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Where Will You Find a Vincentian?The work of evangelization, of making the Gospel of Jesus Christ present, takes a variety of forms throughout the Western Province. It also goes on around the clock. When it is 6:00 a.m. in Nairobi, Kenya, Tom Esselman, Rich Wehrmeyer, George Busieka, and other Vincentians along with about 40 seminarians settle into the early morning quiet of the chapel at DePaul Centre. At the same time, it is 7:00 p.m. the previous day in Patterson, California, where Ken Lund is meeting with the bi-lingual (Spanish-English) RCIA group at Sacred Heart Church. The hunger of the men and women in this group for the consolation that comes from an experience of Jesus and the knowledge of God's plan for salvation motives them to cross language and cultural barriers. This hunger is mirrored in the hearts of the Vincentian seminarians in Nairobi, Kenya, as these men prepare to be evangelizers—sharers of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Earlier that morning, at the same time the Kenya Vincentians were thinking about supper, Ken Lund, Bernie Quinn and Jeremy Dixon united their voices in prayer asking God to "come to my assistance" just as Vincentians in other time zones had done earlier the same day. Throughout the day, from East Africa and across the four time zones of the United States as well as in Rome and Paris, Western Province Vincentians asked for God's assistance as they joined together to pray. From this prayer comes the transforming grace that helps these Vincentians spread Jesus' message of love and forgiveness from Nairobi to Los Angeles and many points in between. Come supper time in Havana, Cuba, Gilbert Walker is finishing Mass with the Daughters of Charity. It has been a long day for him, as most of them are. The spirit of St. Vincent and St. Louise is alive and well in this island nation. The Vincentians and Daughters there work under conditions foreign to us in the U.S. and Kenya, but God comes to their assistance as well. While Fr. Walker enjoys dinner, a plane in Philadelphia is preparing to take off to Rome. Miles Heinen is on board. He evangelizes through the ministry of administration and fund raising so that poorer provinces in developing countries have the funds they need to evangelize. Dinner service will have begun by the time he has finished Evening Prayer and the jet is well over the Atlantic Ocean. As Fr. Heinen finishes his supper, Dick and Bob Gielow are talking with parishioners in Los Angeles at the end of a parish mission. Over five days they have preached, visited, anointed, taught, inspired, celebrated, and more. Parish missions have a way of enlivening the faith among a large number of people. When the plane lands in Rome the following morning, Fr. Heinen will visit with Gary Mueller, Angelus Njagi and Derek Swanson, who are preparing through graduate education there for new ministries as evangelizers. This early morning visit over Roman coffee and pastries leads to questions about Vincentians back in the United States. Vincentian evangelizers are connected through their prayer, of course, but there is no connection like news from home when delivered by a visitor. While that conversation goes on in Rome, it is only the night owls in the United States who are still awake. Chris Robinson, in Chicago, is one of them. Taize Prayer is popular among the DePaul University students who love to pray in the St. Louise de Marillac Chapel. Unlike most Vincentians for whom early morning prayers are normal, students prefer late night prayer times. Forming the next generation of Catholics requires flexible sleep patterns especially since it will be only a few hours before students arrive to make sandwiches for the poor and homeless people who come to nearby St. Vincent de Paul Parish for their daily bread. Paul Sisul, also in Chicago, burns the midnight oil as well. It is late at night and into the early hours of the morning when his computer technology and digital media students want to work on projects. While most of the Vincentians in the United States are sound asleep, much of Father Sisul’s evangelization through education happens. They aren't the only ones who are awake. Earlier that evening Jim Osendorf and Binh Nguyen welcomed 30 engaged couples to an Engaged Encounter weekend at DePaul Evangelization Center in Montebello, California. The first session sometimes runs late as couples begin deepening their awareness of the awesome reality of the Sacrament of Matrimony. It will be the middle of the night in New Orleans when they finally call it a day in California after the couples are settled in (in separate dorms, of course!). There are no sugarplums dancing in the head of George Weber, who finished a series of talks on St. Paul’s writings earlier that evening. For many years he has responded to the hunger in the hearts of people in New Orleans parishes for a deeper understanding of God’s Word. He is an enthusiastic teacher who knows how to fan into flame the interests of his students. In the deep of the night, on the holy ground in Perryville, Missouri, where Vincentians settled in 1818, Al Hoernig awakes aware that it is still hours before dawn. As an Apostle of Prayer, he spends some quiet time interceding for those on his prayer list. Generations of evangelizers have gone out from this place and many are buried here. While Fr. Hoernig is sleepless, Tom Juneman is wide-awake at the Vincentian Mother House in Paris where it is mid-morning. He is with Vincentians from around the globe at the international renewal program. Keeping evangelizers energized is an on-going effort of the worldwide Congregation. There may be a time when not a single Western Province Vincentian is awake, but it is unlikely. Please give generously.Congregation of the Mission Western Province |
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