Category Archives: ARTICLES

First Consecration Mass of Michael Muhia, George Kamina, Faustin Morumbe, Gonzaga Mutaawe. The Mass was celebrated by Provincial Delegate Fr. Reginald Temu SAC

In the early 1960’s things were hard economically and my mother never tired of reminding us that “money doesn’t grow on trees” and that it was hard to “make ends meet.” So she was understandably furious when my older sister Maura, who was about 8 years old,  lost the thrupenny piece on the way to the shop to get something for the tea. I was with Maura when she decided to throw the money in the air to see if she could catch it. She didn’t and it got lost in the grass. It was a dark winter’s evening. The searching was intense. And it was in vain. The value of it in today’s buying power would be about €15 and it must have been near the end of the week and there was no more money. It was a very frustrating reality when you  had children to feed.

My mother, like all of us, used to stress  from time to time over the loss of hard earned material things and then came the day when she lost her daughter. Maura didn’t wake up one morning and all of our experience of loss reached an altogether different level.

Loss is such a significant part of life. The loss of money, precious material things, loss of a job, loss of relationships, loss of our own good name, loss of self-esteem or we lose our way in life. The list goes on. Sometimes what is lost is regained, like the lost sheep or the lost coin in the gospel. And often what’s lost is gone forever.

An area of loss that we are often not alert to is the spiritual loss that is so prevalent now and we don’t seem to know that it’s happening at all. Jesus asks, “what does it profit a person to  gain the whole world and lose one’s very soul?”

The loss of soul and spirit happens when we let go of God – like a little child letting go of his mother’s hand in a crowded place, ending up lost until he is found. Children cannot find themselves. They need to be found.

We similarly let go of the hand of God when we stop praying, stop believing, give up receiving Christ in the Eucharist, the mercy of God in confession; when we lose sight of the values that Christ has given us – especially the value and sacredness of every single human life.

We are a society that has become lazy and indifferent to the lives of others, the hidden, silent, insignificant lives. We respond very generously when the plight of another is put dramatically before us but we allow the powers of the world to tell us that some lives are of less value than others, have less a right to life than others. When we allow this to happen then we have lost our way and become seriously disconnected from God.

The Italian culture has long been very family and person centered, this in large part being due to the prominent place given to God in their lives. The same has been true of our own Irish culture, where faith in God expressed itself in a welcome for the stranger. But things in Italy have changed, things in ireland have changed. The human person, especially the poor stranger is often disregarded and perhaps God also is being disregarded in our modern cultures.

Rome is full of beggars who have discovered that, in order to attract the sympathy of the rich, it’s necessary to have a dog by your side. I saw this one day outside our church of San Silvestro. The beggar man and his dog were sitting there against the wall. Two well-to-do elderly ladies came along, went over to the dog, were effusive in their admiration of it, put money in the bowl but they completely ignored the man. There’s something seriously wrong here  when it is the animal and not the person that arouses our sympathy.

Today God reveals himself as the God who searches for the lost – He is the woman searching for the coin, the farmer searching for the sheep, the mother searching for her lost daughter, the father for his lost son.

Whether we are lost in a personal way, or lost as a society, the certainty of the Gospel is that God is out there looking for us. Jesus is the one who pleads on our behalf, bleeds on our behalf. And God’s mercy is that He should find us and bring us back to the place where we belong, to the fullness of joy in His presence and in the presence of each other.

God’s mercy is that we should not be defined by our loss but by our being found. As church we are given the Godly task of seeking and finding every single lost person in the world in whatever way they are lost,  the sacred duty of finding and bringing home.

https://huruma55.wordpress.com/2016/09/10/loss-the-need-to-be-found/

On September 8, 206 Norbert Mukabwa SAC and Stephen Lwebuga SAC made their Perpetual Consecration as Pallottines. The ceremony took place in the church of Our Lady of Sorrows, Galapo, Tanzania with Fr. John Onna SAC as the mai
n celebrant. Norbert, from Kenya, will spend his pastoral year in Makiungu and Stephen, from Uganda, will spend his pastoral year in Dagoreti Market, Nairobi.

We wish them every blessing and happiness in their personal lives and ministry, thanking them for giving themselves so generously  to God and His People.

May Our Lady Queen of Apostles, Mother of Divine Love and St. Vincent Pallotti be their constant companions and guides.

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My novice master is someone I love and respect greatly. He is growing old now, his health is in decline and in conversation a few months ago and he asked me, “Do you think we are in the end times?” I said, “I don’t know.” And he said, “I wouldn’t mind if we were. I wouldn’t mind dying.” To which I replied, “I wouldn’t mind dying either if I were in the state of grace.” “You are never to assess yourself” was his clear response.

I found that to be a great word of encouragement and wisdom because so often we can feel that we are actually unfit for the kingdom of heaven, that sometimes when the struggle is too great and we feel that we will never be ready. To know that we are not to assess or judge ourselves on the journey to eternal life is a blessing and a consolation. Perhaps it is similar to the way in which a doctor is not the best person to diagnose his own illness.

What we are called to do is to strive. The word that Jesus uses in the gospel is “strive to enter through the narrow door” (Luke 13:22-30).  And the narrow door is the door of God’s discipline that is spoken of in the Letter to the Hebrews (12:5-7, 11-13); that discipline that trains us for eternal life; that discipline that turns us into clean vessels in the temple of the Lord that we read about in the Prophet Isaiah (66:18-21). Ultimately you and I are called to this – to be vessels that are worthy to hold the mystery of Jesus.

I look at the chalice on the table near the altar, the chalice that waits to be filled with the wine that will become the blood of Christ and I think of the little drop of water that the priest drops into the wine. We are that drop of water – “by the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity”.

We are the drop of water, mingled with Christ and we are also the vessel, the chalice lifted up in the consecration that contains the mystery of the precious blood of Jesus, a mystery that we carry into the lives of other people.

When we think about the discipline of the Lord we need to be careful not to see it as something that is harsh. It is never designed to hurt and it is always designed to prepare, just like the discipline of the athlete is a preparation to participate in the Olympic games. It is a demanding discipline, a worthwhile discipline and we should expect nothing less from our spiritual preparation of the Kingdom of God in this world and in the next.

