Voices of Our World

I was listening to the radio while driving when the news broke; white smoke arising from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney. I pulled over at the next restaurant – a pizzeria – and rushed in to find patrons watching the news from Rome on CNN. I ordered a slice of pizza not because I was hungry but to pass the time while awaiting the new pope to emerge; a European I expected. When Cardinal Robert Prevost – a native of Chicago and long-time missionary in Peru – stepped up to the balcony as our new pontiff, I thought, “Wow, this is truly a work of the Holy Spirit!” But the surprise turned more personal when, moments later, Fr. Beck, a commentator, remarked that our new pope is a graduate of Catholic Theological Union (CTU) – my alma mater for seminary studies. Fr. Beck mentioned Sister Dianne Bergant, CSA, a CTU faculty member and Biblical scholar; both Pope Leo XIV and I studied under her. She was my favorite professor! I felt a sense of pride in seeing a CTU graduate ascend to the position of the new shepherd of our Church. Pope Leo XIV began his first remarks with the simple greeting, “Peace be with you all.” This message resonates deeply within our global movement, encompassing a variety of religious traditions. He continued, “This is the peace of the Risen Christ, a disarmed peace and a disarming, humble and persevering peace. It comes from God, God who loves us all uncondition-ally.” We are especially inspired by his dedication to promoting such peace. This profound understanding of peace as a divine gift, offered unconditionally to all of humanity, aligns beautifully with the core values of Maryknoll missioners and their commitment to various faith traditions. Pope Leo XIV’s spiritual call to “build bridges through dialogue and encounter, uniting us all as one people, always in peace,” closely reflects Maryknoll’s ongoing efforts to promote understanding, cooperation, and reconcilia-tion among different religions in order to achieve a shared sense of sacred flourishing. We, Maryknoll, offer our prayers and support as Pope Leo begins this pastoral...

A Shared Experience When I saw the headlines that the first American Pope had been elected, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the new Pope, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, OSA, had received his Master of Divinity degree from Catholic Theological Union (CTU), the same seminary where I had begun studying just ten years later. CTU is located on the south side of Chicago; it prides itself in not only being a seminary, but a school of ministry located in a large urban area with diverse opportunities for serving people from all walks of life. The mission of CTU is to prepare leaders for the Church who are rooted in Catholic tradition and who respond to the needs of contemporary society with a special emphasis on cross-cultural ministry and global mission. When I studied there, CTU hosted students from more than twenty different countries. Over half of the student body were laity preparing for ministry, many of them women. This gave seminarians a unique opportunity to be formed in a church marked by diversity – experience important for any church leader today, especially those preparing for a missionary vocation. CTU is unique in that it is sponsored by more than twenty different Catholic religious communities. It also maintains strong relationships with theological schools of other Christian denominations as well as non-Christian faith traditions. This helped to instill within me a deeper appreciation for ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue. It gives me great pride to know that Pope Leo XIV most likely had similar experiences in his formative years as he approached ordination. He obviously also has a strong grounding in Augustinian spirituality as a member of that religious community. In addition, he served for many years as a missionary in Peru, both as priest and bishop. This is an experience in itself that can be deeply transformative, especially when one walks closely alongside the local people. Perhaps because of this, Pope Francis showed tremendous trust in Bishop Prevost by bringing him to Rome, making him a key person in the appointment of new bishops, and elevating him to cardinal. We can...

