Contents

• A word from the Superior general
• Fr Etchecopar wrote...
• The Incarnation: God in human weakness 4/4
• Betharramites: say "yes" to life !
• Early stages of the Betharramite Mission in El Siambon
• 5 min with Br Pascal, Br Vincent and Br Wilfred, deacons
• The extraordinary life of Sister Marie (4)

PDF edition

A word from the Superior General

St Michael Garicoits’ First Communion

On the 2nd June, the bicentenary of St Michael Garicoits’ First Communion is going to be celebrated at Garris in the Parish of St Palais. Several Betharramites from the French-Spanish Vicariate will be present at the celebrations;  to begin with there will be a talk at Oneix, a procession with the Saint’s relics as far as Garris where Mass will be celebrated.
It seems that formerly it was the custom to celebrate the First Communion on Trinity Sunday which in 1811 fell on June 9th. By then Michael Garicoits was 14 years of age, and it was not without difficulty that he reached his meeting with Jesus in the Eucharist. The dangerous influence of Jansenism led him to believe that he would never be worthy of such close relationship with Jesus.  But the Father of Jesus Christ made Michael understand that he was the God of Love and not a god of terror. 
Official shepherd for the Anguelu family in Oneix, Michael enjoyed long periods of solitude which he would fill with singing hymns learned at Church, with studying his catechism or simply in thoughts. It was a perpetual struggle for him between what he learned in his catechism and what he felt was God really, and this until the day  that the Father revealed to him that he loved the humble and granted him the  light and consolation of  his live for him. He was so plunged in his thoughts on the Lord’s favours that he banged his head against the wall of the sheep fold.  St Michael often confided this experience.
From that day forward he took things more calmly. He was still full of longing to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, to feel God’s love that he accepted the delay fixed by those in authority even if he didn’t share their severity after his discovery of the God of Love. Almost certainly this intensified the quality of his first meeting with Jesus in the Sacrament. And his priestly vocation became more intense without the shadow of a doubt. 
For the sons of St Michael Garicoits this anniversary is to be the occasion of thinking about the meaning of the Eucharist in our lives as disciples and missioners of Jesus humiliated and obedient. The meeting with Jesus in the Eucharist never leaves on indifferent ; it makes us more like Jesus every time, as was the case for Michael Garicoits, even if we are not always fully aware of it and may even be distracted. 
When like Jesus at the Last Supper, we take the bread and wine fruit of the earth and work of human hands, we accept our human condition, receiving all things from the goodness of our Father; thus we can lead a life full of meaning and happiness.  “Accept! Take,” St Michael used to say in his Offering.  Like him, we give ourselves to God so that he will change us and make us worth of Jesus, of  the Father and of  the Holy Spirit.
When like Jesus at the Last Supper, we give thanks and blessings to God for the bread and wine, we are  united to Jesu whose life was a blessing, the good news, praise, thanksgiving to the Father of all goodness for his love for Jesus and for us, a love which is evident  in all that we are and all we are worth, whatever we have and whatever happens to us: marvels of the Lord.
When, like Jesus at the last Supper, we break the bread and share it, we break it up for there is no other for sharing it. By partaking in the Eucharist we can neither hold on to things nor safeguard our person. We must be dedicated, be disturbed, be sacrificed, for others following the example of Jesus himself who by his death on the cross, has become the Bread for the life of the world: lose one’s life to save it like the grain of wheat.
When, like Jesus at the Last Supper, we offer the bread and share the cup of wine, we receive this Body given up for us and the blood of Jesus  shed  for us , and he leads us into his offering so that today, like Him, we can give our life for our brothers.
When, like Jesus at the Last Supper, we eat this bread and drink this cup, we are united with Him and share his life. Eating and drinking supposes that we assimilate what we are eating and drinking; that it has become part of us. Each of us personally is assimilated to Jesus; that’s what is meant by living as a Christian; that’s what is meant by being a disciple of Jesus.
When, like Jesus at the Last Supper, all present eat and drink, is the communion expressed in the epiclesis: when we are fed by his body and blood and full of the Holy Spirit, may we become one body and one spirit in Christ. (3rd Eucharistic Prayer). By partaking of the same bread, the body of Jesus given up, and by drinking the consecrated wine, his blood shed for the multitude, Jesus is present in everyone, and all become capable of uniting their differences and becoming his living Body, that is the Church.
The Bread broken into so many pieces and consumed is lost, disappears and lies hidden in those who have received it. But it is not really lost; it transforms those who receive it into the living Body of Christ, present in the world and acting for the good of all mankind. Likewise for the chalice of wine;  it is present in the joyful witness together with all the fruits of life, in those who have partaken of it.

