Stories from the missions: Heralds of hope

		Propagation  of the Faith  Msgr. Delbert  Schmelzer

"We are the heralds of the hope of Christ."So wrote Fr. Khalid Rashid of St. Mary Parish and St. Anthony's Hostel for Boys and St. Joseph's Hostel for Girls shortly after the earthquake in Pakistan.

All around him, Father Rashid has seen unspeakable devastation and loss of life. And yet, he did not lose faith. "We have hope for the good," he said. "For with God, everything is possible."

Message of Christ

Just as the angels heralded the message of the birth of Christ to the shepherds centuries ago, so today, Father Rashid and other missionaries bring the message of Jesus - the Light of the World, the Prince of Peace - to people who have much darkness in their lives.

As Father Rashid said: "We reach out to all, Muslim and Christian - especially the children. Their parents are the day-laborers, the donkey cart drivers, and brick-makers who barely make a living wage. These parents cannot afford to send their children to school. It is very sad."

However, at the hostel, Father Rashid has been able to make a long-term difference in the children's lives. "We are able to provide an education for them," he explained. "They learn about Jesus, and when they learn about His life, they not only realize how much they are loved by such a gracious God, but also they have an extraordinary awareness that they must share that love with others. They put on Christmas pageants in different villages, singing with joy of the newborn Baby Whom they have grown to know as their Savior."

Father Rashid spoke of the time in his parish that followed the October 8 earthquake in Pakistan. "The children asked immediately to pray and have Mass for the victims," he said. "And, although extremely poor, they have been collecting funds to send to the children in the affected area. Some of the older children are working as volunteers because as they have said, 'It would be what Jesus would have us do.'"

In Tamale, Ghana

In Tamale, Ghana, in Africa, a missionary Sister talks of the witness to Jesus among the people there - and their response. "We must meet people where they are, not waiting for them to come to us," said Sister Odile. "We try to be humble, joyful witnesses of the love of God to the people among whom we live."

In Tamale, the Sisters have set up religious education programs for children and adults. "With such a high level of illiteracy here, we must teach the adults how to read and write," explained Sister Odile.

"They come to us after work and learn by reading stories from the Bible. When they hear the Gospel of St. Luke they are awe-struck by the humble beginnings of Jesus - His being born in a stable. As they learn more about the life of Christ, they feel we are giving hope to them in their own lives."

Christmas appeal

This Christmas, won't you give a gift through the Propagation of the Faith, so that mission priests like Father Rashid in Pakistan and Religious Sisters like Sister Odile in Ghana, and so many more throughout the missions may continue to reach out with the love of Christ to the young and the old?

By supporting their work and witness you will be making a difference for the suffering poor of the missions, offering them the hope-filled "good news" proclaimed by the angel that first Christmas.

This Christmas, too, let us join in prayer with Catholics worldwide in gratitude for the greatest of His gifts to us, His Son. We also ask the Lord to keep us always in His care and to offer His light, hope, and peace to a world so in need of Him. Thank you.

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 sent to: P.O. Box 44983, Madison, WI 53744-4983.

Evolving Christmas: Changing the traditions

		Grand Mom  Audrey  Mettel Fixmer

Here I am, with 10 days until Christmas, having no gifts purchased, say nothing about wrapped.

My friend Mary Ann has a huge pile of gifts wrapped with perky bows all around her neat little tree, one for each of her three children and six grandchildren. I shudder to think about such a daunting task for my brood of 10 children, eight spouses, 19 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

It's been quite a few years since we abandoned the serious gift exchange. As time reaps havoc on this aging body, I have avoided crowded malls and switched to catalogs. But even my fingers got tired of doing the walking.

Gift exchange

It's still important for all of our family to gather on Christmas Eve at our house. That's a tradition I cling to tenaciously. "Go to your in-laws on Christmas Day, but Christmas Eve is mine!"

For a few years we fought the numbers by drawing names on Thanksgiving. That was nice at first, but when it soon boiled down to everyone exchanging gift certificates, it seemed ridiculous.

About three years ago we switched to "gag gifts," where we each gift-wrapped, something like a white elephant or something funny. We drew numbers from one to 20 (or however many bodies we had present that year).

The person whose turn it was could draw from the unwrapped pile or steal one from someone else. That game turned out to be the most fun of all.

One constant

The one constant that remained all these years is that each kid bought us, the parents, a gift, and we bought one for each of them. For a while I simplified my shopping by buying a "generic" gift.

Everyone got a handsome wooden personalized plaque to hang on his or her mailboxes. One year it was a personalized "From the library of" to emboss their books. And for the grandchildren it was a journal with a personal note about what an important year it would be in their lives.

This year I have learned from our children an important lesson. When Bob had his birthday in late October, each one sent him a card and said that his gift would be delayed; they were pooling their resources.

We had an unusually large turnout for Thanksgiving, with sons and daughters flying in from such distant places as Seattle, New York, and Iowa. Bob was thrilled but he was told that his special gift was yet to come.

Surprise dedication

On Saturday Bob and I had to excuse ourselves to go over to our new church for a dedication ceremony. Our new parish library was about to be blessed and opened for business. Since we were on the library committee, we couldn't miss it.

Well, when we entered the library, Bob was totally astonished to see most of our family members present, along with our friends and library workers. It turned out that they had all made a substantial donation to our church in Bob's honor.

To top it all off, our son-in-law Mark Dziewior, the artist, unveiled a gorgeous bronze plaque he had made with a portrait of Bob and the words "Robert K. Fixmer Library, dedicated November 26, 2005 from his children Rob, Tom, Tim, Elizabeth, Kathy, Kris, Gretchen, Patty, John, and Mark."

Everyone was touched by the personalized tributes that each son and daughter gave, telling stories about the important role books played in their lives, thanks to the high value placed on reading in their home. Gretchen and Tom, who couldn't be with us, sent letters attesting to their life-long devotion, thanks to Dad.

As our friend, Jack, commented, "I think I just heard a whole lot of funeral eulogies. But I guess it's better to deliver these when a guy is alive."

Precious memories

Now I am taking a lesson from the kids. I have learned that shared memories are our greatest treasure, so I have decided to write some of the precious memories we have of our happy, wild, and weird years living together as a family.

I am learning to scan photographs into my computer, and that will enhance my stories. I certainly won't have the book finished by Christmas, but I can present each one with a few pages and the promise of more to come, God willing.

(Confession from the woman who has taught classes every semester for 10 years called "Writing Your Life Story." I have yet to write mine. Mea culpa, mea culpa.)

Merry and Blessed Christmas, everyone!

"Grandmom" likes hearing from other senior citizens who enjoy aging -- contact information.