by Leah Diaz | Apr 5, 2018 | Vocations - Blog
By Fr. Mike Snyder, M.M.
Former Superior General, Fr. John Sivalon, once described Mission this way:
These words reminded me of the Apostles at Pentecost: “Suddenly, from up on the sky there came a noise like a strong, driving wind which was heard throughout the house where they were seated. Tongues as of fire appeared, which parted and came to rest on each of them. All were filled with the Holy Spirit. They began to express themselves in foreign tongues and make bold proclamation as the Spirit prompted them.” (Acts 2:2-4)
As the Apostles boldly went forth proclaiming the saving message of Jesus so too have generations of men and women who have followed in their footsteps. They have been like twigs filled with the fire, the passion for God’s Mission as lived in the Paschal Mystery that is Jesus. For the past 107 years Maryknollers have been among those twigs generating sparks that have ignited others and others and others. We continue to go forth and invite you to join us for the short term as volunteers, the long term as lay missioners, and the life term as Priests, Brothers, and Sisters. We welcome you to Maryknoll!
by Adam Mitchell | Feb 21, 2018 | Vocations - Blog
Lent means “Spring” and is the Christian season of repentance and preparation beginning with Ash Wednesday and finishing 40 days later (minus Sundays, which are little Easters) with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Good Friday and Easter Sunday).
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Holiness simply means to be set apart for God and Lent is a time of practicing being set apart for and with God. We do this by reading our Bibles daily, by focusing our minds on the Lord (speaking to Him and listening for His reply throughout the day: in other words – praying) and trusting Him. We practice following His lead to forgive, give, love, bless, and to show compassion on whoever is in front of us, and by letting go of ways of thinking, doing, and being that work against God and His infinite love. Love for our brothers and sisters here and around the world is holiness.Lent, the period of 40 days that precedes the celebration of Easter, has its origin in the early days of the Church. Converts seeking to become Christian, who at that time were mostly adults, spent several years in study and preparation. Under the threat of Roman persecution, becoming a Christian was serious business, so their process of preparation was intensive! Then they went through a final period of “purification and enlightenment” for the 40 days before their baptism at Easter. The rest of the Church began to observe the season of Lent in solidarity with these newest Christians. It became an opportunity for all Christians to recall and renew the commitment of their baptism.Today we know Lent as a season of conversion: We acknowledge the ways we have turned away from God in our lives, and We focus on turning our hearts and minds back toward God. Hence the three pillars of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These observances help us turn away from whatever has distracted or derailed us and to turn back to God. Giving up something for Lent is ultimately a form of fasting. We can deprive ourselves of some small pleasure or indulgence and offer that sacrifice up to God. Or we might “give up” a bad habit such as smoking as a way of positively turning our life back toward what God wants for us.
Video courtesy of Busted Halo YouTube channel
by Adam Mitchell | Jan 5, 2018 | Vocations - Blog
Congrats to Maryknoll’s newest member, John Siyumbu, who took first oath to the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers this past weekend!
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John is the first international candidate to take a temporary oath with Maryknoll. Later this month he will travel to Cochabamba, Bolivia to begin our Overseas Training Program. We congratulate and wish John many blessings during his Training Program and we ask that you keep John and all of our seminarians in your prayers!
by Adam Mitchell | Dec 30, 2017 | Vocations - Blog
You are the Miracle of Christmas
I am what Jesus is
because Jesus became what I am.
Christmas came and went
almost unnoticed.
But after all the running around
and anxiety about finding it,
There it was
6 lbs. 8 ounces and growing
her given name: Milagro (Miracle).
So we almost missed it again…
but then we found her
in a poor house
just like Bethlehem.
Thanks to this miracle
we looked around and
found them everywhere
with muddy feet and bright faces.
I never thought this was really Christmas
until now I understand Bethlehem.
It was a real place
just like right here,
Where the star came to rest
and a baby was born.
by Brother Marty Shea, M.M.
by Adam Mitchell | Nov 5, 2017 | Vocations - Blog
Bishop Patrick J. Byrne, M.M. was the first Maryknoll priest. Orginally ordained for the archdiocese of Washington, D.C., he was given permission by Cardinal Gibbons to join Maryknoll a week after his ordination. As a young priest, Father Byrnes supervised the building of Maryknoll and was assigned to Korea in 1923.In 1929 he returned to Maryknoll and was elected Vicar General during the first Society chapter. In 1935 he opened a new mission in Kyoto, Japan, and was placed under house arrest during World War II.
