A Prayer After the Earthquake in Haiti

Lord, at times such as this,
when we realize that the ground beneath our feet
is not as solid as we had imagined,
we plead for your mercy.

As the things we have built crumble about us,
we know too well how small we truly are
on this ever-changing, ever-moving,
fragile planet we call home.
Yet you have promised never to forget us.

Do not forget us now.

Today, so many people are afraid.
They wait in fear of the next tremor.
They hear the cries of the injured amid the rubble.
They roam the streets in shock at what they see.
And they fill the dusty air with wails of grief
and the names of missing dead.

Comfort them, Lord, in this disaster.
Be their rock when the earth refuses to stand still,
and shelter them under your wings when homes no longer exist.

Embrace in your arms those who died so suddenly this day.
Console the hearts of those who mourn,
and ease the pain of bodies on the brink of death.

Pierce, too, our hearts with compassion,
we who watch from afar,
as the poorest on this side of the earth
find only misery upon misery.
Move us to act swiftly this day,
to give generously every day,
to work for justice always,
and to pray unceasingly for those without hope.

And once the shaking has ceased,
the images of destruction have stopped filling the news,
and our thoughts return to life’s daily rumblings,
let us not forget that we are all your children
and they, our brothers and sisters.
We are all the work of your hands.

For though the mountains leave their place
and the hills be tossed to the ground,
your love shall never leave us,
and your promise of peace will never be shaken.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
now and forever.

Amen.

Why does God allow natural disasters?

At the heart of Haiti's humanitarian crisis is an age old question for many religious people - how can God allow such terrible things to happen? Philosopher David Bain examines the arguments. Read the article by clicking here.


http://www.dsj.org/being-catholic/worship/a-prayer-after-the-earthquake-in-haiti

On the Feast of Sto. Niño

Last Sunday, January 18, we celebrated the feast of the Sto. Niño. The image of the Holy Child in Cebu was, according to a widely accepted belief, the gift of Ferdinand Magellan to the Queen of Cebu during her baptism in 1521. The image was recovered in April 1565 by the conquering troops of Legazpi inside a burning house, the image well preserved inside a chest. Soldiers who were veterans of numerous campaigns in Europe and who were familiar with the devotion to the Holy Child recognized the image as Flemish in origin. The image was entrusted to the Augustinian friars who were with Legazpi in the Cebu expedition. It was enthroned in a hastily-made chapel built on the spot where the image was found. And from then on, the devotion to the Sto. Niño flourished to the form it has taken on today. The Sto. Niño of Cebu has an even older history than the Holy Infant of Prague whose own history began in 1628.

On the feast of the Sto. Niño, all Cebuanos take to the streets and dance the Sinulog, waving to the image of the Sto. Niño as if it were a superstar, and praying Pit Senyor, Pit Senyor with an amazing variety of Sto. Niño images. Perhaps, it is only in the Philippines where the Sto. Niño can be a policeman, a baker, a nurse, doctor, fisherman — there is even a Sto. Niño na dyumi-jingle!

For some, this form of devotion has gone to excesses. And of course, there is more than a grain of truth to this observation. That is why some too quickly judge the Filipino’s piety or Christianity, as superficial, mababaw. For instance, the Sto. Niño is vested so lavishly while, ironically, in one’s surroundings roam street children dressed despicably. And there are so many abused children not only in Cebu but in practically every place in this supposedly Christian country.

Yet in spite of the seeming superficiality that others may see in this uniquely Filipino devotion, there is a hidden and distinct depth to it which mirrors a plain and simple faith: the faith that God is with us, and it is our deepest desire that he abide in us, in our lives and undertakings, and in our many aspirations. That is why the Sto. Niño in the Philippines can be a policeman--because the world of the policeman is part of the realm and sovereignty of God notwithstanding the existence of corrupt and kotong cops. Because the world of the policeman can be employed, and should be employed for the good of the people to bring about security of property and of persons. That is why the Sto. Niño can also be a fisherman--because the sea is also God’s domain where many make their living as they labor to gather the produce of the sea, even as we also know that it is not God’s will that the sea be ravaged of its resources. That is why the Sto. Niño can be a doctor or a nurse--because God continues his work of healing through the skill and knowledge of people like doctors and nurses. Their profession is a noble one, placed at the service of people and not for simply enriching themselves. In summary, God is in all aspects of the human situation and every human situation can be an opportunity for glorifying God and reflecting the face and the goodness of God.

