Apostles for today March -2025

         
 

UNION OF THE CATHOLIC 

APOSTOLATE

  Apostles for Today
        March 2025

Fr. Francis Harelimana, SAC

The power of the Sacrament of reconciliation

Jubilee of The Missionaries of Mercy

The power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is best seen in the steps taken to repair the damage caused by sin. God himself, through his Word made flesh, has stepped in to heal the wounds caused by sin in human life. In his infinite merciful love, he instituted and entrusted to the Church this Sacrament by means of which the faithful can return to communion with Him and his people.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation has other names that shed light on its meaning. It is often called the Sacrament of Penance, the Sacrament of Confession, the Sacrament of Forgiveness, or the Sacrament of Conversion or Reconciliation (CCC -Catechism of the Catholic Church 1423-1424).

This Sacrament is one of the seven instituted by Jesus Christ, through which He works for the salvation of those who approach Him (cfr. S.C. no. 7). It is par excellence the sacrament of God's love and consolation. It can be said that those who express their desire to receive this Sacrament are first and foremost confessing God's merciful love. The Second Vatican Council makes it clear that the faithful who have fallen into sin after their baptism are not condemned, but that the Sacrament offers them the grace of reconciliation with God: Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from the mercy of God for the offence committed against Him and are at the same time reconciled with the Church […] (LG 11 - Documento del Concilio Vat II).

Through the sacrament of reconciliation, those who suffer from the ugliness and damage of sin can taste the savor of forgiveness. The wounds healed by this sacrament are in the very definition of sin. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Sin is an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as "an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law" (CCC no 1849). The power of this sacrament restores spiritual health for the good of the whole person. The joy of being purified of original sin by baptism is often interrupted by wrong choices against God and neighbor. The parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32) makes it clear that lost joy is restored in post-baptismal conversion through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. According to this parable, the younger son's rejection of the father and his voluntary exile could not destroy all the love the Father had for his son. The life of Jesus reveals to all the merciful face of the Father, whose joy is to forgive. He hates sin, but loves the sinner.

Pope Francis says that in this parable, as in others about mercy, Jesus reveals the nature of God as that of a Father who never gives up until He has forgiven the wrong and overcome rejection with compassion and mercy (Misericordiae Vultus, no 9). This joyful atmosphere characterizes the encounter between God and his children, and between them. Instead of resigning Himself to our broken covenant, through His Son Jesus Christ, He has forged a new bond between humanity and Him, a bond so strong that nothing can undo it (Cfr. Missal, Eucharistic Prayer I for Reconciliation).

This divine joy floods the earth, so much so that no one would be afraid to confess his misery and unworthiness. On the contrary, everyone should approach the confessional with confidence and hope, because, as St. Francis de Sales said, “ our misery is the throne of God's mercy”.

In any spiritual journey, a soul that stumbles discourages or drags others down. On the other hand, a soul that immerses itself in the ocean of Divine Mercy uplifts many. To keep and observe the Lord's greatest commandment to love God and neighbor (Mt 22:34-40), the faithful are invited to rely always on the power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It heals love wounded by sin and restores sanctifying grace. The experience of this “spiritual resurrection” is accompanied by new strength, not only to fight temptations, but also to love and forgive others their trespasses.

The Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia recalls Jesus' insistence on this theme of fraternal reconciliation when he invites us to turn the other cheek, to leave even the cloak to the one who has taken the tunic (Lk 6:29), to love even our enemies (Mt 5:43-45) and to forgive without limits (Mt 18:21-22). On these conditions, says Pope John Paul II, which are realizable only in a genuinely evangelical climate, it is possible to have a true reconciliation between individuals, families, communities, nations and peoples (no 26). Love and forgiveness are inseparable. The latter accompanies the growth of love to open the faithful to the flavor of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. God hates sin. But he loves the sinner very much.
 

That's why, still today, through his Son and his Ministers, he is committed to healing the wounded hearts of his children. St. Vincent's writings are full of self-reproaches, so much so that the reader feels like a perpetual penitent. And yet, this penitent aware of his misery and sins is always happy to feel enveloped by God's infinite love and mercy. In his spiritual retreat at Montecitorio in 1842, he noted this spiritual motion: My God my Mercy, You only know that I have been and still am so incapable of being holy, that I can only be so by an extraordinary prodigy of your mercy (OOCC X, 714). He is convinced that he won't be able to do it on his own, but that with God he will succeed (OOCC X, 122).

On his way to the perfection he so desires, he suffers from the obstacles of his own limitations, and takes steps to go further. The most important of these is formulated in this principle: Sacramental confession, made often and with the necessary dispositions, is a very effective means of attaining perfection (OOCC XI, 903). He also thought about the salvation of others. 

We know that his entire spiritual Family will inherit as its motto the destruction of sin for the infinite glory of God and the salvation of souls.

Thanks to this Sacrament, Pallotti is a man happy to be the object of God's infinite love. This profound experience accompanies his journey. In one of his colloquies with God, he opens his heart to Him, and does not know how to express his joy: You who are infinite Love, infinite Mercy, and forgive me if I dare say that you are crazy with Love and Mercy with regard to me (OOCC X, 235). Pallotti's enthusiasm made him a champion of Mercy, and he never ceased to encourage others to embrace the sacrament of reconciliation. He did not even hesitate to share the example of so many saints who had experienced it: Saint Leonard went to confession twice a day, Saint Francis Regis three times a day and Saint Pacifico da Sanseverino four times a day, [...] in order to approach the Holy Altar with a more perfect freedom of conscience (OOCC II, 68).

