The month of May is especially dedicatedto the Mother of God. In the Liturgy, OurLady is given a wonderful title that origi-nates from the book of Ecclesiasticus (Sir-ach), namely “Mother of Fair Love.” Loveis indeed fair when it comes from God andleads to God. This is the measure of itsbeauty. The more manstretches out towards the loveof God, the more he radiatesbeauty and loving kindness.For the love of God is the rootof his dignity; he is loved byGod and thereby called to loveas God loves. Only the love of God makesman capable of truly loving his neighborand fully respecting his dignity. “As youdid it to one of the least of these my broth-ers, you did it to me.”

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta oftensummed up her entire work in these fivewords of Jesus: “You did it to me.” Shetells how “One day they brought in a manoff the streets. His body was half eaten byworms. Nobody could stand next to him –the stench was so great. So I went in to

clean him up. He looked at me, thenasked, ‘Why are you doing this? Everyonehas discarded me; why are you doing this?Why do you come close to me?’ – ‘I loveyou,’ I replied. ‘I love you; you are Jesusin the terrible clothing of suffering. Jesusis sharing His sufferings with you.’ Andthen he looked up and said ‘But you, you,too, are sharing it by doing what you are

doing.’ I said, ‘No, I am sharing with youthe joy of loving, by loving Jesus Christin you.’ Whereupon this Hindu gentlemansaid ‘Praised be Jesus Christ.’ He had dis-covered that he was someone; a person,and that he was loved.”

Every human being has a right to learnthat he or she is loved by God. With yourhelp, and guided by this supernatural mo-tivation, the Church’s missionaries will-ingly tackle every journey, no matter howfar or how strenuous, in order to bring

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Jesus to all people. In Him we can recog-nize ourselves, too, as made in God’simage, an image that predisposes us to im-itate God in His love. No one is better ablethan the Mother of God to teach us the se-cret of “fair love,” the love that makes it-self entirely a gift, to God and ourneighbor. The young Italian saint,Gabriele Possenti (1838-1862) wrote in

his Marian Confession of Faiththat even the angels learn fromMary how to love. “I believe,Mary, that you alone have per-fectly fulfilled the command-ment of the Lord: ‘You shalllove the Lord your God with

all your heart…’ so that even the blessedSeraphim of heaven could have descendedto earth, in order to learn in your hearthow to love God.”

My grateful blessing

Father Martin M. BartaEcclesiastical Assistant

Love is beautifulwhen it comes fromGod and leads to God.

“Love of neighbor can exist onlyin the love of God and through it.It draws its strength from the factthat God’s Son, who in His sacredhumanity is infinitely lovable, hasidentified Himself with the least ofHis brothers.They are worthy ofour love, as He Himself is; theyhave a right to the love that we

owe Him.”FatherWerenfried

Founder of Aid to the Church in NeedChristians in Syria are appealing to us:“Our Calvary is a longone. Pray to the Queen of Peace for an end to the violence!”

No. 4 – May 2012Newsletter

Published eight times a year

ED/2/5/13www.churchinneed.org

Evangelizing – always

and everywhere (Benedict XVI)

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Pastoral tran

sport

Delivering the Gospel message

Tanzania. A blessing – for the cate-chists on their two-wheeled mission.

Pakistan. A blessing – for a good startwith the new prayer group.

Angola. Even a four-wheel drivestruggles in conditions like these.

Boats, Land Rovers,motorbikes, trucks, buses, cars, bicycles – through over400 separate projects you helped to drive forward the Church’s pastoral apos-tolate in 2011 and mobilize the Good News.