My mind goes back to an experience I had with my brother and his little daughter when she was about three years old. We came out from a restaurant into the car park and Dad told her to be careful because of the cars. But she did what little children will do – she ran like a hare. It’s amazing the speed of a little child! So we ran, calling her back. But the more we ran and called, the faster and further she went in the direction of the busy main road.

Her Dad had no option but to stop and he roared her name, an unmerciful roar that stopped her in her tracks and caused her to burst into tears. And what struck me was that this was the roar of love, the roar of protection, a roar of discipline designed to save a child from danger and it was the only option in that moment.

Inconsolable back in the car she said, “Daddy you shouted!” There was surprise and hurt in her voice. Daddy was hardly able to speak so I said to her, “do you know why Daddy shouted?” “Why?” she asked.

And I explained, “he shouted because he loves you and he was frightened for you when you ran near the road with all the cars that could have hurt you.”

There are times when we are like children running amok in directions of our own choosing, going towards destinations, experiences that are dangerous for our eternal spiritual wellbeing – times like these when God in His love has to roar at us in some way to stop us in our tracks to prevent us going to our own destruction, so that He can lead us to the place of safety. That He can purify us as the gold of the chalice is purified in fire, that we might know how much more precious than gold we are and that the fire by which we are made to shine is the fire of His most precious love.

Novena in preparation for the Beatification

of Venerable Elisabetta Sanna

The eagerly awaited beatification of Venerable Elisabetta Sanna is approaching. It will be celebrated on September 17^th in the Basilica of the Most Blessed Trinity of Saccargia. The first beatification of a lay member of the Union of Catholic Apostolate

is a great joy for our entire Pallottine Family. Thanking the Lord for this grace, we humbly Him that we may be able to open ourselves completely to the graces which He will give us through this occasion. In order to prepare ourselves as well as possible for the beatification, we are publishing – for private use – this novena in preparation for this joyful event.

Biographical information

Elisabetta Sanna was born in Codrongianos (Sassari) on April 23^rd, 1788. At the age of three months, she lost the ability to raise her arms. She married and raised five children. In 1825, she was widowed and made a vow of chastity; she was spiritual mother to the girls and women of her area. In 1831, having embarked on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, she ended up in Rome, and was unable return due to grave physical ailments. She dedicated herself totally to prayer and to service of the poor and sick. She was among the first members of the Union of Catholic Apostolate of Saint Vincent Pallotti, her spiritual director. Her dwelling became a shrine of faith and of burning love. She died in Rome on February 17^th, 1857 and was buried in the church of SS. Salvatore in Onda. Witnesses confirm and shed light on the words of Saint Vincent Pallotti, reported by Fr. Scapaticci and Fr. Vaccari: “Two people until now have carried our Institute forward: one is, as you have often understood from Fr. Vincent, Elisabetta Sanna, a poor woman; the other is Cardinal Lambruschini”. For this reason the “poor” Servant of God received the privilege of being buried in the church of SS. Salvatore in Onda, near the tomb of Saint Vincent Pallotti. When she died, her reputation for holiness was so great that, just four months after her death, a postulator was named for her cause of beatification, which however lasted more than one and a half centuries. She was declared Venerable on January 27^th, 2014. The miracle which finally paved the way for her beatification, approved by Pope Francis on January 22^nd, 2016, was the healing of a young Brazilian woman (31 years of age), Suzana Correia da Conceição, of an atrophy of the muscles of the right forearm and hand with grave functional impairment on May 18^th, 2008 – Trinity Sunday.

Introductory Prayer:

Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I thank you for having enriched our sister Elisabetta Sanna in a marvellous way with wisdom, counsel and fortitude. Through her merits, I ask you to grant me the grace which I earnestly desire …………………, if this is in accordance with your Most Holy Will. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…

Saint Vincent Pallotti, pray for us!

Venerable Elisabetta Sanna, pray for us! 

First day: wife and mother (September 8^th)

From when she was a young girl, Elisabetta desired to become a nun. Having lost the ability to lift her arms, she didn’t think of getting married, and yet, as a young woman, many young men wanted to marry her. Thus, on September 13^th, 1807, at 19 years of age, she celebrated marriage with a certain Antonio Maria Porcu, a truly good Christian of modest means. Antonio was an exemplary husband and father who loved his wife and trusted her completely. In fact, he said to his friends: “My wife is not like yours, she is a saint”! Elisabetta would say: “I was not worthy to have such a husband, he was so good”. Their family was a model for the entire area. In the following years, seven children were born to them. She spent her days between the house, the education of her children and the land, where she worked without sparing herself. And she also found time for long hours of prayer in church. She didn’t fear criticism for the faith which she so publicly professed and lived: “This is my style of life – she responded – it hasn’t prevented me from attending to my duties as the mother of a family”. She herself prepared her children for Confession and Communion and passed on to them a great love for Jesus, with much tenderness, without ever being sharp. A true education from the heart 

Prayer: 

O God, sanctifying Spirit, who love the Church your Bride, you poured the flame of your love into the heart of Venerable Elisabetta Sanna and radiated it in her family, the domestic church. I thank you for this exemplary wife and mother, for her encouraging and simple witness. Give to every woman – married, mother, single, consecrated – the grace of being a presence which forms every family, every community, into a cenacle of faith and love, in generous hard work and sanctifying service.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…

Saint Vincent Pallotti, pray for us!

Venerable Elisabetta Sanna, pray for us!

Second day: widow and bride of Jesus Christ (September 9^th)

Of her seven children, two died at a very young age. On January 25^th, 1825, her husband Antonio, attended by her, died young. Widowed with five children, the oldest being seventeen, the youngest just three, she felt responsible not only for the administration of the house and land, but above all for their spiritual and temporal education. Maturing in her spiritual path, Elisabetta made a vow of chastity in 1829, with the permission of the Franciscan Lenten preacher, Fr. Luigi Paolo da Ploaghe. She asked her confessor to reminder her often that she was a bride of Jesus Christ. 