- Fr. Vidal Gornez, SJ

Reposted from jesuits.ph

A NEW YEAR’S REFLECTION

HAPPY NEW YEAR and welcome back everyone!

Allow me to share excerpts of Fr. Joe Galdon’s article entitled, “January Has Two Faces.”

“Nick Joaquin has a very interesting story about the feast of St. Sylvester, which falls on December 31, the last day of the year. Joaquin writes ‘to open the doors of the New Year, the Romans invoked the god Janus, patron of doors and beginnings. (That is why the first month of the year was called January!) Janus’ two faces (one staring forward, the other backward) are a symbol of man’s ability to dwell on the past while speeding into the future.’ ‘In Christianity, the role of Janus has been taken over by another Roman – St. Sylvester, Pope and confessor, whose feast falls on the last day of the year. At midnight on that day, according to traditions, St. Sylvester appears on earth, and with the keys of his office, opens all the gates of the principal archepiscopal cities, and celebrates the first Mass of the year in each cathedral.’

“As we start this new year, this year 2010, let us then look back to the year that was: accomplishments and failures, good weather and the typhoons we had to whether through, good health and illness (A H1N1, Dengue), life and death. “It’s good for us to figure out what went wrong last year, open the doors to the new year, and try to be a little bit better in the days that lie ahead. Ayn Rand says that if we want to be truly happy people, we have to look back and say ‘I’m sorry’ and look forward and say ‘I will!’… I guess that is why the month of January has two faces, too! To remind us to look back and to look forward and to change.

The beginning of the new year… has always been the traditional time for changing our lives and for making resolutions. One of the most consoling realizations as we grow older is that we CAN change our lives! We can open the door to a new life. We are not prisoners of the past!” WE learn from our past. We dream of our future and work on it. The turning of a year is always a good time to take stock of where we are and to look for lessons of the past that may guide us into the future.

Allow me to share with you a story which was part of the homily I gave yesterday at the Mass at the Gesu for the Feast of the Epiphany. Henry van Dyke wrote the story called “The Other Wise Man.” It is about the 4^th person who is supposed to accompany the other three wise men on their journey to search for the newborn King. The name of this other wise man is Artaban. It is said that as Artaban prepares for the journey, he takes with him a bag of precious stones as his present to the baby King. On his way to join the other three wise men, Artaban stops to help a poor person. In so doing, he misses his rendezvous with the others. He is left behind. Artaban tries to catch up but every time he constantly runs into people who need help. And he always stops to help them. In so doing he gives away all the precious stones he planned to give to the newborn king. As the story ends, Artaban is old and poor. He never realized his dream to meet the King of Kings and to place at his feet his gift of precious stones.

The story of “The Other Wise Man” could end here but if it did it would be a story of a man who never realized his one big dream. But the story does not end here. It continues that one day Artaban is in Jerusalem. The city is buzzing with excitement. Authorities are about to execute a criminal. When Artaban sees the criminal, his heart skips a beat. Something tells him this is the King of Kings for whom he has been searching for all his life. Artaban is heartbroken at what he sees. He is even more heartbroken when he sees he can do nothing to help the King. Then something remarkable occurs. Artaban hears the King’s voice say to him: “Don’t be heartbroken, Artaban. You have been helping me all your life. When I was hungry, you gave me food. When I was thirsty, you gave me drink. When I was naked, you clothed me. When I was a stranger, you took me in.”

