Talk at St Ignatius Feast Day 4 August 2024
I’ve just returned from a very full week in East Timor spending valuable time both in Railaco and chatting around the dining table with many other Jesuits at the Jesuit Residence in Dili. The conversations were quite revealing and touched on areas of life in Timor that had never surfaced for me before.
To start with, the Timorese Jesuit community thinks our sister Parish In Railaco pulls above its weight. They’re all so grateful to St Canice’s for their long-term support for this small rural parish.
Also, while there, as the St Canice’s Railaco Ambassador, I was invited to participate in the celebrations marking the establishment of the first Jesuit Mission in Timor. 125 years ago. During these days, I had many opportunities to interact with Nossef students and teachers.
Today, here at St Canice’s, we celebrate St Ignatius, but as in the past, it’s also a day when we do what we can to support our sister parish in Railaco.
It was in 1899 that three Portuguese Jesuits sailed from Macau and walked for months overland to Soibada to establish the first Jesuit Mission. I slept in the same Mission House they built. I met descendants of the family who gifted the land to build the Mission. And I also prayed at the tomb of the first East Timorese Jesuit, slaughtered by Timorese militia Japanese collaborators after he declined an offer to go to Australia with other religious, but instead choosing to remain behind with his students. He was only 25. His great-great-nephew, Isais Caldas SJ is now the Director of the 500-student ISJB Jesuit Teachers College in Kasait.
Our little Nossef school in Railaco was the stand-out group in attendance at the celebrations. 400 students and teachers of Nossef rode for six hours standing in the back of nine open trucks to reach Soibada. 7 kms before reaching the Mission, they got out and walked up the mountain for two hours in rain and mud stopping for reflections before reaching the old Mission. And still they could smile.
It’s obvious that these Nossef students feel so connected and grateful to the Jesuits for the love and education they receive.
While I was in Railaco, Fr Bong packed me off to accompany Christina on the children’s feeding program. (Trailblazers from St Canice’s initiated this program 20 years ago!)
It hit home to me moreso this time that families in the three remote communities we serve are still so very poor. Nevertheless, sad little faces on raggedy kids light-up at the sight of our 4WD trundling across the field knowing there’s a big pot of tasty food to fill their little bellies.
On this visit, the realisation of the huge gap that exists between Timorese society and other developed societies really hit me. However, it was reassuring to see what the Jesuits are doing in all their ministries to help bridge this cultural gap. As one young Timorese Jesuit says, “Timor-Leste is way far behind. Each country has its challenges, but my beloved country Timor has an enormous task to do and learn from other developed countries”.
Fr Hyoe, the Director of Our Lady of Fatima senior high school Nossef, in Railaco expands on this:
“So many poor Timorese families, have a long history of submission and slavery. . . This has been caused by an authoritarian regime during Portuguese time, and an oppressive and punitive regime during Indonesian time.”
He goes on:
It was only in the 1960’s that there was any possibility of a ‘civilised’ life. Shockingly, for most, life remains quite ‘primitive’!
A good general education is such an important part of addressing this. Education is more than academic achievement. The Jesuits are very committed to assisting the Timorese people face their history, to know that they are loved by God, and to embrace their Timorese identity, with pride.
YOU can be part of this wonderful work to transform the future lives of these rural Catholic families, and to educate their children.
More than 50 St Canice parishioners now support Railaco with a monthly recurring donation. Proceeds from recurring donations underwrite more than half the money we send to Railaco each year.
Examples
A monthly gift of $20 will cover tuition fees for one student for a whole year at our parish secondary school, NOSSEF.
If you prefer to give a one-off donation, $25 for example will pay for 15 meals for pre-school children in our Children’s Feeding Program.
I make this appeal to you on behalf of St Canice’s. You are entrusting your money to Jesuit Mission Australia. They issue the official tax-deductible receipt and ensure the money goes straight to Railaco.
There’s a Donate form in your Bulletin. Please ACT NOW! We’ll assist you to complete the form at the table outside after Mass today, and answer any questions.
Alternatively, Go online and use the link to Jesuit Mission that you see in your parish bulletin to donate!
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As ‘recurring’ donations are so important, when you sign-up, we offer you not one but two gifts.
- A $30 FREE CASH VOUCHER for a coffee and sandwich at Juno & Sons neighbourhood café in Roslyn Gardens.
- Plus, a Timorese tais purse, made in a crafts class by women in Gleno prison, where we visit as part of our pastoral outreach at our Railaco parish.
Thank you for your generosity!
Michael Musgrave