Teachers Notes 2009
Contents DAMIEN OF MOLOKAI 1 MISSION 2 STUDENT WORKSHEETS 3 LITURGY OF THE WORD 4 CATHOLIC MISSION PROJECT 7 LEPROSY 8 POPE S WMD MESSAGE 9 Welcome This year we focus on the country of India and the Church s work for those affected by leprosy, especially 12 year old Pushpa, whose mother has had leprosy. This connects with Fr Damien of Molokai, canonised by Pope Benedict XVI on 11 October for his work with lepers on the island of Molokai in the late 19th century. Following Jesus example of life-giving unconditional love we are challenged to reach out and go beyond to the un-reached and untouched. You ll find activities and worksheets on: Pushpa s story, Fr Damien s life and works, Leprosy, Jesus and the Lepers.
St Damien of Molokai (1840-1889)* FEASTDAY MAY 10 2009 Fr Damien was born Joseph de Veuster in Tremelo, Belgium, in 1840. At that time very few people in Europe had any firsthand knowledge of leprosy or Hansen s disease as it is also known. By the time he died at the age of 49, people all over the world knew about this disease because of him. They knew that human compassion could soften the ravages of this disease. At the age of 19 Joseph entered the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, taking the name of a fourth-century physician and martyr. Damien volunteered as a missionary to go to the Hawaiian Islands. In May 1864, two months after arriving in his new mission, Damien was ordained a priest in Honolulu and assigned to the island of Hawaii. Shortly before Damien s arrival in Hawaii, leprosy began to spread among the native Hawaiians. Most probably, leprosy reached the islands from China by way of the whaling and other commercial vessels transiting the Pacific Ocean. Hawaiians had no natural immunological defence against the disease. Once established, it spread rapidly. This created a crisis for the Hawaiian Government and the King established an isolation colony to stop the spread of leprosy. The site chosen for the colony is a natural prison on the island of Molokai. At that time there was no cure for the disease. Once a person was diagnosed with leprosy they were exiled and forbidden to have any further contact with the healthy. It was the only way to prevent contagion. Damien himself wrote after contracting the disease. Although there are scientists searching for the cause of this deadly disease and perhaps they will, one day, discover a treatment, at the moment, there is nothing. It is a death sentence. That is why they, we, are here on Molokai. My beloved lepers were sent here, away from their families and friends, abandoning their homes and all that they loved, so that they could be isolated and that the spread of their contagion to another person. It is the only thing that society knows at this point in time: condemnation to a life of loneliness and increasing isolation, cut off from the world and damned to a life of increasing sickness for which there is no cure. Throughout the Hawaiian islands, government agents identified people showing signs of the disease and shipped them to Molokai. In 1873, Damien went to the government s leper colony on the island of Molokai. Part of a team of four chaplains taking that assignment for three months each year, Damien soon volunteered to remain permanently, caring for the people s physical, medical and spiritual needs. In time, he became their most effective advocate to obtain promised government support. During Damien s 16 years at Kalaupapa, many different factors contributed to his becoming a Martyr of Charity and Apostle to the Lepers. The Hawaiian kingdom was not rich and the leper settlement quickly strained its financial resources. In the colony only one dollar per leper per year had been allotted to provide housing, food, clothing and medical care. When Damien arrived, many sick people lacked even the basic necessities. He advocated for the settlement to the government. He helped obtain houses for every resident, provided conventional medical care and experimented with new medications, planted orchards and imported cattle, built an aqueduct to bring fresh water into the settlement, built a new church, and established two orphanages (one each for boys and girls). As the settlement gained notoriety worldwide, donations poured in from all over the world. Morale improved considerably. A few years later he succeeded in getting the Franciscan Sisters of Syracuse, led by Mother Marianne Cope to help staff this colony in Kalaupapa. In his 12th year in the colony he was diagnosed with the most virulent form of leprosy. He lived and worked for 4 more years before dying on April 15, 1889. He was 49 years old. As requested, he was buried in Kalaupapa, but in 1936 the Belgian government succeeded in having his body moved to Belgium. On Pentecost Sunday, 1995,Pope John Paul II declared Father Damien among the Blessed and gave him the title Servant of Humanity for living as a martyr of charity, one who dies while coming to the aid of others in the name of their