We all are the Priestly People of God. Together, we are leaders in responding to the emotional and spiritual needs of Priests and Brothers. May - June 2012 - Vol. 28 No. 3 Thank you for your support. As Priestly People you have made this day possible for the Servants of the Paraclete. Our first ordination from vocation work in Asia, specifically the Philippines and Vietnam. Brother Anthony Vo Van Tam sp was ordained a deacon on March 4, 2012 and will be ordained a priest on June 22, 2012.
Celebrating 65 years of the founding of the Servants of the Paraclete Congregation, we are experiencing a resurgence and new life in vocations and interest in our work with priests and religious brothers. So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11 (New American Standard Bible 1995) In the Gospel of St. Matthew chapter 4 verse 4 we hear that people do not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Jesus is the bread of life, the word that comes forth from the mouth of God, the Word that roots, sustains, directs and guides us. The Word who speaks to our hearts and enlightens our souls. God s Word is powerful and effective, but sometimes we do not hear it because we are not listening. We like to speak to God especially in times of need, loss, pain and struggle. Occasionally we even remember to thank God for prayers answered, blessings received and favors granted. But for many of us listening is difficult. When we do listen we find ourselves encouraged, blessed and grateful for the actual and sanctifying graces God lavishes upon us. When we take time to listen we hear God calling us, inviting us to serve him by faithfully following His Son Jesus and trusting in His Divine Providence. Recently our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, reminded us that the small number of vocations in Europe and the USA does not mean God is not calling men and women to serve him in the religious life, diaconate and priesthood. God does indeed call - but people are not always listening. We cannot doubt the generosity of God but we can perhaps question our willingness to respond generously to God s invitation to follow Him unreservedly. We often hear it said that God will not be outdone in generosity. When we give from the heart God blesses what we offer and brings all our efforts to fruition. Nothing we have ever given or will ever give can exceed the graces and blessings almighty God pours out upon each of us. This is true even when the gift we give is our very self, our life in loving service. God s generosity is evident in so many ways in the lives and ministry of the servants of the Paraclete. Over the years thousands of benefactors in the USA, Great Britain, Ireland and other parts of the world have given generously so that our vital ministry of service to priests and brothers could continue. Your prayers and generosity have touched countless lives and changed souls, bringing them closer to our Lord Jesus Christ. Thousands of priests and brothers have been blessed with God s healing grace. They join us in expressing their gratitude to you and pray for you and your intentions. Blessings come in many ways. Some blessings are evident immediately. Some are only recognized with the passing of time. Some seem to come in the form of a disguise that can prevent us from recognizing that the hand of God is at work. Very often
God blesses us through the kindness of others, sometimes even people we do not know personally. In prayer and meditation when we unite our minds and hearts with the will of God, we begin to experience the blessings of Divine Providence. In Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, we find the personal peace and serenity that many in the world are longing for. When I think of you, the Priestly People of God, I recognize quite easily how your sharing in our ministry is a constant source of blessing. Although it may seem that the kindness that motivates generous sacrificial offerings and financial gifts has its origin in the human heart, we know that all blessings originate in the heart of God. So in you and through you we come to know the heart of God, incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ, the living Word of God. In recent years while the number of vocations to the priesthood and religious life has declined in the USA and Europe, the number of vocations in other parts of the world has been increasing at an amazing rate. In places where public expressions of faith were once strictly forbidden, there are growing numbers of flourishing communities of faith. In places like Africa and Asia where we once sent missionaries, we now find men and women preparing to evangelize and catechize their own local communities of faith and to become missionaries to other parts of the world. Recently, in the congregation of the Servants of the Paraclete, it has become abundantly clear that from the heart of God a call continues to go out to men of
to the church of Viet Nam which has given us one of its cherished sons to minister as a Servant of the Paraclete. Both before and after the ordination Bishop Chuong spent time visiting many priests, religious brothers and sisters, seminarians and those in formation from various dioceses and religious communities. He shared with them many of the blessings the Catholic Church is beginning to enjoy in Viet Nam. faith. God asks them to respond generously to a deeply personal invitation to serve God and the church as vowed and consecrated religious and ordained deacons and priests. Many are responding, expressing a joyful willingness to say yes to what God is asking of them. As you know, through your generosity, especially during the past decade, we built a house of formation in Tagaytay, the Philippines, where we are preparing young men to serve as priests and religious brothers. We have new members who come from Viet Nam, Ghana, Nigeria and the Philippines. We receive emails and letters of inquiry about our congregation, charism and mission from men