Gaspar Fernandez,SCJ

Father Auguste Etchecopar wrote...
In his personal notes between the feast of St Joseph and the Annunciation 1872

This is the time when the Church is inviting all the faithful to meditate on the Passion. This is the time when she presents us with the Cross.
Oh Cross, hail! Come and console the afflicted, support the weak, and convert all sinners. What a sight to behold God thus beaten, humiliated, and taking a body so as to be able to die. Throughout his whole life he has been longing for this moment! When this moment arrives, he says that it is his hour; he goes out to meet it, he hands himself over.
O my God, you are as willing to die as I am ready to offend you. He could have redeemed me with a prayer; of course not, he wanted to undergo all this suffering for my conversion, to drag me away from sin, inspire me with horror for it, make me pure and have me for himself.
In the Garden of Olives he trembles, sweats blood as he thinks of my sins. In the presence of his judges Caiphus, Pilate or Herod he suffers patiently all the calumny, the blows, the spittle, in expiation for all the scandal, the anger, and wrongful words. Oh my God!  All this anger is so many blows. All these terrible words are the spittle.
Is that all? My God, it is not!  I must die for your love! If you are not moved when you see me on the cross. “I shall call all to myself” (John 12,32).
He is going up!!! His holy mother is following him!!! What a sight for her seeing her Son dragged along, and hearing the insults. What sorrow for her as she hears the blows with the hammer. What sorrow seeing him between two thieves.
What a sight to behold the purest of virgins opposite her crucified son. To see this son who is God himself....”When I shall be raised up I shall draw all men to myself”
He instituted this sacrifice so as to prolong the memory of it. Here he is giving himself in Communion; come to me; now is the time to prepare.
Poor sinners, God is calling you from his Cross. This is what your sins have done, those bad confessions. What are you going to do? Are you going to resist his appeal? How wrong it would be to make such sufferings useless!
O my God, with every mortal sin I deserved hell. Every time I have renewed the sufferings of God. Behold the Cross the proof of God’s love. His soul.

In preparation for the General Chapter

THE INCARNATION : GOD IN HUMAN WEAKNESS
4. Humility: a struggle and a gift 

The Almighty wanted a share in our weakness by taking our human condition: such is the marvellous mystery of the Incarnation, heart of our spirituality. The charisma of Betharram, the “Behold here I am of the Heart of Jesus”, is an incomparable treasure; it has been given to us but we carry it in “vases of clay”. Here is the last of four monthly meetings. They are to prepare us spiritually for our General Chapter in Bethlehem (14th – 31st May 2011) using the recollection preached in Adiapodoume last December.

This humility of God’s, and his discretion we ought to be able to include them into o ur spiritual life.  This is a conversion which is never over. The obedience of the Son has been the perfect modal: “We must set great store on humility, be obedient. Love  not to be noticed by the world. Our Lord Jesus Christ was obedient although he was God, because he was also man. And although he was God and man, he made his humanity to be obedient, which he considered to be nothing in the presence of the divinity. To be  obedient in his nothingness! The more one loses sight of self, the more one finds God and in a much better state – sanctified, transformed, divinised.” (DS 176) Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ told us:  We must take the last place. It is the one which He took. If we despised ourselves , we would find that it is the one that suits us. We wouldn’t be comparing ourselves with others;  in the last place, there is only one place; there is neither comparison nor choice.  DS 175)
Now to practise this virtue, St Michael Garicoits points out a great obstacle:  Pride is the obstacle to humility.  He who is humble knows that he is God’s creature and that he is therefore not God;  God is his Lord and Master. For him his neighbour is not a competitor to be kept down to overcome him, nor to be fought against pretending that he is getting in our way; he is brother created in the image  of God and redeemed by Jesus Christ, just like me.  Hence this expression dear to St Michael Garicoits which we have difficulty in explaining. “God is everything, I am nothing”. His formula is to be understood in the orientation of our dependence on God; it is clear. “God is everything, without him, I am nothing” “Pride is the source of all evil, the deepest of wounds: let  me rise! To cure it God says Let me go down! He could easily made his divinity shine. But he could see the wound in my heart, the desire to shine: Let me rise! And Jesus says, let me go down! The Word sinks lower than the angels, in the meanest of hovels in a miserable hamlet. Then for 30 years obedient until death on a cross. Our Lord appeared to be what he wasn’t, what he couldn’t be, that is a sinner, guilty of all the crimes He put up with all the accusations, the insults, being spat upon and dressed in the red cloak”. (MS 143) When are we going to understand that the first of all our duties and the most important, and at the same time the most precious, is that we should present ourselves before God and his ministers recognising and confessing our nothingness, submitting to them and saying “Here I am” (Corr 1, 163.
The poverty and humility of God which we see in Bethlehem are an invitation for us to contemplate human weakness as the place chosen for the Incarnation. To accept this reality is to accept our condition as a creature instead of usurping the Creator’s place. It’s having right relations with the Father who wants us as his beloved children. It’s having a better chance of making a success of our lives by using all our energy to overcome our inclination of being occupied with ourselves and putting all our trust in God our Father who is able to change all our weaknesses. The end