Habemus Papam! For the past twelve years, Pope Francis led the Church as an intellectual who happened to be a pastor – and a pastor who happened to be an intellectual. I will personally remember him for encouraging priests to spend time crafting their homilies in ways that touch not only the ears but the hearts of the faithful. How can we forget the moment when, in the gloom of a rainy evening, he walked from the middle of St. Peter’s Square to pray for a world absorbed in fear from the emerging global COVID-19 pandemic? There are so many portraits and gestures, words of mercy, and grace-filled moments that will stay with us forever. Among Pope Leo XIV’s first public remarks from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, upon being elected pontiff, was “Thank you, Pope Francis!” We echo these words in gratitude to a holy man who came from, as Pope Francis said of himself, “the ends of the earth” to lead the Church through tumultuous times. He leaves a legacy that will inspire vocations to mission in years to come. Viva El Papa! I’m often asked, by those discerning missionary priesthood or Brotherhood, about our Maryknoll admission requirements. Here are the basics: you need to be between 21–40 years old; have some work experience; hold a high school degree; have some college credits, preferably a bachelor’s degree; be in good health and largely debt-free, to name some. Those discerning from abroad would also need to be from a country where we currently serve. When you contact me, I can explain more about these requirements. But, there’s more – that “something more” that has to do with passion, prayer and people. It’s that “something more” we could recognize in Pope Francis and see, even now, in the life story of our new pope, Leo XIV. It’s a sense of life and purpose that draws one’s heart to God and humanity, bringing both together in the same moment, prayer and open hand of service. It’s the passion to seek what makes you come alive, and then doing it. As...

On December 24th, 2024, Pope Francis opened the Holy Doors of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, officially inaugurating the Church’s Jubilee year. Our Jubilee theme this year: Hope! In western Christianity, the celebration of jubilee years first arose from the journey of pilgrims to Rome in 1299. They traveled long distances by foot to pray before the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul. Moved by their devotion, Pope Boniface VII declared the following year, 1300, a jubilee year dedicated to the forgiveness of sins. Since then, the Church has typically celebrated a jubilee year roughly every 25 or 50 years with extraordinary jubilee years declared as spiritual needs arose. You may recall that Pope Francis proclaimed the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2015. Our jubilee year concludes on December 28th, 2025, when the Pope will again close the Holy Doors. While these door remain open, we are challenged to keep our hearts open as well to the power and lessons of hope in our lives and times. As the Bull of Indiction (the papal decree) of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025 proclaims, “Spes non confundit – Hope does not disappoint.” Let us invoke the Spirit of God throughout this year to fill our hearts with the gift of hope. Recalling Psalm 27, “Have hope and wait for the Lord, be strong and wait for the Lord.” Paul explains in his Letter to the Romans (5:5), “this hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Pope Francis cites the prophet Isaiah in encouraging us to lift our eyes to the horizon and see the blessings that God has in store for us. Could it be though that we have tried a lot of things in the past and are tired of waiting? Perhaps our own discernment has left us feeling disappointed and discouraged. Have you been there?Pope Francis observes that, “we often find that some people have lost hope, they look towards the future with skepticism and pessimism, as if nothing can offer...

What does “Eucharist”What does “Eucharist” mean to you as a missioner?mean to you as a missioner? Papam! “After my first Holy Communion, I always felt that the Eucharist offered me a desire and drive to go out into the world to do something on Christ’s behalf. Yet, in this journey of being a Maryknoll Missioner, I find more and more each moment in service of the people is an Eucharistic moment, and a moment to bring to the Mass. During the Mass, the Eucharist joins me to Christ and through Christ I feel at comfort, knowing that while I am not physically present to the communities I have served in different places (in Singapore, Hong Kong, Chicago, Bolivia, and El Paso), Christ joins us together in the sharing of his Body in a mystical union with one another.” – Deacon Matthew Sim, MM “For me, the Eucharist is the gathering of the community of the Body of Christ to re-member, or re-live, re-enact the supper meal in which Jesus broke bread with his disciples to ritualize how he is offering his body to be broken in service to the Reign of God. When we take the bread (and cup), we commit as a community to embody (as Jesus did) the Spirit of God’s love and mercy as the Body of Christ in the world, and to be “broken” (giving up our time, energy, resources, comforts, etc.) in doing so. We gather around the table to be nourished, encouraged and blessed so we in turn can nourish, encourage and bless.” – Fr. Gene Toland, MM

