Sisters of St. John The Baptist - page 9

In Memoriam
"For those who believe, life is changed, not taken away" The Sisters of St. John the Baptist extend prayerful condolences to all who have lost a beloved family member, a friend, a colleague: * during the attacks on our country or in the ensuing military actions, * in the pursuit of peace, justice or the spread of the Gospel, * in the devastation of recent natural disasters. Let us unite our hearts in prayer and in remembrance.
May God's Spirit of Comfort be with the families and friends of the deceased. May God's Spirit of Strength be with all those who protect and who give care. May God's Spirit of Wisdom be with our President and all world leaders. May God's Spirit of Hope give vision to our future. May God's Spirit of Love bring peace to our hearts, to our country, to our world. Amen.	A Litany of Remembrance At the beginning of the year and when it ends, we remember them. At the rising of the sun and in its setting, we remember them. At the bustling start of day and in the calm of night, we remember them. At the coming of a newborn and the passing of a loved one we remember them. In the crystal white of winter, we remember them. In the green miracle of spring, we remember them. In the summer’s golden heat, we remember them.. In the rainbow hues of autumn, we remember them. In every passing season of nature and of heart, we remember them. When we are weary and in need of strength, we remember them. When we feel lost and discouraged, we remember them.. When we have decisions that are difficult to make, we remember them. When we have a joy we crave to share, we remember them. When we have achievements based on theirs, we remember them. For all the family tales told and events celebrated, we remember them. For all the wisdom they imparted and encouragement given, we remember them. For all the good they have done and forgiveness they extended, we remember them. For all the love they poured out and faith and hope they shared, we remember them. Adapted from a work by Joyce Rupp
Eternal Rest grant unto all those who died, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen

Brazil - My Other Home

by: Sr. Elizabeth Porto, C.S.JB.

     It was 1955 and my religious Superiors had asked me to leave my parish work in Bronx, NY to help our Brazilian community prepare young girls for religious life. After what seemed like an endless trip from the United States I finally arrived in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Little did I know then that this beautiful country with its warm and wonderful people would become my new home for the next 26 years

          To my delight I found Belo Horizonte, the capital of the state of Minas Gerais, to be a beautiful city. To my sadness I found that many poor people existed here, living in the direst of poverty. And not only here, but throughout Brazil.

   I soon learned that many families from the northern part of Brazil migrate to Belo Horizonte because it is a big city and they hope to find work and be able to support their families. However, since they are strangers with little or no marketable skills, few find any work and most have to resort to begging on the streets. As they struggle to provide shelter for their families, they consider themselves fortunate to find pieces of cardboard, paper or tin that can be cobbled together as a temporary hut. As hut after hut springs up, a city within a city, the "favelas" emerges. Nearly all lack basic city services most of us take for granted: running water, underground sewerage, paved streets, electric street lighting, trash collection and mail service.

These were the people who were to become "my people". For 26 years I would work for and with them: helping to provide food, shelter and medicine; teaching them about God and God’s immense love for them; instructing them in a trade to prepare them to earn a living.

          These people, "my people", would in return take me into their hearts and homes and share their lives with me. They may have been poor in the necessities of life but they were rich in joy, in determination, in friendship, in the love and praise of their God.

The Sisters of St. John the Baptist have been working in Brazil since 1939. They began with hospital work and caring for orphans. Soon they established schools and began extending their mission work to other parts of Brazil. During my almost 3 decades’ "visit" I was proud to see the mission and service of the Sisters expand beyond Belo Horizonte to Mato Grasso; Brasilia; Aparecida Do Tabuado; Rio de Janeiro; Itapecerica; Mandaguari; and Sao Bernardo Do Campo.

(NB - After returning to the United States Sr Elizabeth died in December 2001.)

The Feasts of St. John The Baptist

Have you ever wondered who St John the Baptist was?

And how did a group of Sisters living 2000 years after his death get his name?
Who Was John the Baptist?

Scripture records that Mary, at the time that she accepted to be the mother of Jesus, was told by the angel Gabriel that her cousin Elizabeth was also with child. We know that Mary set out in haste to visit Elizabeth - a long and tedious journey in those days - and remained with her for a period of time during her pregnancy.