I tell this story of “The Other Wise Man” to stress the reality that sometimes we are not able to succeed in the pursuit of our dreams. When we look back to our past there are failures. The story of Artaban is the story of many of us. We start our journeys with a fervent desire to pursue our dreams. But somehow, somewhere, something happens which makes us “lose” our direction towards our dreams. We do not have to look beyond our shores to search for examples. We know of the many lives and properties lost with the typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng the past year. Many of the people who were affected had worked hard to have a comfortable home and a good life but the floods made the fulfillment of their dreams a thing of the past. But the wrath of nature and the greed of people destroyed not just the dreams of people but lives and homes as well.

My dear friends in the Lord, let us not stop dreaming or pursuing our dreams. If we had failures in the past year, let us learn from them. Our God has promised us that He will never abandon us. Have faith in Him. If we come to think of it, God’s dream for us is for us to be happy. God the Son embraced our human nature to be one with us. He is one with us in our joy as well as our sadness. When we were not yet content with that love, He embraced pain and suffering and even death on the cross to show us His love, to make us happy. At the end of our lives, I believe one question God will ask of us is, “Were you happy?”… really, truly and genuinely happy? If we are happy, God is happy. But let us not end with that. Let us end with making God to be happy, to have as our dream the happiness of God.

Artaban was happy not only because he found Jesus but more so because he realized that what he has been doing all along was making Jesus happy. We will be happy this year not so much because we have found God but because we have made God happy: with our words, our deeds, our lives. May we find God in everything and may everyone find God in us.

Let us end with the prayer of Dag Hammarsjold, “For all that has been, thank you; and for all that will be, Yes.”

- Fr. Eli Rowdy Y. Lumbo, SJ

Pope Benedict's Prayer Intetntion for January 2010

Young People and Media.
That young people may learn to use social communication media for their personal growth and in preparation to serve society.

Last May Pope Benedict said that we should not be surprised by the popularity of the new communication technologies. Our human desire to extend our friendships by any and all means reflects our participation in the "unifying love of God, who desires to make of all humanity one family" (Message for World Day of Communications, 2009).

This month the Holy Father asks us to pray especially for the young people who use the new communication media, like mobile phones and computers connected to the Internet. The Pope's approach toward these technologies is overwhelmingly hopeful, not fearful.

What an opportunity for young people all over the world to grow in holy love for one another! What an opportunity to promote a worldwide "culture of respect, dialogue, and friendship." What an opportunity to engage in a "genuine and mutual searching for truth... to promote understanding and tolerance." And what an opportunity to proclaim the "Good News of a God who became man, who suffered, died, and rose again to save all people."

For "life is not just a succession of events," the Pope continues, "it is a search for the true, the good, and the beautiful." Only in them do we find happiness. "We must not allow ourselves to be deceived by those who see us merely as consumers in a market of undifferentiated possibilities, where choice itself becomes the good, novelty usurps beauty, and subjective experience displaces truth."

So, while we pray for the good the new media can do, let us also pray against evil. We ask that our young people will not use these media to lie, abuse, or exploit others. We ask too that they will be protected from the lies and abuse of peers and predators.

May the new media enable young people to grow in wisdom and grace as they prepare to serve society in this challenging new century.

Reflection:
How do you and will you use social communication media to reflect God's unifying love?

Reading:
1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one have contempt for your youth, but set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.

Christian Unity.

That every believer in Christ may understand that unity among all Christians is necessary for effective proclamation of the gospel.

During the month of January the Pope often asks us to pray for Christian unity. When we do so, we Catholics are joining with other Christians in celebrating an annual octave from January 18 to 25 for unity among Christians. The tradition is more than 100 years old.

This year the theme is "You are Witnesses of These Things." The phrase comes from the words Jesus spoke to his disciples just before he ascended into heaven: "Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things" (Luke 24: 45-48).

This month the Pope emphasizes that Christian unity is essential for the proclamation of the gospel. Disunity among Christians undermines the credibility of our witness to the world. How can we preach reconciliation through Christ if we who are baptized oppose one another? Our message of one Lord, one faith, and one baptism cannot abide the scandal of our divisions.