For him, going to confessional means confessing his faith, his love for God. He would like to go often. For example, in 1840, while at Osimo, he expressed his desire to receive the sacrament of reconciliation every day (Cfr. OOCC X, 386). Giving the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a demanding but interesting service. At the Shrine of Our Lady of Kibeho (site of the Apparitions of the Mother of the Word), many pilgrims come to ask for this sacrament. Personally, it pains me when some of them go back without receiving this sacrament. The same goes for my confreres. Sometimes we get caught in the confessional and go home very tired, but happy. Here in Kibeho, the Virgin Mary has launched a vibrant call to conversion. We want to find reinforcements from other priests to ensure service to all those who want it. Please pray for us!

Rediscovered communion with God strengthens the fragile bonds with our neighbor, and in so doing, reinforces the unity of the Church. Today, the human community so desperately needs to rediscover its nobility at the heart of human fragility, by asking for and offering forgiveness (Cfr. Dilexit nos, 189). In his Bull of Indiction for the Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis made a powerful appeal to the entire Christian community: “The time has come for the Church to rediscover the joyful proclamation of forgiveness. […] Forgiveness is a force that resurrects us into new life and gives us the courage to look to the future with hope” (no. 10). The Holy Father's appeal remains as valid as ever. 

For reflection:

1) There is talk today of a crisis in the sacrament of reconciliation. In your opinion, what are the causes of this disaffection for the sacraments in general and for the sacrament of reconciliation in particular?

2) The charism of St. V. Pallotti is our heritage. His motto “Ad destruendum peccatum” is ours. What apostolic actions do you propose to fight the sins in our time.

Fr. Francis Harelimana, SAC

Piazza San Vincenzo Pallotti, 204 00186 Roma, ITALIA
Tel: (+39) 393.556 0794 E-mail: uacgensec@gmail.com

APOSTLES for TODAY - February 2025

 

Apostles for Today
      February 2025

Serving the people to ensure security and peace Jubilee of The Armed, Police and Security Forces

My dear brothers and sisters of the Union of The Catholic Apostolate, the 2025 Jubilee year is upon us. It is a year dedicated to hope, as prescribed by Pope Francis. The Holy Father invites all Catholics to enrich their faith through the hope of a life united with Jesus Christ. To live a life united with Christ is challenging, however with hope, and an aim at the highest form of good, we can strive to be apostles in our daily lives, placing service above self. Service is the driving force behind the armed, police and security forces as announced for the month of February, during this Jubilee year. “Serving the people to ensure security and peace.” These are the words prescribed to those who wear a uniform, daily, to be stewards of service, security and peace in their countries, states and communities. 

The men and women of the armed and police forces around the world are entrusted to put others before themselves. They fulfill their oaths to be leaders, protectors and fighters for those who cannot fight for themselves. While contemplating February’s theme a passage from the Gospel of John comes to mind, which reads: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). These sacred words of scripture give us an inclination into what it means to love. Love is a force for good in the world. I am reminded of what love is every time Fr. Peter raises the host and chalice during Mass at Our Lady of Grace Church, signifying the sacrifice of Christ for the forgiveness of sins. 
I look above the altar and see the crucified Christ. Christ on the cross is the greatest depiction of what love is, the ultimate sacrifice. 

The men and women who protect our respective countries and communities in uniform place themselves in harm’s way when responding to emergency calls for service ranging from domestic disputes to potential terror attacks. Our uniformed members of society respond to such calls, knowing that their lives may be lost trying to provide security and peace. The willingness to do this is an act of love towards those in need. Placing the well-being of a person in crisis over the well-being of oneself is an act of love as told to us in the Gospel of John. As a police officer in the United States of America I have found that physical force is not always necessary when trying to resolve an emergency. Often, the ability to listen to a person in despair who may be, for example, contemplating suicide, by showing compassion and empathy is enough to bring peace to a person’s heart at a moment of internal crisis. 

Saint Vincent Pallotti embodied the theme for the month of February through his ministry in Rome. He tended to the sick, needy and less fortunate, laying the foundation for what would become the union we find ourselves a part of today. St. Vincent said: “God never sends you into a situation alone. 
He stands beside you. He walks behind you. Whatever situation you have right now, face it with the confidence knowing…God is with you.” As a police officer, I find solace in the words of Saint Vincent, knowing that if my heart and mind are aligned towards God, I shall be guided by Him so that I may be a beacon of hope for someone in danger. St. Vincent also suggests that when those in uniform confront, danger their steps are guided by the Lord. Being fearful or nervous is a normal human characteristic that comes over us all when confronted with danger, no matter if one is a civilian or an officer. It is part of the human condition. It is a normal response from the body’s nervous system. However, St. Vincent reminds us that we can find strength and courage in God, that the Holy Spirit will guide officers and security forces who find themselves in precarious situations, trying to protect those in need during a time of crisis.

