DEEP THOUGHT
For years I have been reading the beautiful poetry and prayers of Father Joseph Veneroso. I look forward to reading them in the Maryknoll magazine and online each issue. Father Veneroso has a God-given gift with words that provoke deep thought. I want to thank him and wish him many more years of such insight.
Elaine Joiner
Brewster, New York
AT THE BORDER
I found the Winter Issue 2022 of Maryknoll magazine, titled “Jesus at the Border,” interesting and informative. I was also glad to hear you are in Texas.
Catherine Coakley
Waltham, Massachusetts
MOTIVATED BY LOVE
I just finished reading about Father Michael Bassano and I am deeply touched by his service in a United Nations camp in South Sudan. Like all Maryknoll missioners, Father Bassano could be living a comfortable life in the United States but chooses to be with people who have been marginalized. His motivation is love, the best motivation of all.
Mary McLoone
Bellevue, Washington
SOWER OF THE SEED
The letter titled “Always Maryknoll,” in the Readers’ Responses column in the Spring 2022 issue of Maryknoll magazine, saddened me to read about the woman who cited the sexual scandals and “ongoing use of funds for things and power instead of people and their needs.’’ It reminded me of the parable of the sower of the seed. Seed that fell upon rock had shallow roots and when the sun came out the plant dried up and died. Jesus explains that these are people who hear the Word of God and are very joyful and they feel good about what they are hearing but only for a little while. The Church is the mystical body of Christ and should not be rejected for the failures of man.
Janet Scellato
Orland Park, Illinois
PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY
I really like how you emphasized Laudato Si’ and integral ecology in your column. Thank you also for promoting the spirituality of Pope Francis. It is so good to hear that Maryknollers are dedicating their future and our future to the care of creation, our Mother Earth, on a personal and communal level. They pledge themselves to personally act, and not just talk. It is time for everyone to do that. Many are already. I will join you. I need your support; we are on the same journey. We will leave a good legacy for the next generation. Our legacy will be a better place to live.
Father Anthony Kroll
Sauk Rapids, Minnesota
ENJOYABLE READING
I receive magazines from different Catholic organizations. I like Maryknoll magazine the most. I really enjoy reading it. It is well written and has many interesting stories.
Julia Ng
Walnut Creek, California
PEBBLE IN A POND
Thank you for the Orbis Books Spotlight about Dorothy Day in the Spring 2022 issue of Maryknoll. I once attended a convocation at the Newman Center on the University of the Minnesota campus. Dorothy Day was the guest speaker, and I remember her proverb about the pebble: “A pebble cast into a pond causes ripples that spread in all directions. Each one of our thoughts, words, and deeds is like that.”
Since the killing of George Floyd, the Twin Cities has been in a state of civil unrest. The completed Dorothy Day Center in St. Paul is a shelter from the violence. I believe her travel to Minnesota in the 1960s is a good example of the pebble proverb.
Mike Nelson
Annandale, Minnesota
REST IN PEACE, PADRE TOM
I just learned of the death of Maryknoll Father Thomas Henehan. Rest in peace, dear Padre Tom! Surely God has a special place in heaven for you. Many thanks for accompanying and teaching the virtual communities of the Salt and Light program of Discípulos Misioneros Maryknoll. I had the pleasure of getting to know you and sharing many experiences that will remain forever in my heart. Your example calls us to follow in your footsteps, and you will always be for us a model of service. A missioner to the very end.
Olga Peñalonzo
Via Facebook
Editor’s note: This message was received in Spanish and translated by Maryknoll staff.
MISSION LEARNING
We always end the year with a mission unit, so I made an assignment in which students learn about Maryknoll mission projects and teams. I thought you might enjoy it. Here is an abbreviated outline.
Introduction: You are about to explore the website for Maryknoll Magazine; Maryknoll is one of the world’s most fruitful Catholic overseas mission organizations.
Objective: To learn about the work of the Catholic Church on a global scale. You will discover amazing, heroic individuals in the Catholic faith who are the face and hands of Jesus all around the world.
Resources: Online articles on the magazine website, such as “Teaching Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Bolivia” and “Hope Shines through in South Sudan” from the Spring 2022 issue and “Setting Japanese American Captives Free” about Maryknoll’s work in World War II internment camps from the Winter 2022 issue.
Laura Graham Fetters
Washington, D.C.
Editor’s note: We want to thank Ms. Fetters, an 8th grade teacher and social concerns coordinator at Blessed Sacrament School, for introducing students to Maryknoll missions.
Featured Image: At St. Michael the Archangel Church in Canton, Ohio, Principal Claire Gatti, Deacon Paul Bork, Deacon Connor Hetzel, Bishop David Bonnar of Youngstown and Father Benson Okpara, pastor, join 7th grade Division I essay winner Isabel Lombardi, parents Melissa and Michael Lombardi and younger siblings for the first-place Bishop Francis X. Ford Award.