interested in joining us. They come from Asia, Africa, Central and South America and occasionally even from India and the USA. On March 4, 2012, one of our Vietnamese brothers, Brother Anthony Tâm, sp, was ordained a deacon in the Holy Spirit Seminary Chapel of the SVD (Society of the Divine Word) community in Tagaytay. Bishop Antoine Chuong, Bishop of Da Lat, Viet Nam, celebrated the Mass and rite of ordination. To the best of our knowledge, this was a historical event. Bishop Chuong was the first Vietnamese Bishop to ordain a Vietnamese man as a deacon in the Philippines. This was Bishop Chuong s first ordination in English, and we are proud to say he did very well! We are grateful not only to Bishop Chuong, but also With deep joy and gratitude to almighty God we are happy to share more good news. On June 22, 2012, Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle, the newly appointed Archbishop of Manila and former Bishop of the Diocese of Imus, Cavite, where our formation house is located, will ordain Deacon Anthony Tâm to the priesthood. Deacon Anthony Tâm will become the first Vietnamese priest ordained for the Servants of the Paraclete. His formation and seminary education would not have been possible without your prayerful support and encouragement and your financial generosity. We want you to know that we continue to be grateful for your ongoing support. Please continue to assist us in every way you can, spiritually and financially. Share with your family and friends that you are part of the solution to many of the problems the church is now courageously facing. Invite them to learn more about our ministry and encourage them to join with you and us as we pray, labor and sacrifice for the sanctification and continued growth and formation of priests and brothers. During the month of March when in the Philippines for the diaconate ordination of Brother Anthony Tâm, sp, Fr. Philip Taylor, sp (Vicar General,) Fr. Peter Lechner, sp (Vicar for the Apostolate,) and I realized we needed to begin to look for a student house of formation in Manila. Presently three of our brothers studying in Manila are living with three different religious communities. They are doing well but miss the support of other members of their own spiritual family. Since our charism and ministry are so unique we believe that it is vital for them to be living together in community with other servants of the Paraclete. Property and houses in Manila are quite expensive, so at the present time we are asking for financial support for that venture. Perhaps you might consider helping us in some way. Maybe you know someone who is from the Philippines and is now living in the USA who might want to support our ministry. Perhaps you could share this newsletter with them. Please pray that God will continue to speak a Word that will touch hearts and souls and inspire many more people to join with us in this beautiful ministry. After I visited the Philippines, Fr. Philip, sp, accompanied me to Viet Nam where we met with Bishop Chuong in Da Lat. During the next several days we met with various church
leaders. Each of them expressed great interest in our ministry. They were particularly interested in the prospect of providing Formation for Formators training programs, similar to those developed by Fr. Peter Lechner,sP in the Philippines. In fact, we hope to send priests from Viet Nam to the Philippines to take spiritual, human and personal growth and development classes to assist and accompany priests, deacons, seminarians and those in ongoing religious formation. Sometime soon we hope to have some of our Vietnamese brothers who have been studying for several years in the Philippines, return to Viet Nam. This will allow them to get reacquainted with priests and religious in their own country. Naturally, developing good relationships with clergy and religious in Viet Nam will be a very important tool to assist them in their future ministry. It will also open the door for them to comply with the laws of the country of Viet Nam. There, the local government must give approval before anyone can be ordained. So, because we want to meet all the requirements of church and civil law, we must have our brothers study in their own country in the hope that they can eventually minister there. We also look forward to the day when some of our Vietnamese, Filipino and African brothers will serve here in the United States. They would certainly be welcome to assist other priests and religious from their home countries who might be looking for some kind of personal support and assistance, especially through spiritual direction. Of course they will also minister to priests and brothers from other countries, including those from America. In a very short while we will need to find suitable accommodations for those in formation outside of The Mt. Carmel House of Formation in Tagaytay, wherever they may be. Therefore, once again I plead for your help. Perhaps you live in an area where there are many Vietnamese, Africans or Filipinos who have left their own country and who still want to remain connected spiritually to those back in their homeland. Many of them still care very deeply for the local church they left behind. I am sure that once many of them learn about our efforts in their home country, they would be eager to assist us. So, please spread the word and do what you can to help us build up this vital, essential ministry to priests and brothers in need. On Holy Thursday I concelebrated the Chrism Mass at St. Louis Cathedral in St. Louis, Missouri. Archbishop Robert Carlson, during a beautiful homily, spoke about the Holy Oils that were to be blessed at that Mass, the Oil of Catechumens, the Oil of Chrism and the Oil of the Sick. Archbishop Carlson noted that the Oil of God s mercy never runs dry. He said God cares for everyone in His Holy church and for all the people of the world, especially those who long for the compassionate healing presence of Christ. He recalled a time when