faith. Pope Benedict XVI canonised Fr Damien on October 11 2009. Father Damien s Feast Day is May 10, the day he arrived to serve the Leprosarium in 1863. In both religious and civil communities Damien of Molokai is being adopted as the symbol of how society should treat HIV/AIDS patients in defiance of the misconceptions of the disease, much like leprosy treatment was an outgrowth of misconceptions and poor treatment of lepers. Several Damien Centers have been established. Fr Damien is considered the patron saint for those living with Hansen s Disease, HIV and AIDS, and outcasts. *Sources: The Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary; sacredhearts-sscc-usa.com; americancatholic.org; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Father_Damien CATHOLIC MISSION TEACHERS NOTES 2009 PAGE 1
Mission Our Mission is to reach out and give life. Jesus reached out across many barriers to bring life to everyone. He reached out and touched the sick to heal them. He touched the dead to raise them to new life. He drank and ate with sinners and gentiles to show them the Father s love. He socialised with outcasts to invite them to his banquet of life and love, especially those who were considered not worthy in the thinking of his time. He did all this and more even though he broke so many religious and cultural taboos of this time, because each person is created in the image and likeness of God, his Father. Fr Damien of Molokai reached out and crossed the barrier that separated those with leprosy from the rest of society. He did this in order to touch them, care for them and bring God s love for them in his pastoral, sacramental and human ministry. Pope Benedict XVI challenges us in his Mission Sunday message to be concerned for all peoples of the earth, and that our mission of transforming the world with the proclamation of love must reach out to the ends of the earth. WORLD MISSION DAY Is celebrated every year in every country wherever Christians are committed to bringing about God s reign here on earth, a world where every single person s dignity is recognised and protected. It is a time to reflect on the need to proclaim the Gospel in our times. Missionary activity is a fundamentally a going out of oneself in love, a reaching out to bring God s love to everyone, especially the outcast and unloved. Catholic Mission around the world has the responsibility of promoting a dignified and fruitful celebration of World Mission Day. For more information on Catholic Mission go to our website www.catholicmission.org.au Jesus mission of creating a world where all can live a fully dignified life is still far from completion, therefore the whole month of October has been dedicated to reflection on the central mission of the Church to help all Christians in their commitment to Christ s mission of salvation for the world. CHILDREN S MISSION DAY 21 OCTOBER In Australia, Catholic Mission has designated Wednesday 21 October as Children s Mission Day to promote the celebration of mission in a meaningful way for youth. It provides an end point for the fundraising that has been carried out throughout the year in favour of children s mission with children first!, Catholic Mission s fundraising action for children. Now is the time to send your proceeds to Catholic Mission. Many children are waiting for your help so please do so as soon as possible. catholicmission.org.au 1800 257 296
Student Worksheets This year we focus on the country of India to reflect on the life of Damien of Molokai, who was canonised by Pope Benedict XVI on 11 October. Fr Damien worked with lepers on the island of Molokai in the late 19th century when there was no known cure. He sacrificed his life to live and work with them, and eventually die one of them. Damien who followed the example of the life-giving unconditional love of Jesus, challenges us to reach out and go beyond to the un-reached and untouched. In our stories from India we meet people involved in Church supported projects that are helping those affected by leprosy today, and by the modern-day leprosy HIV/AIDS, to find dignity and hope for the future. PUSHPA S STORY Discover the story of Pushpa s family who ended up on the street as beggars when she was only six years of age, after her mother contracted leprosy. This is, however, a Good News story. All of Pushpa s family now live at the Bethsaida Rehabilitation Centre for Leprosy. The Centre, which was begun by the Nellore Diocese 40 years ago, houses and cares for the parents affected by leprosy, and ensures their children are healthy, well educated and remain free from leprosy. Pushpa is now about to start her secondary studies and is looking forward to a brighter future. LEARNING OUTCOMES AND INDICATORS Having taken part in World Mission Month schools activities the student will be able to: Explain how each Christian is responsible for continuing Jesus mission of reaching out and giving life to all, beginning with the outcast and rejected. Indicators: Expresses in own manner