1

The Archdiocese is blessed to have

richness of faith of so many

culturally diverse Catholic traditions.

Thus, in May, the archdiocese was

witness to such celebrations as: the

Flores de Mayo Masses, the Timor

Leste Independence Day Mass, the

20th year anniversary of the

Indonesian Catholic community, and

the celebrations of the Latin

American Community, particularly

the El Salvadorian community,

recognising Pope Francis’

beatification of Monseñor Oscar

Romero on 23 May.

The liturgical and ordinary

celebrations in our Archdiocese

indicate to us

the richness

that we have

in diversity. I

would like to

share with

the El Salvadorian community in

particular my joy at the beatification

of Monseñor Oscar Romero, who

was Archbishop of San Salvador

from 3 February 1977 up to his

assassination on 24 March

1980. Monseñor Romero became

the voice of the voiceless and the

hands and feet of the poor and the

oppressed. His life and his faith

inspired many before him and after

him.

On another note, during Refugee

Week which runs from Sunday 14

June to Saturday 20 June 2015, I

encourage all of us to pause, reflect

and act in a way that recognises the

dignity of refugee claimants and

refugees.

Clyde Cosentino

(Acting Director)

e-mail: cmpc@bne.catholic.net.au A GLIMPSE of what’s happening in and around the confines of the Centre for Multicultural Pastoral Care. Contact CMPC on (07) 3324 3451 for more information or visit our website: www.multiculturalcare.org.au

This newsletter can be downloaded from the CMPC website: www.multiculturalcare.org.au

February 2015February 2015

February 2015

Volume 18, Issue 1

Volume 18, Issue 1

Volume 18, Issue 1

e-mail: cmpc@bne.catholic.net.au A GLIMPSE of what’s happening in and around the confines of the Centre for Multicultural Pastoral Care. Contact CMPC on (07) 3324 3451 for more information or visit our website: www.multiculturalcare.org.au

This newsletter can be downloaded from the CMPC website: www.multiculturalcare.org.au

June 2015June 2015June 2015

Volume 18, Issue 2

Volume 18, Issue 2

Volume 18, Issue 2

Italian Blessed Giovanni Battista Scalabrini (Father to the

Migrants) 1 June

Indian Saint Thomas, Apostle of India 3 July

Colombian Our Lady of Chiquinquirá (patroness) 6 July

Chinese The 120 Martyrs of China 9 July

Chilean Our Lady of Carmen (patroness) 13 July

Paraguayan Our Lady of Caacupe (patroness) 13 July

Maronite Saint Charbel 24 July

Indian Saint Alphonsa (first saint from India) 28 July

El Salvadoran The Divine Saviour of the World and Our Lady of

Peace (patrons) 3 August

Australian Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop 8 August

Bolivian Our Lady of Copacabana (patroness) 10 August

Peruvian Saint Rose of Lima (patroness) 24 August

Polish Our Lady of Czestochowa 26 August

Days of Religious Significance Days of Religious Significance Days of Religious Significance Ethnic Communities Ethnic Communities Ethnic Communities JUNE JUNE JUNE --- AUGUSTAUGUSTAUGUST “Every expression of hostility toward others builds a wall of tension between people and

reveals a heart of stone.

Every act of discrimination is an act of injustice and a violation

of personal dignity.

Every time we are intolerant we close our eyes to God’s image in

the other person.

Every time we fail to recognize the demands of worldwide justice, we fail to grasp the meaning of our universal

solidarity.”

- Pope John Paul II in Adelaide during the Mass for

‘Australia: Land of Many Cultures’

Diversity in the ArchdioceseDiversity in the ArchdioceseDiversity in the Archdiocese

DATE

CLAIMER

Multicultural Mass Sunday, 30 August - 2:30 pm

Cathedral of St Stephen 249 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane

2

A feast in honour of Italy’s martyred

three saints — Alfio, Filadelfio and

Cirino, occurs each year at the Holy

Rosary Church in the parish of

Lutwyche in Brisbane. This year’s

Feast of Three saints follows the

pattern of past years.

