Consecrated for life

With gratitude, the Consolata Missionaries announced the Perpetual Profession of religious vows of Yair Alberto Ligardo Morales, in Toronto.

Profession of the religious vows signifies that Yair has completed the Consolata missionary Institute's requirement and is making a permanent commitment before God to enter the Consolata Missionaries to serve the missionary Church. These are the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

Yair professed his vows in the Chapel of the Consolata Missionary Centre, Toronto, on November 15, 2013 in the presence of Consolata Missionaries and friends who had joined in a solemn celebration of the Eucharist.

On that day, November 15, the Consolata missionaries remember the souls of their Confreres whom the Lord had called from this world from November 2012 up to the present moment.

The celebration of the Holy Mass started at 11: 00 am. The main celebrant was Fr. Sosimi Nyakenyanya Atandi alongside with Frs. José Fernandes, Peter Turrone and Michael Mutinda.

In his homily, Fr. Sosimi stressed the importance of priesthood and giving gratitude to the missionaries who shared their lives in the celebrations of the sacraments, especially at the Holy Eucharist. He also pointed out that the most important gift to give back our deceased brothers and sisters is the celebration of the Eucharist.

Regarding perpetual religious profession of Yair, Fr. Sosimi encouraged him to continue offering himself to his call as in the "fiat" of our blessed Mother Mary to the service of God and the entire Church.

At the end of Mass, friends and benefactors gathered at the dining room for the enjoyable lunch and exchange of ideas about how to build and strengthen our Christian bonds.

Yair Alberto Ligardo Morales was born in Columbia on April 9^th 1979. He is the first born in a family of six, four sisters and two brothers. Ezequiel Ligardo Cabarcas and Idalis Morales, parents of Yair live in the Cartagena of Colombian Coastline.

Yair entered the Consolata Missionary Institute in 2005. He studied Philosophy for two years in Columbia and a year of Noviciate in Argentina in 2007. In December 29^th, 2007, he professed temporary religious vows in Buenos Aires and later went back to his native country – Colombia where he complete his Studies of theology in Javeriana University.

Paul Mageto

Remembrance Day (11/11)

Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty.

This day, or alternative dates, are also recognized as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries. Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918. Hostilities formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month," in accordance with the Armistice, signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5:20 that morning. ("At the 11th hour" refers to the passing of the 11th hour, or 11:00 am) World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919.

The day was specifically dedicated by King George V on 7 November 1919 as a day of remembrance for members of the armed forces who were killed during World War I. This was possibly done upon the suggestion of Edward George Honey to Wellesley Tudor Pole, who established two ceremonial periods of remembrance based on events in 1917

The red remembrance poppy has become a familiar emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem "In Flanders Fields". These poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their brilliant red color an appropriate symbol for the blood spilled in the war.

 

Canada

In Canada, Remembrance Day is a public holiday and federal statutory holiday, as well as a statutory holiday in all three territories and in six of the ten provinces (Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec being the exceptions). From 1921 to 1930, the Armistice Day Act provided that Thanksgiving would be observed on Armistice Day, which was fixed by statute on the Monday of the week in which 11 November fell. In 1931, the federal parliament adopted an act to amend the Armistice Day Act, providing that the day should be observed on 11 November and that the day should be known as "Remembrance Day".

Kenya

In Kenya, the Kenya Armed Forces Old Comrades Association (KAFOCA) was established in Kenya immediately in 1945 to cater for the welfare of the Ex-servicemen of the First and the Second World Wars. The KAFOCA and Kenyan government recognize Remembrance Day.

 

"go into the whole world, proclaim the Gospel”

    

"The true greatness of any church in not how many
it seats but how it does the mission of Christ" 
MwanaaSuu

The Consolata Missionaries in Toronto, Canada, celebrated the World Mission Sunday, which took place on the 20^th of October, together with members of the community of St. Andrew parish, in which they serve, with benefactors and friends of Consolata, at the Consolata Centre, 2671 Islington, Toronto.  The very day was preceded by a missionary vigil of prayer at the parish, with the aim of praying for the missions, the Consolata missionaries all over the world, and in a way, sharing mission experience with the faithful.

During the Holy Mass ate the Consolata Centre, which was presided over by Fr. Peter Turrone, and concelebrated by Frs. Michael Mutinda, José Fernandes and missionary student Yair Alberto, the president reminded all those present that the World Mission Sunday aims at reminding Catholics to recommit themselves to the missionary activities of the Church through prayer and sharing. And so, as we gather here today, we are called to commit ourselves together with the Consolata missionaries and the Church at large, through different levels of contribution – spiritually and materially, especially to those missions in hardship situations, he added.