The men and women who protect our respective countries and communities in uniform place themselves in harm’s way when responding to emergency calls for service ranging from domestic disputes to potential terror attacks. Our uniformed members of society respond to such calls, knowing that their lives may be lost trying to provide security and peace. The willingness to do this is an act of love towards those in need. Placing the well-being of a person in crisis over the well-being of oneself is an act of love as told to us in the Gospel of John. As a police officer in the United States of America I have found that physical force is not always necessary when trying to resolve an emergency. Often, the ability to listen to a person in despair who may be, for example, contemplating suicide, by showing compassion and empathy is enough to bring peace to a person’s heart at a moment of internal crisis. 

Saint Vincent Pallotti embodied the theme for the month of February through his ministry in Rome. He tended to the sick, needy and less fortunate, laying the foundation for what would become the union we find ourselves a part of today. St. Vincent said: “God never sends you into a situation alone". 
He stands beside you. He walks behind you. Whatever situation you have right now, face it with the confidence knowing…God is with you.” As a police officer, I find solace in the words of Saint Vincent, knowing that if my heart and mind are aligned towards God, I shall be guided by Him so that I may be a beacon of hope for someone in danger. St. Vincent also suggests that when those in uniform confront, danger their steps are guided by the Lord. Being fearful or nervous is a normal human characteristic that comes over us all when confronted with danger, no matter if one is a civilian or an officer. It is part of the human condition. It is a normal response from the body’s nervous system. However, St. Vincent reminds us that we can find strength and courage in God, that the Holy Spirit will guide officers and security forces who find themselves in precarious situations, trying to protect those in need during a time of crisis. 

In the United States, I can think of no greater emergency response by civil servants than the morning of September 11, 2001, in New York City. I was a student in high school at the time and recall watching the television in my classroom as the planes struck the twin towers. Brave police officers, firefighters and medical workers responded to the scene to assist all those trapped in the buildings. The display of bravery and courage I observed that day and the months to follow during the recovery efforts inspired me to serve my community as a firefighter and later as a police officer. The attacks on the United States in September of 2001 brought out the best in the men and women in uniform who take an oath to protect and serve their fellow citizens. Christ highlighted the importance of this service in Matthew 5:9 when he delivered his Sermon on the Mount, saying, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” The men and women who serve their fellow man by providing safety and security to people who find themselves in dim and bleak situations embody what Christ tried to teach us in the Beatitudes. Our men and women in uniform could be considered peacemakers when they serve and protect those who call out for help in desperate situations. A Jubilee year comes to us every twenty-five years, however, let us not wait for the arrival of a Jubilee year to be pilgrims of hope or servants to our fellow man. I like to ask myself, daily, how am I trying to be a peacemaker? Consider asking yourself, how am I building bridges within my family, my community, my school or my workplace? Being a peacemaker is not explicit to those of the armed services. Consider what it means to be an apostle.

 An apostolic life is not one of confinement, but one of action, movement and service. Consider asking yourself how an apostolic life focused on service can enrich your personal life? Saint Vincent Pallotti explained what it means to live when he said: “Our life is: To breath God in and out. To find God in everything. To reveal God to all. To radiate the presence of God.” This is the essence of an apostolic life. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill your heart with hope so that you may find the courage and strength to face challenges and adversity in your life while helping others along the way. 

May the peace of Almighty God be with you all this Jubilee year!

Tomislav Martic

* Tommy Martic is a Police supervisor. He was born in the former Yugoslavia and has lived in the United States since March 1988. He is a member of the Pallottine parish youth group “Our Lady of Grace.” Under the guidance of Fr. Peter Sticco, SAC, he was able to do missionary work in the United States and Latin America
 

 Piazza San Vincenzo Pallotti, 204 00186 Roma, ITALIA 

Tel: (+39) 393.5560794 E-mail: uacgensec@gmail.com

Apostles for Today January- 2025

   
 

 

 

         Apostles for Today 

             January - 2025

    As long as you live, there's hope

In conjunction with the Jubilee of the Church, we celebrate a Pallottine Jubilee.

 

 

We recognize that periodically the Church promotes a significant moment of reflection, forgiveness and spiritual conversion. Drawing inspiration from biblical times, the Church has convened and celebrated several jubilees since the 1300s. About 300 years ago, a fixed date was set, and so every 25 years Catholic Christians celebrate this event.

  The last ordinary jubilee took place in the year 2000, convened by Pope St. John Paul II. To live this experience, the four great basilicas of Rome – St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Basilica of St. Mary Major and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls – opened their Holy Doors, inviting pilgrims to a profound conversion of life. Subsequently, in an extraordinary way, in 2015, Pope Francis proclaimed a Jubilee of Mercy, celebrated in Rome and in all the dioceses of the world, with their respective Holy Doors. For the year 2025, again, after 25 years, the Jubilee of the Church will be celebrated in Rome, the Eternal City, a center of pilgrimage for many Christians.

 
In 2025, moreover, the only jubilee that our St. Vincent Pallotti experienced will be remembered: it will be the 200th anniversary of the Jubilee of 1825, proclaimed by Pope Leo XII through the Bull Quod Hoc Ineunte. 