At 9:30 am on 3 May, Mass was

celebrated by parish priest Fr. Jose

Thekkemuriyil PP. Concelebrants

were priest-in-residence Fr Joseph

Visentin CS and former Italian

Community Chaplain Fr. Mauro Conte.

By 12 noon the Church grounds were

buzzing with food stalls offering an

array of Italian cuisines including BBQ

Italian sausages, arancini, porchetta,

roasted chestnuts, granita, annoli,

sweets, coffee and

many more. Children’s

entertainment included

animal farm, pony rides,

supa-chair swing,

jumping castle and face

painting.

The afternoon featured

a street procession at

2pm and entertainment

at 3:30pm featuring the

music of VIVA, singer

Tony Pantano and

accordionist Ross Maio.

Next in the Community’s calendar is

the anniversary celebration of Blessed

Giovanni Battista Scalabrini on the

1st of June.

The month of May is traditionally

celebrated in the Philippines as a

month dedicated to the Blessed Virgin

Mary. Thus, the celebration of Flores

de Mayo (Mayflower) Masses and

novenas. The nine-day novena

culminates with the Santacruzan, a

religious procession of women and

men carrying statues of biblical

personages and symbols. Mass is

usually held on the morning of the

ninth day.

In Brisbane, the Filipino community

observed the Flores de Mayo tradition

with a number of Mass celebrations:

at St Bernardine’s Church Regents

Park, St Flannan’s Church

Zillmere and St Peter’s Church

Caboolture on 10 May, at Acacia

Ridge on 13 May, at Our Lady of

Miraculous Medal on 24 May and at

St Joseph’s Church Pialba on 31 May.

Next in the Community’s calendar is

the Philippines’ 113th year of

independence (from Spain) on 12

June. In Brisbane, the Barrio Fiesta is

an annual full day event that

celebrates Philippine Independence.

Visit the Barrio Fiesta website

www.barriofiesta.org for more details.

Catholic Ethnic Communities in Brisbane

Filipino Community’s Filipino Community’s Filipino Community’s Flores Flores Flores de Mayo de Mayo de Mayo

Cheer for the Chinese Catholic

Community Brisbane Team as they

compete in this year’s Dragon Boat

Race on 7 June at Forest Lake

Boulevard, Forest Lake. The Race is

part of the Multicultural Festival co-

ordinated this year by the HAKKA

Association, Forest Lake Rotary Club

and the Queensland Dragonboat

Federation.

Multicultural stalls will be available all

throughout the day from 8am to

10pm. The dragon boat races will be

held from 10am to 2pm.

The Dragon Boat Festival

commemorates the 2000 year old

story of statesman and poet Chu

Yuan, who in the 3rd century, in

protest against a corrupt kingdom,

threw himself into the Mi Lo River in

despair. This practice has evolved

into a Chinese tradition of making rice

dumplings and holding dragon boat

races on the 5th day of the 5th month

of the lunar calendar.

Chinese Catholic Team competes Chinese Catholic Team competes Chinese Catholic Team competes at the at the at the Dragon Boat RaceDragon Boat RaceDragon Boat Race

May May and and June June eventsevents

Italian Community’sItalian Community’sItalian Community’s Feast of Feast of Feast of Three Saints Three Saints Three Saints

3

The Latin American community was

abuzz with a number of events as

people rejoice over Archbishop Oscar

Romero’s beatification on 23 May in

San Salvador, El Salvador.

The Australian Salvadorean

Association, the Monsignor Oscar

Romero Committee and the Latin

American Chaplaincy organised a

number of events during what was

coined as the Romero Week which

ran from 16 to 24 May. A nine-day

novena on Saturday 16 May kick-

started the week-long celebrations.

The forum “Oscar Romero in Recent

History” at the Acacia Ridge

Community Centre was also held on

the same day.

Among the highlights of the week was

a Mass celebrated by Archbishop

Mark

Coleridge on

Friday, 22

May at the

Cathedral of

St Stephen.

Ten other

clergy

concelebrated

at the Mass

including Latin

American

Chaplain Fr Ignacio Gutierrez CS

(photo below, far left). During the

offertory, the community presented

Archbishop Coleridge (left photo) with

a mosaic image of Monseñor Romero

and a stole showing flags of Latin

American countries in the Archdiocese

of Brisbane.