When the war ended, he helped General Douglas McArthur calm the people during the beginning of the American occupation.In 1947 he was appointed by Rome as Apostolic visitor to Korea, and in 1949 the first Apostolic Delegate to Korea. On July 2, 1950 Bishop Byrne was seized by the Communists and put on trial. Refusing to give in, he was forced to march to the Yalu river along with remnants of the US Army 24th Infantry Division.He died on November 25, 1950 and was buried in an unmarked grave in Hanjang-ni, North Korea.
by Adam Mitchell | Sep 14, 2017 | Vocations - Blog
Pope Francis has often used the phrase “missionary disciples.” In his first apostolic exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel (Evangelii Gaudium), he says: “Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus: we no longer say that we are ‘disciples’ and ‘missionaries,’ but rather that we are always ‘missionary disciples.’”
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The pope is continuing to call us back to Christ in the form of ongoing discipleship, and then impelling us to mission, to take what we have been given out to a world that badly needs this witness and message of love. The Holy Father recently picked up this theme again when he said: “The people of God is a people of disciples because we receive the faith and a missionary people because we pass on the faith.”We are all called to be missionaries, by virtue of our baptism— proclaiming the faith boldly wherever we are “each in the place that the Lord has assigned to us.” This is precisely what new evangelization calls for. “Each of the baptized, whatever their role in the Church or the educational level of their faith, is an active agent of evangelization….The new evangelization should involve a new central role for each of the baptized.” Note that the only “qualification” the pope cites is “baptism.” One does not need a higher level degree in theology or formal training to be a missionary, just an encounter with Christ, which naturally inspires one to share this same encounter with others.Mother Teresa once counseled someone who thought they had to go off to a foreign land to evangelize, to, “grow where you’re planted.” The Lord has put us wherever we are for a reason. Indeed, He has entrusted the various individuals who come into our lives and cross our paths, to us. A fruitful prayer is every day to pray for “those who have been entrusted to my care.” Now that can be physical or spiritual children, family, children in a religious education program, students in a classroom, teenagers in a youth group, participants in an RCIA process, couples preparing for marriage, a whole roster of parishioners, your coworkers, all the way to the senior citizens or residents in an assisted living home. Each of these individuals, depending on one’s position, are entrusted to someone’s’ care (see Gn 3:9). And we are called to be a missionary to them, bringing Christ to them, helping them encounter the fullness of love and leading others to discipleship.We are called to be disciples. “All of us in the Church are disciples, always and for our entire lives….” We never stop being disciples. The term “disciple” necessitates a relationship with the master or teacher. In the same way that none of us ever ceases to be a son or daughter to our parents, once we enter into relationship with Christ via that encounter, we never cease to be a disciple. And like that family relationship, while the circumstances and levels change, the relationship between the disciple and Christ remains forever.Evangelii Gaudium, according to Father John Hurley, CSP, “invites Catholics today to think of themselves as disciples of Jesus. This fundamentally is what I think the call to a new evangelization is all about. It requires a paradigm shift from thinking of ourselves as members of the Church to disciples in the Church.” Members can be passive, disciples are inherently active. Members can check the “Catholic box” on the surveys and show up on Christmas and Easter; disciples participate every Sunday.The Foundation and Impetus Pope Francis cites Pope Paul VI’s Evangelii Nuntiandieleven times in The Joy of the Gospel. Pope Paul VI wrote: “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” Missionary disciples are precisely what witnesses are and must be if we are to successfully be agents of a new evangelization.by Phil Lawson
by Adam Mitchell | Sep 6, 2017 | Vocations - Blog
Vincent Capodanno was born on February 13th, 1929, in Staten Island, New York. After attending a year at Fordham University, young Vincent Capodanno entered the Maryknoll seminary in 1949, and was ordained in 1958. After ordination, Father Capodanno was assigned to work with aboriginal Taiwanese in the mountains of Taiwan where he served in a parish and later in a school. After seven years, Father Capodanno returned to the United States for leave and then was assigned to a Maryknoll school in Hong Kong.
