Author: ANTONINO

CRIES OF THE POOR

A few days ago I read in a publication that this tragedy of the coronavirus will be a genocide for the poor. Most of the poor don’t get the necessary information and when they get it they don’t understand how serious it is.

«Why do I have to stay home when I am not feeling sick»?

Besides, the information constantly broadcasted, is given to people who are not able to understand and follow all the recommendations. A few days ago, before the emergency situation, I saw this young man, late at night, looking for food in a garbage can. I helped him but I had no courage to give him a «lecture» about the inconvenience or danger of looking for food in those places. My heart was broken. I told him that God loves him and so do I. I said good bye and came home in silence.

Our Association «People Helping People» has a good number of families that for years have depended on our help for food, medication, house rent, transportation and other basic needs. The only regular source of income has been a collection taken at the end of the English Mass that I celebrate every Sunday, at the Chapel of Penha de França, and also a monthly donation from a generous couple who are the parents of three children.

Now, since all the Masses have been suspended, for an undetermined period of time, we have lost this income. The families who depended on us are desperate and we are more desperate than them. I have been thinking that these people probably will not die of the Coronavirus but will die of hunger, lack of medication or suicide. Recently a 15-year-old girl stole all the medicine her mother had in store for her mental problems and took all of them to end her life. Now we had this unexpected expense. Besides the pain and the agony of seeing a beautiful young girl about to die we had to find money to replace the medication she had stolen from her mother. And we had no money.

They are constantly leaving voice mail and SMS messages. We are planning to compile their SMS messages and probably publish a book with the title of «Cries of the Poor». They are the real «Cries of the Poor» expressed by them, in their words.

The lack of the Sunday collection has been the main reason why I am writing this dramatic appeal. The tourists attending the English Mass have always demonstrated a rare sense of generosity. Some have told me: «I want to leave Madeira a little better than when I arrived».

I would like to suggest that you, please, talk with your friends and build a little «People Helping People» group in your neighborhood to help «People Helping People» in Madeira Island. We follow Mother Teresa´s vision when she said: «What I do for others is just a little drop of water in the ocean, but without that drop of water the ocean is smaller». Together we will prevent a genocide among the poor. Together the poor and the rich will all be winners. Together, it will be like it says in the Book of Revelation: «God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more grief or crying or pain. The old things disappeared… And now I will make all things new». (Rev. 21: 4-5)

Love and Peace,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade, March 29, 2020

Here are the banking details of “People Helping People” should you wish to donate. Any donation, no matter how small, can make a huge difference to someone who has nothing! Thank you for caring.
BANK: Banco Santander Totta
Account Name: Associação Gente Ajudando Gente / PHP
Account Number: 0003 4938 1759020
NIB: 0018 0003 49381759020 94
IBAN: PT50 0018 0003 49381759020 94
SWIFT: TOTAPTPL
Bank Address: Caminho de Santa Quitéria 46A, 9020-119, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

by Fr. Bernardino Andrade
(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)
20-02-10 / 20-02-20

The 20th of February of two thousand ten (20-02-10) is a date that opened, in this beautiful Madeira Island, wounds that are still bleeding.

It was a Saturday morning. Heavy rains, and large floods that swallowed and killed lots of people, destroyed buildings, inundated streets with rocks mixed with cars turned upside down, cars mixed with uprooted trees being dragged to the ocean to never been seen again. This is a little image of that day… February 20th, 2010 in Madeira.

A few days ago somebody said in a local newspaper that we were very lucky that this tragedy happened on a Saturday. If it had happened during the week when the schools were full of children, with their parents desperately looking for them, without being able to fight the waters to drive their cars and use their phones, the tragedy would had been much worse.

Everybody suffered, but one of the things that most called the attention and the hearts of the community of the English-speaking people attending the English Mass at Penha de França Chapel at that time was to discover that the poor became poorer, and most of them were left in misery. In the words of Pope Francis, misery is poverty without hope. They have never been able to recover.

This was the moment when, at this chapel, we started the project «People Helping People». The main goal is to alleviate their suffering and our biggest dream is to free them from poverty. Its slogan is «To mobilize many people to help many people». (There is more information about the project on the last page of this newsletter).
My heart rejoices with gratitude for the generosity of so many tourists who leave Madeira Island know that because of them the poor become less poor, and because of them there is less suffering in this piece of land called the Pearl of the Atlantic.

Love and Peace,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade

* Photos of the 2010 tragedy courtesy of “Foto Canhas”

by Father Bernardino Andrade
(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)

One of the most powerful and transforming Catholic movements in the USA Catholic Church is the Worldwide Marriage Encounter. It was founded by Fr. Chuck Gallagher and it has been spreading throughout the world. Personally, I have had the privilege of making the Marriage Encounter Weekend for my own benefit and then, along with one other priest and three couples, I had the privilege of conducting a few Marriage Encounter Weekends, especially in Portuguese, that start on a Friday night and end on a Sunday late afternoon. The purpose of this weekend is not to help to save Marriages. For that purpose there is another one called «Retrouvaille Weekend». The Marriage Encounter Weekend’s purpose is to make good couples better couples. The slogan of this so-called «Experience» is: «COUPLE POWER IS GOING TO CHANGE THE WORLD».