Prayer:

O Lord, You who consoled Mary after the death of Joseph and had compassion on the widow of Nain, grant me the strength to accept my aloneness without losing myself in sadness. As you did for Venerable Elisabetta Sanna, grant me your peace, your strength and your joy, so that I may use them to serve You courageously in serving others – above all in my family, but also with those dear to me who, in your goodness, you place on my path of life, knowing that every day brings me closer to my ultimate encounter with you, together with (name of husband/wife, if applicable) 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…

Saint Vincent Pallotti, pray for us!

Venerable Elisabetta Sanna, pray for us!

Third day: pilgrim (September 10^th)

In 1829, the young assistant parish priest, Fr. Giuseppe Valle, arrived in Codrongianos. He became confessor and spiritual director to the Sanna family, in particular Elisabetta. The Christian life of Elisabetta became even more fervent. During the aforementioned Lenten exercises of that year, the preacher Fr. Luigi Paolo spoke with great fruitfulness about the Holy Land. Together with other women, Elisabetta went to him to know more, and remained so inspired that a very strong desire was kindled in her to go to Palestine to see the places where the Son of God was born and was crucified, feeling called to follow Jesus more closely. Thus, in the first months of 1830, she asked Fr. Giuseppe Valle’s permission to go there on pilgrimage. Fr. Valle, after various explanations, said no. Several months passed however, and in July Elisabetta returned to ask him for the desired permission. After deep reflection and prayer, he agreed and decided to accompany her. They began to prepare themselves and their families discretely for the planned journey, hoping that it would help them to grow spiritually and to better serve others. Elisabetta was sure that her mother, then already 65, and her priest brother Fr. Luigi, living in Codrongianos, would be able to take care of her family during the pilgrimage. At the end of June 1831 she, along with Fr. Valle, embarked for Genoa. There the boat for Cyprus was awaiting them. At the last moment, however, Fr. Valle discovered that he lacked the visa for the East. He and Elisabetta then decided to go to Rome, saying: “There too is also Holy land”. And so they arrived in Rome on July 23^rd, 1831. From the very beginning, this journey had the character of a pilgrimage. 

Prayer:

O God, always going out to encounter each person, you enkindled in Venerable Elisabetta’s heart the desire to be a pilgrim. I thank you for her encouraging witness. Give me the strength and courage to always go forward to encounter you. Becoming your disciple is the goal of all of my journeying in life. Let me learn to improve, guided by the word of the Gospel. All that I have known and learned now becomes the legacy of my existence, so that I may transmit it through the witness of my life. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…

Saint Vincent Pallotti, pray for us!

Venerable Elisabetta Sanna, pray for us!

Fourth day: collaborator of Saint Vincent (September 11^th)

In Rome, Elisabetta Sanna lived in a tiny dwelling near the Basilica of St. Peter’s. In her pilgrimage around the churches of Rome, yearning in prayer, Elisabetta encountered a holy Roman priest, Fr. Vincent Pallotti, in the church of Saint Augustine. When in 1832 he decided to accompany her spiritually, Saint Vincent wrote in her name to her priest brother, explaining to him that his sister could not leave for Sardinia for health reasons, but that she would do so once she improved. The Servant of God, while trying to get better, collaborated with Pallotti through prayer, counsel and help to the most needy. Unfortunately, her health got worse. Pallotti supported her in her treatment and in her spiritual growth, and also found her a small job with Archbishop Giovanni Soglia, the future cardinal, while she awaited some improvement in her health. When in 1838 doctor Petrilli wrote, “I am of the opinion that undertaking another journey by boat could lead her to an even worse condition”, Pallotti said to her: “God wants you in Rome”. And the Servant of God remained there, until her death in 1857. 

Prayer:

O Venerable Elisabetta, help me to be conscious that my happiness is in doing the will of God. I ask you, Lord, to give me the ability to accept all things that happen to me and, with Your help, always to do the best I can every day according to Your will. You can help me – as you did Venerable Elisabetta – to always listen to You and do Your will. Amen. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…

Saint Vincent Pallotti, pray for us!

Venerable Elisabetta Sanna, pray for us!

Fifth day: woman with a disability who became an apostle (September 12^th)

When Elisabetta was only three months old, a smallpox epidemic caused the death of many children in Codrongianos, and she too was infected. She got better, but was left with slightly twisted arms and somewhat stiff joints. This did not prevent her from growing, learning to bear her disability as something natural, to attend to most of the housework, and to always present herself neat and clean. Notwithstanding her physical disability, she became a collaborator in the Union of Catholic Apostolate, founded by St. Vincent Pallotti in Rome. Those who drew near to her would say of her: “She saw God in everything and adored him in everything. The love of God was her life. Every greater interest disappeared in the face of the interests of God”. In fact, Elisabetta herself often used to say: “My God, I love you above all things”.

Prayer:

Venerable Elisabetta who, with great patience and trust in God, bore the physical pains of illness and the mental anguish of not being able to return to Sardinia, obtain for me in my life your surrender to suffering and the ability always to live beneath the gaze of God, in order to become a docile instrument of Providence for the salvation of others. Amen.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…

Saint Vincent Pallotti, pray for us!

Venerable Elisabetta Sanna, pray for us!

Sixth day: faith in everyday life (September 13^th)

Elisabetta received a profound Christian education in her family, about which her brother, Antonio Luigi, clearly spoke. He speaks of prayer together in family, of praying the Rosary, of participation in church functions and of help given to the poor. Elisabetta persevered in this attitude to faith and prayer throughout her life. All of the witnesses said that people only discussed spiritual things with her. When they went to her room, the conversation alternated between religious instruction and prayer. In a letter written to Fr. Giuseppe Valle on May 18^th, 1846, Saint Vincent confirmed her spiritual progress with the following phrase: “She continues in good works and I hope that she will reach the perfection desired by God, the Father of Mercies”. Every morning she went to St. Peter’s Basilica. The Basilica was her home. When she died, the cry echoed out: “The saint of St. Peter’s is dead”.

Prayer:

O Venerable Elisabetta, help me to be faithful to my daily duties: to the duty of adoration which is the first necessity of my spiritual life; to the duty which unites me to my neighbour, to the particular duties of my vocation, to the duty of material and spiritual charity, conscious that dialogue with my neighbour is above all in the fulfilment of my daily duties with a spirit of faith and charity. Amen. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…

Saint Vincent Pallotti, pray for us!