 

 

 

Recalling the message of Pope Francis for the day, we were reminded that it is necessary to proclaim courageously and in every situation, the Gospel of Christ, a message of hope, reconciliation, communion, a proclamation of God's closeness, his mercy, his salvation, and a proclamation that the power of God's love is able to overcome the darkness of evil and guide us on the path of goodness.

After the celebration of the Eucharist, all were invited to gather at the Consolata hall for a sharing of lunch, organised by the Consolata missionaries with great help from the perpetual volunteers of the same.

On the same time, some slides of the Consolata missionaries in the world were shown and thereafter, a few words from the Consolata missionaries where conveyed to the present. Addressing the gathering of friends and benefactors, the coordinator of the Canada Consolata group, Fr. José Fernandes, reminded those present that our mission has an essential element of "go" and this "go" should be accepted from the two sides of the community, the missionary and the faithful, for the better realization of Christ's mission, which is our mission.

Founded in 1901 (priests and brothers) and in 1910 (sisters) by Blessed Allamano in Turin, Italy, the Consolata missionaries now count with about two thousand members (priests, brothers and sisters) working in 21 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and América.

.

 

Fr. Michael Mutinda, IMC. Consolata Centre, Toronto

Lumen Fidei - Summary of the Light of Faith

Lumen Fidei.
after the pope published the document lumen fidei, many have read it in diverse enviroments, but still there are some who have not yet come across the document. I took some time to read it and put some outlined summary of it, as I was giving a talk about it over the weekend to a group of couples of Christ for family life. here is the summary:

 OUTLINE OF THE DOCUMENT: LUMEN FIDEI – LIGHT OF FAITH.

 Introduction.

The encyclical starts with what the ancients put their faith in and proceeds to move directly to what our culture believes about faith – that it is something for the blind, those driven by emotion. But, at the same time, our culture is discovering that reason is not enough. Confusion has set in on what is good and evil, right and wrong. Faith in Jesus and love in Him gives us a new vision to see the world.

Promulgated on 29^th june 2013, and published on 5^th july, 2013.

1^st of two popes: Benedict XVI and Francis.

Readings:

1.      He. 11,1 – definition of faith.

2.      Ef. 2, 8-9 – saved by faith not works

3.      LK. 18, 8 – your faith saves you.

4.      Jm 2,14 – faith without works.

5.      1 cor. 13,13 – the three theological virtues – faith, hope, love.

6.      Rm 14,7 – kingdom of God.

 

CONCEPT OF THE LOGO

The logo is composed of a square, bordered field on which a boat, symbolizing the Church, is represented as sailing on a graphically minimal representation of waves. The main mast of the boat is a cross from which sails are displayed in the form of dynamic signs which compose the trigram of Christ (IHS). The background to the sails is a sun which, associated with the trigram, refers also to the Eucharist.

Important Remarks.

Faith is a “theological” and “supernatural” virtue given by God (no. 7).

This context connects the idea of faith with the idea of experience and personal encounter, which establishes a relation between man and God, without making it clear whether this is the intellectual relation of knowledge or the affective relation of love.

The central idea is that faith is first of all existential, the product of an encounter with the living God that reveals love and leads to communion (no. 4, no. 8).  It is essentially dynamic, openness to the promise of God and memory of [that promise about] the future (no. 9), openness to love (no. 21, no. 34), attachment to the source of life and of all fatherhood (no. 11), an experience of love (no. 47)…. It consists of “the willingness to let ourselves be constantly transformed and renewed by God’s call” (no. 13).

 In other words: I believe in God because he is love and not because he is truthful.

 The necessity of faith in order to be saved is presented in a non-directive manner: the beginning of salvation is “openness to something prior to ourselves, to a primordial gift that affirms life and sustains it in being” (no. 19).

In short, faith, as it is presented in Lumen fidei, is first of all an experience of life and of love, fully realized in the “encounter with Christ” (no. 30): “Faith knows because it is tied to love, because love itself brings enlightenment” (no. 26). Jesus is said to be the one savior because “all God’s light is concentrated in him, in his ‘luminous life’ which discloses the origin and the end of history” (no. 35)

If faith increases our knowledge, it is not initially and principally inasmuch as it teaches us certain objective truths by authorized testimony, but rather inasmuch as it unites us to the life of a subject, inasmuch as it initiates us, through loving thought, to another thought and another love.

It is not learning objective truths, but becoming united to the life of a subject and being initiated by loving thought to another thought and another love.

“Believing means entrusting oneself to a merciful love which always accepts and pardons, which sustains and directs our lives, and which shows its power by its ability to make straight the crooked lines of our history” (no. 13). “Faith transforms the whole person precisely to the extent that he or she becomes open to love. Through this blending of faith and love we come to see the

Kind of knowledge which faith entails, its power to convince and its ability to illumine our steps.