Saturday, 23 May was the screening

of movie documentary “Monseñor:

The Last Journey of Oscar Romero” at

the Griffith Film School Movie Theatre.

A culminating Mass was held on

Sunday 24 May at the Our Lady of

Fatima Church in Acacia Ridge. Mass

was followed by vibrant Latin

American cultural performances and

an array of Latin American cuisine.

(Related articles on pages 4-5.) [PPL]

Catholic Ethnic Communities in Brisbane

On 7 March this year, the Indonesian

Catholic Family celebrated their 20th

year as an organised community. The

community is appreciative of being

one of the ethnic communities in the

Brisbane Archdiocese that are able to

have Mass in their own language and

have the guidance and support of a

Chaplain/Ethnic Minister. The

community will officially gather to

mark this milestone on 6 June at the

Sacred Heart Community Centre in

Runcorn. The day will feature a

Thanksgiving Mass celebrated by

Archbishop Mark Coleridge followed by

dinner and cultural performances.

Indonesian Community Indonesian Community Indonesian Community celebrates celebrates celebrates 20th Anniversary20th Anniversary20th Anniversary

Timor Leste Community’s Timor Leste Community’s Timor Leste Community’s Independence Day Independence Day Independence Day celebrationscelebrationscelebrations This year’s Timor Leste Independence

Day celebration was held at the school

chapel of St. Joseph's College in

Spring Hill on 16 May. Mass was

celebrated by Bracken Ridge—Bald

Hills Parish Priest Fr Gerry Hefferan

who is also part-time Chaplain to the

Community. Mass was followed by

refreshments and lively entertainment

(photo on right). Canossian Sister

Odete Moreira (photo, 2nd from right)

is currently the Pastoral Minister

working with the community.

Monseñor Romero’s beatificationMonseñor Romero’s beatificationMonseñor Romero’s beatification

Latin American community Latin American community Latin American community rejoicesrejoicesrejoices

May May and and June June eventsevents

4

Who is Monseñor Oscar Romero?

Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero was born

on 15 August 1915 in Ciudad Barrios, El

Salvador. He was ordained as a priest in

Rome on 4 April 1942. Thirty five years

later, on 3 February 1977, he was

appointed Archbishop of San Salvador, the

capital city of El Salvador. The years from

around 1977 until his assassination in

1980 were a time of political violence,

human rights violations, disappearances

and deaths in El Salvador.

Archbishop Romero was shot and killed on

the 24 March 1980 while celebrating Mass

in the Church of the hospital La Divina

Providencia. His last few words, seconds

before his assassination: "...that we may

give our body and our blood over to

suffering and pain, like Christ -- not for Self,

but to give harvests of peace and justice to

our People."

At his funeral, some 250,000 were

crowded into the Cathedral Square. Then

a bomb exploded. The stampede and

gunshots that followed left forty dead. In

the next two years, an estimated 35,000

Salvadorans perished. Fifteen percent of

the population was driven into exile.

Around two thousand ‘disappeared’.

The staff of the Centre for Multicultural

Pastoral Care joins the world, particularly

the Salvadoran community in Brisbane and

across Australia, in celebrating the

beatification of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo

Romero.

More information on Archbishop Romeo

can be found on the Archbishop Romero

Trust website www.romerotrust.org.uk/

home

“ You can tell the people that if they succeed in

killing me, that I forgive and bless those who do it. Hopefully, they will realize they are wasting their time. A bishop will die, but the church of

God, which is the people, will never perish.

”

Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero 1917 - 1980

A Reflection on the beatification of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero on the 23th of May by Pope Francis

