By Jan Reynebeau, cicm

Interview with Father Jan Reynebeau, Provincial Superior of BNL, who strongly encourages the three “young” Scheutists, who came from abroad and have been living in Antwerp for 3 years and is currently preparing the insertion of a new community of three other Scheutists from Haiti, Indonesia and the Central African Republic. From Scheut en Famille, 2^nd quarter 2020

To convert?

When our elders were going for mission in the past, it was to make Jesus known, build the Church, and work for development, since in the mentality of the time, they thought they were superior to others by their know-how, their culture…

Today the world has become a big village, not only because we move around easily, but above all, because information, ideas, values, and customs are increasingly shared, forcing us to change and change together. This is why it is beneficial for all that certain values are conveyed through small communities that not only disseminate them but also assimilate them. These small communities in this world are like a breath of fresh air: made up of people from different cultures, they aerate the places where they are implanted while evolving themselves.

What about God in all this?

It is evident that it is the Gospel that opens these missionaries to other cultures, and they discover other ways of encountering God, enriched by different religious practices. They hope to enrich their friends with their own practices as well. They will also do so by following the example of Jesus when he met people of his time. More than once, when he was in Senegal, Gabi Hénaut was told by Muslim friends: Gabi Djouf, you are like us, why don’t you become a Muslim? Sharing religious values and practices is an integral part of the Mission. Today, some people dare to say that God is too great to be enclosed in one religion!

These new confreres, are they going to fill in the gaps?

To replace the missing priests in Belgium? Absolutely not! To save or restore the Church: NO. Their objective is to collaborate to build a better world, the Kingdom of God. They will do this by living together while they are from very different cultures and origins: to be witnesses in an increasingly multicultural Belgium, of what a “living together” is a great richness.

They will also do so by paying special attention to the most abandoned, those who do not count or who count little in our society: the poor, the voiceless, the refugees? And finally, by taking various initiatives that will allow people to get together, create communion, evacuate the fear of the other… It is an opportunity for them to meet many people who are either distant from the Church or totally indifferent. Sharing common values with them while maintaining and/or enriching their personal faith is a true missionary task

Won’t they be parish priests?

In the present circumstances, they will be integrated into an existing structure: a pastoral unit in Mechelen, a multicultural city. But since there are three of them, the task will probably be less heavy to carry, which will allow them to go beyond the boundaries of the usual pastoral care, and to get out of the Church because that is where a good part of the people they have to reach are located.

We remember how another Scheutist–Paul Hanson–had joined a pigeon fancier group when he realized that it was the hobby of many people in his community. Moreover, it will also be an opportunity for the parish community to get out of itself and to meet other religions as well.

The three “young” Scheutists, who came from abroad and have been living in Antwerp for three years.
Ghislain Toussé (Cameroon), Thomas Hendrikus (Indonesia), Fabio Teixeira (Brazil) [From left to right]

By Peter Koh, cicm

The day of my departure for Malawi finally came on October 12, 2020. That day certainly did not come easily. There were many hurdles to overcome to reach that day. The General Government had planned that the confreres of the new Malawi Mission would have a six-week preparatory and team building session in Rome from mid-August to the end of September. The team would then leave together for the new mission at the end of September. On arrival, we would have two to three months of study of the local language before proceeding to the two mission posts that the bishop plans to entrust to CICM.

Then came the coronavirus pandemic. Countries all over the world closed their borders in response to the virus. The team building session in Rome was canceled. Our departure for Malawi was put on hold until travel would be possible. The four of us assigned to Malawi lived months of uncertainty, unsure if Malawi’s new mission would take off as planned. The pandemic made us realize that while planning is important, we also have to learn from Mary, be open to God’s plan, let go of the plans we have made for ourselves, and live the plans God has for us.

Malawi finally reopened its borders on September 1, 2020. However, there were still a minimal number of flights going there. There were also many questions even after the reopening of the borders. One of which was whether non-residents could enter Malawi. Finally, the Malawian Immigration clarified that non-residents could enter Malawi if they would apply for an electronic visa online. While there were flights from Rome to Malawi via Addis Ababa, there were no flights yet from Jakarta and Manila to Addis Ababa or Lusaka to Lilongwe.  

Given the limited number of flights, it was decided that I should proceed to Karonga, Malawi, and wait there for the other confreres, Nazario Caparanga, Yogkim Kraeng Kirang, and Aubrey Sumbukeni. It was not an ideal situation, but we are not living in normal times.

Before traveling, I had to get a Covid RT-PCR test. Due to the rising number of Covid cases in Italy, the drive-in testing centers were swamped. I had to wait for more than six hours to be tested when I went there on October 8. Then it was nerve-wracking and stressful waiting for the result to be released on time for my trip. The negative results arrived on the evening of October 10, just in time for me to travel. And so, on a wet and rainy night of October 12, with all my documents in order, I left Rome alone from the Casa Generalizia for Malawi. Before leaving, we had some pictures taken in the chapel with a few confreres, Jozef Matton, Jean-Gracia Etienne, Andre De Bleeker, and Jean Kalenga, present in the Casa Generalizia. 

