International Mission Archives

Marist Moscow mission moves forward, quietly

The Marist mission in Moscow, Russia nudges quietly forward.

Working in traditional Marist way, ‘as if hidden and unknown’, the mission “continues to hold up the Marist spirit if not the Marist flag”, writes Michael Ryan SM.

He described the normal inclination for the mission in Moscow as “low profile”, however, recently, friendly nudges from the Moscow City Administration are encouraging the mission to lift its heads a bit higher.

Fr Ryan explains that recently the parish has been taking part in local committee meetings and have done so at the invitation of the Department of Nationality Policies and Inter-religious Relations, of the Moscow City Administration!

“Be slow to say no to an invitation”, notes Fr Ryan.

Among some positive results, the best is that on the evening of Palm Sunday the parish’s French-language choir, took part in the “Paschal Marathon of Choirs”.

This Marathon brings together choirs worshipping in minority religious groups and associations.

“If you look for us, Our Lady of Hope Parish, you won’t wander across some Baroque masterpiece, or a Gothic or a Romanesque edifice with our name on the front door”, says Fr Ryan.

“The parish usually meets behind closed doors, in hired halls, quietly in private residences.

“At other times it meets in embassy premises or occasionally in prayer rooms of a morgue, crematorium or the open air at a cemetery”, he says.

He clarifies that all the parish’s work fits within the law laid down for officially registered, local religious organisations.

How best to describe a Catholic parish without a parish Church in the middle to Moscow?

Fr Ryan says it seems best described by an Italian deacon.

“You merit the ‘Standard and Poors’ assessment table for national economies; a Triple AAA rating Parish; an African, American and Asian Parish in the capital of the Russian Federation, with, of course, Russians and Europeans, Latinos and an occasional Syrian.”

Sources

Marist Europe
Image: Blogspot

Marist Mission to Japan marks 70 years

Mission to Japan Lionel Marsden — Soon after Ordination in 1940 Fr Lionel Marsden SM volunteered to be a Chaplain in the AIF and was appointed to the 13 Division of the 8th Battalion and arrived in Singapore in August 1941. Singapore was captured on the 15th February 1942 and Lionel was one of the tens of thousands of allied troops who became prisoners of war.

Seventy years on, the Marist Fathers Australia and supporters of the Marist Mission Centre, May 1, joined together in Sydney to mark the birth of the mission to Japan.

The idea of the “Japanese mission” was born in a Japanese Prison camp.

At the fall of Singapore in 1942, Fr Lionel Marsden SM was serving as Chaplain to the 13th Australian General Hospital (AGH), part of Australia’s 8th Division.

Captured by the Japanese, as Chaplain in the prison camp, Fr Marsden was a prisoner too and with them in sickness, buried them when they died, and worked with them on the Burma Railway.

Determined to go to Japan as a missionary, Fr Marsden took as his slogan: “For every sleeper lain; a Christian Japanese, for every Australian life; a Christian Japanese.”

“For every sleeper lain; a Christian Japanese, for every Australian life; a Christian Japanese.”

Eventually, Rome gave its permission to establish a mission to Japan.

The permission came with two requirements: the Australian Province would supply the men and fund the enterprise.

On April 3, 1949, Fr Marsden was appointed the first superior of the Japanese Marist Mission.

Over 400 supporters gathered in the vestibule of the Lower Town Hall in Sydney to listen to Fr Marsden share his story, his vision, his enduring hope as they farewelled him on his journey to Japan.

Fr Marsden may have had the vision and determination, but with so many emaciated images of prisoners of war returning home, anti-Japanese feelings were strong in Australia and establishing the mission was a slow and challenging process.

Captured Allied POWs 15,400 (1900 of them Australians) were herded into barracks, an area of about 8 acres, because they refused to sign a promise not to escape.

A mission cannot survive on vision, determination, good intentions and prayer alone.

A vital component of the success of the mission to Japan was the Marist Japan Mission League.

The League’s was to assist Australian Marists in their efforts to share the Catholic faith and its ideals of Christian life especially those of compassion and forgiveness to the Japanese.

Educating Burmese children in Ranong, located on the Thai-Burma border, gives them a real chance of hope for their future.

Over the years the shape of the mission has changed.

Much wider than Japan the Marist Mission Centre makes a significant contribution in

“Balay Pasilungan” – a safe place for young street boys and Davao City, Philippines.
Balay Banaag – a safe house for girls at risk in Davao City, Philippines.
Solomon Islands.
Ranong – Southern Thailand.
Cambodia.

It also has a significant role to play in the Society of Mary’s global international mission.

However, throughout its 70 years and seven directors, the focus of what is now called the Marist Mission Centre has always been on the other, the disadvantaged, the alienated, the dispossessed.

Not content to be an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, the Marist Mission Centre also also focusses on development projects and the alleviation of poverty.

While needs and circumstances change, the Marist Mission Centre hopes that some things will not change.

Namely, the Centre hopes that the vision of one man, Lionel Marsden, and the first members of the Japanese Marist Mission League is enshrined in an enduring legacy of generosity.

And, that succeeding generations of friends and donors, who from the most unlikely of beginnings, continue to produce such unexpected and extraordinary outcomes.