his own father received the sacrament of anointing of the sick. Because the Bishop was some distance away when his father became ill, he asked a priest friend to anoint him. When the prayers concluded Archbishop Carlson s father asked the priest How long does this (anointing) last? The priest responded, saying: For the rest of your life. Although the Bishops entire homily was powerful and moving. The words he spoke about the lasting effect of being anointed with holy oil really touched me deeply. By the power of his words Archbishop Carlson rekindled in me the divine spark of my own vocation and provided much encouragement for me and my brother servants in our ministry. The Holy Chrism with which all priests are anointed on the day of their ordination does indeed last for the rest of our lives, indeed for all eternity. So too, just as the anointing with Holy Chrism makes us a priest forever that same anointing powerfully reminds us of our obligation to serve God and the church faithfully. That anointing leads us to seek forgiveness and the grace of absolution as frequently as we need to, if, because of our weak human nature we fall into sin. Your prayers can help lift up those who have fallen and lead them to the open arms of our merciful Lord. So please continue to offer prayers on our behalf. YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK. Hebrews 7:17 Thank you again for your prayerful support, sacrificial offerings and continued generosity in support of our ministry. We are grateful to those who have named us as beneficiaries in their wills and bequests. We shall continue to pray with and for you and your intentions. Sincerely in the Paraclete, Very Rev. David T Fitzgerald, sp Servant General
Father Benedict s farewell The residents and staff and fellow Servants of the Paraclete bid Father Benedict sp good bye with a special lunch and his favorite cake lemon! Father Benedict has been assigned to Vietnam. He served Vianney Renewal Center for the past two years and has been called back to Asia, where he served for 8 years as Novice Master. His role in Vietnam will be to work on setting up a house for the young men who enter the Congregation from Vietnam, thus enabling them to stay in their home country and attend seminary locally. The Servants of the Paraclete have a presence in Vietnam but it is not adequate for the numbers of young men interested in the priesthood and religious life. How blessed for the Congregation! Please share with all of the Paraclete community... residents, staff, volunteers, Priestly People... our prayers for Father Benedict work and blessings in abundance for his well-being.
# Development Office Just as Father Benedict wings his way to Vietnam for a new assignment, the Development Office is returning to the site of our programs at Vianney Renewal Center in Dittmer MO. After moving from Jemez Springs NM, where the development office staff had worked for many years, the development staff worked in several spaces at the Center and also had office space nearby in the city of St. Louis. We are very happy to return to our program site where all staff works together in ministry with our residents. Please know that your donations will be received at our new location. All of our remittance envelopes are correct with the post office s new regulations which include bar codes. All donations will be forwarded if you do happen to use one of our envelopes with the former post office box number on it. Please be assured that we will get it. PLEASE use the remittance envelopes enclosed with the newsletter. If you have automatic payments coming from your bank, you will be contacted personally to suggest making the change so that your donations arrive in a timely manner. Development Office PO Box 9 Cedar Hill, MO 63016 Phone 314-875-0816 www.theservants.org Mass Stipends We appreciate the many mass stipends that we receive. We thank you for supporting that part of our ministry. While many priests may designate how they want to utilize the mass stipend funds, the Servants of the Paraclete share in the mass stipend pool, as directed by their vows and constitution. Mass Stipend Form Name of Person to be remembered in a mass celebrated by a Servant of the Paraclete: q living q deceased Name of person donating the stipend: Do you want an acknowledgement card sent to someone? If so, please put the name, address, city, state and zip so that an acknowledgement of the mass in memory or honor of someone can be sent. Name: Address: City, State, Zip: If you would like to request a specific date, please list below. Please allow 2-3 months for specific dates as they must be distributed to our priests from the Development Office. Requested Date for Mass: Online Giving Is Here! Visit our Website www.theservants.org It s SECURE It s EASY It s FAST
# Servants of the Paraclete P.O. Box 39356 St. Louis, MO 63139 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED May - June Newsletter Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID St. Louis, MO Permit No. 3252 Electronic Transfer of Funds If you are interested in a monthly donation, please contact the development office. Electronic Transfer of Funds is the easiest way to donate to the ministry of the Servants of the Paraclete. Every gift counts! The forms are simple to fill out and are handled by a company that works with many religious organizations in assisting them with funding these transfers. Please drop this form in the envelope included in the newsletter and we will be happy to get the information to you. q Please send me Electronic Fund Transfer information so that I make a monthly donation! DEVELOPMENT OFFICE CONTACT INFORMATION Marian Wolaver Director of Development 314-875-0817 mwolaver@theservants.org Barb Behlmann Development Associate 314-875-0816 bbehlmann@theservants.org FAX: 314-875-0818 Website: www.theservants.org Thank you for your generosity! It is greatly appreciated. Please remember the Servants of the Paraclete in your estate and will.