Our divisions generally originated in doctrinal differences, but they are often perpetuated by prejudice, ignorance, fear, and other attitudes which should have no part in a Christian's life. These are things we can change, but we cannot abandon true doctrine.

Urging Christians to unite, Pope Benedict reminds us of St. Paul's admonition to "hold fast to the traditions you were taught" (2 Thessalonians 3:15). We should strive to agree on "normative apostolic teaching." All Christians should seek communion with the Church in every age. We should embrace objective truth that relies neither on subjective experience nor empirical science, but is founded on the "teaching which indeed underlies the inspired word of God and sustains the sacramental life of Christians today" (Homily at an ecumenical prayer service, New York City, April 18, 2008).

Let us join the Holy Father in praying that we will all obey the Spirit which calls us to be one in the Lord.

Reflection:
How might you join with a non-Catholic Christian to witness to the truth of Jesus Christ?

Reading:
1 Corinthians 2: 12-13 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the things freely given us by God. And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms.

Source: Apostleship of Prayer.org

http://apostleshipofprayer.org/reflectionsMonthly.html

St. John of the Cross

Today we remember the life and works of St. John of the Cross, founder of the Discalced Carmelites.

St. John of the Cross was born as John de Yepes on June 24, 1542, at Fontiveros, Spain. He was the youngest child of Gonzalo de Yepes and Catherine Alvarez. His father was a descendant of a rich family in France but was disowned for marrying a weaver’s daughter.

John received his early education from a school in Medina del Campo. As a student, he was found to be attentive and diligent in his studies. At 14, his services were taken by the governor of the hospital of Medina to care for the hospital patients who were suffering from incurable illnesses. For seven years, John divided his time between waiting on the poorest of the poor and pursuing his education.

In 1563, at the age of 21, he entered the Carmelites at Medina, taking the name of John of the Cross, and was ordained priest at the age of 25. At his first Mass, he received the assurance that he would preserve his baptismal innocence. After his ordination, he was given permission to follow the original rule of Albert of Vercelli which imposed strict discipline and solitude.

1568, John together with St. Teresa of Avila opened the first monastery of the newly reformed Discalced Carmelites.

He became master of novices and the spiritual and confessor of the convent. He implemented reforms, including his belief that the order should return to its life of prayer. His reforms did not sit well with many Carmelites who accused him of rebellion.

He was put in prison and beaten three times a week by the monks. The cell was six feet by ten feet with only one tiny window up near the ceiling. While suffering in prison, he found happiness in God and in prayer. He started writing mystical poetry which he brought with him when he escaped from prison after 9 months.

St. John of the Cross joined his Creator on December 14, 1591, at Ubeda in Andalucia in Spain. He was beatified by Pope Clement X on January 25, 1675, and was declared saint by Pope Benedict XIII on December 27, 1726. He was proclaimed Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XI on August 24, 1926.

Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/233922/st-john-cross

A Celebration of Simplicity

by Fr. Jboy Gonzales SJ8 December 2009 Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is indeed an extraordinary event. It tells us that God has ordained that Mary, who would be the Mother of Jesus, would be free from the stain of sin. Thus, Mary was given the grace of being conceived without sin because of her future role as the Mother of God. This grace is purely an unmerited gift of God.

The feast of the Immaculate Conception was established as a universal feast in 1476 by Pope Sixus IV, but it was defined as a dogma by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854 in the document, Ineffabilis Deus. This dogma is supported by Scripture --- the Gospel today --- when the Angel Gabriel addressed her as “full of grace” as well as the writings of Church Fathers such as Ireneaus of Lyons and Ambrose of Milan. The devotion of Our Lady of Lourdes made the dogma ever more significant. In the apparition to Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes, she identified herself as “the Immaculate Conception”.

