INDEX
- Carmelite Bishop in Venezuela
- Hindu Aggression towards the Carmelites in India
- In Danger: Our Lady of Carmel Shrine in China
- Carmelite Fervor in Callao, Peru
- The Annual Roman Summer Recess
Carmelite Bishop in Venezuela
On June 30th “The Osservatore Romano” and the
Vatican City Radio made public the naming of Fr. CÀSTOR
OSWALDO AZUAJE PÉREZ of the Virgin of Carmel as Auxiliary
Bishop of Maracaibo (Venezuela). He was born in this city
noted for its oil on October 19, 1951 in a family of six
brothers. He knew about the Carmelites in the country
through the Discalced Carmelite Nuns at Merida. He entered
the novitiate program in the desert de las Palmas, in
Castile (Spain), because at that time Venezuela belonged to
the Province of Aragonia-Valenza. He took his first vows on
October 12, 1968. After three years of philosophy at
Saragozza, he studied the first year of theology at Mount
Carmel (1971-72) and the other three years (1972-75) at the
Teresianum in Rome. In December 1975 he was ordained to the
priesthood. He completed his theological studies with a
doctorate in Moral Theology near the Alfonsianum Academy in
Rome in 1978.
He worked first as a formator in Coast Rica, where he was
also secretary of the Conference of Religious and manager of
the theological magazine “Senderos”. In 1984 he returned to
his country in Venezuela. During this period, his duties
included being a formator, a seminary teacher of pastoral
theology, and a provincial delegate to the Carmelite nuns.
During the academic year of 1994-95 he took courses at the
International Avila Center. Then he returned to his country,
and from 1996 to 1999 he was general delegate, master of
novices, professor and spiritual director of the seminary of
Merida, and Episcopal Vicar of consecrate life. Since 2005
he again served as general delegate of the order in
Venezuela.
In a confidential communication, the newly elected Carmelite
prelate wrote: “To leave the Order which has been my home
where I have lived breathed is not easy; it is hard for a
sinner like myself, who has lived in the Camelite Order as
my “maternal home” to leave the Teresian Carmel where I have
received everything.” Other than Spanish, Mons. Oswaldo
Azuaje speaks English, Portuguese and French. His “hobby” is
music. The Episcopal consecration will take place at the
titular center of Vertara at Maracaibo on September 1. On
his Episcopal coat of arms appears our familiar symbol of
the three stars with the motto from the Carmelite Rule: “To
follow Jesus Christ more closely.”
Hindu aggression towards the Carmelites in India
Our brothers of the “Ashram Carmel “ and house of formation
(1998) of the Koteshwar, Province of Karnataka-Goa (India)
suffered a bitter experience of Hindu extremism. Around 9.30
in the morning on June 25th the superior, Fr.
Silvestre Pereira, accompanied Br. Joyson Saldhana and an
aspirant John Pradeep to a nearby hospital, together with
the cook, Mr. Mukunk Bhandary. They were accompanied by a
friend from nearby, Mr. Valerian Di Silva. Then, suddenly
they found themselves in front of four Hindu extremists who
accused them of working for the forced conversion of people
to Christianity. Our brothers suffered from physical
aggression. The Father was taken by the neck, pulled down
from the staircase, was kicked several times, and ended up
with broken teeth. Thanks to the help of a local priest, Fr.
Anthony Lobe, and the inspector of the local police,
Valentine Di Souza, they were freed from the hands of the
extremists. Nevertheless they were brought to the local
police center at Kundapur, under the charge of being caught
in the act of inducing a forced conversion. They remained
two hours without being able to communicate to the outside
world. Finally, the group dispersed with the excuse of
having mistaken the identity of the priest. Our brothers
were taken care of at the hospital of Chinmayi. The group
leader of the attack, Ramanna Shetty, was arrested, but then
was set free. The other ones were also identified but were
not arrested. The local leaders and the police have
condemned the incident, promising a complete investigation.
The Minister of the Interior in Karnataka has also been
informed about the aggression. The Provincial of
Karnataka-Goa, P. Domenico Vas, informs us that the presence
and the apostolate of our religious in the area it is very
much appreciated.
Mons. Stanislao Fernandez, Archbishop of Gandhinagar and
secretary of the Indian Episcopal Conference, has publicly
condemned the aggression against the Carmelites and the four
Christians. In the protest rallies that followed the
ex-parliamentary Vinaykumar Sorake, said that they that have
participated in that “aggression have brought shame on all
civil society”, and the civic government of Prathpchandra
Shetty. The two have invited the police to an effective
intervention against the persons responsible. Demonstrations
of solidarity have also been organized in larger cities as
Mysore and Mangalore.