Venerable Elisabetta Sanna, pray for us!

Seventh day: spiritual mother (September 14^th)

Another area of Elisabetta’s living out of her faith and love was that of spiritual counsel. She had the gift of spiritual discernment and she used it to help the many people who sought her help. In her poor attic, before the painting of the Madonna Virgo Potens (Powerful Virgin), she prayed with her visitors and gave them wise advice. Cardinal Giovanni Soglia also consulted her in certain matters of conscience. Pallotti himself consulted her and brought his spiritual children to listen to her. For this reason, Fr. Rafaele Melia who knew Elisabetta very well, gave her the title of “most attentive mother” of the Union of Catholic Apostolate, and Fr. Ignazio Auconi, his successor in the office of General Superior, confirmed that she had the attentiveness of a mother towards the Work of Pallotti.

Prayer:

O Mary, Powerful Virgin, help our families and communities, above all those who struggle to live in faithfulness, unity and concord! Help consecrated people always to be transparent signs of the love of God. Help priests to be able to communicate the beauty of the mercy of God to all. Help those who govern to know how to always and only seek the good of people. O Powerful Virgin, protect life in all of its forms, ages and situations. Support each one of us so that, through the example of Venerable Elisabetta, we may be able to discern the ways of God and become enthusiastic and credible apostles of the Gospel. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…

Saint Vincent Pallotti, pray for us!

Venerable Elisabetta Sanna, pray for us!

Eighth day: a great love for the Eucharist (September 15^th)

In Codrongianos, Elisabetta took part in the Mass nearly every day. In Rome, she was in St. Peter’s Basilica every morning and, if she didn’t have other commitments, remained there until the last Mass, because she was convinced that through the Eucharist, we can worthily give to the Lord what we should, through adoration, praise, thanksgiving and prayer. She also encouraged others to go to daily Mass. In a particular way, she adored Jesus in the Eucharist in the churches where the “40 hours of Adoration” were held, and where she remained for a long time, in profound adoration. Fr. Valle said that she managed to receive up to seven Eucharistic blessings in one day. Here the words of Fr. Melia, regarding Elisabetta’s love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, are proven true: “She was so devoted to and enamoured of it that she would have consecrated her whole life to continuous adoration”. 

Prayer:

 (prayer of Saint Vincent Pallotti before the Blessed Sacrament):

And you, o Seraphim, Cherubim, Thrones, Dominations, Powers, Principalities, Virtues, Archangels and Angels, come to visit the Sacramental Jesus, and adore him, thank him and love him for me; and you too, o Holy Patriarchs and Prophets, Apostles and Evangelists, and Disciples of the Saviour, o Most Holy Innocents, Most Holy Martyrs, Most Holy Pontiffs, Bishops, Doctors, Most Holy Priests and Levites, Most Holy Confessors, Virgins and Widows, and all you Saints of Paradise, come all of you and visit his most divine Son in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar and, all together, now and always let us adore him, thank him, and love him. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…

Saint Vincent Pallotti, pray for us!

Venerable Elisabetta Sanna, pray for us!

Ninth day: The serene hope (September 16^th)

To her profound faith and her burning love for the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, Elisabetta added her serene and joyful hope. When a certain Luigi Schiboni asked her if he would be saved, she replied: “And do you doubt it? Do you not know that a God died for your soul?” Fr. Filippo Tancioni, secretary to Cardinal Soglia who esteemed Elisabetta as a saint, said that she “had total confidence in being saved by the merits of Jesus Christ … and sought to inspire the same trust in everyone”. She often repeated: “I trust in the God of Mercy”. In moments of nostalgia for her family in Sardinia she exclaimed, “mercy, mercy”. These and similar exclamations, rooted in her very lively faith and great love for God, developed in her the serene hope to reach Paradise. Thus, even while still in Sardinia, she composed a kind of poetry (Lauda): “I am completely of God, I am completely of Jesus. I can no longer live far from God. Jesus is my heart, and I am of Jesus!” She expressed her desire in this serene manner: “I would like Heaven full, Purgatory emptied, Hell closed”. 

Prayer:

O Venerable Elisabetta Sanna, I admire your courage and constancy in imitating Jesus with faith and serene hope even in the most difficult situations. I am ashamed of my frequent lack of certainty, of my laziness and my lack of coherence: help me to become fully responsible for the gift of faith and thus to always do good with a Christian spirit, so that my neighbour may more easily join with me in praising the Most Blessed Trinity. Amen. 

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…

Saint Vincent Pallotti, pray for us!

Venerable Elisabetta Sanna, pray for us!

Reflection on the Beatification Ceremony by Fr. Derry Murphy SAC

Message from Donatella Acerbi, UAC President

My dearest brothers and sisters in the Union of Catholic Apostolate

I greet each of you in this way in the grace that the Lord has given us by calling us, as sons and daughters of Saint Vincent Pallotti, to revive faith and rekindle charity in our days, in order to unite everyone in Christ for the good of all people and in service of the Church.

As one body, inflamed by the love of Christ which forms the substantial constituent of our Pallottine Family (cfr. OOCC III, 137-138), we will receive yet another great gift from the Lord on September 17^th, 2016: the beatification of our very dearly loved Venerable Elisabetta Sanna, the first lay member to be raised by decree of the Holy Church to the altars.

In gratitude to God and in gratitude to St. Vincent Pallotti and the Venerable Elisabetta Sanna, the UAC CCC would like to invite the communities, houses, groups, individual members, co-workers, friends, sympathizers, and every Christian to pray a novena in preparation for the beatification, especially in the days September 8 to September 16, and implore abundant graces from the Lord for the Pope, the Church, the whole world, and our family.

We ask Elisabetta Sanna to be with us to pray the novena and how she can say: “All are of God, all are of Jesus. I can not live further from God. Jesus is my heart, and I am Jesus! “.

Maria, Advocate and Refuge of Sinners, Queen of Saints, Mother of mercy (cf.. OOCC XIII, 187), pray for us!