In addition, what made this event extraordinary is the realization that God has chosen an ordinary woman -- not a beauty queen or a rich girl --- to be the Mother of God. But this one great event of her birth acquired more ‘flesh’ in her daily life. She has lived this holiness every single day. So that what was once extraordinary became part and parcel of ordinary life. She carried out this holiness, which reached its peak when she said yes to the will of God, despite the threat to her life (Women caught to be pregnant without a husband were stoned to death). Furthermore, she followed through her promise to remain holy forever.

I believe that celebrating the Immaculate Conception is a celebration of a possibility: that ordinary people like us can live holy lives. There is a growing cultural pessimism about human nature. There is a belief that we cannot be holy thus we just have to be resigned to this view of human nature. No matter how hard we try, we will eventually sin. To me, having to be holy begins with a trust that our nature is good; that we can live holy lives. Often we become what we believe: if we believe we are forever sinful, then we become indeed sinful. Eventually, we become pessimistic of human nature. Many of those who do not believe in the goodness of persons have made a generalization. Because of their traumas and hurts, they think all of us are the same as their oppressors. For example, we know of those who have become bitter. Because they have been hurt by their boyfriends, they think all men are the same. Or because they have witnessed graft and corruption in government, they think all those who work in government are all dishonest and unprincipled.

But many saints precisely offered their lives in full service of humanity because they believe that every single human being is basically good. They believe that what God said in Genesis was true: everything He created is good. And thus, we are all worthy of His grace. Catholic theology teaches us that when Jesus rose from the dead, everything became new. Christ’s redemption freed us from original sin. We became God’s children, not merely God’s creatures. Do we not carry the Spirit of God with us? We are God’s temple and therefore we are holy. And if we respond to the Spirit of God in us, we, ordinary human beings, can live holy lives. John Brown defined holiness as “thinking as God thinks, willing as God wills”.

To think as God thinks and will as God wills can be applied to ordinary lives. There is a holy studying; a holy taking a bath; a holy talking to a friend. When we love someone as God loves, then we put forth who we really are.

re-posted from:
www.faithofacenturion.blogspot.com

photo courtesy of Mr. Vincent Galileo L. Loiz
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14116086@N04/4087957851/

St. Francis Xavier, Missionary to the Far East

Francis Xavier (Francisco de Jassu y Javier, 1506-1552), was the first Jesuit missionary and the prototype who inspired many men to enter the Society of Jesus and evangelize far off nations. One of the original group of seven men who founded the Jesuits, he was sent to India before the new religious order received formal approval from the Church.

Xavier was born in his family's small castle in Navarre, in the north of Spain, and there received his early education. In September 1525 he went to Paris to begin university studies at the College of Sainte-Barbe where his roommate was Peter Faber (Pierre Favre) from the Savoy region of France. Four years later everything changed when an older student moved in, Ignatius Loyola (Iñigo Lopez de Loyola), a failed Basque courtier given to prayer. Loyola soon won Faber over to wanting to become a priest and work for the salvation of souls, but Xavier aspired to a worldly career and was not at all interested in being a priest. He earned his licentiate degree in the spring of 1530 and began teaching Aristotle at the College of Dormans-Beauvais; he remained living in the room with Favre and Loyola. When Faber went to visit his family in 1533, Ignatius finally broke through to Xavier who yielded to the grace God was offering him. Four other students also became close friends through their conversations with Ignatius who was became a spiritual guide and inspired the whole group with his desire to go to the Holy Land. Xavier joined his friends Aug. 15, 1534 in the chapel of Saint-Denis in Montmartre as they all pronounced private vows of poverty, chastity and going to the Holy Land to convert infidels.

Xavier and Loyola began studying theology in 1534. Two years later Xavier set out for Venice with the rest of the group except for Loyola who had returned to Spain earlier. Venice was the point of departure for ships going to the Holy Land. The companions spent two months waiting for a ship and working in hospitals, then went to Rome to ask papal permission for their pilgrimage and ordination of the non-priests among them. Xavier, Loyola and four others were ordained by the papal delegate in his private chapel on June 24, 1537. And they continued to wait for a ship, but because of Venice's impending war with the Turks none sailed for a whole year, something quite extraordinary. The companions then decided that Ignatius should go to Rome and place the group at the disposal of the pope. Meanwhile, they would go to various university centers and start preaching. Xavier and Nicholas Bobadilla went to Bologna.