I also had a picture taken next to an image of our Founder, Theophile Verbist, on a Chinese scroll that was presented to the Casa Generalizia by the Christians of Xiwanzi a few years ago. I did not realize the symbolism of the picture that evening. It was only later when the photo was sent to me that I realized that my departure for Malawi was in the same spirit as our Founder’s departure for China. Our Founder’s missionary spirit has extended from China to Malawi, from Xiwanzi to Karonga.

I arrived well in Karonga on October 14 after a long flight via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Lubumbashi, Congo. After an overnight stay in the capital city, Lilongwe, came an eight-hour journey by road.  

Following Malawian health regulations, I am now in quarantine for fourteen days, living alone in a diocesan house in Karonga. From my experience of more than two months of lockdown in Italy, I knew that the days would fly once you set a routine. So, I made a simple schedule for my days of quarantine. I made sure I could set aside enough time for prayer, self-study of the local language, light physical exercise, meals, rest, cleaning the house, and communications about the new mission. Many confreres, relatives, friends, and benefactors are concerned about me and interested in Malawi’s new mission.

Respectful of quarantine rules, the Bishop and the Vicar General of the diocese called by phone to welcome me. Other people pass by only if they have to bring me food or things requested by me. 

Maybe there is no better way to start a new mission than some time (14 days) of solitude and prayer! Jesus, too, started his public ministry with 40 days of prayer and fasting in isolation in the desert. And Jesus reminded his disciples often that the Reign of God begins without fanfare but quietly like yeast in the dough or a germinating seed hidden in the ground. And so CICM’s new mission in Malawi has begun not quite the way we had planned it but with 14 days of quarantine, solitude, and prayer. 

When will my teammates be able to join me? How long will I be the only CICM in this new mission? What happens if the others are delayed for an even longer time? I can’t answer the many questions that come to mind as I sit in my quarantine house. I will just have to learn to walk by faith and not by meticulous planning. I pray every day that my three teammates will be able to join me soon. In the meantime, God keeps me company. And I believe that God looks after his missionaries, always. ■

In the Chapel of the Casa Generalizia CICM: a moment of prayer and silence before the departure of Peter Koh for the new mission of Malawi (from left to right André de Bleeker, Peter Koh, Jozef Matton, Jean-Gracia)

By Joseph Jin Xiuzhang, cicm

When I was working at the Diocesan Seminary and later at the Spirituality Center as preacher of retreats or lecturer, I had a very narrow view of the pastoral ministry. As I had never had the chance to work in the parish, I used to minimize the pastoral ministry which I considered as an easy job compared to what I was doing in the Seminary.

I regret for having kept long in mind a wrong conception of the pastoral ministry, which brought me sometimes to criticize the priests whose performance in the ministry was not well appreciated by their parishioners.

My misunderstanding of the pastoral ministry was challenged as I got involved in the pastoral work together with our confreres. Indeed, the experience has taught me a lot. Especially after I encountered unexpected difficulties and challenges, I started questioning myself.

 I am Chinese and I was sent to China for mission; but in my own country, I first met with the language limitation problem. In fact, the place I was assigned to is different from my birthplace and I realized that most of the local inhabitants are not able to speak Mandarin, the official language. Of course, I can’t blame them for that. I realized that this is because of their education background. Many people in the District where I am working are not highly educated. Moreover, here people prefer to speak their local dialect instead of the official language (Mandarin).

One day, a lady came to my office in tears, and she shared me her story with emotion. She was complaining about her husband’s violent behavior. I could hardly understand her plea as she was talking with emotion in a language that I did not fully understand. Although I could guess from her emotions what she was trying to say, I was lost and very limited linguistically. My command of the language could have definitely given me more confidence to be of help to her. In trying to be of help, I asked her to speak slowly and clearly, but she just looked at me and continued to talk as before. I felt so sorry for not being able to grasp the meaning, and the more, I was getting frustrated. I told myself that I should listen to her with my heart instead of my ears. That was the most disturbing experience of the language limitation I ever had.

Some days later, another lady approached me and said: “Father Joseph, we do not understand what you are preaching to us.” This was a touching and frank remark. It challenged me to learn and adapt to the local language and realities for the effectiveness of my ministry. With this personal experience, I can imagine and understand what our Founder Theophile Verbist and his companions went through at the very beginning of the CICM Mission in China. Still today, many of our confreres are going through the same experience all over the world.

However, in my pastoral experience in China, aside from the language difficulty, I came across another reality that is also most challenging: the Catholic faith.

Due to various reasons, Christians are not properly practicing their faith, even though they claim that they are baptized. In fact, their religious practice is influenced by the Chinese traditional religions, such as Daoism, Buddhism, and other religious sects.

