2010/08/17 Newsletter

La Salette Newsletter for August 17, 2010

Meet Fr. Danilo Galang, M.S.
by Fr. Ron Gagne, M.S.

Where you born and raised?

I was born and raised in Ramon, Isabela, in the northern part of the Philippines. I come from a Catholic family of eight children-five boys and three girls. I am the fifth child and our six child, a boy, is deceased. It is a very small town composed of eighteen villages. Most of the people are farmers, although some are professionals. My father, Carlito, recently deceased, worked for the National Irrigation Administration as a driver. My mother for many years managed our family business, selling produce.

How did you first hear about La Salette?

In our town there are only two schools-one of them is owned and run by the La Salette Missionaries. Apparently the bishop of our diocese invited the La Salette Missionaries to found and manage a high school in our town, some seven hours drive from Manila. I graduated from that school in March of 1984.

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Cardinal O'Malley Visits Attleboro Shrine
by Fr. Ron Gagne, M.S.

On Sat., July 31, 2010, Cardinal Sean O'Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston celebrated a Pontifical Mass in honor of Our Lady of Lavang to conclude a Vietnamese Pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Salette in Attleboro, MA. About 3,500-4,000 Vietnamese Catholics spent the day from 10AM-6:30PM in honor of Our Lady of Lavang and the relics of the Vietnamese Martyrs. The day was filled with opportunities to relax, pray, attend conferences, celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, process and worship.

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Our Parish HIV/AIDS Ministry: My 20-Year Journey

by Sharon Collins

I am a longtime happy member of St. Ann's Catholic Church in Marietta, GA. One evening, almost twenty years ago, I received a call from a friend. He didn't sound good; he wasn't going to be able to keep our appointment. He said that his cold had turned into pneumonia and then he said, "Sharon I have something else to tell you. I have AIDS." I said, "Terry, I am so sorry." At that time I didn't know much about HIV/AIDS but I knew it wasn't good. I also knew that, at that point in time, there was not much hope for curing of his disease.

About a month later I noticed an announcement in my church bulletin. A La Salette priest by the name of Fr. Gene Barrette was planning to start an AIDS Ministry at our church.

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St. Brendan's Dedication
by Gail Colwell

Our parish, St. Brendan the Navigator Church in Ocean Isle, was established on May 18, 1983, as a mission to Sacred Heart Church in Whiteville to meet the growing needs of Catholics in South Brunswick County, North Carolina. The first Mass on May 4, 1985 was celebrated in our original parish hall, a metal structure costing just $100,000.

Plans for a permanent church began with groundbreaking in March, 1994, and then the dedication on January 15, 1995. The church was literally "built for peanuts"; that is, parishioners planted, prepared and packaged peanuts, selling them locally as well as by mail order.

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Retirement Fund Gift
by Fr. Ron Gagne, M.S.

Having just celebrated the "Year of the Priest", many of our La Salette parishes had special ways of honoring their priests. On Saturday, June 5, 2010, the Catholic Church of St. Ann in Marietta, GA, celebrated the conclusion of this special year with a dinner and a "Roast of the Priests of the Parish." The evening concluded with a toast to each individual priest, mentioning the qualities they bring to their priestly ministry.

This event was sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and was a great success. The past Grand Knight, Frank Daniels, and present Grand Knight, Larry Moyer, presented Fr. Thomas A. Reilly, M. S., Pastor of St. Ann's, with a check for $4,000 to benefit the La Salette Missionaries Retirement Fund. Holding the microphone is Chris Arra who was the Master of Ceremonies for the event. About 180 people attended the event.

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