 Donatella Acerbi

President of the Union

NOVENA IN PREPARATION FOR THE BEATIFICATION OF VEN ELIZABETH SANNA

Elizabeth Sanna: A Reputation For Sanctity by Jan Korycki sac

July 4th 2016, 40th anniversary of the death of our five Pallottine confreres in San Patricio, Belgrano.
Monday July 4th 2016 marked the 40th anniversary of the massacre of San Patricio.
Throughout the previous week there were a series of events in all the Pallottine houses in Argentina in preparation for the main celebration of Mass in the Parish of San Patricio, Belgrano R, at 20.00. The Papal Nuncio in Argentina, Monsignor Emil Paul Tscherrig, was unable to attend the Mass due to another engagement but he came to the church an hour earlier, he blessed a new and evocative painting in memory of the 5 which was painted by the artist Roxana Salvatori. Mons. Tscherrig addressed the members of the faithful who had already gathered in the church in preparation for the Mass on the significance of the anniversary and of the deaths of the 5 men. The painting which measures 1.50 metres by 1.30 metres, consists of five gold crosses, each with the initials of one of the 5 Pallottines, the crosses are entwined one with the other, the Holy Spirit is represented at the top of the painting, and it is all painted against a background of red, the same tone as the carpet on which they were massacred. It will be hung on the wall of the church in front of the altar of the Sacred Heart.
The anniversary Mass was celebrated in a packed church, as somebody observed “it would be hard to fit a blade more in the church”. Cardinal Mario Aurelio Poli, Archbishop of Buenos Aires and Primate of the Argentine was the main celebrant; 13 bishops concelebrated, Mons. Joaquim Sucunza, Auxiliary bishop and Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, together with the auxiliary bishops Enrique Eguia Segui, pro-vicar general, Juan Carlos Ares, of the vicariate of Devoto, and Alejandro Giorgi, of the vicariate of Belgrano; Mons. Carlos Malfa, Secretary of the Argentine Episcopal Conference and Bishop of Chascomus; Mons. Jorge Lozano, Bishop of Gualeguaychu, President of the Episcopal Conference’s Commission for Social and Pastoral Life; Mons. Fernando Maletti, Bishop of Merlo-Moreno; Mons. Oscar Ojea, Bishop of San Isidro; Mons. Martin Fassi, Auxiliary Bishop of San Isidro; Mons. Gabriel Barba, Bishop of Gregorio de Laferrere; Mons. Carlos Tissera, Bishop of Quilmes; Mons. Jorge Torres Carbonell, Auxiliary Bishop of Lomas de Zamorra; Mons. Guillermo Rodriguez Melgarejo, Bishop of San Martin.
Mons. Hugo Salaberry, Bishop of Azul, visited the parish on Friday 1st July and celebrated Mass in the parish church for the 5, he was a personal friend of Fr. Alfie Kelly and Emilio Barletti.
A number of other bishops sent their apologies and a greeting to mark the occasion, they were: Mons. Carlos Franzini, Archbishop of Mendoza; Mons. Juan Alberto Puiggari, Archbishop of Parana; Mons. Damian Bitar, Bishop of Obera; Mons. Joaquin Gimeno Lahoz, Bishop of Comodoro Rivadavia; Mons. Adolfo Canecin, Bishop of Goya; Mons. Luis Eichorn, Bishop of Moron; Mons. Samuel Jofre Giraudo, Bishop of Villa Maria; Mons. Dante Braida, Auxiliary Bishop of Mendoza; Mons. Fernando Croxato, Auxiliary Bishop of Comodoro Rivadavia, Mons. Marcelo Melani, Emeritus Bishop of Neuquen; Mons. Eduardo Miras, Emeritus Bishop of Rosario.
Approximately 55 to 60 priests concelebrated. Included in the number were Fr. Derry Murphy, Provincial of the Irish Province, the Provincial Delegate in the Argentine and Postulator of the Cause, Fr. Juan Sebastian Velasco, Fr. Ruben Fuhr, Regional Rector of the Region of Our Lady of Lujan, Fr. Moacir Piovesan, representing the Provincial Council of the Santa Maria Province, Fr. Rodolfo Capalozza, who was a postulant in the community at the time of the massacre, most of the members of the Delegature in the Argentine and members of the Region. There were representatives from the Passionists, Trinitarians, Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Franciscans, and representatives of the Archdiocese of Mercedes-Lujan, the Diocese of Quilmes and many priests of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. Seminarians from the Seminary Santo Cura de Ars, in Mercedes, acted as master of ceremonies and acolytes and there were two permanent deacons present on the altar.
Relatives and family members of the 5 were present; they included Elida (Nata) H. de Barletti, mother of Emilio Barletti, who was accompanied by her son Gaston, his wife Claudia di Bianco, and their children Sofia and Felipe. Rosario de Barbeito, mother of Salvador Barbeito was present with her daughter Maria del Carmen and granddaughter Victoria. Dickie Kelly, las surviving brother of Fr. Alfie Kelly, with his wife Tessie, was present together with a number of nephews and nieces from Suipacha and Buenos Aires. Fr. Martin Bracht, grandnephew of Fr. Alfredo Leaden concelebrated the Mass, and there were other members of the Leaden family present.
There were religious present representing the many religious congregations in Buenos Aires, and representatives of CONFAR, the Conference of Religious in the Argentine. Rabbi Daniel Goldman, of the Synagogue in Belgrano was present at the Mass, as was Adolfo Perez Esquivel, a winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1980. The Civil authorities were represented by Alfredo Abriani, undersecretary of the Ministry of Religion in the Argentine who was accompanied by the General Coordinator of the Ministry, Claudia Russo and Luis Saguier Fonrouge, the Director General and Anibal Ibarra, Assessor the Council of Magistrates of the Nation. The First Secretary and Consul of the Irish Embassy in the Argentine, Bobby Smith, from Westmeath, represented the Irish Ambassador. There were representatives of the Federation of Irish-Argentine Societies, the Ladies of St. Joseph and of the Fahy Club and of the various institutions of the Irish Diaspora in the Argentine. A group of pupils from the Instituto San Vicente Pallotti School in Belgrano carried the National Flag and were accompanied by authorities and teaching staff of the school.
Members of all the Pallottine communities in the Argentine and many friends of the Pallottines travelled in large numbers to be present and it was impressive to see how they turned out in such numbers despite the bad winter weather.
Cardinal Poli preached and his homily is available and it will be translated into English and put on our Province website. The Mass was a vibrant expression of the Christian Faith and the liturgy was coordinated by a commission of parishioners made up of members of all the different groups and ministries within the parish. Rolando Savino played the organ and he was accompanied by other musicians of the music ministry in the parish and all three parish choirs coordinated their talent which ensured that the singing expressed the solemnity of the occasion.
Pope Francis sent a message for the occasion, it reads:
Dear brother:
I received your request to write a brief message to unite myself in communion in the Mass which will be celebrated in memory of the Servants of God Alfredo Leaden, Pedro Dufau, Alfredo Kelly, Salvador Barbeito Doval and Emilio Barletti, on the 40th anniversary of their deaths. I knew Fr. Alfie Kelly personally, a priest who thought only of God, and as you know, I have followed his tragedy from the perspective of faith, given that this is the key to his life and also of his death.
To remember these witnesses can be a stimulus for all of us. In remembering we are presented with a life of commitment, of forgetting oneself, and as servant of the Gospel seeking to be where one’s Lord is, among the least of all.
May the Lord Jesus, who called them to this vocation, bless them and the Blessed Virgen protect them.
The Vatican, 4th July 2016.
Francisco.