The great John Paul II was once asked whathe would ask of God for mankind, if he wereallowed only one request. He did not hesi-tate. “Mercy,” was his answer. And the great-est act of mercy, surely, is to lead men toGod. To do so, one needs to fetch them fromwhere they are, or go out to them where theyare. A catechist inNigeria can increasehis range by 30 or 40miles if he has a bi-cycle. A priest in East Ukraine cannot evenbegin to minister to his scattered communi-ties, scores of miles apart, unless he has a car.Without a vehicle, much of his flock will bedeprived – no sick visits, little catechesis, fewopportunities for Holy Mass. Even God’smercy requires a suitable mode of transport.Take the Diocese of Itaituba, for example, inthe vast Amazon region of Brazil – or the

huge expanse of Sumbe Diocese in Angola.A sturdy vehicle brings a dramatic rise in thenumber of baptisms, in the number of prayergroups. During the six-month rainy seasonin the Amazon, travel on the mudslides thatpass for roads is impossible without a four-wheel-drive vehicle. Meanwhile, Father

Alexandre José ofthe Parish of the Sa-cred Hearts of Jesusand Mary in Mar-

romeu, Mozambique, would be overjoyedto have 26 bicycles for his catechists andparish leaders. His parish covers an area of7,300 square miles and includes over 60smaller communities. Everything is donewith bicycles – from ferrying the sick to thenearest doctor (often 30 miles or moreaway), accompanying the dead on their lastjourney to the cemetery, to bringing expec-tant mothers to give birth at the maternityclinic. One bicycle costs just $90.

Wherever the Church is alive and active, sheis also on the move – whether on two wheelsor four, by motor power or manpower, bycanoe, by boat or by bus. For the pastoraloutreach and the Gospel mission, inevitablyinvolves traveling – traveling to build upchurches. Even Saint Paul was well aware ofthis. The ancient car of Father Dainius, in Ki-etaviskes,Lithuania, now has 275,000 miles

Malawi. A blessing – for a safe journeyto the confirmation candidates in thecountryside.

on the clock – and many of the roads are noteven tarred. So many times already at the re-pair shop they have warned that this willhave to be the last repair. Now he is askingour help – for the sake of his Confirmationclasses, his First Holy Communion children,the sick and the elderly. They all need him,and he needs the car. It is the vital deliverysystem for his pastoral apostolate. We havepromised him $6,600.

‘Put out into the deep!’ – Duc in altum! Thisis the motto on the coat of arms of the Apos-tolic Vicariate in theComoros islands. Twoyears ago this group of islands was consti-tuted as a vicariate. Some 99% of the popu-lation is Muslim, and the 1% of Christianslive an almost virtual existence on the five is-lands. Any open and public parish life is im-possible in this fiercely Islamic environment.So they meet in private, in prayer groups.The task of ministering to these people, ofmaintaining a sense of solidarity, giving reg-ular instruction to the children and youngpeople – all this involves a great deal of hardwork, a great deal of traveling. In this situa-tion ‘Duc in altum!’ has a quite literal mean-ing for the apostolic vicar here. We havepromised him $14,400 for a car. Will youhelp to set the wheels rolling? •

God’s Mercy needs asuitable mode of transport.

Any donation you kindly give will go to support these, or similar projects, and enable the pastoral work of Aid to the Church in Need.

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In the Our Father “we pray for ourbread – and at the same time, forbread for others,” writes Pope Bene-dict XVI. Each of us, he adds, shouldbecome“a lover,whose heart is opento being torn by another’s need.”

“You are not forgotten,” said the Nuncio inBangkok to the Burmese refugees on theThai border, his heart torn by their needs.And he quoted Pope Benedict: “Workingon behalf of refugees is one of the essentialduties of the Church.” There are 17,000Catholics here, who fled or were forcedhere, among the 150,000+ refugees from

the war and chaos in Burma. Six priests areministering to them, materially and spiritu-ally, in everything – from the medical careof the sick, of chil-dren, of expectantmothers, throughthe distribution offood supplies to the dispensing of theSacraments, catechesis, the organizing ofprayer groups, of basic schooling and vo-cational training. The plight of theserefugees has indeed torn at the hearts of thebishops in Thailand and Burma. Their ap-peal has not gone unheard. Confident ofyour generous response, we have alreadypromised them $32,800 this year.

Human dignity is every bit as important asour daily bread. This is a central concern ofthe Sisters of Our Lady of the Good Shep-

With the Good Shepherd Sisters –a refuge for abandoned women.

