With Fr. Damian leading a pre-ordination retreat and Fr. Wee returning from Rome, Mass this morning was led by Fr. Dodd who is a Columban Father. He often fills in for daily Masses when our priests have other responsabilities. They are a missionary order that does work around the world and happen to be headquartered in Bellevue. In the summer of 2008 a member of their order spoke at all of our weekend Masses. Our Rosary Makers gave over 3,200 rosaries to the Columbans this summer to distribute around the world.
On Sunday one of the Columbans, Fr. Michael Sinnott, was kidnapped in the Philippines. The 79 year old priest Columban Father, known to his family and friends as Mal, was kidnapped last Sunday evening as he was taking an evening stroll in the garden of his home in Pagadian City in the Province of Zamboanga del Sur, Mindanao.
Following studies in Rome, Fr Mal was first assigned to Mindanao, Philippines in 1957, where he served until 1966 when he was then assigned to the theology staff in Dalgan Park, Navan. He returned to the Philippines in 1976 where he has served in a variety of pastoral and administrative roles.
In 1998 Fr Mal founded The Hangop Kabataan Community Based Rehabilitation Programme for Children with Disabilities. 'Hangop Kabataan' means 'reaching out to children' and the programme was a response to the lack of educational and rehabilitation facilities for children with disabilities in the Pagadian area. The centre caters for around 60 children who attend daily. About one third of these have been diagnosed as autistic, while the rest have other learning and physical disabilities. There is also an outreach programme which facilitates visits to around 20 children in their homes.
'From the beginning the underlying philosophy of the school has been that of empowerment,' his family said in their statement. 'Before the programme began Fr Mal had noticed that many children with disabilities were kept at home and lacked any opportunity to develop skills and any level of independence,' the family said.
When interviewed recently about the programme, Fr. Mal said: 'the parents did not know what to do with their children, most were confined to their homes, and the parents from some false sense of guilt were over compensating – feeding, washing and helping them with their toilet needs'.
'For me the biggest improvement in the children was the development of their confidence and I think of their own dignity and importance. I think the atmosphere of support, love and concern in the centre has given them a greater realisation and sense of their own dignity as persons, in so far as they can understand this.' said Fr Mal. The school is non-denominational, and is staffed by five teachers, a secretary, bookkeeper and a driver. It has also one volunteer teacher, lay missionary and a livelihood teacher.
This morning Fr. Dodd said that while there have been a variety of secular media reports, as an order they have not heard anything. Fr. Mal had heart surgery four years ago and does not have his daily medication so there are extra concerns for his health. Please keep him in your prayers, especially as we prepare for World Mission Sunday this weekend.
(Much of the information above was taken from a Wednesday article in the New Ross Standard.)