Faith knows because it is tied to love, because love itself brings enlightenment. Faith’s understanding is born when we receive the immense love of God which transforms us inwardly and enables us to see reality with new eyes” (no. 26).

Chapter 1 – We Have Believed in Love (cf. 1 John 4:16)

1.      Abraham, Israel, Christian, salvation, ecclesial form of faith.

2.      Salvation History—the story of God’s people—to see faith throughout history. It begins with Abraham and finds its summation in Jesus.

3.      God is not something beyond us; He is someone who acts in the here and now. He is in our journey.

4.      Looking into our own history, can we perceive God´s intervention in it? Mention?

 

Chapter 2 – Unless You Believe, You Will Not Understand (cf. Isaiah 7:9)

1.      Seeks to understand the relationship between faith and several other aspects - Faith and truth, knowledge of truth and love, faith as hearing and sight, faith and reason, faith and search of God, faith and theology.

2.      Faith is rooted in reality when it is rooted in truth; that truth which does not become cold and impersonal. The truth which in faith possesses us; we do not possess truth. As we become more possessed by truth, we grow in humility and in the knowledge of the faith.

3.      Which are the truths which we seek to understand in our life?

Chapter 3 – I Delivered to You What I Also Received (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:3)

1.      Church – mother of faith, sacraments, prayer, Decalogue, unity and integrity.

2.      The nature of our lives forces us to have faith in the truth others are giving us; our Christian faith is passed on from one generation to the next. We accept this faith in a community and in the communion of the Church. The sacraments allow us to experience this faith in a special way. (Baptism and Eucharist.)

3.      Is there any element of faith which I don’t understand or I don’t agree with in the history of the church?

 

Chapter 4 – God Prepares a City for Them (cf. Hebrews 11:16)

1.      Faith and common good, family, light for life in society, consolation and strength amid suffering.

2.      faith should be the foundation of our society, marriage and family which in turn helps form our other relationships as well.

3.      Proclaiming God publicly, God in our society: are we ashamed of him?

4.      Faith also provides strength in suffering. Faith does not answer every question, but provides a lamp to help us navigate through the darkness and the presence of God who is with us personally in our suffering.

5.      In the end, faith should provide us with joy. The sign of our faith lives should be a joy in Jesus.

6.      F.A.I.T.H. – face the reality, accept it, imagine a positive change, trust in God, and hope in Him.

 

Conclusion.

Blessed is she who believed – Lk 1,45.

When our own spiritual lives bear fruit we become filled with joy, which is the clearest sign of faith’s grandeur. Mary accepted Jesus with joy, we too should follow her example.

Thanksgiving Day in Canada

Thanksgiving Day in Canada

Thanksgiving Day in Canada has been a holiday on the second Monday of October since 1957. It is a chance for people to give thanks for a good harvest and other fortunes in the past year.

What do people do?

Many people have a day off work on the second Monday of October. They often use the three-day Thanksgiving weekend to visit family or friends who live far away, or to receive them in their own homes. Many people also prepare a special meal to eat at some point during the long weekend. Traditionally, this included roast turkey and seasonal produce, such as pumpkin, corn ears and pecan nuts. Now, the meal may consist of other foods, particularly if the family is of non-European descent.

The Thanksgiving weekend is also a popular time to take a short autumn vacation. This may be the last chance in a while for some people to use cottages or holiday homes before winter sets in. Other popular activities include: outdoor breaks to admire the spectacular colors of the Canadian autumn; hiking; and fishing. Fans of the teams in the Canadian Football League may spend part of the weekend watching the Thanksgiving Day Classic matches.

Public life

Thanksgiving Day is national public holiday in Canada. Many people have the day off work and all schools and post offices are closed. Many stores and other businesses and organizations are also closed. Public transport services may run to a reduced timetable or may not run at all.

Background

The native peoples of the Americas held ceremonies and festivals to celebrate the completion and bounty of the harvest long before European explorers and settlers arrived in what is now Canada. Early European thanksgivings were held to give thanks for some special fortune. An early example is the ceremony the explorer Martin Frobisher held in 1578 after he had survived the long journey in his quest to find a northern passage from Europe to Asia.

Many thanksgivings were held following noteworthy events during the 18th century. Refugees fleeing the civil war in the United States brought the custom of an annual thanksgiving festival to Canada. From 1879, Thanksgiving Day was held every year but the date varied and there was a special theme each year. The theme was the "Blessings of an abundant harvest" for many years. However, Queen Victoria's golden and diamond jubilees and King Edward VII's coronation formed the theme in later years.

From the end of the First World War until 1930, both Armistice Day and Thanksgiving Day were celebrated on the Monday closest to November 11, the anniversary of the official end of hostilities in World War I. In 1931, Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day and Thanksgiving Day was moved to a Monday in October. Since 1957, Thanksgiving Day has always been held on the second Monday in October.