For instance, in order to avoid bad luck and gain good fortune, many Catholics seek enlightenment from Fengshui Master, who usually provides concrete directions to solve problems. Then, they come to Catholic priests for implementing what they are asked to do by Fengshui Master. They do this without the awareness of the work of a Catholic priest and their own faith. It looks strange to me that people put their faith aside to follow their traditional beliefs in times of great needs.

I think that many priests made efforts to prevent this from happening, but so far they failed. And I understand that this cannot be changed in one or two years: it is a long process to which we need to devote more time for the formation of the youth and the next generations. We can better foster the link between faith and culture / traditions, and help the people accept or overcome their painful experi- ences such as illness, bad luck, accidents and death.

As CICM, the youth’s education is one of our priorities in the pastoral ministry as we hope to bring new understanding of the faith in China. We introduced the Sunday School for the youth, which was never seen in this Diocese before. This became the place where we try to make a significant change to distorted belief and performances. In addition, we initiated the summer and winter camps in the parish for the children and the youth who are willing to participate, and we also encourage others to join. I know that it is not always easy, but we hope that God will help us in this ministry, which I believe is worthy and meaningful. As Saint Paul says, “So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow”(1 Corinthians 3: 7).

Honestly speaking, the most challenging hardship comes from the political environment. Even though it is written in the Constitution that every citizen enjoys the freedom of religion, the Chinese government still regards religions as a threat to the communist regime, particularly, the Christian faith. We have seen that the central government issues orders and regulations to forbid children from participating into religious venues and activities. For them, this is an ideological war between faith and the Chinese communist government power and interest. Just recently, a local religious office issued an order to close Tian’ai Children Center, the center where we take care of children, because it is just located near the prayer house (Church). Obviously, the local government fears that children will be influenced by the Christian faith. Moreover, the Principal of the Primary School where children study threatened anyone remaining at the Children Center to be kicked out. Meanwhile, some teachers keep telling the students that the Catholicism is a heresy, evil organism, superstitious and spiritual opium.

We have nothing to do except to verbally defend ourselves from these false accusations, and strengthen our faith that God is on our side for the good of the children and the society in general. This is the actual situation in China. While facing these difficulties and challenges, we must find another way to carry out our mission since we, CICM missionaries, never give up to preach and sow the seed of faith as our Founder Theophile Verbist did. As we recently commemorated his 150th death anniversary, his words are still resounding in our ears: “For those who love, nothing is impossible.” We count on your prayers and support for the sake of CICM mission in China, and for the wellbeing of the children we serve. (ASIA News Bulletin n°33, MayJune 2018, pp.2-4). ■

By Jan Hoet, cicm

I have been a missionary in Haiti for forty-seven years (1967–2014). My notion of mission has evolved over these forty-seven years. This prompts me to share the following reflections:

Mission is certainly no longer what it used to be for many people at the time of the colonization: to convert pagans or, later, to bring the true faith and development to poor and illiterate people. Somehow, this last vision was still accepted at the time of my training.

Today, I rather want to define a missionary as follows:

A true missionary is someone who behaves like a citizen of the world with a Christian inspiration as foundation. He is a stranger in his home country as well as in the country where he resides as a missionary. He calmly takes note of this situation that does not make him unhappy. Very grateful for being accepted by the members of the society that welcomes him, he tries to be present in this very society in a humble and attentive way.

A true missionary rereads the Gospel in the context of the new country in which he lives, and he is prepared to reread the gospel with the people. He wants to join his new friends in their condition of poverty, exploitation, insecurity and political instability. With them he looks for ways to get out of this situation. He shares the frustration and helplessness of the people and with them he wants to find ways to gain true human dignity.

A true missionary is the spare wheel of the old jeep with which he has to travel. He does not want to be the driver.

This spare wheel is rather invisible. It is the driver who decides on the objective of the trip. The missionary is a passenger on an anguishing road, because the driver is driving recklessly without respecting the traffic rules.

A true missionary wants to free his mind from the idea that he knows everything and that the values that he knows and appreciates are the best. He tries to become a Haitian with the Haitian people, but without losing his own identity. He keeps in mind that he is a foreigner. He sincerely remains himself and gives humbly witness to what inspires him and to the motives of his attitudes and deeds. He wants to be a mirror for those who are different from him so that they may know themselves better and discover their own values and wealth when facing somebody who is different.

The missionary is not a professor lecturing from a pulpit to inculcate knowledge and “truth” in his students. He is rather the student who allows himself to be evangelized by the poor and the little ones of this world.

The missionary is somebody who is happy to celebrate the Eucharist with poor people while allowing himself to be touched by the depth of the messages that they discover in the Bible and the strength they draw from sharing this word and this communion.

Yes, to be a missionary remains an exciting and very valuable challenge.