 
It is particularly interesting to note, with this bull, that the Pope convokes a jubilee to promote a spiritual renewal of all and of the whole world in Jesus Christ, with the aim of igniting faith and charity among all Christians. The following passages from the papal document concerning the Jubilee of 1825 stand out:

 "(...) In this year, which we rightly recognize as a grateful and salvific time, we hope that we will be given the extraordinary opportunity to seek, with the salutary purification of the whole Christian people, a profound renewal in Christ, after so many afflictions that afflict the people. ...
"(...) I am thinking, in fact, of how much it contributes to rekindling faith and charity in the souls of visitors to walk through these ancient places, to which the majesty of religion is admirably entrusted; to revive in the imagination so many thousands of martyrs who consecrated this land with their blood; to enter the basilicas, to observe the sacred epitaphs, to venerate the relics (...)"
As sons of St. Vincent Pallotti, we are very familiar with the Pallottine terminology, and for this reason I am sure that we recognize some of the terms and concepts present in the words of that ancient papal text: renewal in Christ, inflame, revive, faith and charity. 

 

These are concepts that are very familiar to us. In fact, Pallotti was a son of his time. Thus, during the year 1825, in living through that Jubilee, we see how much he was influenced by that atmosphere.

Thanks to renowned biographers of our Saint, we know that he dedicated himself intensely to the promotion of that jubilee year. He was a young priest, passionate about priestly life and ministry, and in that year, we see him deeply committed as a confessor and promoter of unity among the various apostolic agents, always with the aim of bringing about the spiritual renewal in Christ that Pope Leo XII so desired.

 
Two hundred years after the celebration of that jubilee, we are in a new jubilee year and Pope Francis invites us to "revive hope" (SPES NON CONFUNDIT, Bull of proclamation of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025, prg 1). Yes, it is indeed an interesting expression; it is an invitation to reflection: REVIVE hope! Nurturing courage, breathing life... 

 
The Jubilee of Hope, which will be celebrated this year, reminds us that as long as there is life, there is hope, and therefore we are invited to always fight... for what is good, for what is beautiful, for what is worthwhile, for joy, for honesty, for generosity... in short, for a lifetime! 

 
St. Vincent Pallotti, in a short letter addressed to his friend Felice Randanini, wrote that "As long as you live, there is hope: you are still able to obtain everything; and I hope you get everything, and more than you want. Pray, pray with confidence – Sancti qui sperant in Domino habebunt fortitudinem, assument
pennas ut aquilae, volabunt et non deficient = He who hopes in the Lord regains his strength, wears wings like feathers, runs without worrying, walks without tiring (cf. Is 40:31) – God is with you – God be with you always".

 
The Jubilee of the year 2025, proclaimed by Pope Francis, calls us to set out as Pilgrims of Hope. In this time of grace, we will experience a Pallottine Jubilee, in which we will remember that "As long as we live, there is hope", as Saint Vincent taught us. We will also celebrate the 200th anniversary of the only jubilee lived and collaborated by the Founder, as well as significant dates such as the 230th anniversary of his life and the 175th anniversary of his death. This will also be a propitious occasion to express our gratitude to God for the 190th anniversary of the Apostolic Inspiration, dated January 9, 1835. In addition, we will have the opportunity to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the beatification of St. Vincent Pallotti.

 
To live the Pallottine Jubilee Year to the full, we are invited to welcome this period as a time of grace and conversion, through confession, prayer and help to the needy. The change of life is a way of living this time. 

 
We will have the opportunity to obtain Plenary Indulgences by visiting the Church of the Most Holy Savior in Onda, in Rome, where the relics of the body of St. Vincent Pallotti rest. In addition, by papal concession through the Apostolic Penitentiary, we will be able to acquire these indulgences on the 22nd of each month during the year 2025, while we celebrate the memory of St. Vincent Pallotti anywhere in the world, in the churches and oratories where the Pallottine priests, nuns and lay people work.
Truly, we must not miss this opportunity of grace to rekindle hope in us, because

as long as there is life, there is always hope! All the time!

Fr. Daniel Rocchetti SAC

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Piazza San Vincenzo Pallotti, 204 00186 Roma, ITALIA
Tel: (+39) 393.556 0794 E-mail: uacgensec@gmail.com

 

Apostles for today - December 2024

Apostles for Today

December - 2024 

Sr. Monika Jagiello SAC

How To Rekindle Love For and In Others.

Love is a typical subject at any time. Every generation thinks about it and tries to define, describe, and express it. Every human being desires and seeks it. A great deal has been written about love. People are still looking for it, asking about it, and dreaming about it.

Nowadays, there seems to be a crisis in the subject of love. In Poland, for example, more than 81 thousand divorces were recorded in 2023. In Europe, this number, like in Poland, is still growing. The increase in suicides, the pandemic, and the associated isolation and sense of anxiety have also wreaked havoc on interpersonal relationships.

St Vincent Pallotti repeatedly drew attention to and reminded us of God's love for man. He sought and appealed for man's response - to God's love. Based on his life and mission, Fr. Vincent also knew that love is realized in relationships. There is no other way, it is impossible to love without contact, without dialogue, without collaboration, without proximity and presence. Pallotti initiated the cooperation between priests and laity in the Church. He bore witness that a reciprocal relationship can only be kindled in contact with one another; together, one with the other. He knew love could also be kindled through common works, meetings, and initiatives. They are often born out of curiosity - who the other person is. I am writing this article at the request of the General Secretariat of the UAC. I feel invited to join the circle of Pallotti's collaborators and contribute my knowledge and experience on the subject. This relates to my work and interest in creating reciprocal relationships, dialogue, and communal works. Daily I work - as a psychologist - with families in crisis. I founded and run the KORALE Foundation for the Support of Families. The Foundation cooperates with many communities, mainly with the Family Juvenile Courts, and Social Welfare Centers. We work with a team of 10 professionals. I have been learning to interact with people for 15 years.

