We are delighted to bring to you a letter from Conventual Franciscan Friar Mark Weaver. Friar Mark now stationed at a parish Terre Haute, Indiana describes his many fulfilling years as a missionary in Honduras and El Salvador. He also writes about his and his parishioners’ current involvement with missionary work in Honduras.

Friar Mark Weaver

Dear friends,

Back in 1979 I was asked to help in our Conventual Franciscan mission in Honduras. I was long on enthusiasm, but short on everything else. I found myself in what was to be St. Max Kolbe Parish, one of the poorest parts of the capital city of the second poorest country in Latin America.   I found Spanish difficult to learn, and made constant gaffs. The culture was very different from what I was used to; this was sometimes delightful and sometimes nerve-racking. I struggled with chronic diarrhea for quite a while before learning that parasites love milk products and are stimulated by the taste of coffee. But I felt an affection for the people and a desire to help. When I was finally asked to move to El Salvador in 1996 I found it hard to go.

 In 2010, 15 years later, I was assigned to St. Joseph University Parish in Terre Haute, Indiana, a parish community that has had a special relationship with Kolbe Parish since 1999. The two parishes had grown into a “twinning” relationship where every year a team of SJUP folks were missioned to Kolbe Parish for a week or so to get to know the people better and to work on medical, construction, and educational projects. Kolbe Parish friars came to visit as often as possible and sent us a beautiful processional cross. SJUP gave 2% of its collections to the sister parish. When, with my background, I was sent to SJUP, this just had to be the work of Divine Providence.

Brian, Tammy and Jackie

Last fall’s mission trip (Oct. 18-26) came together providentially too. My old friend Sr. Cheryl, one of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration who used to work close by our friars on the “Hill of Sores,” wanted to go along and got us a couple of young, smart doctors, Claude and Danny. That was great, because no Terre Haute doctors were able to go with us this year. Claude and Danny were just what the doctor ordered for our medical mission. They were assisted by local Dr. Yolanda. Tammy Boland and Brian Voges did triage. Joe Tenerelli, Cookie Dooley, Willy Scully, and Marcia Lane-McGee handled the “pharmacy” part of the mission. Sr. Cheryl, Patricia Polastri, and I were able to do necessary translation with the help of some fine young Honduran translators: Cecil, Armando, and Jaquilyn.

Friar Isidoro had already bought a lot of medical supplies; on our first day there we bought more supplies at a local pharmacy and we bought more on two other occasions. We spent around $4,000, contributed by SJUP parishioners, on medicines. Just during the first three days we received almost 300 patients in the parish center. Later we helped patients in four outlying areas of the parish. Their concerns varied from pains in different parts of their bodies and more serious illnesses, to seeking vitamins and medications that they could not find or afford. The local friars had chosen them and given them admission tickets beforehand, with the idea of being able to keep contact with them and eventually follow up. The most important thing we did was to care for the people and to share the love of Christ.

Dr. Yolanda at work

On the last day of our medical mission we had an interesting evaluation with the Kolbe friars (Isidoro, Ramiro and Marcio) and our own SJUP group. We were all pleased with the medical mission. Friar Isidoro spoke for the Kolbe parish team when he said that the SJUP team had exceeded all his expectations. But there were a number of things we need to work toward: a “Health Promotor” in each of the parish communities, the incorporation of eye health in the mission, a more detailed patient intake form and an ongoing patient chart, a patient data base, water purification equipment, and so forth.

Patty and Danny's examination room

We are looking forward to doing another SJUP medical mission to Kolbe parish in Honduras in October of 2012. Would you like to go with us?

May the Lord bless you.

Friar Mark        

Today in Vietnam our friars continue the ministry of our founder at the Van Mon Leprosy Village. Van Mon is a hospital for the treatment of leprosy and a village where over 350 people with leprosy live. Many of the residents of Van Mon contracted Leprosy when they were children and were taken to Van Mon where they have spent their entire life with no contact from their families. They live a very isolated life and rarely have contact with the outside world.

There was not a cure for leprosy until the 1980's but the fear of the disease still exists. Even after being cured of leprosy, they are not able to return to their communities. The older residents who suffered from leprosy for many years before a cure was discovered are severely disabled from the disease. An elderly resident once said, "not only were we given leprosy but we were given a long life to suffer with it."

Every year several of our student friars and candidates spend the summer working in the hospital and with the people in the village, teaching the children, working in the gardens, celebrating Morning Prayer and Mass with the residents and helping with their daily lives. This summer five student friars and one candidate ministered to the lepers at Van Mon. Fr. Tuan Nguyen, Fr. James Phan, and Br. Jerry Payne joined them for their final week of ministry.

To learn more about the Conventual Franciscans' mission in Vietnam, please view our excellent video.

(The author of this article and source of the included photos is Brother Jerry Payne, OFM Conv.)

Friar Jude Winkler

Friar Jude Winkler is a Conventual Franciscan from West Seneca, New York – a town southeast of Buffalo. A solemnly professed friar since 1975 and a priest since 1981, Friar Jude is currently an Assistant General in the Order of Friars Minor Conventual. He makes his home in the Friary of the Twelve Holy Apostles in Rome, Italy. Of course, in his ministry as assistant general he is often on the road.

An assistant general acts as a physical connection between the Conventual Franciscans’ General Curia in Rome where the Order’s Minister General resides and friaries around the world.

Earlier this month, for example, Friar Jude flew to South Korea to meet with friars who live in the country and serve its people. The Conventual Franciscans are actually very active in South Korea. In Seoul, they staff a multilingual parish and help run a kindergarten for international students as well as a retreat house. In Busan, the friars have opened a center where handicapped children receive treatment. South Korea’s Conventual Franciscans also offer spiritual guidance to the country’s Secular Franciscans.

During visitations such as the one to South Korea described here, Friar Jude Winkler speaks with friars in each community that he visits. He listens to their concerns and ideas and shares with them news from Rome. Throughout these meetings a spirit of brotherhood prevails.

(Source of image with article: Conventual Franciscans.)

St. Francis of Assisi wanted every creature to celebrate the joy of Christmas. His friars in Vietnam worked hard this past Christmas to make sure that as many of their brothers and sisters experienced that sense of joy.

The friars spent a good part of time before Christmas visiting stores where they bought food and toys. At their friary they put together packages with the items they had bought. After they loaded the packages into a van they drove through the country and visited the poorest, most vulnerable people and gave them the packages. Both adults and children were delighted by the friars’ Christmas gifts as the video below indicates. These gifts made their lives just a little easier.

 At the orphanage near the friary while delivering their gifts, the friars played with the children who call the orphanage home and watched them dance and sing in a choreographed performance. In another community, the friars found out that the local people have problems accessing clean drinking water. They were thankfully able to assist the community in digging a proper well. Now, as the New Year unfolds, the community will have one thing less to worry about.

The Conventual Franciscan St. Joseph of Cupertino Province from the Western United States helps care for its Order’s mission in Vietnam. Four friars from California – Friar Tuan Nguyen, Friar Luc Vu, Brother Jerry Payne, and Friar James Phan – now live in Vietnam and serve its people.