an understanding of God s love, as communicated by Jesus, for those who are outcast and rejected by society, especially in their time of most need and loneliness Explains in terms of daily life what it means to have empathy for and understanding of life challenges for the outcasts: those affected by leprosy, HIV and other forms of diseases Describes how St Damien of Molokai exemplified in his own life the mission of Jesus Names various causes of poverty and oppression, and discrimination and division, and communicates those to others. Take actions of giving life and reaching out through wealthsharing and advocacy on behalf of those who are marginalised and excluded through fear and ignorance Indicators: Articulates who may be the modern day lepers, beginning with those excluded due to fear and ignorance Identifies and discusses reasons why such persons, are excluded and marginalised Names various liberating actions on behalf of others, that can be carried out here in Australia Participates in organised activities of advocacy on behalf of others who have been excluded Enhances the life opportunities of children in the Majority World (developing countries) through sharing Participates in fundraising through children first!, Catholic Mission s work for children. CATHOLIC MISSION TEACHERS NOTES 2009 PAGE 3
Liturgy of the Word Listen to the Word of God, reflect, celebrate and pray with your faith community with this liturgy where Jesus includes everyone, especially the outcasts, inviting everyone to his banquet of life and love, especially those who were considered not worthy in the thinking of his time. The liturgy also affirms God s love for us, our gratitude, our love and concern for each other, and our hope and commitment to work in mission towards including everyone in God s family. Let us reach out and give life! INTRODUCTION Reader 1: Jesus wants all of us to feel the love of God, our Father, and feel wanted and included. That is why he was friends with lepers and other outcasts, inviting everyone to his banquet of life and love. We gather today to commit ourselves to bringing fullness of life to all God s children. Let us reach out and give life! Reader 2: Jesus said It is sick people, not healthy people who need a doctor. I have come to call all of the people into God s Kingdom, particularly those who most need to experience God s love. We gather today to remember those children who do not experience enough love or are pushed away and rejected. We pray for them today and we commit ourselves to caring for all God s family, especially the children. Please join in singing our opening song. An opening hymn with the theme of caring and inclusion showing God s love for everyone, especially outcasts is sung at this point: Welcome to this celebration of life and love. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. PENITENTIAL RITE Lord, Jesus, you comforted those who had no friends and made yourself the friend of the outcasts. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, Jesus, You are came that all may have life and life to the full. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, Jesus, you healed the lepers and the sick. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Let us pray. Father, you care for your children. Help us to be as you are and show we care for everyone, especially those who most need your love. We ask this through Christ the Lord. Amen.
LISTEN TO A STORY FROM THE GOSPEL OF ST LUKE The Healing of the Ten Lepers (Luke 17: 11 15.19 paraphrased) Characters Narrator 1 Narrator 2 Jesus A group of lepers Narrator 1: As Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem he went along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village he was met by ten men who had leprosy. They stood at a distance and in a loud voice called out, because they were forbidden to come near. Lepers: Jesus, Master, have pity on us! Narrator: Jesus saw them and said, Jesus: Go and show yourselves to the priests. Narrator 2: As they went, they were cleansed. Narrator 1: One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus feet and thanked him. Narrator 2: Then Jesus said to him Jesus: Get up and go; your faith has made you well. Narrator 1: This is the Gospel of the Lord. REFLECTION AFTER THE GOSPEL Speaker 1: How many people are rejected and ignored because they are sick or homeless in Australia and around our world today, and left to die? Speaker 2: Somewhere in our world every three seconds a child dies from diseases such as malaria, diarrhea and AIDS. There are 13 million children who are orphans because their parents have died from AIDS. Speaker 1: There are many children, millions of girls, who cannot go to primary school simply because they are girls and there parents say they are not worthy of education. Speaker 2: In the Gospel Jesus talks to and heals the lepers. They were people who were rejected by his people. Jesus shows us how to include everyone and care equally for everyone. Speaker 1: Today Jesus is