Missionary heroes:

Support them with prayers, contributions

		Propagation  of the Faith  Msgr. Delbert  Schmelzer

These are times of great growth and great need in the churches in the developing world.

That's what Fr. John E. Kozar, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States, said in a statement released for World Mission Sunday Oct. 21.

Growth in missions

"On the one hand we are witnessing a time of great growth for the church in the missions," said the priest, who heads the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, the Society of St. Peter the Apostle, and the Pontifical Missionary Union.

"Yet more and more often," he added, "we see great suffering among the poor, and we find missionaries serving in those areas, often at great risk to their own lives, so that the poor may come to know the saving love of Jesus Christ."

Last year, 23 new seminaries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America requested first-time help, Kozar said, and 80,000 students in major and minor seminaries in the missions received assistance. The number of mission dioceses has grown from 877 in 1985 to 1,059 this year.

Missionary heroes

On World Mission Sunday, Kozar said, Catholics are encouraged to "unite in prayer and sacrifice for the missionary heroes of our world; those who day after day proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ -- his love and his peace -- by their words and the very witness of their lives."

Kozar noted that his own priestly vocation and, in fact, his priestly service have been deeply affected by the example of missionaries whom he has called his personal heroes.

Writing in the fall 2001 MISSION, the national magazine of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, about the acts of terrorism on Sept. 11 in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, Kozar observed that in the missions, in such times of violence, persecution, and war, "it is always the missionaries who are there at 'Ground Zero.' Some bring medical help; others bring food and clothing; still others provide shelter. All offer the love of our Lord."

On World Mission Sunday, Catholics are encouraged to "unite in prayer and sacrifice for the missionary heroes of our world; those who day after day proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ -- His love and His peace -- by their words and the very witness of their lives," said Kozar.

Annual collection

Contributions to a collection taken up on World Mission Sunday support the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. Ninety-one percent of the offering supports programs run by the society in Asia, Africa, parts of Latin America, and islands of the Pacific. The remaining nine percent is for the work of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association.

Assistance provided by the collection includes aid for the education and support of seminarians, novices, and lay catechists; for the work of religious communities in education, health care, and social services; for communication and transportation needs; and for disaster and emergency relief, when necessary.

Msgr. Delbert Schmelzer is director of the Propagation of the Faith for the Diocese of Madison. Contributions to the Propagation of the Faith may be made at the parish or may be sent to: P.O. Box 44983, Madison, WI 53744-4983.

Pen is still mightier than sword:

Coverage appreciated

		Grand Mom  Audrey  Mettel Fixmer

The Catholic Press is alive and well, at least in this diocese.

I am continually amazed at the responses I get to my Grand Mom column: the letters from readers, as well as the feedback from folks I meet at church or in the grocery store, or anywhere the "Lord's masses" congregate.

People occasionally disagree with what I have said, but more often they let me know that I have managed to hit the nerve that has been annoying them too. Or they tell me they are praying for one of my loved ones. It's very gratifying.

Accustomed as I am to these responses, however, I was unprepared for the delightful results of the feature story I wrote for the Madison Catholic Herald in July. Because I had agreed to do the publicity for our annual parish fair, I wrote about the Belland sisters and their labor of love in making a beautiful quilt to be raffled.

Outpouring of love

I was stunned by the beauty of their work as well as the year-long sacrifice they made for our parish. With my trusty old camera I was able to capture some of that beauty, and our editor, Mary Uhler, was kind enough to feature it on a full-colored front page in the July 26 issue. What a delightful outpouring of love that photo and story evoked!

For the next week after the publication of the photo and story, the Belland sisters were joyously gathering in the mail each day, reading the notes, counting the money, and writing responses to all the readers who sent them money for chances. They were able to make the largest donation ever to their parish, more than $3,000, and they were convinced that their huge success was due to the coverage in the Catholic Herald.

Hardworking family

Now, it is important to keep in mind that Sr. Jean and Sr. Mary Ann Belland are not only members of the Franciscan order, but they are blood sisters as well. They grew up as the sixth and seventh daughters in a family of nine children in Little Canada, Minn.

The entire family worked summers on the truck garden farm that supported them. The eldest daughter had to make all the dresses worn by the entire flock, and in the winters everyone gathered around the kitchen table each night to make quilts from her scraps. It wasn't until they joined the convent that they not only got a high school education, but college degrees as well.

Sr. Mary Ann is retired from her 35 years as a classroom teacher, and Sr. Jean retired from her nursing career but still earns a paycheck by working in the kitchen at the Fireside Restaurant and Playhouse in Fort Atkinson.

There she is happy to be in a pleasant environment, and the other workers show her the respect that she demands. She sends her paycheck directly to her motherhouse in Milwaukee, just as she always has, and they, in turn send the sisters their basic living expenses for rent, utilities, and food. Their lifestyle is a little looser than the religious of 40 years ago, but it is still sparse. There are no frills.

Quilting success

It is great to see the Belland sisters so thrilled with their quilting success. They earned more than the amount they had aimed for. And every penny went to the parish; they did not even take back the $250 they had invested of their own money. In their delight over reader responses to their story, the sisters saved every note and shared them with me.

To see them so thrilled with my readers is reward enough. I can only say a fervent, "God bless the readers!" It's good to recognize the value of the Catholic Press in our diocese and to remember the old adage, "The pen is mightier than the sword."

To this I might add, "The Holy Spirit is a whiz at marketing!"

"Grandmom" likes hearing from other senior citizens who enjoy aging at P.O. Box 216, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538.