Symbols

Thanksgiving Day in Canada is linked to the European tradition of harvest festivals. A common image seen at this time of year is a cornucopia, or horn, filled with seasonal fruit and vegetables. The cornucopia, which means "Horn of Plenty" in Latin, was a symbol of bounty and plenty in ancient Greece. Turkeys, pumpkins, ears of corn and large displays of food are also used to symbolize Thanksgiving Day.

Catholicity of the Universal Church

 Catholicity of the Universal Church

“Let us pray that the Holy Spirit makes us more and more ‘Catholic’”.

The etymology of the word “Catholic”, which is derived from the Greek word “kath’olon” meaning “according to the whole”, the Holy Father said that this totality of the Church can be explained in three fundamental aspects.

“The Church is Catholic because it is the space, the home in which the entire faith is announced, in which the salvation that is brought to us by Christ is offered to all,” the Pope said explaining the first aspect.

 

The Church allows us to encounter the mercy of God that transforms us because Jesus Christ is present in it, it gives the true confession of faith, the fullness of the sacramental life, the authenticity of the ordained ministry. In the Church, each one of us finds what is necessary to believe, to live as Christians, to become saints, to walk in every place and in every age.”

 

Making a comparison to life in a family, the Holy Father went on to say that the Church gives all what is needed to grow and to mature in life. It is impossible to fully grow and mature alone, without the help of a community, a family. Pope Francis called on the faithful to reflect on whether they participate in the life of the community or close themselves in their own problems.

 

Commenting on the second fundamental aspect, the Pope told the pilgrims that the Church is catholic because it is “universal” and “announces the Gospel to every man and every woman.”

“The Church is not a group of elite, it does not regard only a few. The Church has no closure, it is sent to all people and of mankind. It is the only Church that is present in the smallest parts [of the world],” the Holy Father said.

 

To feel in communion with the whole Church, he continued, is to feel part of the greater mission of going out to announce the Gospel. To announce and give witness of the faith “is not a matter of a few, but concerns me, you, each and everyone of us.”

 

The Harmony of Church

The Church as a “House of harmony” among all was the final fundamental aspect of the Holy Father’s catechesis. The unity and diversity of the Church, he said, combine together to become a wealth.

 

Pope Francis compared this harmony to that a symphony that, while comprised of different instruments, join together to make a beautiful harmony. Each of their respective sounds is not lost, but rather accentuated in the music.

 

“It is a beautiful image that tells us that the Church is like a great orchestra in which there is variety, diversity among the components, but does not enter into conflict, it does not oppose, it is a variety that is allowed to meld in harmony by the Holy Spirit; it is He who is the true “Maestro”, it is He who is the harmony,” the Pope said.

 

“Let us pray that the Holy Spirit makes us more and more ‘Catholic’”.

By Junno Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY, October 09, 2013 (Zenit.org)

Blessed Joseph Allamano, Founder of the Consolata Missionaries.

Blessed Joseph Allamano
Founder of the Consolata Missionaries.

Also known as Giuseppe Allamano, Joseph was born on 21 January 1851 at Castelnuovo d' Asti near Turin in Italy. Note that Castelnuovo is the birth place of well known saints, such as Saint Giuseppe Cafasso , who was, as a matter of fact, Blessed Allamano’s uncle, brother to his mother; and Don Bosco. Joseph was the fourth born of five children. His father died when he was three years old. Young Joseph studied at the Salesian Oratory in Valdocco, Italy and was lucky enough to have Don Bosco as his confessor and spiritual adviser. Answering the call to the priesthood, Joseph entered the diocesan seminary of Turin in November 1866. He was ordained on 20 September 1873. Thereafter, he was first appointed Spiritual director of the Turin seminary and then in October 1880, Father Joseph was appointed Rector of the main Marian Shrine of the diocese of Turin, the Consolata Shrine. As Rector, Blessed Allamano remodeled the shrine, and made it a source for spiritual renewal throughout the diocese.
As Spiritual director of Turin seminary, Father Allamano noted that many priests were eager to become missionaries. This led to his founding of the Consolata Missionaries( Priests and Brothers) on 29 January 1901. One year later, the first shipment of priests left for Kenya, soon to be followed by others. The missionaries reached Kenya in 1902.
On 29 January 1910 Father Allamano founded the Consolata Missionary Sisters for women with a missionary vocation. Blessed Joseph Allamano devoted his best care and attention to his missionaries, through personal contacts, letters, and meetings.
He died on 16 February 1926 at Turin, Italy. Venerated on 13 May 1989 by Pope John Paul II and beatified on 7 October 1990 by Pope John Paul II

Blessed Joseph Allamano
Pray for us!