On a city street of asphalt and concretewhere last winter’s ice cracks a stubborn sidewalk,a defiant dandelion takes root and proudlyPuts forth its floral sunburst. A young couple prays test results will confirmIf this time the Lord will at last bless them with new lifeEven as a world away another couple awaits wordAn orphaned child will soon make them a family. With each interminable hour and passing dayPrisoners and hostages alike long for newsTheir detainment is at an end and theirLong-awaited deliverance is at hand. With aching joints and weakened legs and a heartBroken by loss of too many loved ones over the yearsAn elder reverently plants a delicate saplingunder whose shade future generations will rest. War-weary relatives bid a reluctant farewellAs their young flee certain death for refugeIn a land that once welcomed such as they,Trusting in a God known for liberation. Hope thus infuses every moment of every dayWith a vision of a far, far better worldTransforming the most mundane into a holy shrineCompelling us to take off our shoes and worship. – By Joseph R. Veneroso, MM

Over this past year, as before, the vocations office has accompanied many young men in discernment. We are blessed, through them, to discover that God continues to call the young of our world to be missionary priests and Brothers. Missionaries are sent forth to give witness to the greatest story ever told; Jesus’ story always inspires awe and wonder! Preaching Jesus is not only a matter of sharing a story but encountering a person. The Gospel reaches through the Word to impart divine grace in our lives. Invite God to shed light on your vocation journey this Christmas! Suddenly your vocation is no longer a mystery. Looking back over this year, we in the Maryknoll vocation team are thankful to have been invited into the lives of so many young people in seeking together God’s will. What do we really want to see in discernment? A grateful heart! We want to see clarity, a direction, an orientation that leads us to make decisions and, without fear, press the YES buzzer to respond generously to God’s call. It’s normal though, during discernment, to experience interior conflicts, inner resistances. We all go through them. It’s important to remember, however, that nothing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37). Everything will fall into place, in due time. Make it a habit every Christmas to place all interior conflicts and resistances in the manger – give them to Jesus. You can be sure that He will continue to point you in the right direction. One of our great Maryknoll missioners, Bishop James E. Walsh wrote, “To every passing trouble we must remember that it is not trouble and have the conviction that it is passing.” Speaking about celibacy, many discerners ask me how I manage sexual attraction after ordination and final oath. My answer is that sexual attraction does not stop with ordination or final oath. Celibacy results from ongoing healthy relationships. As missionaries we need to find healthy ways to navigate moments when sexual attraction challenges our celibacy. Our personal prayer makes all the difference! Next year we celebrate a jubilee year! Beginning this...

A common question discerners ask me is, “Where does the desire to serve the poor overseas come from?” Our deepest desires and longings are found in a very special place in our heart. Our intellect knows God, our heart desires God. And when our intellect and heart familiarizes with God, we also get in touch not only with the way God sees the world but also with how God cares for the world. Care involves protecting that which you love. Jesus came to show us how God loves, how God desires and communicates with the world. And if Jesus spent significant time attending the poor, we are to look at this aspect carefully. The desire to serve the poor overseas is directly linked to the commandment Jesus gave us, namely, to love one another. I was recently asked why it’s important for a person to take time to consider whether he or she has a vocation to serve the poor overseas. It’s because the “why”, when given quality time — when carefully looked at and properly discerned — will produce great meaning and vision for our way forward in this world. In short, it aligns us to follow Jesus. If we claim to follow someone who served the poor, we should do the same. As the very name “Christian” implies, we who follow Jesus are to share in his preferential option for the poor. Our lives should manifest our concern for God‘s vision. Having a concern for the poor overseas — working for peace and justice in other parts of the world — is part of our baptismal & confirmation promises. Our vocation as Maryknoll priests or brothers is a gift full of good news for those deprived, excluded and marginalized. It is as if we are using a magnifying glass to discover the layers of our vocation as baptized Catholics sent out into the world as missioners — as heralds of the Gospel. Often the most difficult and thought-provoking questions bring us to a place of vision such as, “What kind of person do I want to become?” Think...