In the beginning of February of this year 2015, I was in Guadalajara, Mexico, visiting my family when I heard for the first time that Archbishop Oscar Romero was officially recognized as a martyr by Pope Francis and that very soon, on the 23rd of May 2015, Archbishop Romero’s beatification will be celebrated in his native country of El Salvador. I was deeply moved and a profound sense of joy invaded all my being for knowing that Archbishop Romero will be elevated to the altars. As Pope Francis says loudly and clearly, Archbishop Romero was killed “not for purely political reasons,” but because of “hatred of the faith.” Indeed, Archbishop Romero was a priest of faith. That faith drove him many times to the point of polemical debates with people who were very much different in their way of thinking, though living in the same country. For Archbishop Romero his mission among his sheep was clear: to bring peace and reconciliation among his brothers and sisters by implementing justice and love in their daily life. It is precisely what the Good News of Jesus is all about “To love one another as I love you.” I believe that Archbishop Romero was not understood most of the time by his people of his time. In order to understand this great Martyr we need to look attentively and deeply into his spirituality: a spirituality of inclusiveness, peace, justice and love. The source of his spirituality was the incarnate Christ, who continues suffering in each person whose rights and dignity are not respected as a human being and as a child of God. Definitely Archbishop Romero is an example and an inspiration to people of good will, who want to live as brothers and sisters, respecting and accepting their differences and looking at them not as obstacles, but as opportunities for dialogue, mutual understanding and working for unity in diversity. Archbishop Romero’ s legacy does not belong only to the people of his own country, but to all people who believe that the dignity of a human life is a precious treasure worthy to be protected and promoted.

Fr. Martin Ignacio Gutierrez Rodriguez, CS A Scalabrinian Priest, serving at Holy Spirit Parish, New Farm, Brisbane

as parish priest and as chaplain for the Latino American community in Brisbane

5

Thoughts on Monseñor Romero

(Above, left photo) Oscar Romero's

1970 ordination as Bishop. (Left to

right): Archbishop Chavez (Romero's

predecessor as Archbishop of San

Salvador), Bishop Romero, Bishop

Rivera (Romero's successor as

Archbishop of San Salvador) and Fr.

Rutilio Grande, S.J. who, as Romero's

close friend, was Master of

Ceremonies for the occasion. Rutilio

Grande García, S.J. was a Jesuit priest

in El Salvador. He was a friend of

Oscar Romero who knew each other

from their preacher training. Rutili

Grande was assassinated in 1977

along with two other Salvadorans. He

was the first priest assassinated

before the civil war started.

(Above, right photo) Romero's

Funeral. The funeral Mass for

Archbishop Romero was celebrated

on Palm Sunday, March 30th 1980 in

front of his Cathedral in San Salvador.

In the middle of the Mass smoke

bombs were thrown from the National

Palace into the crowd in the square

where a huge congregation, over

100,000 had gathered. A stampede

followed. Many were killed and

maimed.

(Photos and information:

www.romerotrust.org.uk)

I wish to acknowledge the traditional

owners of this land, the Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander people of

Australia.

It seems like it was just yesterday. I

remember so well that 24th of March

1980. I heard the news on the radio.

I was home. It was about 6.30 pm.

Monseñor Romero was shot and was

being taken to hospital. Later on he

died. I felt a sense of fear and

powerlessness. I thought, if they were

capable of committing this horrible

crime, what else can they do? What

else can they do to us, the common

people? Who is going to defend us

from now on? A lot of questions came

to my mind and to the mind of millions

in El Salvador. The whole country

went into a profound silence,

disbelief, sadness and finally, anger.

One week later, on the 30th of March,

was the funeral. The Church

organized a rally of religious people:

bishops, priests, nuns, in hundreds,

rallied that day. Separately there was

a popular demonstration of thousands

and thousands of common people,

defying the government menace not

to assist. In front of the Cathedral the

crowd was calculated at some three

hundred thousand. My older son and

I amongst them. In the middle of the

ceremony a bomb exploded in one of

the comers of the square, followed by

gunshots coming from the National

Palace and from other buildings

surrounding the square. The panic of

people caused a stampede that was

as dangerous as the shots. My son

and I got separated and I lost him for

the next five hours -- five hours of

anguish because dozens of people

were murdered or crushed by the

running multitude. Thousands of

people were injured. The Cathedral

was so overcrowded that people were

suffocating themselves. Monseñor

Romero's coffin located at the

Cathedral's entrance, rolled down the

Cathedral's stairs and was quickly

rescued by the people. Due to the

panic, I forgot that I had left my car so

I had to come back and walked

against the stream of thousands of

people running in all directions.