John, son of Elizabeth and Zacharias, was a child of God's promise. His father Zacharias, a Hebrew priest, was struck dumb by the angel Gabriel when he would not believe the angel's news that his wife Elizabeth (an older woman) would conceive a child. John was probably born at Ain-Karim, a small town southwest of Jerusalem. Zacharias received his voice back when, on the day of John's circumcision and naming, he wrote down that the child's name would be John. The commemoration of John's birth is celebrated by the universal Church on June 24.

Though cousins, John and Jesus did not live near one another and it is not known whether they met during childhood. After his birth, Scripture is silent about John until it records his appearance in the Judean desert where he lived as a hermit until about A.D. 27. When he was thirty, he began to preach on the banks of the Jordan against the evils of the times. John attracted large crowds. He preached a baptism of repentance "for the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand". The presence of John and his disciples was not felt until about one year before the beginning of the ministry of Jesus.

When Jesus came to him, John recognized Him as the Messiah and baptized Him, saying, "It is I who need baptism from You". John inspired many of his followers to follow Christ when he designated Him "the Lamb of God" among them Andrew and John, who came to know Christ through John's preaching.

When Jesus left to preach in Galilee, John continued preaching in the Jordan valley. Fearful of his great power with the people, Herod had him arrested and imprisoned, for John had denounced Herod's adulterous and incestuous marriage with Herodias, wife of Herod's half brother. John was beheaded at the request of Salome, daughter of Herodias, who asked for his head at the instigation of her mother. The commemoration of John's death is celebrated by the universal Church on August 29.

John is presented in the New Testament as the last of the Old Testament prophets. He is known as the Baptist, the Precursor, the Forerunner of Christ, because of his role in preparing the people for the coming of the Messiah. Other than that of the Lord Jesus and His Mother Mary, John is the only saint whose birthday is celebrated within the church's liturgical year - June 24. He is also remembered on the Feast of His Martyrdom / Beheading, August 29.

How Did John's Name Become Associated with the Sisters?

The parish church in the town of Angri, Italy where the Sisters of St. John the Baptist originated was dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The people of Angri had a great devotion to their patronal saint. When Fr. Alfonso Maria Fusco, a native of Angri and the founder of the Baptistines, sought approval for his new community, the local bishop instructed Fr. Fusco to place the small community under the name and patronage of St. John the Baptist.

As a result, the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist on June 24 as well as the Feast of John's Martyrdom (Beheading) on August 29 are patronal feasts of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist. They are prayerfully prepared for, observed with great solemnity and celebrated with traditional festivities in all Baptistine convents throughout the world.

Litany in Honor of St John the Baptist

St. John, illustrious Precursor of the Lord... Pray for us
St. John, foretold by the angel and the prophets... Pray for us
St. John, who received your name from God... Pray for us
St. John, who was conceived by a miracle... Pray for us
St. John, who leaped with joy in your mother’s womb... Pray for us
St. John, whose birth was accompanied by marvels... Pray for us
St. John, who was proclaimed great from your birth... Pray for us
St. John, at whose birth many rejoiced... Pray for us
St. John, who yet young, sought the solitude of the desert... Pray for us
St. John, who grew and became strong in the Spirit... Pray for us
St. John, who preached a baptism of repentance... Pray for us
St. John, who pointed out Jesus, the Lamb of God... Pray for us
St. John, who baptized Jesus in the Jordan... Pray for us
St. John, who preached the truth in the face of death... Pray for us
St. John, who sent his disciples to Jesus... Pray for us
St. John, whose death heralded the coming of the Kingdom... Pray for us

Let us pray:

God our Father, the voice of John the Baptist challenges us to repentance and points the way to Christ the Lord. Open our ears to his message and free our hearts to turn from our sins and receive the life of the Gospel. Grant that we may imitate John's fidelity to his mission and that like him, we may proclaim God’s Word in season and out of season. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

May we follow the example of St John the Baptist
and prepare the way of the Lord in the lives of others.

For more information about St John the Baptist see: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08486b.htm

For the Scripture readings from the Liturgy for June 24, see: http://www.usccb.org/nab/062407b.shtml