Laurent Bacho,SCJ

Betharramites, say "YES" to Life !

At the beginning of 2011, in a circular, Fr Gustavo Agin, superior of Fr Auguste Etchecopar Region , quoted a religious who was reacting to the theme chosen for that year in the South American Vicariats. With the forthcoming General Chapter Family News takes up the challenge as an encouragement for the entire Betharramite family.

Go for Life! That Life which we each received from the Father as a gift and vocation; the Life of all living creatures, the whole of creation, dreamt of and willed by God; the whole of human Life, of millions and millions of existences, histories, people; the Life of the charisma of Betharram and of the spirituality of St Michael, the Life of our brothers, witnesses of the threats weighing on life and faith from one  end of our continent to the other.
Go for Life! With the global conscience of Mother Nature, God’s great creation at the service of mankind, with an ecology which is respectful, which listens, which feeds on the gifts within our reach, but without spoiling it, or polluting it; not to waste it like a simple reservoir of cheap raw materiel.
Go for Life! Because from the moment of conception we respect it, want it, love it. We intend to look after it, protect it, strengthen it, make it increase.  We admit that everything is a gift from the Father in Jesus, through the power of the Spirit. We want to take care of Life. It s like a pregnant woman: when she sees danger she protects herself with her arms. This is how we want to act towards others. We feel we are brothers to so many suffering souls, the marginalised, the excluded, the poor, children, young and old, single mothers who are exploited and reduced to slavery, those who are ruined by drugs and alcohol, those imprisoned by violence and fear, those who are shut off from the Good News of Life in Jesus, the  Godless, the landless, the homeless; those who have no family, the sick and the dying, those whose life and whose faith are under threat.
Go for Life! Because we are brothers, religious and laity, we recognise ourselves as such. Consequently, we share the same mission, that of Jesus, of St Michael and of countless Betharramites: to get for others the same happiness. We who are saved and freed by the God of Love, we want to proclaim the Good News to the whole wide world; we want to announce by our life that meeting Jesus is the best thing that happened to us and that this is something which makes us  happy.  We want to make it known that Life is a call and a commitment. We want to defend it and make it increase: in our religious communities, schools parishes and youth movements. We want to keep  intact in us that life which was in Jesus and which drove him to give himself up totally to the Will of God, and so thus to live out his Pascal mystery, and save us from the power of sin. We want to make the Pascal mystery of Jesus our way of life.
Go for life!  This is our battle cry in the face of the culture of death which separates, divides and kills. The culture of the intoxicated of television, radio, internet and the other means of communication; a culture which belittles Life, weakens it, makes fun of it and reduces it to sex or sees it as a toy in the hands of political, economical, media, social or religious power. Today we are saying NO to the culture of death and a definite YES to Life and to its culture of dignity, recovery, of unity, of awareness, of understanding, of tolerance, a culture of life which has no fear of differences, which excludes no one, which attaches importance to what is held in common, which achieves projects, which dreams great dreams, which is fascinated by all that can be done for children and the youth, for the poor and the needy. A Life which becomes a family through a man and a woman, the children and grand children who are born of it ; a life which lasts, which develops, and which is a school of love and of tenderness.

Gustavo Agín,SCJ

Early stages of the Betharramite Mission in El Siambon

They are called Thomas and Natalie; since the end of the month of February they are Betharramite missioners in a rural area in the north of Argentina. How did they come to be there?  “The ways of the Lord are impenetrable, but in a mysterious fashion he was preparing our heart”.