The following day, the government

blamed the popular organizations for

causing the incident where many

people lost their lives. This story is my

recollection of those terrible days in

my homeland.

No doubt, Monseñor Romero is a

prophet of our times. Coming from a

poor family in the town of Ciudad

Barrios, Department of San Miguel,

Oscar Romero was educated in the

most traditional practice of the

Catholic Church of his times. During

his 35 years as a priest and as a

bishop Oscar Romero was very

conservative. He was a very

organized and devoted priest, not

interested in social or political issues.

On the contrary, in many occasions he

pronounced himself against the

interest of the poor people. When the

first massacre of about 10 peasants

in his diocese of Santiago de Maria,

(1972) he did not protest, but he

wrote a letter to the President asking

for his intervention to take the culprits

to justice. The President did not move

one finger to investigate and Romero

did not follow up the matter.

He was appointed Archbishop of EI

Salvador in February 1977. One

month later, his intimate friend,

Father Rutilio Grande was

assassinated. That was the turning

point for Romero. Like Jesus, he

preached for three years on the side

of the poor and then he was killed.

(Continued on page 8)

6

Meeting of Directors In March this year, Centre for

Multicultural Pastoral Care (CMPC)

Acting Director Clyde Cosentino

attended the meeting of Catholic

Immigration Directors, Multicultural

Officers and Episcopal Vicars.

Organised by the Australian Catholic

Migrant and Refugee Office (ACMRO),

the meeting is held a few times each

year to discuss local, national and

international issues relevant to the

pastoral care of migrants and

refugees.

The meetings hosted in different

dioceses provide an opportunity for

ACMRO Director Fr Maurizio Pettena

CS to keep in touch with migrant

chaplains and ethnic communities

across Australia. The March meeting

was held in Adelaide (see above

photo). Included in the agenda items

discussed is the flow of international

priests in Australia including

clarification and a re-emphasis on the

conditions required under the labour

agreement.

The suggestion to use the more

appropriate term ‘missionary priest’ in

view of correcting the commonly used

terms ‘overseas priest’ and

‘international priest’ was also

discussed.

DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACEDIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE

A Taste of A Taste of A Taste of HarmonyHarmonyHarmony

Due to a number of office relocations, organisational changes and

transitions since 2012 the Centre for Multicultural Pastoral Care

has had different venues for its A Taste of Harmony lunches —

from its MacKillop Place premises in Paddington, then on the

ground floor of Penola Place in Brisbane City, and then up on the

third floor of the same building. Each venue had a different feel, a

different tones, different faces...

On 14 March the CMPC version of A Taste of Harmony was held in

the premises of Evangelisation Brisbane (EB), the archdiocesan

agency from which it operates. Apart from the EB and CMPC Staff,

we had the pleasure of sharing lunch with Buddhist visitors. Food

shared included Pasta de Mandorle (Almond Biscuits) | Anti-pasto

(Italy); Eggplant Fritters (Italy-Sicily); Quiche | Mango/Avocado

Salad | Apple Pie | Pavlova (Australia); Stuffed Vine Leaves |

Spinach and Cheese Triangles (Greece); Sushi (Japan); Barbecue

Chicken (Ireland); Munggo (Mung Beans) with Eggplant + Kanin

(Rice) (Philippines) and Polski Ogorki (Polish Dill Pickle) (Poland).

What’s UpWhat’s UpWhat’s Up recently at CMPCrecently at CMPCrecently at CMPC

Ethnic Ministers Group Update: Farewell to Fr Peter Gong In April we farewell Fr Peter (Baiyi) Gong who joined the Ethnic Ministers Group last year as

Assistant Chaplain to the Chinese Catholic Community in Brisbane. Fr Peter was recently

appointed full time Associate Pastor at Grovely Parish.

From Fr Peter’s email: “I would like to take this opportunity to give thanks to all members of the

Ethnic Ministers Group, particularly Bishop Joe, Clyde and Percy, for everything you've done to

support me and encourage me. I have learned a lot from attending the meetings. Thank God

and thank you all again. May God bless you at all times.”