Refugees

A garment of new dignity

Where can they go now?They have fled the violence in their Iraqi homeland;now in Syria the terror has caught up with them.Archbishop Samir Nassar, of the MaroniteCatholics in Damascus, can remember a longway back – in 1920 it was the Armenianswho came here, then in 1934 the Syrians, in1948 the Palestinian Christians, and since2003 the Christians from Iraq. They havefled here from the war and violence. Andnow these uprooted Christians are facing vi-olence again, here in Damascus. More andmore of them are coming to the tomb of themartyrs, desperate, with tears in their eyes

Via Crucis in Damascus

herd in Lebanon. For they know that whena person regains his sense of dignity hecan then forgive others – and only through

forgiveness, not re-venge, can recon-ciliation be achieved.The Sisters are help-

ing women and girls who have been raped,rejected by their families or forced to flee. Intheir convent in Ain Saadé, in the Christianquarter, there is help and healing available,with everything – from psychological coun-seling, through hygiene, to hair care – on theprogram. Thus there is also a need for mate-rial things – for soap, washcloths, paper,books, etc. The Word to nourish the soul, anda garment of new dignity. We have promisedthe Good Shepherd Sisters $3,900. Will youhelp them to provide this garment for thosein their care? •

Archbishop Nassar holds up the cross –sign of hope and redemptive suffering.

Waiting to return home – Burmese refugee children in Thailand.

and rosaries in their hand. They have nobread left, no milk for their babies, no work,no prospects. They are ready to do anything– some of them even contemplate sellingtheir virtue – simply in order to save theirchildren from starvation. Naked, homeless,hungry, thirsty – for Archbishop Nassar theyare indeed among ‘the least of his brothers’.But his hands are empty, too; all he can do isto fold them in prayer before the Almighty –and appeal to us for support. •

“You are not forgotten!”

Any donation you kindly give will go to support these, or similar projects, and enable the pastoral work of Aid to the Church in Need.

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Listening to their heartsEach time we read the Mirror we aremoved into helping, even though in a smallway, with our donation. The need is im-mense but the work your organisation doesalways moves us into taking time to lookinto our hearts and responding this way.So together we wish to send our donationof $2000. Half of the amount should beused for the support of priests in EasternEurope and the Third World. May Godcontinue to bless the wonderful work ofyour organisation and we pledge our con-tinued support and prayers.

A family in Australia

To shelter them from the coldI was moved by the account in the Mirrorof the Poor Clares in Uruguay and I amsending you 80 Euros. I had intended tosave up the money, but this cold winter hashit the poorest of the poor particularlyhard. The sisters are needed in their coun-

try and must not be allowed to fall ill be-cause of the cold. I am always delighted toreceive my copy of the Mirror.

Abenefactress in Germany

Praying for the persecutedTo all our brothers and sisters in Christ –every Wednesday at 9.00am before theBlessed Sacrament, we pray for all ourpersecuted brethren. You are very preciousto us. With all our love, thoughts andprayers.

Aparish group in the UK

A hidden helper“Have I been with you so long, and youstill do not knowme, Philip?” (Jn. 14:9). Ihave been supporting ACN for more yearsthan I can remember. I even have a picturethat was sent to me by the Bacon Priest,Father Werenfried van Straaten. Togetherwith ACN, he remains in my heart.

Abenefactor in France

Need, love and thanks – Your letters

Father Geoffrey Owacgiu was ayoung priest in the Diocese of Nebbi,in Uganda when, thanks to your gen-erosity, he was given a motorcycle forhis pastoral work. That was 13 yearsago. “You cannot imagine,” he nowwrites,“what a wonderful service youthereby performed for the people ofGod, or just how much you havehelped me, through this means oftransport, to save souls.”He uses it forhis apostolate in the schools and inyouth work. Five parishes benefit fromit, and every day the motorbike stillcovers at least 10 miles – often on stony or sandy tracks – and is still goingstrong. Sometimes other priests in the diocese also use it; without this vehi-cle many a Holy Mass and catechism class could not have taken place. FatherGeoffrey simply wants “to say a heartfelt thank you.”