Xavier went to Rome in April 1538 and began preaching in the French church of St. Louis. He also took part in the famous deliberations during Lent 1539 in which the companions agreed to form a new religious order. Before Pope Paul III granted his approval of the plan, he asked Ignatius to accede to King John III of Portugal's request to send two of the companions to the new colony in India. Ignatius chose Simon Rodrigues and Nicholas Bobadilla, but the latter got sick and could not go. Francis Xavier was the only one of the companions not already committed to a work so Ignatius asked him to go, even though they were the closest friends and the departure meant that they would never see each other again.

Xavier and Rodrigues left Rome March 15, 1540 and arrived in Lisbon by the end of June. The fleet had already left so the two priests had to remain in Lisbon until the following spring. They devoted themselves to preaching and caring for prisoners. The king was so taken by their work that he asked one of them to stay and start a school; Rodrigues was chosen, leaving Xavier to head off alone as the first Jesuit missionary. As Xavier boarded the ship Santiagio, the king's messenger gave him a letter in which the pope named him apostolic nuncio, which meant that he had authority over all Portuguese clergy in Goa. The ship set sail April 7, 1541, on Xavier's thirty-fifth birthday.

It took 13 months for Xavier to arrive in Goa, including a long wait in Mozambique for favorable winds. As soon as he arrived, the energetic Spaniard set about preaching to the Portuguese, visiting prisons and ministering to lepers. He also tried to learn Tamil, but had to rely on interpreters for his first mission to the Paravas, pearl fishers who lived on India's southeastern shore above Cape Comorin. They had converted to Christianity but been without a pastor, so Xavier reinstructed them in the faith, baptized those who were ready and prepared catechists to remain with them as he moved on from one village to the next. By the end of 1544 he reached the western shore of India at Travancore; in November and December of that year he is reported to have baptized 10,000 persons. He moved northward to Cochin, and then sailed to the Portuguese city of Malacca in Malaya; from there he headed for his goal, the Moluccas, or the Spice Islands where he landed on Feb. 14, 1546. He visited the Christian villages and baptized over 1,000 persons at nearby Seran. Then he did a reconnaissance trip to the islands Ternate and Moro, known for its headhunters. He returned to Malacca in July 1547 and arranged for two Jesuits to take his place.

When Xavier returned to Malacca, he learned about Japan from a Japanese nobleman named Anjiro who was interested in becoming a Christian. This revelation of a culturally advanced nation that had not yet heard of Christ captured the Spanish Jesuit's imagination. Before he could do anything about Japan, Xavier had to return to Goa to fulfill his responsibilities as mission superior and assign newly arrived Jesuits to their posts. He was not able to set sail for Japan with Anjiro and several Jesuits until April 1549. The party got back to Malacca easily enough but could find no ship's captain willing to take the risk of sailing into unknown waters. So Xavier hired a pirate to take them. They left June 24, 1549 and landed on August 15 at Kagoshima in southern Japan, Anjiro's home city.

At first the mission went very smoothly. The local prince gave permission to the foreigners to preach Christianity, but he himself would not convert. Xavier decided that the way to convert Japan was to begin with the emperor, but no one would tell him how to get to the Imperial City, Miyako (today's Tokyo). They spent a year in Kagoshima but only made 100 converts, so the Jesuits left for Hirado, a port used by the Portuguese on the upper coast of Kyushu. Another 100 Japanese became Christians but Xavier remained eager to see the emperor, so he moved to the country's second largest city, Yamaguchi. He preached in the streets but suffered a very unsuccessful meeting with the daimyo, so he left that city in December 1550 for Sakai.