We got married two and a half years ago; we had both begun a theology course when we began to think that ours was a vocation to religious life, next we resumed our studies as laity while at the same time there were those who were wondering about this choice. Who would ever have though that the Lord would send us, years later, to a place where such a formation was going to be necessary?
During our first year of married life we had plenty of problems – financial, professional, and lodging. But by the beginning of 2010, providence upset the situation; we both found a well paid job which pleased us; at last we were enjoying stability and comfort which we both longed for... but was this what we really wanted? Basically we were both conscious that the Lord was calling us to what seemed like madness; we could hardly talk about it since before getting married we already had a missionary project which didn’t materialise.
In December 2010 Gustavo and Roxana had invited us to the Mission in January at Santiago del Estero. Here we saw the possibility of real discernment and taking into account the words of John Paul II. “The mission starts there where we are. But mission ad gentes can also be entrusted to the laity. May the Grace which you have received change you into pilgrims capable of leaving house and home to share the wealth of Christ where ever the Church needs you”.
With the experience of Santiago emerged our missionary vocation at great depth, but in an original way: to be a Betharramite missioner, to share what we have lived during the summer mission, the communion between the religious and the laity, members of the same family, so that others may experience the charism of Betharram. And that’s  how we have landed in El Siambon, a sector totally devoid of priests in the province of Tucuman, trying to respond here I am to the calls of the Church and the Congregation.
After studying the pastoral needs a priority emerged; formation of catechists among the young people of the sector so as to build a community stronger in its faith. So far eight candidates have come forward. We are offering the young a staggered formation – study of the Word, meeting times, sharing and prayer. Our first meeting was very positive.
At present we are refurbishing the house where we live to become a retreat centre and it needs extensive repairs!  Things are taking place little by little, thanks to the support of the Betharramite community and all the volunteers who are helping us as much as possible. We would love other Betharramite laity (and not only Argentineans) to come and join us for a while. There is no shortage of work!!
Of course, it was tough leaving Buenos Aires, our friends, family and creature comforts. But since we got here Providence has been showing us the way;  every day we are discovering the meaning of our presence and our mission. With this we are fully content; we can feel the happiness and peace of him who is seeking to do God’s will and to serve Christ in his brothers. We are amazed to see how God is calling us despite our weaknesses; if we keep  our heart available, He looks after everything else.

Tomás y Natalia Schweitzer

5 minutes with...  Br Vincent, Br Pascal and Br Wilfred, deacons

B

In June, three Indian Betharramites complete their studies at the seminary in Birmingham. Joint interview with Ravi deacons Pascal Vincent and Wilfred Perepadan Masilamani.

Nef: What was your first reaction and what were your feelings when the Superiors asked you to go to England for a period of four years?  And how were you welcomed in England?
- It was the time when Indian Vicariate was bereaving over the death of Fr. Xavier Ponthokkan. I was in my regency experience in Assam when I heard from my superiors. I was thrilled and little concerned about what is going to happen. At the same time I was  amenable to take the challenges which lie ahead.  When I reached England I was given a warm welcome and made feel at home...  It was a total surprise to me, when Fr. Austin asked me whether I would like to come to England to do my theology for four years. He told me to think about it and to give a reply after a week. I had mixed feelings when I was asked to go and do my further formation in England. I was welcomed joyfully to the Sacred Heart Community, English Vicariate and to the Olton Friary parish. In the Community there was Br. Gerard a familiar face to our Indian Betharramites. It felt like home except for the weather.
 
How this period in England helped you in your formation?
- This period in England gave me lots of scope. It had effect in my intellectual, spiritual, social dimensions of my life. The most important lesson I learned is to have relationship with our brothers in the community. There are so many things which I have learned and I am afraid that I am limited by words... These last three and half years of formation in England has helped me to grow in my vocation. As a result of being a member of the community with a pastoral mission in the parish has opened me to challenges concerning the faith and moral matters that we face today in our modern world. By serving the people of the Olton friary parish and other missionary placements during summer have brought many opportunities to engage with people and put into practice of the topics of my theological studies.
 
How did you live the spirit of Saint Michael in Olton Friary, in Oscott College and in your ministry in the Parish or in your school ministry?
- The spirit of St. Michael has always helped me to engage in my entire ministry. I can recall the word of St. Michael “Forward always forward” was so encouraging when I had difficulties. And I tried my best to live and share with all whom I encountered... I have a special devotion and admiration for the spirit of St. Michael which attracted me from the beginning of my vocational journey. The phrase of “Bringing the same happiness to others” has been an important influence in my missionary zeal. I have held in my life this particular aspect of the spirit of St. Michael throughout these years of my stay in England. I can truthfully say that I have tried my best always by being available to the needs of others, open to new challenges, by listening and being open to criticisms.
 