Adelaide’s Catholic Multicultural Office (CMO) hosts first meeting for 2015. From

right: CMO Manager Sr Nien Tran rsm, ACMRO Director Fr Maurizio Pettena cs,

Melbourne Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (MCMRO) Executive Officer Brenda

Hubber, Sr Sheela Thomas ssa (CMO), Basia Gebski (CMO) and ACBC’s Alison Burt.

Back row from left, Brisbane CMPC’s Clyde Cosentino and MCMRO Episcopal Vicar

for Migration and Scalabrinian Provincial Fr Delmar Silva cs.

7

Wellness Expo for Seniors

All seniors from multicultural background are encouraged to attend

Diversicare’s free wellness expo at the Royal International Convention Centre

on 26 June, 10am-3pm, for an opportunity to meet representatives from

wellness organisations and get free advice from health experts. Hosted by

the Home and Community Care (HACC) Program of Diversicare, the event will

feature cooking demonstrations, healthy cuisine from all over the world,

expert speakers in the health and vitality field, an array of vendors, vibrant

performances, light exercise activities and free health screenings. RSVP by

17 June for catering purposes to Chrissie Ma-amo on 04 2833 2965 or by

emailing mcma-amo@diversicare.com.au. For transport and disability

enquiries contact Brent Couling on 04 2758 2461. For more information on

Diversicare visit www.diversicare.com.au. For more information about ECCQ

visit www.eccq.com.au.

Refugee Week runs

from Sunday 14 June

to Saturday 20 June

2015. World Refugee

Day is on 20 June. For

the years 2015 to

2017, the Refugee

Council of Australia’s

(RCOA) has chosen the

theme “With courage

let us all combine”.

Taken from the sec-

ond verse of the na-

tional anthem, the

theme celebrates the

courage of refugees

and of people who

speak out agains per-

secution and injustice.

It serves as a call for

unity and for positive

action, encouraging

Australians to improve our nation’s welcome for refugees and to acknowledge

the skills and energy refugees bring to their new home. The Refugee Week

Resource Kit is available on the RCOA website www.refugeeweek.org.au

EVENTSEVENTSEVENTS

Worldwide Marriage

Encounter

A weekend away for married couples

in peaceful, picturesque surroundings

– away from the distractions of

everyday living. Take time out of your

busy schedule, to invest in your most

precious asset . . . your

Marriage! This is a unique

opportunity to recharge your

relationship batteries, refocus on

each other and fall in love all over

again!

Weekend date: 4 - 6 September 2015

Venue: Santa Teresa Spirituality

Centre, Ormiston QLD (on Brisbane’s

bayside)

Luminous Parade A dazzling way to welcome new

arrivals to Australia, Multicultural

Development Association’s (MDA)

Luminous Parade provides a visual

feast of mesmerising lanterns. The

event will be held on 5 June from

5:30pm to 8:30pm. The parade starts

at The Cultural Forecourt at South

Bank Parklands. For more

information, phone 3337 5400.

WelcomeFest As part of the World Refugee Week

celebrations, WELCOMEfest offers an

experience of world culture.

WELCOMEfest will be held at the

Annerley Soccer Club Fields (Ridge

and Juliette Streets, Greenslopes) on

14 June from 9am to 5pm. The event

will feature international cuisine;

music and dance performances; DJs;

workshops and displays; a dynamic

sports program; engaging children’s

activities; and so much more.

Logan RAW Also part of the World Refugee Week

celebrations is Logan RAW (Refugee

Awareness Week), a conference and

community festival organised by

Access Community Services in

partnership with Griffith University to

be held on 26 June from 9:00am –

2:30pm at Griffith University Logan

Campus. Cost is $30 per participant.

The RAW Conference is designed for

stakeholders and their front line staff

to learn more about engaging with

CALD (culturally and linguistically

diverse) communities. The

Conference offers cross-cultural

learning experience that covers topics

such as:

◦ Developing Skills for Successful

Interactions in a New Culture

◦ Working with Professional

Interpreters

◦ CALD Education and Referral

Pathways

◦ Interfaith Dialogue

◦ Addressing Violence through Arts

and Innovative Practice

◦ Impacts of Trauma on People from

a Refugee and Asylum Seeker

Background and their Mental Well-

being

COMING S N With courage let us all combine

Barrio Fiesta

The Filipino Community in Brisbane

joins the Philippines and the Filipino

diaspora in celebrating its 117th year

of independence from Spain.