When I think of the Union of Catholic Apostolate, I have good memories of working together to help Ukraine or at the Pallottine Institute in Konstancin-Jeziorna (near Warsaw) and being a member of the NCC UAC in Poland. When I recall these activities, I have a sense of closeness to the Good and an appreciation of diversity in being with others. I also have experience with failures in cooperation, an invaluable understanding of the hardship of being with others, and a school of acceptance of one's and others' limitations.

In this article, I also want to share knowledge about love. Yes, knowledge! It turns out that psychologists, in their passion for studying psychological phenomena and human relationships, have developed a MODEL FOR LOVE ??. For the ordinary person, love is something in the heart, something between people; it is an interest, a desire to be with another and to create something together. Although I am opposed to the psychological language, which has done more harm than good, let me draw on scientific research and discuss the MODEL FOR LOVE developed by Robert Sternberg. He argues that love has three components: Intimacy, Passion, and Commitment. In the graphs describing the longevity of the components, passion ‘peaks’, it rises the highest but lasts the shortest over time. Commitment, on the other hand, persists the longest over time of all the love components mentioned. This seems to speak quite well of us humans - commitment in interpersonal relationships lasts the longest and falls the slowest in the time curve. Research also confirms that relationships on average last around 14/15 years. Sternberg also distinguishes the following patterns:

1.  Blind love = passion + nothing.
2.  liking each other = intimacy + nothing.
3.  empty love = commitment + nothing
4.  romantic love = intimacy + passion
5.  friendly love = intimacy + commitment
6.  fatal love = passion + commitment
7.  complete love = passion + intimacy + commitment.

We may not fully agree with these patterns or wonder how they relate to Union. It is important to remember that we can make friends in our communities. We can evoke in each other - a love of friendship, based on closeness, respect, reciprocity, and mutual sharing of experiences, dreams, desires, and thoughts. This would be Intimacy in friendship. Experience + commitment could be understood, in the context of community, as nurturing the relationship`s permanence and awareness, making an effort for its duration, and committing to a common goal and uniting for a specific mission. In my work, I often deal with training, therapy, or interpersonal training groups. I observe that in groups, where people share their emotions, experiences, and thoughts, they develop a special relationship. They want to be with each other, they are curious about each other, they like to talk, ask questions, want to spend breaks together, exchange contacts, and meet up somewhere outside the group. It seems that the deeper the level of openness, the greater the bond between people.

The experience of being in the online UAC group was amazing for me. We formed it to bring aid to the victims of the war in Ukraine, which started at that time. We organized food collections for the usual people and soldiers, sleeping bags, and underwear. There were about 6, from different parts of our country. We communicated mainly by messenger, and yet I felt a bond between us. Not only did we exchange information about how much money we had, what we could buy, where to send the necessary things and articles, and who would take care of them, but we also shared our emotions from time to time (e.g. anger about the ongoing war, joy that we are not powerless in the face of the ongoing drama of our neighbors, that something is working and help is reaching those in need; there were also jokes that we made together.

And even though we have been out of contact for a few months, I still bond with these people. A kind of affection and bond has formed between us. So, taking into account what I have written from my piece of knowledge and experience, let me venture to conclude that to rekindle mutual love in people, you need three elements:

1.  Intimacy between people - i.e. creating conditions for mutual openness, sharing each other's emotions, feelings, thoughts, and experiences with a concern for mutual respect. This is certainly an important skill. It is necessary for a group leader who can create a good atmosphere of openness between people.
2.  Commitment - i.e. agreement and willingness to be together. Awareness that some work has to be done for the benefit of the relationship, effort, a common bond, and contact has to be made.
3.   Not being afraid of oneself in relationships with others. If the love of neighbour is the foundation of Christian life, as Pallotti claimed, then it can only be realized in mutual relationships. Fear of contact with others requires intervention and help.

A good community can be a place for healing the wounds of past experiences and the suffering of harm inflicted on a person in a relationship. We are all programmed for love. Every human being desires and seeks it. As human beings, individually and communally, we carry within us the proof that... ‘these three FAITH, HOPE and LOVE last. And of these, LOVE is the greatest".

Izabella Owczaruk

Piazza San Vincenzo Pallotti, 204 00186 Roma, ITALIA
Tel: (+39) 06.6876827 E-mail: uacgensec@gmail.com

Apostles For today - November 2024

Apostles for today

November - 2024

MANIFEST CHARITY IN CONCRETE GESTURES OF LOVE FOR NEIGHBOURS

Dear Members of the Pallottine Family, in this month of November we are invited to a life of holiness, that is, to a life of communion with God marked by love, self-giving and charitable service to others.

When St. Vincent Pallotti uses the thought of St. Paul as a progressive lifestyle: “CARITAS CHRIST URGET NOS!” – “Christ's charity impels us!” (cf. 2 Cor 5:14) – he presents charity as a lifestyle for our Pallottine action inside and outside the Church, as a way of living love towards our neighbour in the most concrete manner. These attitudes give meaning to the existence of those who benefit from charity and those who practice it by serving others with love.

