“Operation White Christmas” - 'immigrant clean-up' initiative in Northern Italy


Brescia, 18 Nov. (AKI) - The mayor of the small town of Coccaglio, located in the northern Italian region of Lombardy has launched a campaign to "clean-up" the city of immigrants, ahead of the Christian holidays next month, Italian media said on Wednesday. The town council has dubbed the operation "White Christmas".
There is no crime here. We only want to start cleaning up," said the mayor of Coccaglio, Franco Claretti.
The "White Christmas" campaign is being spearheaded by Claretti and six town councillors from Italy's ruling conservative People of Freedom party and its junior coalition partner, the anti-immigrant Northern League party.
Read more in Italian on www.repubblica.it

Entwicklungshilfe hat versagt - Erfolgreich nur die Kirchen


Rupert Neudeck (Cap Anamur) aus Anlass des Welternährungsgipfels in Rom: "Die
staatliche Entwicklungshilfe war bisher nicht erfolgreich, weil sie indirekt korrupte Systeme und Regierungen unterstützte. Erfolgreich dagegen waren ganz eindeutig die Kirchen." Dem neuen Entwicklungshilfeminster Nebel sagt er: "Wir müssen wegkommen von der Vorstellung, dass es nur um Geld geht. Es geht genauso darum, andere Lebenskulturen mit großem Respekt und Anerkennung wahrzunehmen." Das ganze Interview hier auf tagesschau.de

Bruxelles/ Brussels / Bruselas 2010

1. Français
2. English
3. Italiano

Le prochain cours formation pour les missionnaires sera donné en français, du 1 mars au 26 mai 2010.

Ce cours est destiné à tous les frères qui ont commencé à travailler en «mission. «Cela vaut aussi pour ceux qui vont du sud au nord de l’Inde ou en Europe». Ce cours n’est pas fait pour ceux qui partent seulement pour un court séjour, mais pour ceux qui partent pour quelques années. Sont invités aussi les missionnaires Les conditions: connaître le français, expérience missionnaire .

J’invite les Supérieurs Majeurs à me communiquer les noms des frères qui sont intéressés à participer à ce type de programme de formation.

Cher Ministre, merci de votre collaboration. Je souhaite que cet effort du bureau de l’animation missionnaire nous aide à grandir dans l’esprit franciscain de la Mission.

Merci de m’informer dès que possible des noms des participants intéressés, en indiquant leur nom, quelques informations personnelles, leur niveau de maitrise du français, les renseignements personnels du passeport, le pays de leur «mission». Date d’échéance: 15 novembre 2009.


The next course of our formation program for missionaries will be done in French from 2nd March to 24th May 2009.


It is meant for all those brothers who are preparing to leave their own culture and to go to a “Mission” (it is applicable also to those going from South India to North India, or those going to Europe). It is not designed for those who go only for a short experience. They should go for some years. The past has shown, that participation was more fruitful for those who had already made an experience in a specific mission area. So we specially invite Missionaries who recently started working in the “Mission”.
The condition is knowledge of the French language and some missionary experience.

I would like to ask the Major Superiors to let me know me the names of brothers who are interested in participating in this kind of a formation programme.

Dear brother Minister,
Thank you for your collaboration. I hope that this effort of the Office of Mission Animation will help us to grow in the Franciscan spirit of Mission.

Please inform me as soon as possible about interested participants, indicating Name, some personal data, knowledge of the French language, the place of their “mission”.
The course will be held only if there are sufficient participants enrolled until November 15th. Please express your interest during the next 2 weeks.


Il prossimo corso per la formazione dei nuovi missionari in francese avrà luogo dal 1 marzo al 26 maggio 2010.


Il corso è destinato a tutti quei frati che si preparano a lasciare la propria cultura e ad andare in una “Missione” (termine che è applicabile anche a coloro che vanno dall’India del Sud nell’India del Nord o a coloro che vanno in Europa). Non è invece per coloro che vanno soltanto per una breve esperienza. Si tratta quindi di coloro che andranno per diversi anni. I missionari con una certa esperienza nel paese della loro missione hanno potuto profittare meglio del corso. Invitiamo per questo specialmente i missionari che hanno cominciato di recente a lavorare in “Missione”. Condizione è che conoscano il francese e una esperienza nel lavoro.

Vorrei chiedere ai Superiori maggiori che mi comunichino i nomi di frati che sono interessati a partecipare a questa forma di programma di formazione.

Caro fratello Ministro,
grazie per la tua collaborazione. Spero che questo sforzo dell’Ufficio dell’Animazione missionaria ci aiuti a crescere nello spirito francescano della Missione.

Per favore, informami prima possibile riguardo ai partecipanti, indicandone il nome, alcuni dati personali, la conoscenza della lingua francese, il luogo della loro “missione”.
Ultimo termine è il 15 novembre prossimo per comunicare il vostro interesse. Perché abbiamo bisogno di un numero minimo di partecipanti per poter organizzare il corso.

Church buildings destroyed at Padang

Click for news about Padang earthquake in German/ Information zum Erdbeben auf Deutsch

Msgr. Martinus Situmorang OFMCap, bishop of Padang and president of the Indonesian Bishops conference, communicated to the Mission Office of the Dutch Capuchins, some pictures of the material damage for the Church in the region hit by the earthquake. Beside the many victims among the population and the destruction we have seen on television and newspaper, he commented about the damage at the cathedral and the bishops house. Also a convent was destroyed and also some catholic schools.




Pictures:
Cathedral
Convent Sisters van Liefde
Bishops house

Indonesia earthquake: Padang region hit



• 7.6-magnitude quake, followed by 7.0 tremor
• 464 dead, thousands trapped under rubble
• Hospitals, hotels, shopping malls cave in
• Capuchin Martinus Situmorang is bishop of Padang


The official death toll from the Indonesian earthquake on September 30th has risen to 464, the social affairs ministry says.

The latest update follows the Indonesian Health Ministry's prediction that thousands of people were likely killed in the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Indonesia's Sumatra on Wednesday.

A second earthquake was recorded shortly before noon (AEST) on October 1st. It had a magnitude of 7.0 and struck 150km south of the epicenter of last night's quake.

Five hundred buildings in Padang, located on the western coast of Sumatra, collapsed or were badly damaged, Disaster Management Agency spokesman Priyadi Kardono said.

Earlier today, Disaster Management Agency spokesman Priyadi Kardono said: "The effects of the earthquake could be as big as the Yogyakarta quake." He was referring to a 2006 quake that killed nearly 6000. The tragedy comes just a day after an earthquake and tsunami hit Samoa and American Samoa, killing 148 people
The bishop of Padang is Mgr. Martinus Situmorang OFMCap. He attended the annual meeting of bishops of Sumatra at Pematangsiantar together with the three Capuchin provincial when the earthquake hit his diocese. He went back to Padang. The Capuchin provincial of Medan wrote, that in the moment they have no additional information.
The Capuchins in Medan and Sumatra have been involved in first aid and reconstruction work after the Tsunami of 2004 and the earthquake at Nias Island in 2005.


New presence in Ghana



The friars from St. Francis Province in Kerala, India, started the second Capuchin presence in Ghana in Kpassa, Jasikan Diocese, Volta, Ghana. Up to now it is one of the outstations of an existing parish. Soon it should become an independent parish. The friars are living in a small, rented house. Their car is not in good conditions for the bad roads. Malaria and other diseases make life difficult there for the missionaries. But they are doing their best to serve our brothers and sisters in this place. Br. Godfrey sent us the pictures.

A mission for the world




If you click on the picture you will come to the Picasa Web Album with some comments.