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Looking for a different challenge, Father Capodanno requested a new assignment–as a United States Navy Chaplain serving with the U.S. Marines. After finishing officer candidate’s school, Father Capodanno reported to the 7th Marines, in Vietnam, in 1966.
When his tour was complete, he requested an extension, served in the naval hospital and then reported to the 5th Marines. He gained a reputation for always being there–for always taking care of his Marines.
On September 4th, 1967 , in the Thang Binh District of the Que-Son Valley, elements of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines found the large North Vietnamese Unit, approx. 2500 men, near the village of Dong Son. Operation Swift was underway. The out-numbered and disorganized Company D was in need of reinforcements. By 9:14 am, twenty-six Marines were confirmed dead. The situation was in doubt and another Company of Marines was committed to the battle. At 9:25 am, the 1st Battalion 5th Marine Commander requested assistance of two company’s of the 3rd Battalion 5th Marines, “M”and “K” Company.During those early hours, Chaplain Capodanno received word of the battle taking place. He sat in on the morning briefing at the 3rd Battalion’s Combat Operations Center. He took notes and listened to the radio reports coming in. As the elements of Company “M” and “K” prepared to load the helicopters. “Fr.Vince” requested to go with them. His Marines needed him. “It’s not going to be easy” he stated. As Company “M” approached the small village of Chau Lam, the North Vietnamese opened up on the 2nd Platoon, which was caught on a small knoll, out in the open. The fighting was fierce, hand to hand at times, and the platoon was in danger of being overrun. Father Capodanno went among the wounded and dying, giving last rites and taking care of his Marines. Wounded once in the face and suffering another wound that almost severed his hand, Father Capodanno moved to help a wounded corpsman only yards from an enemy machinegun. Father Capodanno died taking care of one of his men. On December 27, 1968, then Secretary of the Navy Paul Ignatius notified the Capodanno family that Fr. Vincent would posthumously be awarded the Medal of Honor in recognition of his selfless sacrifice. The offical ceremony was held January 7, 1969. On May 21, 2006, thirty-nine years after his death on the battlefield of Vietnam, Capodanno was publicly declared Servant of God, the first step towards canonization. This year, Maryknoll celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of Father Capodanno’s death on September 4, 2017.
Father Capodanno’s inspiration and dedication to “his” Marines goes much further. His story continues even today.
by Adam Mitchell | Sep 5, 2017 | Vocations - Blog
The Maryknoll building seems to have an envelope of quiet majesty about it. Looking at the building from the front steps, one gets a sense of the dedication of the many souls that have toiled for God’s mission over the decades. It is a testament of God’s continuing reward on the unwavering resolve of Fr. James Walsh and Fr. Thomas Price. As part of my formation program, I have spent three months living here at the Knoll.I travelled to Maryknoll from Chicago in the middle of May, 2017. These past few months have been enriching in a variety of ways.
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I have encountered the spirituality of Maryknoll as it is expressed by Maryknollers who have spent decades overseas. Towards this end, the dining hall at the Knoll has been an important place. I recall many conversations on a variety of topics. A few particularly polemical ones with a very amiable Maryknoller served to broaden my perspective on mission.
Through innumerable anecdotes offered by seasoned missioners, I grew in my appreciation of the history of Maryknoll. The love for mission at the Knoll is broad and deep. Though advanced in years, the zeal and zest for all things missionary among the men I met is evident. There is an enduring love for the people among whom the missioners worked. I find this admirable.I got to visit with Maryknollers living in Mission St. Teresa’s. It was wonderful meeting men like Fr. Art Willie whom I had heard about before beginning the formation program. Eager to share their mission stories with me, I could see why it is said that ‘old is gold’. God willing, I will emulate the generosity and patience I have witnessed at Mission St. Teresa’s. This is both in the senior missioners and their caretakers.The story of Maryknoll is embedded in all that one encounters here at the Knoll. From the buildings to the people who have worked here since the early beginnings of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America. From these, I once again got to appreciate the immense gift that mission is. Sites and sights at Maryknoll contribute to an appreciation of the single-minded zeal that contributed to the furthering of God’s presence and accompaniment in the universal Church.There were many communal events during these past few months. Beginning with an ordination ceremony in the month of May, I had the joy of participating in the numerous activities here at the Knoll. Foundation day on June 29th, with accompanying Jubilee celebrations, was an opportune moment to witness God’s faithfulness to Maryknoll. These activities and the other numerous encounters I have had here at the Knoll complement my formation program in Chicago. Visiting the Knoll has served to deepen my understanding of Maryknoll’s history as well as share in a glimpse of its future.
