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NEWSLETTER

March, 2004

The Texas Mission Council (TMC) of the Texas Catholic Conference (TCC) supports all missionary efforts of the Church in Texas. TMC updates pertinent information on programs that dioceses and religious congregations promote. Membership is open to all that love and wish to support missionary work and vocations to the missions.
In 2004, TMC will make a special effort to identify the missionary activity of the dioceses and congregations in Texas that promote missionary work. It is our privilege to promote and serve them

Missioner Tales from Maryknoll
(Courtesy of Maryknoll Magazine, the voice of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. Maryknoll’s formal title is “The Catholic Foreign Missionary Society of America”)

*-An elderly man stood in the background while I conversed with several sick persons in Netrakona, Bangladesh. When I finished urging them to go to the local government hospital, the onlooker introduced himself as Wazid Ali Khan, a retired villager. “You”, he told me with enthusiasm, “are like Damien on Molokai. I see you helping the poorest ones to receive treatment. Very good.”
Surprised to meet a Muslim villager in Bengladesh, who knows the story of a modern Christian saint, I asked incredulously, “Where did you hear of Damien, who died taking care of leprosy victims.”
“From a book”, he replied- thus disproving the theory that devout Muslims read only Islamic literature.
Fr. Robert McCahill, MM

*-Learning a new language is never easy; especially one with seven distinct tones as is the case with Cantonese. However, after 18 months of conscientiously studying the language in Hong Kong, I felt fairly confident when I shared with a group of children something that had happened to me the day before.
As I waited for their reaction, one of them, a young miss of about 7, looked me squarely in the eye and without hesitation said, “We have absolutely no idea what you are trying to tell us”.
Sr. Mary Ellen Mertens, MM

*-Domingas is one of the very young patients at our rehab project in East Timor where I serve as a Maryknoll Lay Missioner. As part of her physical therapy, she was using a small wooden cart to help her learn to walk. Recently, thank God, she started to walk independently and no longer needed it. So I planned to take the cart for another child.
When I arrived at her home, Domingas was happily pushing a homemade doll in the cart, but I tried to explain to her that there was another child who couldn’t walk. She reluctantly gave it up-and then, on second thought, she offered me the doll as well.
Eileen Velicky, MMAF

I was traveling with Brother Mark Gruenke, MM, in a jeep-truck on rough roads in rural Brazil. We gave rides to many people who were walking from village to village. Most of our passengers were accustomed to riding over such treacherous roads, but there were always one or two victims of motion sickness leaning out the window. I was so impressed at how they never complained or asked to stop, suffering in silence. That lasted until Dona Maria called out for Mark to stop the truck. She had vomited several times so we were all very worried.
“What’s the matter?” Mark asked. “Are you OK?”
“I’m fine”, she said, “but I just threw up my false teeth! We have to go back and find them. I can’t afford another set.”
Mark backed up the truck and we all got out to search. After finding them, we resumed our journey and Dona Maria gave us a beautiful-if grainy-smile.
David Kane, MMAF

{Brother Mark Gruenke, MM, the driver of this truck, recently spent a few years in the Maryknoll Center in Houston, Texas, promoting the work of the missions to people in the Southwestern United States. Many of our readers will remember him for, among other things, the Prayer Tent that he designed and used at religious events to promote prayer for the missions, especially among the youth. Brother Mark is now in his new mission station in Northern Mozambique in a remote area of Africa.]

Editor’s Note
If you find these missionary tales appealing, perhaps you may also have a missionary vocation. Contact TMC for more details on how you can become an active missionary. If not, your daily prayers and generous financial aid will always be welcome to the missionaries who serve the poor around the world.

• Bishop Vincent M. Rizzotto, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop of Galveston-Houston, opened the conference with a welcoming talk.
• Bishop Gregory M. Aymond, D.D., Bishop of Austin was the Keynote Speaker.
• Fr. Ralph Rogawski, O.P. and Professor James P. Franz, former missioners, directed seminars on mission education.
• Bishop John McCarthy, D.D., TMC Episcopal Moderator led the discussion on the issues raised in the seminars.
• Mrs. Lupe Natera, of Tyler, Texas, was elected Chairperson of TMC

A few highlights from 2004 Conference:

THE OFFICIAL DIOCESAN REPRESENTATIVES IN TMC ARE:
[1] Mary Wisniewski, San Antonio – [2] Fr. Michael Colwell, Amarillo
[3] Deacon Bill Scott, Austin – [4]Fr. Edwardo Ortega, Brownsville
[5]Fr. Renaldo Yrlas, Corpus Christi – [6]Sr. Nancy Sullivan, Dallas
[7]Amy Zeder, Fort Worth – [8]Hilda Hernandez - Houston
[9]Msgr. Thomas Davis, Laredo – [10]Fr. Larry Droll, San Angelo
[11]Deacon & Lupe Natera, Tyler – [12]Fr. Roger Hawes, Victoria
(Beaumont, El Paso and Lubbock have no official representative yet)

Next year’s TMC’s conference, which is always open to the public, will be held at the Holy Spirit Retreat Center in Laredo at a date to be announced in the next newsletter or check our site soon.

The next Texas Mission Council Newsletter will come out on May 7, 2004. If our readers know of short, mission stories, please send them to - Awanda Whitworth, mklawandaw at aol.com.

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