What motivates these prove souls to overcomeFears, doubts and, oft times, it seemsEven common sense to goNo, run towards that from which most people flee? And who are these who lay aside concernFor their own health and safety to ministerTo strangers, whose only claim to assistanceIs their desperate need for hello and healing? How is it thot despite perhaps on indifferent orUngrateful public, still these women and men ariseEven after little rest and no relaxation;Ignoring death and defeat, to do and do again? These are the very soul and conscience of our landWho do what most dare not nor cannot comprehendFor in their selfless service more than individualsAre saved, comforted or consoled. For all of us, through them, are ennobled, encouraged,Inspired and enriched beyond what we deserveAnd because of these angels the human race will endureWith brighter eyes, clearer thoughts and purer hearts. – Joe Veneroso, MM

When Maryknollers return from abroad to our Center in New York, they often bring home the characteristics and concerns of peoples they’ve come to know and love in mission. Some Maryknollers return passionate about social justice causes that improve the lives of so many faced with violence, poverty and oppression. Some Maryknollers return deeply contemplative of the interfaith and intercultural dialogue they’ve shared with others in ancient lands. It’s said of Maryknollers who return from Africa — they come home smiling. All Maryknollers smile in a special way these days. We are “bringing home” to us in the ordination, on June 8th, of two men from Kenya — Joshua Mutende and Charles Ogony — the smiles and joy of peoples steeped in music, dance and the simple gratitude of lives that daily overcome some of the most pressing hardships the world can offer. Joshua and Charles have journeyed through our Initial Formation Program for most of the past decade. Though eager to make final oath and be sent abroad as Maryknoll missionary priests, they have, from “Day One” as seminarians, never ceased being missioners; they have witnessed the joy of mission from their own cultures, families and personal gifts. We welcome them home to us, as life-long brothers in mission, smiling. Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of a newly independent Ghana, remarked, “I am not African because I was born in Africa, but because Africa was born in me.” Maryknoll candidates and members from Africa give birth to Africa within Maryknoll; to its joys, its sorrows, its passions, its sufferings; to its music, dance and sense of hospitality unique among the world’s regions. As Africa is born within us, so is Christ. Congratulations Joshua and Charles! We are blessed.

Dear friends, Thanks for reading “Voices of Our World.” One of the questions I receive often from young adults is “Why do you stay in this vocation as priest?” Or, another way to put it, why haven’t I left? Whenever I consider these questions, I’m reminded of wisdom shared with me by the late Maryknoll Fr. Jim Stefaniak, MM, who served many years in Peru. He counselled me that the reasons for joining missionary and religious life are not the same as those for staying. Twenty years ago on May 13th, the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima, I was accepted as a Maryknoll seminarian. This month, I celebrate thirteen years as a priest, a life that has both challenged and rewarded me in ways that still surprise me. It’s occasions like these when I take time to consider my reasons now for staying. I have three — Jesus, Maryknoll, and Our Lady of Fatima. Primary of these is Jesus. The late Jesuit superior, Pedro Arrupe, SJ, observed: “Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in a love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings; what you will do with your evenings; how you spend your weekends; what you read; who you know; what breaks your heart; and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.” Take the love of Jesus away from me and everything crumbles. Without the mission of Maryknoll, my way forward loses direction. Without the protection of Our Lady of Fatima, I grow discouraged. All three sustain me. My reasons for remaining a Maryknoller may, of course, change in the future. It is, nonetheless, important for someone contemplating a life of mission to have reasons to join as well as reasons that motivate one to stay. Join Maryknoll and stay with us; it is worth it!

A tangle of twigs lies drying in the sun, And then a spark catches one, and she, Astonished by divinity, topples and tumbles and ignites Another and another and another and Soon the whole tangle is aflame Gibber jabbering in many tongues! Chattering and blabbering until babbling comes Singing – in so many harmonious parts even the twigs can’t count them!