giving us an example and telling us Go and do the same! Another hymn with the theme of inclusion can be sung at this point. PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION Reader 1 God our Father, it is your will that all children should experience love and care and protection. Let us pray for the needs of all God s children. The response to all these petitions is Lord of Life, hear our prayer. Reader 2: For all children who are pushed away and rejected and made to feel unworthy let us pray to the Lord. Lord of life, hear our prayer. Reader 1: For those children who lack proper clothing and shelter let us pray to the Lord. Lord of life, hear our prayer. Reader 2: For those children who don t have any family and must take care of themselves let us pray to the Lord. Lord of life, hear our prayer. CATHOLIC MISSION TEACHERS NOTES 2009 PAGE 5
Liturgy of the Word (continued) Reader 1: For all children who are sick and don t get the medicines they need to cure them let us pray to the Lord. Lord of life, hear our prayer. Heavenly Father, grant these prayers through Jesus who is the Lord of life. Amen. Let us now pray to our loving Father in the words Jesus taught us: Our Father who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name Thy Kingdom come Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us And lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evil. CONCLUDING PRAYER Give us hands of hope, O Lord hands to open to give and to receive, hands to reach out in care and in support, hand to cradle and to play, hands to share your life-giving grace. In the name of Mary s child. Amen DISMISSAL Let us go from this liturgy filled with hope that we can make a difference to the lives all God s children who need love and care. Thanks be to God for the life that is ours, and the challenge to bring God s fullness of life to all. Go in peace as children of God to live and spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Catholic Mission Project BETHSAIDA REHABILITATION CENTRE, NELLORE, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA Bethsaida Rehabilitation Centre exists as a leprosy colony 15 kms from the town of Nellore, Andhra Pradesh State, India. It was begun 32 years ago by the bishop of the diocese who took the initiative of collecting approximately 50 lepers from the streets of Nellore, who were considered as rejects by the society. He negotiated a long term lease for 170 acres of forest land that was then way out on the outskirts of the town. The diocese helped build simple houses and provide the necessary medical attention. This Centre originally set up by the Catholic diocese, is co-jointly run by the Church and the Sisters of Charity of St. Anne. There is a community of three religious sisters headed by Sr Mary, a fulltime priest, Fr Philip, and lay-brother all stationed here full time Care and housing is provided on a needs basis and there is a mix of Hindus, Christians and Muslims all living peacefully together and all happily participate at community liturgies. The centre provides housing for people who have had leprosy. All the adults and children at the centre receive special medical care and the leprosy is contained. All adults are now free from the infection, but they often need monitoring and dressing. One of the effects of leprosy is the loss of feeling in the limbs and they often cut or hurt themselves. All the children are healthy and free from leprosy. Due to the fact that the children s parents have had leprosy, they are not fully accepted in the society. There is still much fear and ignorance surrounding leprosy. Many people are still scared of infection, although the adults are not contagious. The government schools in the nearby town of Nellore wouldn t accept the children from Bethsaida to study so the Sisters began their own schooling in the centre to give their children the opportunity of education and eventually employment. Through the work of the church gradually understanding and acceptance are increasing and general community perceptions are improving. Recently those who have studied primary at Bethsaida are now accepted into the local high schools without stigma. Also due to the stigma surrounding leprosy, the centre accepts many children from other leprosy colonies from as far away as 300 kms who haven t any other chance for education, and they currently have approximately 120 boarders. For all the people living at Bethsaida the Sisters and Fr Phillip strive to help them be aware of their dignity, their personhood and their rights. Pushpa lives with her family at the Bethsaida Rehabilitation Centre. Pushpa s family came to the centre 6 years ago. She has now completed grade six. Many of the children have finished their schooling and have found work in the nearby town. Pushpa lives with her family at the Bethsaida Rehabilitation Centrre Sister Mary and students of Bethsaida Primary CATHOLIC MISSION TEACHERS NOTES 2009 PAGE 7