Through the great information agencies as “Asia News” and,
even through the “Google” internet server , the news has had
an international reverberation arousing a vast protest
against intolerance and religious extremism in India.
In Danger: Our Lady of Carmel Shrine in China
While not wanting to contradicting the great hope which Pope
Benedict XVI inspired the whole Church with his recent
Apostolic Letter (signed 27-05-2007 and published
30-06-2007) to the Chinese Catholics of the People’s
Republic, we report a notice that came out that could sadden
the general joy of the Feast of Our Lady of Carmel. The
local Henan government has decided to destroy the venerable
shrine devoted to Our Lady of Carmel with a charge of
dynamite. Previously, it had forbidden pilgrimages on the
occasion of the patronal feast that had gathered 40 to the
50 thousand faithful.
The famous Shrine is found in Tianjianjin, in the district
of Linxian, the Diocese of Anyang, above a mountain that
offers a marvelous panoramic view of the valleys. It was
built in 1903 by the apostolic Vicar of Northern Henan,
Mons. Stephen Scarsella, a PIME missionary. The shrine,
built in Neo–gothic style, was first destroyed by the
Sino-Japanese war, and then a second time by the Red Guard
in the 1960s. From 1979 the faithful began to organize many
pilgrimages during which the pilgrims crossed many miles on
foot. The pilgrims gather in front of the statue of Our Lady
of Carmel, which rises up to the construction of the first
church and towers in a grotto like that of Lourdes. For this
year 2007 a reconstruction program was planned for the
shrine, with a monumental Way of the Cross before it. People
have already offered their financial contributions from
their own property and prized possession, even offering work
time without pay.
To strengthen the prohibition against the shrine the
government has organized military exercises of 700 soldiers
nearby, exactly on July 16th . For this, the road
that leads to the shrine was closed. A decree of May 14th
defines the pilgrimages to the Carmelite Shrine as “illegal
religious activity.”
We suspect that the motive for the local government’s
decision is really for it’s interest in building a hotel on
such a picturesque place. A spokesman for the people
expressed himself in this way: “This decision is puzzling.
We are not afraid. We will continue until the end of our
action to defend our legitimate interests.”
Carmelite Fervor in Callao, Peru
On July 16th the Marian Jubilee Year consecrate
to Our Lady of Carmel in Callao will come to a close. The so
called province is founded in the center-westerner ancient
country of the Azteki. Here is situated the district of the
Carmel of La Legua-Reynoso which was erected on December 4
th 1964. This is also the place of an historical chapel,
whose miraculous image of Our Lady of Carmel has been there
since 1606. On the occasion of the fourth centenary Pope
Benedict XVI, through the Apostolic Penitentiary (decree
Prot. N. 338/06/1), granted special thanks for the
recurrence of the Jubilee Year. Since April 14, 1994 the
status of the chapel has been elevated to that of a shrine.
In 1901 the Society of Our Lady of Carmel was founded. Then
on September 30 1923 the Brotherhood of the Bearers of the
Sacred Image was founded for the long procession of July 16.
In 1944 the Brotherhood of Fishermen was created in her
honor. In 1951 shrine advanced to a canonical crowning. The
Virgin of Carmel has been, and continuous to be, the
religious center of Callao. Pope John Paul II was
recollected in prayer in front of this image on February 1,
1985 during his pastoral visit in Peru. The Marian Jubilee
Year which will come to a close has see an increase of
pilgrimages and popular fervor towards the Patroness of
Callao.
The Annual Roman Summer Recess
As with every year during this period, Communications will
suspend its activity until September 15th . The
team is made up of the following members:
Damaso Zuazua, editor,
Isidoro Di Silva and Carlo Dalla Valle, Internet Technicians,
Agostino Cappelletti, Italian language translator,
George Mangiaracina, temporary English language translator,
Sr. Marie-Claire de la Croix, of the Villefranche de
Rouergue Carmel,
French language translator,
Michael Obermayr, German language translator.
We wish our whole Order and the whole Teresian Carmelite
family a happy patronal feast of Mary, Our Mother, Queen and
Beauty of Carmel. In case of special and urgent
communication needs during this break, one or more members
of the team, will go back to work if necessary.