A brief history, marking 70 years 1949 – 2019

From Unlikely Beginnings: Marking 70 years of mission to Japan by the Marist Fathers. (PDF)

Supplied: Jim Carty SM

St Patrick’s College students become English teachers in Thailand

During the recent summer holiday, eight students and two teachers from St Patrick’s College Wellington went on a two-week school trip to visit the Marist mission in Ranong, Thailand.

The purpose of this trip was to experience what life is like for Burmese migrants, see Marist faith in action and teach English to the students attending the school run by the Marist Asia Foundation.

Ranong sits on the border of Thailand and Myanmar.

Many people in Myanmar find themselves without sufficient work. They cross Myanmar’s porous borders in search of better conditions. Those in the south of Myanmar often cross into Thailand.

The volunteers from Wellington discovered the tension between the Burmese people and the Thai government.

Burmese people – including students – have to carry their passports with them in case they are stopped by Thai officers.

One of the volunteers, Benjamin Prendergast, said the students they taught were the privileged ones, able to attend school instead of working to support their families.

One student, Wine Min Htet, would travel two hours home after school, spend half an hour eating dinner, then startb a six-hour shift on a rubber plantation.

“That shows me how easy my life is compared to theirs, yet he’s still so happy,” Prendergast said.

Teacher Maurice Atkinson helped organise the trip. He and his wife had lived in Thailand for two years, both of them teaching, and knew the impact that seeing life there could have on the St Patrick’s students.

“I thought it would be a really good idea to give New Zealand teenagers an experience of what life was like for teenagers in a different part of the world.”

Now that they’re back at school, the teenagers are determined to advocate for the Burmese students they met on their trip, whether that’s sponsoring the costs of schooling and transport for one student ($20 a month) or fundraising to bring in extra teachers.

LOGOS raises $5k for Marist Ranong mission

Saturday, LOGOS held a quiz evening at the Logos Centre to raise money for the Ranong Mission.

About 250 people attended.

As well as being a lot of fun the event raised about $5,000.

Frank Bird, home in New Zealand from the mission in Ranong, southern Thailand, gave a moving presentation of the work that Marists and their supporters do.

In January 2019 Tayla Faaofo will join another LOGOS member, volunteering teaching at the Marist Asia Mission in Ranong.

The fundraiser raised awareness about the Marist Asia Foundation as well as funds to support Tayla’s volunteer costs.

LOGOS leader, Jen Martinez wrote: “We were overwhelmed by the support from Marist groups, families and the wider community”.

Frank Bird returns shortly to the Marist Asia Foundation work in Ranong.

Fr Pius Jones adopted by Aborigine clan

fr pius jones sm painted Garrawurra — A very special few days. Australian Marist, Fr Pius Jones painted on the face as one of the Garrawurra clan.

Australian Marist priest, Fr Pius Jones has been adopted by the Garrawurra people.

“A very special few days” is how he describes his adoption and then attending the funeral of a Garrawurra elder.

The funeral ceremony at Dhumbala, for his adoptive father, was something to behold, Pius Jones wrote to Australian Provincial, Fr Bob Barber SM.

“I sat with the Wawas (brothers) for the ceremonies. Just incredible in their richness and symbolism.”

Pius Jones says it is amazing that all the people there can tell him how he is related to them.

“The most touching part for me was when they called me over to paint me.

“My clan is Garrawurra and they are equal holders of the law/lore of the Yolungu nations. So I was painted on the face as one of the Garrawurra family”, he wrote.

His legs killing him from sitting cross legged all day, Fr Jones says “The enormity of respect they showed me was humbling.”

Source: Marist Fathers Australia

St Pat’s students spend summer holidays in Thailand

Nine St Patrick’s College Wellington students are currently in Thailand teaching English to Burmese students at the Marist Mission in Ranong.

Most of the Burmese students are from the Marist school in Ranong, Southern Thailand, however others from neighbouring learning centers have also joined them for the “English camp”.

The mission experience is happening during the St Patrick’s students’ summer holidays.

As well as teaching English, the St Patrick’s students are experiencing first hand what so many confront daily; just to survive.

The idea to take St Patrick’s College students to Ranong is the brainchild of St Patrick’s teacher, Mr Maurice Atkinson.

Mr Atkinson and his wife Natalie spent 18 months in Ranong as volunteer teachers, and the experience of helping those in difficult circumstances made a lasting impression on both.

Traveling with the group, Fr Matthew Crawford SM says the St Patrick’s students are experiencing entirely different circumstances to their own.

“The experience seems invaluable, perhaps even life-changing”, he said.

Matthew Crawford says the St Patrick’s students have been struck by the dedication and determination the Burmese teenagers bring to their studies.

“Some young people in New Zealand are almost proud of how little work they can do in school, while for these students, few things are taken more seriously”, commented Dominic Bell, a St Patrick’s student.

“Receiving an education and in particular knowing English will be very freeing for these Burmese students”, says Hugo Bell.

Johnny English adds, “It opens up other work opportunities beyond the local fish and charcoal factories”.

Maurice Atkinson describes the trip as providing powerful examples of faith in action for St Patrick’s College students.

“The Marist priests, Frs Frank Bird, Keven Medilo and Gil Casio along with two Burmese nuns and volunteers show God’s love through their commitment to those who are vulnerable and who the world sees as unimportant”, he says.