Charity is the harmony between the Creator and his creature, where through acts of charity the Church nourishes her children with the medicine necessary for the sick, the hungry, the imprisoned, the excluded... As our Founder St. Vincent said: “I want to be medicine, food, drink... to be everything for everyone” (cf. OOCCX,115).

Without the bond of charity, there will be no novelty since we will not entire the "land of the underprivileged". The Christian heart without charity is cold, mean and joyless; it does not produce fruit. Christ reminds us that we are to bear much fruit (John 15:16).

In practice and in his writings, St. Vincent Pallotti shows us that the centrality of the Catholic apostolate derives from the heart inflamed by the love of Christ for human beings, the charity par excellence of God for us, where the Son of God gave himself to redeem and save us. Because of these attributes of Christ, the Pallottine Family is also charismatically called to unite the universality of charitable love to all men and women and in all places where we have been sent for a mission, which is rooted in baptism and our specific consecration in the Church.

A member of the Pallottine Family, without the concrete practice of charity for others is like a dove with only one wing; it becomes limited in its mission; it does not fly, it does not let itself be guided by the wind of the Holy Spirit, but clings to the petty voices of the human spirit, which does not reveal the eternal and does not allow itself to be recognized as light in the world (cf. Mt 5:14).

When Pallotti reminds us that God is charity and whoever is in charity is in God and God in him (1 John 4.16), he affirms and confirms the purpose of our existence and of our being in the Church and in the world.

Charity, however, without ties to the Spirit, can only become a place of statistics to justify expenses and the search for results, in the face of a conscience numbed by material goods or even by the obligation to be accountable to government institutions, and so it must be. But the transparency of numbers does not always reveal the transparency of justice with our charism, thus damaging another pillar of Pallottine spirituality, that of the communion of goods in the material and spiritual sphere.

The gift of charity is for us the heart, feet and hands of the Pallottine charism; without it, we do not realize and are not fulfilled in the mission entrusted to us by Christ and the Church. The exercise of
charity should never be a burden to us when we exercise it towards others. 

Charity without the bond of the divine Spirit risks being only social assistance, which becomes a limited act that does not touch the soul of others, because it was not an act of love. Love touches the entire existence of our biological being: soul and spirit; it is charity par excellence.

Being Pallottine at its origins does not live on crumbs. Saint Vincent Pallotti and his first collaborators were rich in many goods, both corporal and spiritual, distributed freely to others; it is the sign of charity guided by the Spirit in the Cenacle of the heart. For examples: the first public action of San Vincent Pallotti, the Pia Casa di Carità in favour of abandoned girls; visiting the sick and prisoners; soup for the hungry... these facts must not be erased from our memory.

Charity is a language understandable to everyone, because it derives from the One who created us in his image and likeness, it resides in the essence of every man and every woman, even if there are cases in which in the existence of being charity it has been atrophied by the lack of experience of this gift in the environment in which the person is formed and moulded. Hence our mission to verbalize it in concrete acts at all times, to those who need it, to reawaken in the human soul this precious gift for our existence in time and eternity, where not even death can cancel it (1 Cor 13 ,13).

In concrete Pallottine life, we have two places in which we can manifest charity: one is through the institutions that we have created or that have been entrusted to us by the Church; the other is through the voluntariness of our heart, where we can exercise it in every moment of our life. However, it is that of the heart that gives life to the first.

We are generous in living the charismatic dimension that the Holy Spirit gave to our Founder and he to us, where everyone is called and sent to others, where life is associated with being and existing as the image and likeness of God.

Life in charity awakens in man the awareness of not simply being assisted, but of becoming protagonists of their own freedom. Nourished and refined in Pallottine anthropology, the truths of God manifest themselves in the life of man. For Saint Vincent Pallotti, nothing went unnoticed by his charitable gaze, whether he walked the streets of Rome or thought beyond Rome. Today many people do not recognize themselves as loved because they are not seen, especially the victims of sin, excluded from concrete love, where they progressively lose the sense of being and existing; they are ashamed of being a person in the eyes of their peers. Voluntary or institutional charity can help people rediscover themselves as part of a reality in which being is superior to having. Finally, the practice of charity aimed at those in need restores the person in their entirety: spirit, soul and body (1 Thess 5.23), puts each being back in their place, not in isolation, but in relationship.

To reflect and share:

1.  How have we used resources as an institution to concretely demonstrate  charity towards others? Or from far away?
2.  When there is an institution of charity near me, what was my real and emotional relationship with it?
3.  Has the Pallottine charitable charism that I experienced influenced the identity of the institutions close to me?
4. What is the objective of charity in the life of the Pallottine Family? In the charity of Christ,

Fr. José Orlando de Carvalho da Cruz, SAC - Brazil

Piazza San Vincenzo Pallotti, 204 00186 Roma, ITALIA
Tel: (+39) 06.6876827 E-mail: uacgensec@gmail.com

Apostles for today - September 2024

 

How to live being a missionary disciple 

 

I am Antonio João Madeirense Tchissingui, a member of the UAC, and I live in Luanda, the capital of Angola. When I was invited to participate in the fourth UAC Congress, where representatives of various nations would be present and Angola would be part of this group, for me it was a utopia, I could not believe it. The situation became more serious when I learned that, as a member of the UAC, I would have the responsibility to testify about Angola's mission. 

