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La Salette’s Challenging Ministry in Haiti
Haiti’s desperation fuels violence against the Church
“Solidarity and full communion in this moment of uncertainty and great pain” to the Jesuit brothers of the Jesuit Migrant Service (SJM) for the attack on one of its homes for migrants, located in Ounaminteh, in the north of Haiti, was expressed by Red Clamor, the ecclesial network engaged in the field of emigration, refugees, trafficking and displaced persons. The structure was looted and destroyed in recent days by a group of people, “in the climate of general chaos that does not end in this suffering country.”
Read more Haiti’s desperation fuels violence against the Church
Myanmar Catholic Community of Atlanta Celebrates
Sunday, October 9, 2022, was the historic moment for the Myanmar Catholic Community of Atlanta (MCCA) in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Georgia. The MCCA celebrated the 15th Year Anniversary of Myanmar Catholic Community of Atlanta at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Stone Mountain, Georgia.
A warm welcome for Archbishop Gregory John Hartmayer, O.F.M., Conv.
Archbishop Hartmayer was welcomed by different Myanmar ethnic groups with their respective cultural music and dances. Some ethnic groups played their musical instruments – flutes and drums and others also danced while singing and playing musical instruments. All ethnic groups wore their traditional attire. Two young people gave the archbishop a garland and a bouquet of roses as he, together with Deacon Peter Swan and Fr. Robert Zaw Lwin, M.S., processed into the church. The people greeted the archbishop waving the Vatican flags.
Our La Salette Mission and Formation Program in Haïti
From the beginning of the presence of the Missionaries of La Salette in Haiti in 2009, several young people demonstrated their desire to join our community. Our confreres accompanied them spiritually with their vocational discerns without making any commitment. Many continued their path in their diocese or with other religious congregations. Others have become officials in their parishes, and their number has steadily increased.
Seeking information from Other Religious Communities in Haïti
Thanks to the sharing by our confreres of this vocational ministry experience, the Province of Madagascar, with the help of the La Salette General Administration and the Province of Mary, Mother of the Americas in the United States, has begun consultations and sought advice from other congregations which already work in Haiti. Province officials have asked confreres on-site to identify resources that may be useful for a potential training program for future missionaries in this country.
Read more Our La Salette Mission and Formation Program in Haïti
St. Ann’s Parish Family in Marietta
GA Revisits Matthew 25:35
“For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink
a stranger and you welcomed me.”
For nearly four decades, the Catholic Church of St. Ann, a La Salette Parish in Marietta, Georgia, has successfully encouraged parishioners to contribute to its annual “Adopt-a-Family” Christmas holiday gift-giving program, whereby people donate toys, bicycles, food, and other presents for hundreds of needy families.
Fr. Ray Cadran, M.S., and the Safi family from Afghanistan: Zarifa (mom) and Zalmai (dad) with their three girls: Zumaye (age 2), Hajera (age 4), and Khadija (age 6), glad to feel welcomed in their adopted country.Led by their current pastor, Fr. Ray Cadran, M.S., this church has recently taken that theme to the “nth” degree, now providing support on an every-single-day basis for the sake of one bedeviled family since November 2021.
A unique adoption of an Afghan family
With both a capital “A” and down to the fine print, this unique Adoption has focused solely on the Safi family: Zalmai and Zarifa and their three young children – three girls, 6, 4, and 2 – all political refugees. The family escaped from Afghanistan and arrived in Atlanta via Turkey on November 5th, one family in the over 800 Afghan immigrants, thanks to efforts by Catholic Charities and the International Rescue Committee.
The Safi’s faced great uncertainty when their door to their native land was shut, but they came to see God open another door for them — literally — on the campus of St. Ann’s Church in Marietta, Georgia. A log cabin called Mary’s House, typically used sparingly for visiting guests, speakers, and others, was appropriately transformed into a semi-permanent home for these Afghans as a token of dignity and respect.
La Salette National Vocation Director:
The Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette has an opening for the position of La Salette National Vocation Director.