Fr. Pablo Bocca, parish priest and rector of the local community, thanked all those present and in particular the Papal Nuncio and Cardinal Poli, the other bishops present and the priests who concelebrated; he passed on the greetings of many persons and institutions which had been sent on the occasion of the 40th anniversary. Pablo and a group of parishioners organized a very emotive gesture immediately after the Mass at the monument to the 5 which was erected outside the church in 2005 and where the repository of the ashes of the deceased is located. At this ceremony 5 olive trees were carried to the monument by representatives of the life of the parish: by the Auxiliary Bishop Alejandro Giorgi, representing the pastors of the church; by Derry Murphy and Ruben Fuhr, representing the Pallottine Family; by Juan Sebastian Velazco and members of the Commission responsible for the Cause; by the architects who designed the repository; and by students of 7th class in St. Vincent Pallotti School, Belgrano, representing the families of the parish and the school community. The olive tree was chosen for its significance, denoting life, health and strength (oil), reconciliation and peace and which has been a special symbol among the People of God since Old Testament times.
Pablo invited all present to partake of Empanadas Criollos and soft drinks prepared by the kitchen staff of the School and served by the Youth Group and the Scout Troop of the Parish.
As already mentioned above, ceremonies and Masses to commemorate the 40th anniversary were celebrated in all the Pallottine communities, parishes and schools in the Argentine in the days and weeks before the anniversary. Three of the deceased, Frs. Alfredo Leaden, Pedro Dufau and Alfie Kelly are buried in the Pallottine plot in the Cemetery in Mercedes. On Monday July 4th a concelebrated Mass was held in the Parish Church of San Patricio, Mercedes; the principal celebrant was Fr. Derry Murphy, SAC, Provincial Rector, accompanied by Frs. Tom O’Donnell and Johnny Sweeney, of the local community, Fr. Fernando Bello, legal representative of the school and Mgr. Jorge Bruno, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Mercedes-Lujan. All the students of the secondary school were present and accompanied by Alfredo Abalo, Director, the Vice-directors and other members of the teaching and administrative staff; the students of the upper years of the Primary School were present together with Daniela Tassara, Vice-Principal, and the teachers. The Mayor of Mercedes, Juan Ustarroz, a former pupil of the school, was present, and he was accompanied by the former mayor, Carlos Selva, now a Deputy in the National Parliament, by Eduardo de Pedro, also a Deputy in the Parliament, and a former student of the school, and also present were Mathias Dematei, president of the Local Council of Mercedes, Juan Carlos Benitez and other councillors. In the congregation were members of the parish communities, friends of the Pallottines and representatives of associations of the disappeared during the time of the military regime in the Argentine.
Following the Mass there was a Liturgy of the Word at the graveside, a letter from Alfie Kelly was read out and all present sang the Salve Regina, which was intoned by Johnny Sweeney.
On Saturday July 2 a new book on the 5 was launched at San Patricio, Belgrano, it’s title is “Juntos vivieron y juntos murieron” and was written by Sergio Lucero, professor of theology and philosophy. It is a slim volume and is based on an extract from the diary of Alfie Kelly written three days before his death; it also contains a profile of each man and some spiritual writings.

Derry Murphy, SAC.