Their fortune turned and they finally found a prince willing to take them to the Imperial City. Xavier and Brother John Fernandez were hired as domestic servants and arrived in January 1551, the first Catholic missionaries to see Asia's largest and most beautiful city. For 11 days they tried without success to secure an audience with the emperor, so they returned to Hirado. They went back, though, with the knowledge that the most powerful lord in Japan was not the emperor, but the daimyo of Yamaguchi, whom they had failed to convince in their first meeting. Xavier resolved to try again, appearing not as a poorly-clad European but as an individual worthy of the daimyo's attention.

The two Jesuits rented horses and a litter and dressed themselves in colorful silken robes. When they ceremoniously arrived in Yamaguchi, they were received at the daimyo's palace without any suspicion that they were the same barbarians who had been brushed away only months earlier. Xavier presented the daimyo with expensive gifts of clocks, music boxes, mirrors, crystals, cloth and wine as signs of friendship; and he presented impressive credentials: letters from King John III of Portugal and Pope Paul III. The daimyo granted the Jesuit's request to preach the Christian religion in the empire, and gave people the freedom to become Christians if they wanted to. He also gave the Jesuits a residence in the city, where many people visited. Within six months they had gained 500 converts.

Xavier thought it was time for him to move on so he brought Father Cosmas de Torres to replace him in Yamaguchi so he could return to India. Xavier set out in September 1551, and found a ship for Malacca. He hoped to return to Japan the following year, but the ship got caught in a typhoon that drove it 1,000 miles off course. On December 17, the vessel entered the Bay of Canton and anchored off Sancian Island. As Xavier looked towards nearby China, he felt that country calling him. The two Jesuits were able to board a ship that happened to be bound for Singapore, which they reached at the end of the month. There Xavier found a letter from Ignatius appointing him provincial of the "Indies and the countries beyond."

He was back in India in January 1552 and found another letter telling him to return to Rome to report on the mission; he decided that visit could wait until he had first gone to China. In April 1552 Xavier set out from India and entered the Bay of Canton in September. He landed on Sancian Island which was both a hideout for Chinese smugglers and a base for Portuguese traders. None of the smugglers was willing to risk taking the Jesuit missionary over to China; one who said he was, took Xavier's money and then disappeared. On November 21 he came down with a fever and could not leave his leafy hut on the island's shore. Seven days later he fell into a coma, but on December 1 regained consciousness and devoted himself to prayer during his waking hours. He died on the morning of December 3 and was buried on the island, but his remains were later taken to Malacca and then to Goa where they were interred in the church Bom Jesus.

He was canonized in 1622 and made patron of the Propagation of the Faith in 1910 and in 1927 was named patron of the missions.

St. Edmund Campion, Martyr of England

The most famous of the English martyrs, Edmund Campion (1540-1581) gave up a promising career at Oxford and an invitation to enter Queen Elizabeth's service in order to become a Catholic priest and minister to the abandoned Catholics who greatly desired the sacraments.

Campion was born in London of Catholic parents who later became Protestant. He attended St. John's College, Oxford, where he gained renown as a lecturer and a following of students who called themselves "Campionites." When he was 26 years old, he gave a speech of welcome in Latin to Queen Elizabeth on her visit to Oxford; he made such an impression on the queen that she and Lords Cecil and Leicester tried to recruit him for her service. He probably took the Oath of Supremacy, and was ordained a deacon for the Established Church. The more he studied to be a priest, the more convinced he became that the Catholic Church had the true faith. He moved to Dublin in 1569 in an effort to find a place to live as a Catholic, but the Irish capital showed an anti-Catholic feeling that drove him back to London. In June 1571 he left England for Douai, Belgium where the recently founded English College trained seminarians for England.

Campion finished his degree in 1573 and set out soon after for Rome with the intention of becoming a Jesuit. Within a month of his arrival in Rome, he was accepted into the Society. At that time there was neither an English province nor an English mission, so he was assigned to the Austrian province and went to Prague and Brno to make his novitiate. He remained in Prague after he took vows and was ordained there, expecting to spend the rest of his life teaching in that city. He wrote and directed plays for his students and won renown as an orator.

