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For someone who was born to a wealthy family and rose to fame as an award-winning actor
and filmmaker, Kyaw Thu has a comfortable life anyone in Myanmar would envy. However,
despite his stature, Kyaw Thu lives simply, even using his fortune and popularity to help
poverty-stricken Burmese – whether they’re living or dead.
“Unity in diversity” is a trite and often overused concept that describes how coalitions are able to exist and work towards achieving a common goal. However, this same hackneyed phrase is perhaps the best expression to illustrate how Tunisia’s National Dialogue Quartet was able to negotiate a peaceful settlement of the country’s political crisis from 2013 to 2014, making it the Nobel Committee’s choice for the 2015 Peace Prize.
As the Church celebrates the fiftieth anniversary (1965-2015) of Ad Gentes, the Vatican II document on mission, it is enlightening to recall the evolution and content of this pivotal document within the Council; one discovers an interesting and dramatic story! The material presented here unfolds in three areas: (1) key moments of the Ad Gentes journey during the Council; (2) brief synopsis of Ad Gentes itself; and (3) recent reflections by Pope Benedict, a member of the “Missions Commission” that drafted Ad Gentes.
To be at the forefront of evangelization is every missionary’s life and purpose. Fr. Randy Recalde, who has been serving in the mission in Pangoa in Peru since 2011, shares how his interest to become a missionary began and how he continually finds the hope and inspiration to continue preaching and reaching out to God’s people despite the heavy challenges.
Even before the Pope’s much-awaited eco-encyclical Laudato Si hit the websites and bookshelves, it already caused a stir among those who are hoping to use it to further environmental, and even political, agenda. With its release and with a scathing admonition from the Pope to the world’s decision-makers for their failure to stifle the climate change crisis, the Vatican now trusts that the Pope’s reflections will resonate within the august halls of policy-making institutions, both national and international. More importantly, the Church hopes to instill an “ecological conversion” in everyone – before it’s too late to save our common home.
After the overhaul of the religious life by Vatican II, many religious women are still struggling , if not confused, about their “new calling.” Up until today, their actions are being misunderstood, even by the Church itself, because of this re-orientation. However, many women religious are convinced that the direction they have taken is appropriate and is a reflection of the true and the same apostolic service they have committed to before the Council.
Christmas and Easter are the two times of the year that provide more social visibility for Christians in the Holy Land. But these “visible” Christians are likely to be pilgrims, mere transients, who go on tours, usually to Bethlehem and Jerusalem. One cannot help but wonder: who are the real Catholics and Christians who live in the land of Jesus? Where and how do they live?
Back then, cultural identity was simply defined by natural selection, geography, and locale-specific customs and traditions. However, because of migration, rapid trade and industrialization, cultural identity is easily blurred, if not constantly shifting or evolving. Factors that influence such rapid change seem to be easily accepted, but is the loss of identity, as a result of these factors, really worth it?
Mapuordit Hospital has been a life-saving institution through the generous dedication of missionaries and lay people prepared to serve, to heal and to rekindle hope in the distressed hearts of many South Sudanese people. Bro. Rosario, a Comboni Missionary Brother, is the key not only in running the Hospital but also in creating human resources to meet the basic medical needs of a people still striving to build their lives after the cruel war.
With further advances in treatment techniques and counseling and rethinking of theological premises, hospitals’ pastoral care becomes even more critical in the lives of patients and families. Is pastoral care relevant in the contemporary scene? Absolutely!