Publisher: Kirche in Not/Ostpriesterhilfe,Aid to the Church in Need, International Headquarters,Postfach 1209, 61452 Königstein, Germany; www.acn-intl.org;Editor-in-chief: Jürgen LiminskiDe licentia competentis auctoritatis ecclesiasticaePrinted in the USA – ISSN 0252-2535

Leave a legacy of your love when writing or changing your will.

JohannesFreiherrHeereman,Executive Presidentof ACN International

From time to time I am asked thequestion, sometimes with a note ofconcern: What was the re-found-ing of ACN by the Holy Father allabout? What were the causes andwhat are the consequences? ACNwas steered for decades by FatherWerenfried’s strong hand. Thestructures were of no great impor-tance at first. In fact, in a certainsense, he himself was the structurethat held everything together.The previous canonical form – auniversal association of pontificalright – is primarily intended for lifein religious communities and notso much for an association thatunites people in the pursuit of acommon goal: in this case the sup-port of our suffering sisters andbrothers in the Faith through ourprayers and financial offerings.Much better suited to this purposeis our new legal form as a pontifi-cal foundation. It helps tostrengthen the unity of our charityand to make the decision-makingprocesses simpler, quicker andmore efficient.ACN continues as before to be anindependent charity, made up ofChristians working together in sol-idarity with their suffering and per-secuted fellow Christians – and it ismade possible exclusively thanks toyour help!

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FatherWerenfried – hands outstretched, and joined in prayerA time ofgather

ing

FatherWerenfried continues to be a gatherer. Speakingto commemorate the ninth anniversary of his death,Cardinal Joachim Meisner, the Archbishop of Cologne,gave a theological analysis of this gathering, under fourheadings. He spoke of his gathering of believers, of thelost and abandoned, of prayers and of gifts.

1. In each of these areas of gathering, “Father Werenfried is athome,” the Cardinal observed. Right from the beginning, theChurch has lived by the “regular gathering” of the faithful.The one who gathers, said Cardinal Meisner, “is in fact theLord. The Eucharistic gathering is the highest form of assem-bly, for here we are gathered together in the teaching of theApostles, in fraternal community, in the breaking of the bread,and in prayer.” In order to make this possible, Father Weren-fried “energetically and substantially helped to support thetraining of future priests.” His creative imagination “neverfailed him in assisting the faithful to gather together in theBody of Christ, in church.”

2. Similarly, in the search for the “lost sheep, the lost drachma,the lost son,” his imaginative approach knew no bounds. SaidCardinal Meisner, “In the past half-century, becoming lost hasvirtually developed into a mass movement. Father Werenfriedwas surely one of the most widely traveled of priests, in seek-ing out the lost ones, and in enlisting other helpers who, to-gether with him, could go out to find these lost ones.” One ofthe means he used in this search was the newsletter, the Mir-ror. Through this regular letter to his benefactors he also calledout to the “onlookers, the abandoned, the scattered and thenewly arrived, telling them: ‘The Lord is waiting for you inthe actual community of the local parish.’” For “the basic tenorof the Mirror was and is one of invitation: Come! Come tome, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give yourest.”

3. Always, the Mirror contains a call to prayer. And to such“prayer in common, a special promise of the Lord is attached,”the Cardinal added. ‘If two of you agree on earth about any-thing they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven’(Mt. 18:19). Yet the members of the community must be ofone mind among themselves, so that they can praise God “…and with one voice, as Saint Paul writes in his Epistle to theRomans.” We are accustomed to seeing the hands of FatherWerenfried outstretched, to gather in donations. But beforethis, he joined these hands together in prayer for his countlessbenefactors. He gathered together all the many concerns, caresand desires of his benefactors and of all those in need, andplaced them in the heart of the heavenly Father. For this reason,“the great community of the benefactors of ACN is, first andforemost, always a community of prayer.”