The English Jesuit's life changed course suddenly when the Superior General in Rome decided to open a mission in England. Father Campion was one of the first to be assigned to it. He stopped in Rome on his way back to England and joined Father Rober Persons and Brother Ralph Emerson. They turned north and joined other recruits for the new mission at Saint Omer in Flanders. English spies in Flanders learned of their impending departure and informed the English ports of entry, who awaited their arrival. Campion and Emerson left the Continent on the evening of June 24. Campion disguised himself as a "Mr. Edmonds," a jewelry merchant. Port authorities were suspicious, but Campion answered their questions adequately and they let the merchant enoint was that the mission was religious, not political; so well-written and powerful was it, that copies were made and widely distributed to confirm Catholics in their faith. Campion himself moved on to Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Lancashire and Yorkshire. He would stay at a Catholic house for one or two nights or visit households where Catholics were employed. His pattern was to arrive during the day, preach and hear confessions during the evening, and then celebrate Mass in ter.

It had been eight years since Campion had left England. He briefly remained in London where he wrote a manifesto of the mission which has become known as "Campion's Brag." Its pthe morning before moving on to the next location. He continued to write and composed a book addressed to the academic world; entitled Rationes decem ("Ten Reasons"), the book gave arguments to prove the truth of Catholicism and the falsity of Protestantism. It was printed by the end of June 1581. Many of the 400 copies printed were left on the benches of Oxford's University Church of St. Mary. Campion was still well-enough known that the book was eagerly read.

Campion's freedom to minister to Catholics soon ended. In July he left London and stopped at the Yate family in Berkshire. The family's Catholic neighbors learned that the Jesuit priest had been there and pressed the Yates to invite him back. Mrs. Yate sent word to Campion who returned, unfortunately at a time when a professional priest-hunter was in the congregation pretending to be Catholic. After Mass the hunter slipped away to notify the authorities who quickly returned to the house but could not find any priests. The guards remained on the grounds, listening for sounds of unusual activity. They alertly heard a group of people leaving a meeting that Campion had addressed. The guards searched the house again, this time finding Campion and two other priests.

The three were taken to the Tower of London on July 22, where Campion was put in a cell so small he could neither stand upright nor lie down. After three days there he was brought to Leicester house, where he met Queen Elizabeth for a second time. She offered him the opportunity to renounce his Catholic faith and become a Protestant minister, with the offer of great advancement. He refused and was returned to his cell; five days later he was tortured on the rack. He had four conferences with Anglican divines, something he himself had requested in the book rationes decem, but the disputations were inconclusive, partly because the first one was held shortly after he had been tortured. The government determined that he should be executed, but they needed a stronger charge than the fact that he was a Catholic priest. On Nov. 14, the priests were led to Westminster Hall where charges were raised against them that they had formed a conspiracy against the life of the queen, had exhorted foreigners to invade the country and had entered England with the intent of fomenting rebellion to support the invaders. At his trial six days later, Campion was asked to raise his right hand and take an oath; he was unable to do so because of recent torture, so another one of the priests had to lift his arm for him. Campion attempted to defend all the priests by pointing out their motives were religious, not political; but they were found guilty of high treason and condemned to be hanged, drawn and quartered. The priests joined in singing the Te Deum when they heard the verdict.

Campion remained in chains for another 11 days, and then was dragged through the muddy streets of London to Tyburn. With him were Briant, and Father Ralph Sherwin, a diocesan priest. As Campion forgave those who had condemned him, the cart he was standing on was driven from under him and he was left hanging. The executioner then cut him down and tore out his heart and intestines before cutting his body into pieces. Briant had been tried a day after Campion, but was executed soon after the other Jesuit. He was cut down while still alive after being hung so that he could be disemboweled and his body cut into quarters.

source: http://www.sjweb.info/Jesuits/saintShow.cfm?SaintID=50