Even though I did not quite understand what it was, I quickly met with the members of the group and presented the proposal put forward by the General Secretariat of the UAC. But because of our economic situation, I did not get any positive feedback. When we learned that the costs for travel and accommodation will have to be borne by the group, there was no agreement. So, with great sadness, once again I would have attended Congress alone. Immediately I heard God's call to do my part and I was certain that He would assist me. By the grace of God, Maria Janota, continuing her discernment, informed me that she was willing to come with me to represent Angola in Congress. 

The Congress for me was the realization of a great dream: to remember the 'Yes' to the Christian life already pronounced in Baptism. I would like to briefly tell you about three experiences I have had in this Congress. 

1. During this meeting, I recalled the novena I made in preparation for the Act of Apostolic Commitment that took place on February 25, 2015 in the Church of San Salvatore in Onda in Rome. This was a more conscious assumption than I promised in Baptism. My 'Here I am' before the whole assembly and the Society of the Catholic Apostolate has marked and will always mark my Christian life. 

2. Congress was a glorious act and I was also proud to represent my nation: Angola. I heard a voice inside me saying: 'Angola is also a land where it is possible to carry out the Pallottine mission'. 

3. I can't say how happy I was to see Pallotti's sons and daughters from all over the world where the Pallottine mission is present. All animated by the same ideal of reviving faith, rekindling charity and spreading it throughout the world. In other words: rekindling the flame of faith, justice and love in people's hearts. Only me and Maria de Fátima Janota, two members of the group, actually participated in the Congress representing Angola, but the others who remained in their activities, supported and encouraged us through communion of prayer, messages of encouragement and above all offering the sacrifice of work and mission. The Holy Spirit will continue to enlighten our minds and strengthen our hearts so that Angola is enriched by a strong Pallottine mission. 

What does it mean for us to be apostles today? 

Our apostolic mission today is visible in the pastoral work we carry out in the parish of the Holy Family. In this parish, the Lord calls us to witness our Christian life and baptismal commitment by serving in the apostolic activities entrusted to us. 

I thank the Lord because we are a significant group at the service of the parish, each with a specific task. This enriches us. 

    How do we organize our meetings? 

    There have never been fixed rules or pre-established places for our meetings, but rather in the homes of those who welcome us. We start with a reflection on a biblical text that opens our hearts to the action of the Spirit and each member shares their own path. In the end we leave for our mission more committed and strengthened. 

    After attending the IV General Congress, where I experienced how contagious the love lived in the Pallottine Family is, concerns and new ideas for our mission emerged. 

    Here are some of them: 

    How can we live and be disciples today in the mission of evangelization in Angola through music and singing? For, music and dance are important elements in the African liturgy?

    What does music represent in African culture, particularly in Angola? Music is not just entertainment, but possesses deep religious meanings, rituals and cultural expressions that reinforce and perpetuate African traditions and values. We can say that the music in the liturgy helps us to pray and contemplate God, through sonorous, vibrant and harmonious melodies that reveal the beauty and greatness of God, who loves us with infinite love. 

    A European friend once asked me why we dance or what is the purpose of dancing in the Church. I confess that this question  put me a little embarrassed. However, I can say that dance, in Angolan culture and liturgy, is part of the mission of the Church and is a form of praise, which serves as a means of evangelization. Dance is also a way to recognize the body as a gift from God and temple of the Holy Spirit. 

    Another frequently asked question is: how to live and be disciples today in the evangelization mission in Angola through music or singing? 

    I can try to say that the voice is a free gift from God, so singing is gratefully acknowledging the gift received. For this we must sing without vanity and evangelize with humility, glorifying God for his wonders. 

    After attending Congress, we have a burning question: What is the biggest challenge we face right now? 

    The testimony of Maria de Fátima Janota, told us about the great problem of children living on the street in Angola and elsewhere. These are basically children between the ages of 7 and 12. Many of them have a family, but they run away from home because they are mistreated or raped and do not have the economic conditions, and we know that in these conditions drugs and other vices soon find a favorable place. Children disperse on the street, there they soon learn to take drugs or use soft drugs, how to suck gasoline from Coca-Cola bottles, or they are forced to prostitute themselves. 

    With our personal resources and the collaboration of other organizations, we try to help them leave this life; it's a difficult mission, but we know it's not impossible. We try to do our best according to our strength and possibilities. 

    We thank and praise God for the gifts and graces he gives us every day in order to live our baptismal mission in the face of such obvious realities. 

    We implore the protection of  Mary, Queen  of the  Apostles, and  the  blessings of  St. Vincent Pallotti to help  us  to be missionary disciples of Jesus, the Father's Apostle, being apostles of Love, Mercy and Solidarity.     

    The Angolan community -  Luanda
Antonio João Madeirense Tchissingui 

Piazza San Vincenzo Pallotti, 204 00186 Roma, ITALIA
Tel: (+39) 06.6876827 E-mail: uacgensec@gmail.com

Apostles for Today - August 2024

 Apostles for Today 

      August 2024 

                       

AIDG

Psalm 116:12

How can I repay the Lord for all the good he has done for me? 