4. The Church lives “in the midst of the world. It needs the thingsof this world, including money.” But the Church uses thismoney “not to hoard it up, but to give it out.” That is why ACNpossesses “no plump reserves, but instead gathers in manysmall, medium and larger donations in order to give them outagain wherever they are needed.” These gifts, the Cardinal toldus, are “sacrifices pleasing to God” (Hebr. 13:16) and as suchalso a “help to the service of the Gospel.” Anyone who under-stands the church collection in this way “will not be stingy inhis giving. ACN gathers together all people for the Lord, andall gifts for our sisters and brothers.” •

A beggar for God – FatherWerenfried with his ‘hat of millions.’

The ‘theology of thecollection plate’ –Cardinal Meisner givinghis homily in CologneCathedral.

Any donation you kindly give will go to support these, or similar projects, and enable the pastoral work of Aid to the Church in Need.

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“We want to stay in our homeland!”Christians in

Iraq

Violence and terror are an everydayfact of life in Iraq.They can strike any-one, at any time. But above all theystrike the Christians.

For example, in late October 2010, maskedmen, heavily armed, stormed the SyrianCatholic Cathedral in Baghdad. There wereroughly 100 Catholic faithful gathered therefor Mass that Sunday evening. Shots rangthrough the cathedral, grenades exploded,screams and panic everywhere. More than 50people died, amongthem children andyoung people, andtwo priests. Scoresmore were injured. This terrorist attackprompted worldwide horror. Iraqi Christians,including around 150,000 in Baghdad alone,are fearful and unsettled. A new wave of em-igration is underway.

And yet there are many Christians who havechosen to stay on in their homeland. Theyare drawing new courage from the knowl-edge of the solidarity, kindness and prayersof so many thousands of Christians aroundthe world. You, too, are supporting these em-battled, menaced and persecuted sisters andbrothers of ours. For example, at the requestof Mar Ephrem Yousif Abba, the SyrianCatholic Archbishop of Baghdad, you arehelping to fund the cost of religious instruc-

tion for Christian children in the stateschools. As the archbishop explains, the gov-ernment in Baghdad currently pays thesalaries of five teachers of religion. Four ofthem give Islamic instruction and just oneChristian instruction. Moreover, the 150boys and girls from Christian families, agedbetween 6 and 12, have just one hour of re-ligious instruction, while the Muslims havetwo. Since they would otherwise be obligedto spend the remaining hour attending the Is-lamic instruction, the archbishop has en-

gaged two additionalteachers at theChurch’s expense.The cost of their

salaries together comes to close to $5,400 peryear – money the diocese does not have. Andso he has turned to ACN for help. Throughthis project, your generosity “is helping toeducate children in the Christian faith andencouraging them to attend the CatholicChurch.” We will, of course, help him.

According to Archbishop Abba, Iraq needsthe preaching of the Good News more ur-gently than ever. The witness to peace andreconciliation, and the commitment to theharmonious coexistence of different ethnicreligious and denominational groups is in-dispensable. Many Catholics are committedto this, including the parishioners of thecathedral parish of Our Lady of Deliverance,

which suffered the terrible attack in October2010. Father Aysar Saaed has even brokenoff his studies in Rome and returned toBaghdad in order to help the wounded andtraumatized. He is concerned above all withthe pastoral care of the young and wants tostrengthen them in their faith. On Fridays es-pecially, the Muslim day of prayer, childrenand young people from all over Baghdadcome into the parish. The problem is, how-ever, that the public transport system isbarely functional, while taxis and privatefirms are prohibitively expensive. And so theparish has purchased a school bus – with thehelp of $32,800 from ACN. The bus picksup the children and drops them home again.In this city of bombs and terrorism, that is byno means a luxury. •

Reinhard Backes

The witness to peaceis indispensable.

Faith is also a matter of reason – Archbishop EphremYousifAbba talks with youngsters in the classroom.

Christian children in school – they want to hear about Jesus,Mary and Joseph and to learn something of the saints.

After the terrorist attack – flowers forthe victims in the cathedral.

Photo:FrYoannis

LahziGaid

Any donation you kindly give will go to support these, or similar projects, and enable the pastoral work of Aid to the Church in Need.