You think that this exchange between England and India will bear some fruits? Can you see any already?
- I think by this exchange, the bond between England and India has been strengthened. It also has given me the opportunity to build relationship with all Priests and Brothers in English vicariate. I am positive that Indian vicariate will benefit from this exchange. At the same time it has made me aware that most of Vicariate members are getting on in years and there are vocation problems... Yes, I am quite sure that this exchange between English and Indian Vicariates will bring some fruits in the future. This opportunity has opened up possibilities in the promotion of vocations in England. It also provided opportunities to establishing a closer relationship with both English and Indian Vicariates. The experience of living in a community of lay Brothers at Olton Friary has inspired me to promote vocations to the Brotherhood within our congregation in India. 

What is the most precious experience you take back with you to India and, on the other hand, what are the difficulties you faced in adjusting to your new surroundings?
- The most precious experience I take back is my pastoral experience working with our parish school (Our Lady Of Compassion), working with the young people, and families. I have also build a strong link with Birmingham catholic youth service which will support our parish youth. The key words are RELATIONSHIP, COMMUNICATION, and OPENESS etc... which I will share.  There were lots of difficulties starting from climate, food, culture... but the love and friendship from the community helped a lot to adjust to the new surroundings.
The most precious experience I shall take back to India will be my pastoral missionary work experience in England and the beautiful experience of Pope Benedict’s visit last September at the Beatification ceremony of Blessed John Henry Newman in Birmingham. The main difficulties I have experienced during my stay in the United Kingdom have been related to climate and Language. The cold winters were a new experience for me and the Birmingham regional accent did present some problems in the beginnings. I have adjusted to the British winter and the accent is no longer a concern.

4. IN PAU: EXTRAORDINARY GIFTS 

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When in 1867 Mariam arrived in Pau “she had all the characteristics of someone from the East - the shape of her head, her slit dark eyes, her olive tinted complexion, her liveliness, her childlike joy, her deep voice results of the dagger wound in Alexandria and which had affected her wind pipe but added to the fascination which was hers, finally her affectionate actions, for example kissing the hands of her companions or simply embracing them”.
On 2nd July she began her novitiate under the predestined name of Mary of Jesus Crucified: Mary in memory of the graces of her birth and of that night in Alexandria; Jesus Crucified for the grace already received and which was to continue for t he rest of her life reproducing the mystery of the sufferings of Christ in her own body.  For her, her assent to Carmel was going to be her assent to Calvary,
The extraordinary gifts began straightaway. This unusual case was studied closely by the most serious of persons which offered total security: the Bishop of Bayonne, a very prudent man if ever there was one, the superior of the diocesan seminary, the dean of St Martin’s who had the reputation of a saint, Fr Estrate of Betharram, her spiritual director.
This Arab novice was showered with a wealth of extraordinary charismas, which in her childlike simplicity she didn’t even suspect their number or value. Mgr Lacoste, the Bishop, asked the Sisters – and especially Sr Veronica, to keep an account of these charismas and the words spoken during ecstasies. They only noted what she said in normal French; the note books came to constitute important material. There was no morbid incitement present in the rapture of her soul.
Like St Joseph of Cupertino, she had many levitations, eight in Pau where she was raised to the top of a tall lime tree and in Bethlehem she was raised to the summit of an olive tree. In her rapture she would be raised to the top of the tree and there she would stay professing her love for God. A single order from her Prioress would be enough to bring her back to earth and she would slide down holding on to the tips of the branches which normally were unable to bear her weight.
The stigmata on her hands and feet which had already appeared while she was in Marseilles returned regularly in Pau.  They would begin on Thursday and last until Friday night, especially in Lent and during Holy Week. They were the bleeding reproductions of the Lord’s wounds to her hands, her feet, and her side and around her head with the holes of the thorns.
Sister Marie endured piercing of her heart like St Theresa of Avila. In the case of Sr Marie this happened during an ecstasy in the little oratory in the garden in Pau, on Sunday 24th May 1868. The wound inflicted made her scream with the pain and the ecstasy; in August 1878 her heart was examined when it was removed to be taken to Pau by Fr Estrate and Mlle Berthe Dartigaux. The doctor pointed to a scar of a wound which had been inflicted through and through the heart; for him this was something totally incomprehensible, in a heart which had never been ailing.

Pierre Médebielle,SCJ
Jérusalem (1983, pp. 201-239)