by Adam Mitchell | May 23, 2017 | Vocations - Blog, Vocations - New Members
Father Peter Latouf admits that the appeal of the priesthood was seeded in him growing up in the Maronite Catholic Church, an Eastern-rite church in communion with the Vatican.
According to him, the Mass, the psalms, the liturgy of the hours are appealing to him because others are doing this as well and his prayer is joining in the universal Church’s prayer.
Father Peter was completing his bachelor’s degree in psychology and international studies in Wayne State University in his hometown of Detroit but he needed three semesters of a foreign language. He chose Mandarin Chinese, just because it wasn’t what everyone else was doing.
After three semesters of Mandarin, he spent the summer of 2004 in China on a school trip. He wanted to go back as soon as he left but he wanted to go back having the church element in it. Having been raised in a “very strong Catholic” family, he started asking priests in Detroit how he might do mission work in China and they directed him to Maryknoll.
Father Peter Latouf with Taiwanese children
With Mandarin studies under his belt, plus a master’s in education from Wayne State as well, he was assigned to overseas training in Taiwan, where he gained pastoral experience working with the indigenous Bunun people in a Maryknoll parish in the mountains.
He was given a chance to travel to North Korea with Maryknoll Father Gerard Hammond who works with patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. He tried to prepare himself mentally for the trip, but found the experience nothing like he expected.
The two experiences—helping desperately sick people in North Korea and working with indigenous Taiwanese—sum up mission for Father Latouf. On the one hand, it’s finding reality worse than the “sanitized version” we expect to see, he says, and on the other “there’s a spirit and there’s a knowledge that people have and I think it’s very easy to underestimate that as well.”
Father Latouf celebrated his first Mass at Our Lady Queen of Apostles Chapel of the Maryknoll Society on Sunday, May 21, and then returned home to celebrated Mass in his parish of St. Sharbel Church in Sterling Heights, MI on June 17.
by Adam Mitchell | May 23, 2017 | Vocations - Blog, Vocations - New Members
Father Daniel Siwoo Kim says his faith was first nourished by his parents and strengthened at his home parish, St. Thomas Korean Catholic Center in the Diocese of Orange, California.
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After earning his bachelor’s degree in philosophy, Father Kim joined Maryknoll as a seminarian in 2009, when he said he felt like it was the right thing to do.
Father Kim was seeking concrete direction for his life while he was in college. In 2005 he took a year off and went on a pilgrimage to Europe. There, he witnessed the murder of Brother Roger Schutz who founded the Taizé ecumenical monastic community. That moment brought him to explore his vocation in a deeper way.
He stayed in Europe for a semester to study Scripture at a university in Nemi, Italy. Soon after, he met Maryknoll Father Alfonso Kim, who told him about the missionary society. He entered Maryknoll during August 2009, soon after graduation from California State University at Long Beach with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.
Fathers Daniel Kim and Alfonso Kim
Father Kim was ordained a deacon on August 29, 2015 at his home parish of St. Thomas Korean Catholic Center in Anaheim, California. He earned a master’s of divinity degree from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago during 2016.
He has learned about and experienced his faith during many contemplative opportunities that have included the study of the Mandarin language in Taiwan and China during his overseas mission training program. He also is fluent in Korean.
“I cannot contain my excitement,” added Father Kim, “to return to Asia and serve the people of God there as a missionary priest.”
Father Kim celebrated his first Mass at the Chapel of the Annunciation of the Maryknoll Sisters on Sunday, May 21, and then returned home to celebrate Mass in his parish of St. Thomas Korean Catholic Center in Anaheim, CA on May 28.
