Lakewood parish opens its heart for world missions
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By Lois Rogers | Correspondent
Since becoming diocesan director of the Pontifical Mission Society in 2013, Father Peter James Alindogan envisioned holding the annual World Mission Sunday celebration in Lakewood’s St. Anthony Claret Parish.
Click here to see photo gallery.
To read experiences of missionaries, click here.
Located on heavily trafficked Route 88, the parish is one of the fastest growing in the Diocese with the highest number of Baptisms last year, said Father Alindogan, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Cinnaminson. As a community mainly of young Latino families, the parish also reflects the future of the Church in the Americas, he said. These are people, he thought, who understand the missionary spirit.
On Oct. 18, World Mission Sunday, the parish of St. Anthony Claret did not disappoint. Hymns and songs with a Latin beat from the choir and musical ensemble infused the celebration with an international flavor.
Along with Father Alindogan, the priests at the Mass came with their own sense of missionary spirit including Divine Word Father Pedro Bou, pastor; Divine Word Father Pelagio Paterno, parochial vicar; Maryknoll Father Romaine St. Vil, and Msgr. R. Vincent Gartland, retired pastor of St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville. The standing-room only crowd responded to the homily delivered by Father St. Vil and short given by presentations by Father Alindogan and Msgr. Gartland.
World Mission Sunday, organized by the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit themselves to the Church’s missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice. Celebrated annually on the next-to-last Sunday in October, World Mission Sunday was described by Pope John Paul II as “an important day in the life of the Church because it teaches how to give: an offering made to God in the Eucharistic celebration for all the missions of the world.”
Father St. Vil, who has served the poor in Tanzania and Cambodia, spoke of how the universal calling as missionaries is to proclaim the Good News and how everyone can participate in “different ways. In our work places and our communities. In our cities and in our country. Overseas and at home.”
“We are all commissioned,” he said, to know and share the love of God and what that love means to “poor people who feel left behind from society in terms of dignity.”
“Life is holy and, as Pope Francis has said, whatever we are, we must carry the Good News,” said Father St. Vil, who has served the poor as a missionary in schools and slums.
In a telephone interview the following day, Father St. Vil conveyed how much really enjoys speaking about the missions, which he has been doing for six years.
“I really enjoy this work. … Being able to share the passion for the missions with others, hoping it animates them so they get involved with missions,” is a gift, said Father St. Vil, who is from Haiti and speaks Spanish, French, Creole, Swahili, Kymer and English.
Msgr. Gartland, who serves on the diocesan missionary advisory board, focuses on Guatamala in his own mission work. With St. Ann's as a partner parish, he has been traveling to San Andres for 27 years. He explained that the partnership focuses on sending money and spending money in the impoverished region.
“For years as a pastor, I could only go for 10 days each year,” he said. “Now that I'm retired, I go for a whole month. I'll be spending November there. We've been helping (Quiche) for 15 years, sponsoring a high school and college students who are mainly indigenous women. We send down support to the Diocese for priests and seminarians.”
“I think the very nature of our Baptism is that we are called to be missionaries,” Msgr. Gartland shared. “All people are missionaries and we have to develop a missionary heart. Even if we can't travel, our missionary heart means we can pray for and try to learn from people of other cultures.”
Father Bou related the parishioners enjoyed having so many priests come to the church to reach out to them. “The people here are very good,” said Father Bou. “They understand that, basically, we have it very much better than so many Catholics around the world. They want to do what they can to help.”
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By Lois Rogers | Correspondent
Since becoming diocesan director of the Pontifical Mission Society in 2013, Father Peter James Alindogan envisioned holding the annual World Mission Sunday celebration in Lakewood’s St. Anthony Claret Parish.
Click here to see photo gallery.
To read experiences of missionaries, click here.
Located on heavily trafficked Route 88, the parish is one of the fastest growing in the Diocese with the highest number of Baptisms last year, said Father Alindogan, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Cinnaminson. As a community mainly of young Latino families, the parish also reflects the future of the Church in the Americas, he said. These are people, he thought, who understand the missionary spirit.
On Oct. 18, World Mission Sunday, the parish of St. Anthony Claret did not disappoint. Hymns and songs with a Latin beat from the choir and musical ensemble infused the celebration with an international flavor.
Along with Father Alindogan, the priests at the Mass came with their own sense of missionary spirit including Divine Word Father Pedro Bou, pastor; Divine Word Father Pelagio Paterno, parochial vicar; Maryknoll Father Romaine St. Vil, and Msgr. R. Vincent Gartland, retired pastor of St. Ann Parish, Lawrenceville. The standing-room only crowd responded to the homily delivered by Father St. Vil and short given by presentations by Father Alindogan and Msgr. Gartland.
World Mission Sunday, organized by the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit themselves to the Church’s missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice. Celebrated annually on the next-to-last Sunday in October, World Mission Sunday was described by Pope John Paul II as “an important day in the life of the Church because it teaches how to give: an offering made to God in the Eucharistic celebration for all the missions of the world.”
Father St. Vil, who has served the poor in Tanzania and Cambodia, spoke of how the universal calling as missionaries is to proclaim the Good News and how everyone can participate in “different ways. In our work places and our communities. In our cities and in our country. Overseas and at home.”
“We are all commissioned,” he said, to know and share the love of God and what that love means to “poor people who feel left behind from society in terms of dignity.”
“Life is holy and, as Pope Francis has said, whatever we are, we must carry the Good News,” said Father St. Vil, who has served the poor as a missionary in schools and slums.
In a telephone interview the following day, Father St. Vil conveyed how much really enjoys speaking about the missions, which he has been doing for six years.
“I really enjoy this work. … Being able to share the passion for the missions with others, hoping it animates them so they get involved with missions,” is a gift, said Father St. Vil, who is from Haiti and speaks Spanish, French, Creole, Swahili, Kymer and English.
Msgr. Gartland, who serves on the diocesan missionary advisory board, focuses on Guatamala in his own mission work. With St. Ann's as a partner parish, he has been traveling to San Andres for 27 years. He explained that the partnership focuses on sending money and spending money in the impoverished region.
“For years as a pastor, I could only go for 10 days each year,” he said. “Now that I'm retired, I go for a whole month. I'll be spending November there. We've been helping (Quiche) for 15 years, sponsoring a high school and college students who are mainly indigenous women. We send down support to the Diocese for priests and seminarians.”
“I think the very nature of our Baptism is that we are called to be missionaries,” Msgr. Gartland shared. “All people are missionaries and we have to develop a missionary heart. Even if we can't travel, our missionary heart means we can pray for and try to learn from people of other cultures.”
Father Bou related the parishioners enjoyed having so many priests come to the church to reach out to them. “The people here are very good,” said Father Bou. “They understand that, basically, we have it very much better than so many Catholics around the world. They want to do what they can to help.”
.
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