Podcast

It’s a beautiful September morning. Maryknoll Fr. Ray Nobiletti had just celebrated 8 o’clock Mass in Transfiguration Church in Lower Manhattan. The primary election for the Mayor of New York City was that day and the elementary school at Transfiguration was buzzing with the start of brand new school year. In fact it was the children’s 2nd day of school. The date is September 11, 2001. After Mass Fr. Nobiletti received a phone call and was informed that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center, a building he always enjoyed looking at from his bedroom window, and he was asked if he could go immediately to the burning building to help minister to the wounded. Barely having time to collect his thoughts, let alone his stole, prayer book, and holy oils, Fr. Nobiletti proceeded into the chaos of what would become known as one of the worst tragedies the United States has ever seen. As tens of thousands of people are trying to escape Lower Manhattan, Fr. Nobiletti is walking in that direction. With people grabbing on to him, screaming, and crying it didn’t matter whether you were Catholic or not that day. He didn’t know it at the time but his presence became a beacon of light in the blackness, dust, and tragedy of that day.

With deep faith and courageous hope, Saint Maximilian Kolbe endured the extreme horrors of Auschwitz, the notorious Nazi concentration camp in Poland. He proved that self-giving love and compassion can thrive even in extreme darkness and cruelty. His heroic life inspired other prisoners, giving them hope that kindness and self-sacrifice were possible—even in Auschwitz. This “factory of death” functioned from 1940 until 1945; studies demonstrate that between 1.1 and 1.5 million people perished there.

Allow me to tell you about a unique celebration of Easter from the Philippines, where I happily served as a missionary for over five decades. Filipinos celebrate a ritual, known locally as the “meeting” (encuentro); it dramatizes the encounter of the risen Lord and his mother Mary on Easter morning.

On September 7, 1918, the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers sent four Missioners to China, including Maryknoll co-founder Fr. Thomas F. Price, Fr. James E. Walsh, M.M., Fr. Francis X. Ford, M.M., and Fr. Bernard F. Meyer, M.M.This year as we prepare to celebrate 100 years of Mission Sending on September 7th, we had the privilege of sitting down with Fr. John Cioppa, M.M., an 86-year-old Maryknoll Missioner, who knew one of the original 4 Maryknoll Missioners to China - Bishop James E. Walsh. In fact Fr. John was there in 1970 when Bishop James E. Walsh was released from a Shanghai prison after spending 12 years of his 20-year sentence primarily in solitary confinement.   After the Communist takeover of China in 1949, Bishop Walsh was arrested on charges that he had spied for the Vatican and the United States in 1958.  It is believed that he was the last of 7,000 foreign Roman Catholic and Protestant missionaries to have been expelled from China.   Most of Fr. John’s Missionary career was spent in Hong Kong, a former British Colony, and in 1978, he was the first Maryknoll priest to be able to re-enter China since the communist takeover. Join us as we learn more about Fr. John’s adventures in Hong Kong and China in this episode of Among the People! 

Good Friday of the Lord’s PassionJn 18:1—19:42But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may come to believe.

Today on Palm Sunday as the second reading, the Church gives us a beautiful Christological hymn from Saint Paul. Philippians 2:6-11 speaks about the kenosis, the “self-emptying” of Jesus. While maintaining the full divinity and full humanity of Jesus, Paul says that Jesus voluntarily condescended and “emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave” (v. 7); he did this in profound humility and freely accepted death on a cross. God the Father has exulted Jesus through the resurrection: Jesus is Lord and Savior of the world.

Today, on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, we hear the astounding story of the resurrection of Lazarus. There is a marvelous amount of detail in this Gospel account! We learn so much about Jesus, his person, his mission, his compassionate heart.

We’re joined in studio by Fr. Ed Dougherty M.M., former Superior General of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers and representative of Maryknoll in Rome to the Holy See – Pope Francis.Fr. Dougherty shares his story of growing up in the Kensington section of Philadelphia to riding motorcycles, learning Swahili, and how he would hunt for his own food in the rural region of Musoma, Tanzania.He discusses his mission work teaching theology in Tanzania as well as his work in the United States including in Michigan, Florida, Texas, and Louisiana.Fr. Ed was good friends with the late Maryknoll Sister Ita Ford, who was murdered in El Salvador on December 2, 1980. He shares his stories of their friendship and celebrations and how he received a letter from her just days after her death, a moment he takes as a Sign from God.

As we read the scriptures during Lent, we should recall that the readings are specifically chosen to be a “catechesis” [faith instruction] for those who will be baptized during the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday; we all renew our baptismal promises during that liturgy. Thus, we ask: What is today’s Gospel (Jn 9:1-41) of the “man born blind” teaching us about our faith and the person of Jesus?

Today’s Gospel, a deeply touching human-interest story, describes the lively encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Their conversation revolves around water, about various senses of “living water,” and how our thirst for God may be satisfied.Visit Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers: https://maryknollsociety.org

A life of mission inside the women's prisons of Chicago, Brazil and KenyaOn this episode of Among the People we sit down with Heidi Cerneka, a Maryknoll Lay Missioner who's career has been spent serving incarcerated women in the United States, Brazil and Kenya.In this episode, Heidi shares how women are generally overlooked in prison policy and advocacy as well as the social and economic justice issues that are leading Women to be in prison in the first place.Heidi defines the difference between Women incarceration versus Male incarceration and how when Women get out of prison there’s nothing to go back to; no family, no work, no life. Heidi will also talk about her decision to go back to law school at the age of 49 and how that’s helped her ministry.

Each year on the second Sunday of Lent, the Gospel reading is always a narrative of Jesus’ Transfiguration. The episode confirms Jesus’ prophecy of his passion; it is also intended to strengthen the disciples to endure Jesus’ coming death with faith. The Father’s voice is heard: “This is my beloved Son on whom my favor rests. Listen to him.” Then, Jesus speaks to Peter, James and John, telling them: “Get up! Do not be afraid”! Jesus is advising his disciples—and us: Have faith! Do not submit to fear and doubt! What beautiful, practical advice!