Leprosy The World Health Organization website www.who.int/lep/en/ Today, treatment of leprosy is easy and most countries have leprosy health services. Those most likely to become sick from leprosy are the poor. Access to information, and treatment with multi-drug therapy (MDT) are the main ways to stop the disease. One course of MDT over a period of 6 12 months is sufficient to cure the person. They are no longer contagious. MDT treatment has been made available by WHO free of charge to all patients worldwide since 1995, and provides a simple yet highly effective cure for all types of leprosy. According to official reports received during 2008 from 118 countries and territories, those registered with leprosy at the beginning of 2008 stood at 212,802 cases, while the number of new cases found during 2007 was 254,525. The countries where there are still many cases are Angola, Brazil, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal, and the United Republic of Tanzania. In general, closeness of contact is related to getting the disease. Worldwide, two to three million people are estimated to be permanently disabled because of leprosy. (WHO (1995). Leprosy disabilities: magnitude of the problem. Weekly Epidemiological Record 70 (38): 269 75. PMID 7577430.) India has the greatest number of cases. WHO IS LIKELY TO CATCH LEPROSY? At highest risk are those living in the countries listed above with poor conditions such as inadequate bedding, unclean water and poor diet. Also you are more at risk if you are already sick.
Pope s WMD Message Pope Benedict XVI challenges all of us as missionaries to reach out to the ends of the earth for the sake of Gods Kingdom for the sake of justice and peace, for true freedom, and respect for the dignity of every human person. God s mission has no borders or frontiers. REACH OUT TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH Extract from Papal Message for Mission Sunday 2009 1. MISSION SUNDAY On Mission Sunday, I encourage each member of the People of God to become more deeply involved in the mission of Christ, to make disciples of all peoples. This effort to proclaim the Gospel to the people of today is a service rendered both to the Christian community and the whole of humanity. 2. A DUTY TO PROCLAIM THE KINGDOM OF GOD The mission of the Church is to make hope contagious to all whom we meet. It is the desire of the Church to transform the world with the proclamation of the Gospel of love, and to bring the light of God into this world. This is why Christ calls, sanctifies and sends his disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of God. To announce the Gospel must be for us, as it was for the apostle Paul, a primary and impelling duty. The Kingdom of God, although only complete at the end of the world, and not of this world is, in this world and in its history, a force for justice and peace, for true freedom and respect for the dignity of every human person. 3. MISSION WITHOUT BORDERS TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH Missionary impulse is the sign of the vitality of a Church. The universal Church knows neither borders nor frontiers. The Church must be committed to the mission of proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth. It is therefore necessary to renew our commitment to proclaiming the Gospel which is leaven of freedom and progress, brotherhood, unity and peace. The task of evangelising all people constitutes the essential mission of the Church. At stake is the eternal salvation of all people. I remind all Churches, both ancient and those recently founded, that they should be the salt of the earth and the light of the world called to spread Christ, the light of the nations, to the far corners of the earth. This mission must be a priority in their pastoral programming. 4. PERSECUTION Many missionaries bear witness to and spread the Kingdom of God in difficult situations, ranging from social discrimination to prison, torture, and even death. In this, they walk the same path and suffer they same destiny as Christ did in his mission. 5. THE PONTIFICAL MISSION SOCIETIES I thank the Pontifical Mission Societies for their indispensable service in inspiring and promoting involvement in the missionary activity of the Church. I thank them for their financial assistance to the Young Churches. They help to realise in a practical way the communion between Churches and the concern they should have for one another. 6. PRAYER AND FINANCE Pray that the Church will always have passion for the mission to spread the Kingdom of God. Pray for missionaries on the front line of evangelisation, often in difficult and hostile situations. I ask everyone to offer financial assistance to the Young Churches especially in difficult economic times. 7. MARY May the Blessed Virgin Mary, who brought Christ into the world to be the light of the nations, guide our missionary activity to the ends of the earth. Pope Benedict XVI From the Vatican, 29 June, 2009 CATHOLIC MISSION TEACHERS NOTES 2009 PAGE 9
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