This «World Marriage Day», which has been promoted by the American Marriage Encounter Movement, is celebrated every year on the second Sunday of February. If I understand well, it is not to compete with «Valentine’s Day» on February 14th, but to tell people that in Marriage there is lots of room for romance. Romance is not only for single couples on Valentine’s Day but it is mainly for couples in permanent relationships. One of my main appeals for couples united by the Sacrament of Marriage is that their Marriage should be visible. It has been very popular the idea that «you don’t need to show your love». According to this belief, «love is inside of you and that is enough». With this belief in mind I have seen many people dying of loneliness because there is no expression of love. According to Dr. Robert Schuller, a bell is not a bell until it is played, a song is not a song until it is sung, love is not love until it is expressed.

EXPRESSING AND RENEWING THEIR LOVE, THEIR COMMITMENT, THEIR MARRIAGE

When last Sunday I invited the couples that were celebrating their Wedding Anniversaries during the month of February to come up for a special blessing, I invited two of them to renew their vows. The first couple said: «I renew my vows of love and fidelity I made to you 50 years ago». The second couple said:«I renew my vows of love and fidelity I made to you last Friday!». Before a clap of hands there was a joyful laughter. We believe that renewing their vows daily is the best and safest way to prepare the 50th anniversary.

Love and Peace,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade

by Father Bernadino
(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)

MERRY CHRISTMAS IN FEBRUARY!

It was on the 7th of January of 2020 that I had the privilege of attending, for the first time, a Christmas Mass in the month of January.

It is the day when the Ukrainian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas Day. I was there.

I don’t know one word of the Ukrainian language; however it didn’t make any difference.

I didn’t understand one word, but I understood the experience of praying, listening and worshipping the same God, and enjoying the presence of my family whatever language they speak.
For many people differences are a problem. For us Christians differences are a blessing.

The People from Puerto Rico end their Christmas Season on the 2nd of February. It is the Feast of the Presentation of the Baby Jesus in the Temple.

Christmas, more than being just one day, is a journey. Christmas is all year. Christmas happens every time the Good News is announced to the poor.

For all of you, here is my Christmas card. Merry Christmas!

Love and Peace,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade

by Fr. Bernardino Andrade
(bernardinodandrade@gmail.com)

CORRUPTION IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

I met Father Walter Burghardt in 1984 during my Sabbatical at the University of Notre Dame, State of Illinois, USA. I had heard about him and, after that, I attended one of his workshops on Social Justice. Preaching and Social Justice were his main field. He is the author of many books and articles. During this workshop I asked him about his «Uncommonly Honest Confession». He confessed this was one of his most famous texts. Today I want to share his «Uncommonly Honest Confession» and I want also to confess that I identity myself, one hundred percent, with Father Walter Burghardt.

UNCOMMONLY HONEST CONFESSION

Let me make an uncommonly honest confession.
In the course of a half century, I have seen more Catholic corruption than you have read of. I have tasted it. I have been reasonably corrupt myself, and yet, I joy in this church – this living, pulsing sinning people of God, love it with a crucifying passion. Why? For all the Catholic hate, I experience here a community of love. For all the institutional idiocy, I find here a tradition of reason. For all the individual repressions, I breathe here an air of freedom. For all the fear of sex, I discover here the redemption of my body. In an age so inhuman, I touch here tears of compassion. In a world so grim and humourless, I share here rich joy and earthy laughter. In the midst of death, I hear here an incomparable stress on life. For all the apparent absence of God, I sense here the real presence of Christ. (Fr. Walter Burghart).

Love and Peace,
Fr. Bernardino Andrade

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY

Every year, from January 18 to 25, the Christian Churches get together to pray for Christian Unity, to fulfill the dream of Jesus in the Gospel of John 17:21 «That they may be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me».

For the last 2 Sundays, Bishop Tom Burns from the Parish of Menevia, Wales, joined us for Mass here at the Chapel. Last Sunday he told us a story about the ecumenical church. I asked him to write it down to share in our newsletter:

AN ECUMENICAL STICKING-POINT

When planning a new town north of London, the authorities are reported to have included a site for a SHARED CHURCH and asked the various faiths and denominations how they would like to use it. Father F, the designated Catholic Parish Priest, consulted his Anglican counterpart and other Church leaders. In an ecumenical spirit of true sharing, they quickly agreed on having ONE altar, ONE lectern, ONE set of candles, ONE presidential chair, and ONE tabernacle for reserving the Blessed Sacrament. Father F and his Anglican colleague then sent their proposals up to their respective Church authorities for approval – and waited expectantly. Back came ONE letter with joint signatures, approving ONE of everything as proposed. However, there were special instructions given about the tabernacle.

It was to have 2 doors and 2 different keys. Inside there were to be two compartments, separated by a fixed screen. Father F accepted this condition, but insisted that the screen should be made of glass. And so it was.
Finally, it is said that he attached a sticker to each side of the screen.

It read: In case of unity, break glass!

It is also said that that same sticker is still there today.

Rt Rev Tom M Burns , SM BA BD,
Bishop Emeritus of Menevia