APROVECHAMIENTO J E S U I T P A S T O R A L W O R K Cover Photo : Fr. Bong Abad Santos, SJ is a Filipino Jesuit, a medical doctor who is taking care of the pastoral care and health care of the many people in Railaco.
n the recent the address made by Pope Francis to the members of the 36 th General Congregation, one of the things he emphasized is to discern and practice more proactively the wisdom of St. Ignatius and the companions when the Formula of the Institute was drafted. He points out the unique concept of aprovechamiento which literally means benefit. He said the end of the Society of Jesus is to devote itself with God s grace to labor strenuously in giving aid toward the salvation and perfection of the souls of their neighbors The Pope has in mind the greater benefit of helping souls as foundational to the life of every Jesuit. For Ignatius and his companions, the pope added the works of mercy - the care of the sick in the hospital, alms and their distribution, the teaching of the young, bearing hardships patiently these were the milieus of life in which Ignatius and his first companions moved and existed. These were their daily bread. They took great pains to prevent anything from getting in the way of these! With consolation, the Jesuit community in Kasait receives this exhortation by the pope as an affirmation of what they have been doing though not without struggle. But they can attest that there is greater aprovechamiento in helping souls. It is a frontier that all religious should put their talents. They have been breaking bread with the people and that kind of presence they make has opened a lot of doors that afforded the Jesuits the chance to see the ups and downs of the faith life of the people in Ulmera. They are making small impact but not at all insignificant to open the minds of the people to see the mystery of God working in daily lives. The Jesuits assigned in Kasait have their hands full in school and social work. But despite the work load they manage every day, they have made a commitment to the local parish that they will give themselves as well to the care of the souls of the people in the vicinity of Kasait. Upon the invitation of the former Parish Priest of Liquiça, the Jesuits priests residing in Kasait were missioned to say the Sunday masses in the stations in Neran and Lanumate in Kasait.
As the number of priests in the Diocese of Maliana is also limited, the coverage of pastoral ministries of the Jesuits have expanded ever since, to include Caiteho, Bogoro, Bazartete, Aipelo, Leorema, Metahu and the main parish in Liquiça. With three resident priests now in Kasait Frs. Bert Boholst, Yoshitaka Ura and Side Pereira they take turns in ministering the sacraments in these eight chapels and the main parish church. The pastoral activities also include the wide range of sacraments; sacramentals and informal spiritual companioning. Before the Jesuits came to Kasait, the pastoral care for the locals were taken care of by the Salesian priests. Due to the expansion of Salesian mission in far- flung areas, they have to let go of Kasait as a pastoral station. Their leaving haunted us that we have to bear the inconveniences of the old days, where the 2,000 plus baptized Catholics in Kasait including children will have to go to Liquiça, about 7 kilometers, in order to attend Sunday masses Mr. Vitorino Corriea, the local chapel coordinator recounts. They are lucky that the Jesuits came to Kasait in order to continue the liturgical services in their chapels. The scarcity of priests even before the Salesians came made it difficult for the locals to hold masses in the local chapel of Neran and Lanumate. Mass then is a rare happening that they are lucky to have at least once in a year.
The sad state of lack of pastors and the lack of provisions for Extra- ordinary ministers of the Eucharist by the Diocese, makes it even difficult to find a priest or minister of the Word and Communion, to minister to the dead, hear their confessions, attend to the sacramentals of the local church and provide the crucial catechetical instruction to the faithful. They are somehow fortunate that they do have active lay Catechists who are in- charge of the catechetical needs of the people especially those preparing for baptism, confirmation and matrimony. The lone catechist in Ulmera also needs some support and encouragement. Because of the sheer number of people, his ministry can be very demanding. With their humble contribution through their pastoral work, the local church of Kasait is growing in the process. That s the suitable environment where the other works of the Jesuits in the area take root and prosper. The presence of the Jesuits has somehow empowered the locals spiritually. They see among the Jesuit pastors a companion in their faith journey as they work together in their masses and other liturgies. They do not have to worry as much as before where to get the priests whenever they need one because someone is sick or dying. When couples are getting married or children are being prepared for baptism, the Jesuits are always ready to assist. We are grateful to the Jesuits because they are working with us in our chapel activities, Vitorino Correia added. Our people have seen the dedication and hard work of the Jesuits when it comes to celebrating masses on Sundays and whenever needed. They usually have two masses and sometimes three or four. They [Jesuits] have made themselves available not even in our area because they have been requested by the parish priest to go to the mountains of Bazartete, Leorema and Metahu. They are very passionate pastors, they go even the road is so difficult Vitor tells us. That is their own way of breaking bread with the people of Kasait and beyond. Their own witnessing of aprovechamiento the Pope reminds the Jesuits around the world. With their humble contributions through their pastoral work, the local church of Kasait is growing in the process.
That s the suitable environment where the other works of the Jesuits in the area will take root and prosper. Hence, it is crucial to support the pastoral works of the Jesuits in Kasait. There are some other pressing needs in the local community that has not been addressed. A more organized and deliberate effort to institutionalize a regular Sunday class on Catechism and Faith development is needed.
The chapel both in Neran and Lanumate need some major transformation in order to be conducive for worship. Although the Jesuits have no free hand to decide what to do with these needs, but the present parish priest, Fr. Ernesto Barreto, has been supportive of the Jesuits to take initiatives in the service of faith. Support Our Work The Jesuit in Timor- Leste rely on generous support of our friends, donors and collaborators to carry out our work in the service of the faith and promotion of the justice. Through this newsletter we sahre with you news and updates of our many projects and activities, particularly those for which continued support is needed in various ways. If you wish to know more about our work or donate to a project, please email : etr.communications@gmail.com, website https://timorleste-jesuits.org, or like our fan page at Jesuíta em Timor Leste