Brisbane marks this event with the

annual Barrio Fiesta to be held on

7 June at the Rocklea Showgrounds,

118 Goburra Street cnr Ipswich

Road. www.brisbane.barriofiesta.org

8

I have been reading quite a few reflections about hope lately. While

doing the dishes, the migrant in me tries

to make sense of the word...

Hope is like wearing a pair of rose coloured sunglasses while walking on an unpaved road on a hot summer’s day. The sunny atmosphere could be quite glaring and uncomfortably hot, but wearing the sunglasses helps ease eye strain from the bright sun and makes the walk bearable, with a clearer view of

the road ahead.

Like the rose coloured sunglasses, Hope indirectly changes how the present is lived, as if soothing the rough edges of life’s losses and disappointments, because the future definitely lies ahead. It makes the present bearable by putting facts into perspective --- with a clearer view of the desired future on the

horizon.

In the faith perspective, we are Christians on a journey, and an uncomfortable one – enduring wave after wave of migration from the time

of Abraham to the present uprootings caused by globalisation and a culture of

indifference. Yet our mere migrations turn into meaningful pilgrimages because of the faith that gives us identity and purpose, because of the hope that breathes life into and transforms even the most mundane walk. By placing our entire trust in the Divine Providence and imitating the spirituality of Blessed John Baptist Scalabrini (Father of Migrants) we are empowered to muster enough courage, patience, perseverance, resilience and

acceptance, and enjoy The Walk.

Hope indirectly changes how the present is lived, by shining a hint of light into the future. Without the promise that there is indeed a future, life could be miserably mundane, meaningless and possibly fatal. Theology professor Erio Castelluci in “Hope that Goes Beyond” wrote, ‘hope is the hope of being loved’. Sudanese saint Josephine Bakhita who was once a slave was a witness of such hope: “I am definitely loved and whatever happens – I

am awaited by this love. And so my life is good.” Indeed life becomes bearable

when there is hope. And where there is hope, there is love; and where there is

love, there is God.

What one needs to be wary of in the contemporary world is this synthetic kind of hope, the kind of hope that is, as Castelluci puts it, ‘reduced by modernity to the myth of progress’ -- individualistic, materialistic and selfish. The great Hope, meanwhile, empowers one to see the suffering in the other, acts with compassion, and enters into communion

and solidarity.

We are all interconnected and interdependent, thus our personal hopes should also be our hopes for the community and for the collective humanity. Such hope for a transformed world cannot be achieved through an abrasive external show of force but through a gradual change from within, a ‘revolution of the heart,’ says Castelluci. Without Hope life is drearily pointless. It is hope that breathes life into the seeming drudgery of our migrant

journeys. - Percy Pamo Lawrence

The miracle of Romero was not only

his conversion, but also the

transformation of the Salvadorean

church. From a Church that was

passive, conservative, only interested

in keeping their privileges, retrograde,

totally separated from its grey,

supportive of the status quo,

corrupted, etc. to a vibrant, full of life,

in favour of the suffering, protecting

them and protesting on their behalf,

suffering with them, being persecuted

like them, with no protection like

them, strongly denouncing the

injustices for the love of God and

finally, being killed like them. Romero

is the symbol of justice, of love for the

dispossessed.

I believe we need Romero to come

again and transform the Catholic

Church not only in El Salvador, but

also in other countries as I feel the

Church is acting in many aspects

similar to the one that existed in El

Salvador before Romero.

(This reflection was shared by Rafael

Pacheco at a Romero death

anniversary prayer gathering held at

the Centre for Multicultural Pastoral

Care on 24 March 2004. Rafael is a

long time CMPC contact.)

Thoughts on Monseñor Romero (Continued from page 5)

Centre for Multicultural Pastoral Care 3rd Flr, 143 Edward Street GPO Box 282 BRISBANE QLD 4001

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Newsletter. Go to http://www.multiculturalcare.org.au and click on

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(Photo: www.romerotrust.org.uk)

HOPE “It is hope that breathes life into the seeming drudgery of our migrant journeys.”