PARROQUIA SAN PATRICIO
40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF THE FIVE PALLOTTINE CONFRERES
4TH JULY 2016
HOMILY
We are here, gathered together at the altar, to celebrate the sacrifice of Eucharistic love which Jesus left us, and with it to honour the memory of the five Pallottine confreres (Fr. Alfie Kelly, Fr. Peter Dufau, Fr. Alfredo Leaden and the students Salvador Barbeito and Emilio Barletti), who, forty years ago today, were the object of a ruthless and cruel assassination just a few metres from here and which took place on this carpet which today covers the altar, an event which continues to touch Argentinians and in particular the Church in Argentina. It would be difficult for us to find words to describe this event if it were not for the Word of God which comes to our aid. “All scripture is inspired by God – St. Paul teaches – and can profitably be used for teaching, for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be holy. This is how the man who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work” (2 Tim 3,16).
Paul himself, who up to moment of his encounter with the Risen Christ boasted of his strict observance of the old law – and because of it did not doubt in persecuting innocent Christians with visceral hate, just as he approved the death of the deacon Stephen in the name of God and whom he believed he was pleasing with his zeal (cfr. Acts 7,58) – at this stage pacified and with years spent in missionary work, enlightens us by telling us that if he had anything to boast about it is “the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal 6,14). Paul discovered in his process of conversion that in the cross, on the body of the crucified Master, the infinite multitude of sins and the hatred of the whole world came to nothing, and that surprisingly Christ transformed it into love. Paul boasts of his Christian freedom, and he has just confessed that it is the Cross alone with attracts him, because it is only the Cross which unites him to Jesus Christ. When the Apostle says that nobody is to trouble him from then on, because “the marks on my body are those of Jesus”, he is referring to the marks on his body caused by the chains in prison and the punishments he had to suffer because of preaching the Good News of God. These were his credentials denoting his belonging to the Risen Christ, of whom he had seen the stigmata of his passion. Likewise, the scars of Jesus for the cause of the Gospel were seen on the bodies of our religious confreres who were assassinated during the early morning of the 4th of July 1976. It was thus that they presented themselves before the Lord of Mercy. If “what matters is to become an altogether new creature”, Paul adds, the Christian faith which helps us to understand reality through the paschal mystery of Jesus, teaches us to read events in terms of Easter, and thus even the most humble (person) lives what happens to him in another manner in the knowledge that death is not the final word, but rather is the anteroom of life in Christ. The judgement of Paul is very clear: “Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule” (Gal 6,16), and thus he invites us to live for Him who died and rose for all (cfr. 2 Cor 5,17).
With the Beatitudes of St. Matthew’s Gospel which we proclaim, Jesus begins to teach what the will of God is for those who wish to belong to the Kingdom. Thus begins the Magna Carta and its requirements for Christians who wish to follow him unconditionally. They are addressed to the multitude of his followers in order that in the face of trials on the journey they may feel themselves to be blessed and happy persons because they are observing faithfully the teachings of the prophets. They are felicitations to the poor and the small, to the just who crave justice, to the compassionate, the merciful, the pure of heart, the patient and those who suffer, those persecuted because of his Name. They are the ones who are called blessed by Jesus. In living like this they will be consoled by God, they will be the heirs of the Promised Land, they will receive the joy of being children of God and they will be able to share with Him in his Kingdom. This is the spirituality which guides the Christian life for all times until He comes again. This ideal of the following of Jesus is for all the baptised, however, consecrated persons make the beatitudes their style of living. So much so that the “particular duty of the consecrated life is to remind the baptized of the fundamental values of the Gospel, by bearing “splendid and striking testimony that the world cannot be transfigured and offered to God without the spirit of the Beatitudes”’ (VC 33).
The communities of consecrated life – such as that formed by the sons of St. Vincent Pallotti in this neighbourhood – are sent to announce with the witness of their own lives the value of Christian fraternity and the transforming strength of the Good News, which recognizes every person as a child of God and encourages self-giving love towards all, and especially towards those considered last. Such communities are places of hope and of the discovery of the Beatitudes; they are places where love, drawing strength from prayer, the wellspring of communion, is called to become a pattern of life and source of joy (VC 51). Why not think that they were thus committed to the fraternal life, those Pallottines who tried to live faithful to the charism which moved them. They passed their lives in fraternal coexistence, in pastoral service of so many of the faithful of this parish, in prayer, in the celebration of the sacraments, dispensing as good administrators the multiform grace of God, serving the poor and helping those who were weakest in the path of faith to walk; until, as we pray in the psalm: “An enemy who hounds me to crush me into the dust, forces me to dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago” (Psalm 143,3).
Those who believed themselves to be judges and so could dictate a sentence of death to our brothers did not know that ever since the first centuries of our Church “Christians do good yet they are punished as evil doers; being punished by death they rejoice as if they were thus given life. They, punished by death every day, increase the more in number. This is the position to which God has assigned them and which it would be unlawful for them to forsake” (Letter to Diognetus V, 16; VI. 10-11).
A fourth century Father of the Church taught that the blood shed by the martyrs became seeds of new Christians. The paradox of Christianity is surprising, that notwithstanding the weakness of its members, it is from this very weakness that it grows, is strengthened and increased by the courage of witnesses of the faith who announce the Gospel even in the midst of adversity and who suffer for Christ at the risk of their own lives.
We know that martyrdom is a gift: it cannot be sought. But their brothers of the Congregation, who knew well those who took their lives, wish to present to the Mother Church what can be called a baptism of blood. She will know – with her wisdom and the experience of centuries -, and tell us what the place of our brothers is in the Church of Heaven. Meanwhile we, pilgrims, gather their relics as grateful memory of the men who embraced consecrated life, who lived animated with an authentic evangelical style and who gave us examples of virtue and commitment. May the Lord Jesus, who knows what is in the heart of man (cfr. John 2,25), pour out on our friends the mercy of the Father who revealed his face among us.
***
Mario Aurelio Cardinal Poli