   Together with the psalmist, I want to thank the Lord for all that he is accomplishing for the whole Pallottine family. I hope to share with you what treasures I have received and what we are witnessing here in my current mission with our new convent in Jersey City. This is a cherished moment in our community since it is the first time in 25 years that the American Sisters of the Immaculate Conception Province open a new community. I am deeply grateful to them and their prayers in spreading this charism of Saint Vincent Pallotti and turning a new page in our history.
 

   Each day I am filled with thanks for the Pallottine formation and experiences that brought me to where I am and prepared me to give all I can here in this new community. I feel so blessed to have had my formation in Italy; all that I received opened me to the universal spirit and mind which Pallotti had. Because of that experience among the sisters and fathers of all backgrounds and cultures, I came to know our Father Founder, Saint Vincent Pallotti, as a point of reference for my life whom I love and receive daily inspiration from. I can say proudly, in all humility, that, having the chance to visit all the sites where Pallotti lived, to speak the language which he spoke, so that I can read his writings and letters which is a patrimony for whole entire Pallottine family, where his family lived, and his current resting place, I came into contact with his sanctity, palpable in these places, and that contact opened my eyes to embrace the real meaning of our Pallottine Identity Jesus Apostle of the Eternal Father, and to be part in His mission. Now I recognize all that was preparing me for this mission.

   The new Pallottine convent is located in the waterfront section downtown Jersey City, next door to the parish school. Fr. Bryan Page is the pastor of the church, Our Lady of Czestochowa, where our new community is located. From the first moment he welcomed us with great enthusiasm and joy. The same thing was true for the parishioners . The convent shares its home with different parts of this parish’s mission: on the ground floor of the building there is the preschool for two year-olds where sisters are also working, and above the convent is a missionary teacher residence. That residence is meant to prepare apostles for the church that’s the desire of Fr.Bryan’s mission and we sisters are involved in the formation of the lay missionaries.

   Jersey City is an incredibly diverse place even for United States standards. The children at our parish school speak over 20 different world languages at home. The people in this city come from all over the world, or from families that have called the United States home for centuries. When I became a citizen last year, the children and staff at the school cheered, many of them familiar with this kind of celebration from their own family experiences.

   Our Lady of Czestochowa, the parish’s namesake, is a reminder that this neighborhood was once very Polish. Today, some Polish families remain at the parish from its first foundation, and many new faces fill the pews, some of them only months old.

   I thank God for the gift of this experience, full of concrete opportunities to evangelize. We Pallottine sisters are so grateful to Fr. Bryan Page, for all that he is doing for us on all levels, spiritually and as well as taking care of all that is needed to accomplish this mission.Always with the same enthusiasm and spirit of Pallotti had the same goal to prepare Apostles for the church. So I call him a failed Pallottine. because though he is a diocesan priest, as Pallotti was, he inspires me more and more in the spirit of Pallotti. He is full of initiatives and great communion with all cultures. I see Pallotti’s ideas and spirit in the church’s activities and ministries such as the small groups, women’s group, adoration, Children’s Liturgy of the Word, bringing communion to the sick and homebound, sacramental preparation for children and adults, and community gatherings, young couples are more taken care and giving them responsibility to prepare for the sacraments and other activities of the church.Being a part of Our Lady of Czestochowa feels like a perfect place for the Pallottine charism to be fully realized. Sisters are involved in every activity; we are like parsley, as the Italians say, always present: in catechesis, in celebrations of mass and families, on retreat and leisure days. We are present in small reading faith groups sharing the Word of God and in the preparation of the parish for particular times, as well as in recreational activities around the city, or less formally in the evenings where we eat pizza together, for example. He appreciates us and encourages us. We have three sisters in this community, and each one brings unique graces to our mission and the parish and school.

The school environment is fraternal. There is an air of understanding and collaboration among the adults as well as the children. The teachers are open and participatory to every suggestion. This year, students held a giant rosary as they helped younger ones share flowers with their mother’s for the month of May celebrating the Blessed Virgin. Because Pallotti, too, was a diocesan priest and not a member of an order, I feel I am in the right place here in this diocese, sharing in this mission with diocesan priests. Priests from this diocese who serve neighboring churches are so fraternal, too – they regularly give their time to celebrate Mass at the Pallottine convent. I feel that all are helping us to realize this mission of Pallotti in this part of the world, caring for our shared spiritual life.

   The presence of us sisters in the school and in the parish is greatly valued and loved. People on the street smile and many even say thank you to the sisters upon seeing their visible reminder as we go about our days, walking to and from the convent, on errands or visiting parishioners. I feel that God brought me to this community to be closer to Him and to journey together with the people of God. I am always grateful and proud of my entire Pallottine family, and see the fruits of our prayers and acts alive in the Pallottine presence here in Jersey City mission. One request to all those who are readers of the Apostles today to Pray and Pray for our Parish and its mission that we may have the same spirit and enthusiasm of St.Vincent Pallotti to thrust and hunger for God and to be selfless for the people of God where we are called to live in this time our life. St. Vincent Pallotti Pray for us . Our Lady of Czestochowa Pray for us.

Sr.Rini Panakal CSAC

180 Grand St.

Jersey City, New Jersey

07302 USA