Position Summary: The La Salette National Vocation Director participates in assisting La Salette Vocation Directors who are in various regions of USA, with vocational outreach/awareness, recruitment, and retainment of vocation candidates. The scope of the NVD’s work is engagement among individuals, communities (parish, school, and campus ministries), among dioceses, and regional/national networks as they relate to vocational ministries and the geographic area being served. The NVD is a full-time salaried position and may require weekends and travel.
40th Apple Annie Arts and Craft Show in Marietta, Georgia
Members of the Apple Annie core team gather after a planning meeting; photo: Juanita AlvarezThe Apple Annie Arts and Craft Show is coming back to St. Ann’s Parish the Marietta, Georgia, after being cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It is considered to be one of the largest arts and craft shows in the southeast.
More than 110 artisans will arrive at St. Ann’s prepared to sell handmade items such as pottery, paintings and knitted items. St. Ann Preschool will sell baked goods. A candy booth will be run by the EDGE (middle school-aged children) and LifeTeen High School) youth ministries. Ed Bolduc, director of music and audio/visuals at the parish, will present live music for guests as they visit the many booths around St. Ann’s campus.
Proceeds from Apple Annie help the parish and local needy people
“This show provides a unique opportunity for parishioners to be a beacon of Christ’s light in our community at large,” said Nancy Swoish, show manager of the Apple Annie Arts and Craft Show. She has been show manager for the last four years and a member of the show’s committee for 22 years. The annual event is sponsored by the St. Ann Council of Catholic Women (SACCW).
Read more 40th Apple Annie Arts and Craft Show in Marietta, Georgia
A New Provincial for the Province of Mary, Mother of the Americas
Fr. William V. Kaliyadan, M.S.Fr. William V. Kaliyadan, M.S., pastor of Our Lady of the Cape Parish in Brewster, was elected to be the Provincial Superior of the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette of the North American Province of Mary Mother of Americas. He is the first Indian-born American (and first foreign-born) to be elected Provincial.
The election was held in the Provincial Chapter of meetings in Orlando, Fla., from October 11-15, 2021. Fr. Roland Nadeau, M.S., and Fr. Ronald Foshage, M.S., were elected as his Vicar and Second Councilor, respectively.
From Kerala in Southwest India
Fr. Kaliyadan was born in a large Catholic family in Puliparambu (Trichur District), Kerala, India, on May 29, 1965. After his high school studies, he pursued his dream to become a priest by joining the Diocesan Seminary in Irinjalakuda, Kerala, and completed philosophy in the Major Seminary in Alwaye, Kerala.
Studying philosophy as a young seminarian, he learned of the La Salette Missionaries. He was drawn to the charism of reconciliation and discerned joining the Missionaries of La Salette in the Philippines. He completed his Theological studies in the Divine Word Seminary in Tagaytay, Philippines. He was ordained to the priesthood on Jan. 22, 1994, at the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in Silang, Cavite, Philippines.
Read more A New Provincial for the Province of Mary, Mother of the Americas
Some Notes on the La Salette Message
First: Perhaps too much has been read into this sentence over the years, but scriptural references to the phrase "do not be afraid" is highly encouraging. Each time it is said in Sacred Scripture it occurs in a saving event.
Each time, it is God speaking, or one of his representatives and the injunction not to be afraid is meant to calm the frightened individual. For example:
- "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home" (Matthew 1:20).
- "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear a son..."(Luke 1:13).
- "Then the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold you will conceive..." (Luke 1:30-31).
- "The angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people" (Luke 2:10).
- "At once Jesus spoke to them: "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid. Peter said to him in reply, 'Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water" (Matthew 14:27-28; John 6:20).
Celebrating Our Lady of La Salette in Enfield, New Hampshire
High in the French Alps of southern France, a "Beautiful Lady" appeared to two children — Maximin Giraud and Mélanie Calvat — as they tended their cows on Sept. 19, 1846. She was sitting with her elbows resting on her knees, her face buried in her hands. She said she was weeping because people had turned away from Jesus.
She brought the children a message of reconciliation — a reminder that she constantly intercedes for people before God and that she reconciles sinners by calling them back to the message and way of Jesus — her Son.
Read more Celebrating Our Lady of La Salette in Enfield, New Hampshire