulness of the Catholic Faith and the people’s association with nature, and the land they say is a gift from God which is treated with respect. Carmelita and Angela from Wadeye in the NT are two leaders, who with 280 students attend the Indigenous Nungalenya College which is supported by Catholic Mission and the Diocese of Darwin.
They are trained as Spiritual leaders and study Liturgy and Ministry in English and their own Language. Your support helps to meet their living costs, travel and many essential costs. The Diocese runs the only indigenous school from years 1-12 where students learn English and their own language which helps to preserve their culture and dignity.
Across the world the Church hears the voice of 300 million indigenous people as they face incredible challenges. Please pick up the appeal envelope in front of you to see how you can donate by including your name and address so that we can keep you informed of our work and the difference you make. You can use a credit card or cash or become a regular donor. For $20 a month you can support the training of local leaders in more than 1,100 Dioceses. In the past you have been very generous with you support and Mission Sunday this weekend is an opportunity on behalf of the Holy Father to thank you for such tremendous generosity and to encourage and affirm the continuation of this missionary support and for hearing the voice of these indigenous communities and for believing that together we can raise up new leaders and hope for the next generation
We’ll give you a couple of minutes to think about your donation and if you did not bring anything please take the envelope home and bring back next time.
Once again on behalf of Catholic Mission thank you
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