PARROQUIA SAN PATRICIO
40 ° ANIVERSARIO DE LA MUERTE DE LOS CINCO HERMANOS PALOTINOS
4 DE JULIO DE 2016
HOMILÍA
Nos encontramos junto al altar para celebrar el sacrificio de amor eucarístico que nos dejó Jesús y así honrar la memoria de los cinco hermanos palotinos (P. Alfie Kelly, P. Pedro Dufau, P. Alfredo Leaden y los estudiantes Salvador Barbeito y Emilio Barletti), quienes hace hoy cuarenta años, a pocos metros de aquí y sobre esta alfombra que hoy cubre el altar, fueron objeto de un despiadado y cruel magnicidio, que todavía nos conmueve a los argentinos y, en especial, a la Iglesia en la Argentina. Nos costaría encontrar palabras para referirnos a este acontecimiento, si no fuese por la Palabra de Dios que viene en nuestra ayuda. «Toda la Escritura está inspirada por Dios –enseña San Pablo–, y es útil para enseñar y para argüir, para corregir y para educar en la justicia, a fin de que el hombre de Dios sea perfecto y esté preparado para hacer siempre el bien» (2° Tim 3,16).
El mismo Pablo, que hasta el momento de su encuentro con el Resucitado se gloriaba de su estricta observancia a la ley antigua –y por eso no dudó en perseguir con odio visceral a inocentes cristianos, como cuando aprobó la muerte del diácono Esteban, en nombre de Dios, al que creía agradar con su celo (cf. Hch 7,58)–, ahora, pacificado y con años de trabajo misionero, nos ilumina diciéndonos que si en algo tenía que gloriarse, es en «la cruz de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, por quien el mundo está crucificado para mí, como yo lo estoy para el mundo» (Ga 6,14). Pablo descubrió en su proceso de conversión que en la cruz, sobre el cuerpo del Maestro crucificado, se estrellaron la infinita multitud de pecados y el odio de todo el mundo, y lo sorprendente es que Cristo lo transformó en amor. Pablo hace alarde de su libertad cristiana, y acaba de confesar que solo la Cruz lo atrae, porque solo ella lo une a Jesucristo. Cuando el Apóstol dice que nadie lo moleste en adelante, porque «yo llevo en mi cuerpo las cicatrices de Jesús», se refiere a las marcas que dejaron en su cuerpo las cadenas en la cárcel y los castigos que debió padecer por causa de la predicación de la Buena Noticia de Dios. Esas eran sus credenciales de pertenecer a Cristo Resucitado, a quien vio los estigmas de su pasión. También las cicatrices de Jesús por causa del Evangelio se vieron en los cuerpos de nuestros hermanos religiosos, los que fueron asesinados en la madrugada del 4 de julio de 1976. Así se presentaron ante el Señor de la misericordia. Si «lo que importa es ser una nueva creatura», agrega Pablo, la fe cristiana, que nos ayuda a entender la realidad a través de la pascua de Jesús, sabe leer los acontecimientos en clave pascual y así, hasta el más humilde vive de otro modo lo que acontece, sabiendo que la muerte no es la última palabra, sino antesala de la vida en Cristo. La sentencia de Pablo es muy clara: «Todos los que practican esta norma tengan paz y misericordia», y así nos invita a vivir para Aquel que murió y resucitó por todos (cf. 2° Cor 5,17).
Con las Bienaventuranzas de San Mateo que proclamamos, Jesús comienza a enseñar cuál es la voluntad de Dios para quienes desean pertenecer al Reino. Así empieza la carta magna y sus exigencias para cristianos que quieren seguirlo incondicionalmente. Se dirigen a la multitud de sus seguidores para que, ante las pruebas del camino, se sientan personas dichosas y felices por guardar fielmente las enseñanzas de los profetas. Son felicitaciones a los pobres y pequeños, a los justos que se desviven por la justicia, los compasivos, los misericordiosos, los puros de corazón, los pacientes y afligidos, los perseguidos a causa de su Nombre. Son los llamados bienaventurados por Jesús. Viviendo como tales llegarán a ser consolados por Dios, serán los herederos de la tierra prometida, recibirán la alegría de ser hijos de Dios y podrán compartir con Él en su Reino. Esta es la espiritualidad que guía la vida cristiana de todos los tiempos hasta que Él vuelva. Este ideal del seguimiento de Jesús es para todo bautizado, pero los consagrados hacen de las bienaventuranzas su estilo de vida. De tal forma que «la misión peculiar de la vida consagrada es mantener viva en los bautizados la conciencia de los valores fundamentales del Evangelio, dando «un testimonio magnífico y extraordinario de que sin el espíritu de las Bienaventuranzas no se puede transformar este mundo y ofrecerlo a Dios» (VC 33).
Las comunidades de vida consagrada –como la que formaban los hijos de san Vicente Palotti en este barrio–, son enviadas a anunciar con el testimonio de la propia vida el valor de la fraternidad cristiana y la fuerza transformadora de la Buena Nueva, que hace reconocer a todos como hijos de Dios e incita al amor oblativo hacia todos, y especialmente hacia los últimos. Estas comunidades son lugares de esperanza y de descubrimiento de las Bienaventuranzas, lugares en los que el amor nutrido de la oración y principio de comunión, está llamado a convertirse en lógica de vida y fuente de alegría (VC 51). Por qué no pensar que así se entregaban a la vida fraterna, aquellos palotinos que trataban de vivir fieles al carisma que los animaba. Transcurrían sus vidas en la convivencia fraterna, en el servicio pastoral a tantos fieles de esta parroquia, la oración, la celebración de los sacramentos, dispensando como buenos administradores la multiforme gracia de Dios, sirviendo a los pobres y ayudando a caminar a los más débiles en el camino de la fe; hasta que, como rezamos en el salmo: «El enemigo me persiguió a muerte, aplastó mi vida contra el suelo; me introdujo en las tinieblas, como a los muertos de hace muchos años» (Salmo 144, 3).
Los que se creyeron jueces para dictar sentencia de muerte a nuestros hermanos, no sabían que desde los primeros siglos de nuestra Iglesia, «los cristianos hacen bien y se los castiga como malhechores; castigados de muerte, se alegran como si les dieran la vida. Ellos, castigados de muerte cada día, se multiplican más y más. Tal el puesto que Dios les enseñó y no les es lícito desertar de él (Carta a Diogneto V, 16; VI. 10-11).
Un Padre de la Iglesia del siglo IV enseñó que la sangre derramada por los mártires se convertía en semillas de nuevos cristianos. Sorprendente la paradoja del cristianismo, que a partir de la debilidad de sus miembros, no obstante, crece, se fortalece y multiplica por la valentía de los testigos de la fe que anuncian el Evangelio aun en medio de la adversidad y padecen por Cristo a riesgo de sus propias vidas.
Sabemos que el martirio es un don: no se lo puede buscar. Pero sus hermanos de congregación, que conocían bien a quiénes les quitaron la vida, desean presentar a la Madre Iglesia lo que puede llamarse como un bautismo de sangre. Ella sabrá ¬–con su sabiduría y experiencia de siglos–, decirnos cuál es el lugar de nuestros hermanos en la Iglesia del Cielo. Mientras tanto nosotros, peregrinos, recogemos sus reliquias como memoria agradecida por los hombres que abrazando la vida consagrada, vivieron animados por un auténtico estilo evangélico y nos dieron ejemplos de virtud y entrega. El Señor Jesús, que conoce lo que hay en el corazón del hombre (cf. Jn 2, 25), derrame sobre nuestros amigos la misericordia del Padre que reveló su rostro entre nosotros.
***
Mario Aurelio Cardenal Poli