The Pax Press

Issue 3

Volume 3

The Reformed Catholic Church continues to grow

                                   How can they preach unless they are sent?

                                                                                            (Rom. 10:14-15)

I am so thankful for this opportunity, as Bishop-Elect, to share with each of you a window into the heart and soul of our brothers and sisters in Guatemala.

Guatemala is a beautiful country with beautiful people who are struggling to find hope in a hopeless environment. We have a vision.

We want to see every child in Guatemala involved in a Guatemala Mission Fund Project. The children of Guatemala are all but forgotten. Toy stores are not to be found. And the only purchased toy that most children have is a ball to use for soccer.

Most children are forced to work in the fields, beg, or sell small crafts to help support their families. School is available, but families must have enough money for books and uniforms for their children to attend.

Many children either go to work at the wash with their mothers, or to the fields with their fathers. If not, they are locked in the house all day until the family returns.  Many children receive only one meal per day of tortillas and black beans and maybe some eggs. Poverty is widespread, and with much political corruption, people live with little hope of their situation improving. The average salary is Q35 per day ($4.40US).

GMF offers children hope. The children come for play time and food. They memorize Bible verses in a competitive setting, winning prizes and respect. They hide God’s Word away in their hearts, and just as promised, it does not return void. They continue to come to GMF and build relationships with the staff and other children. These relationships grow as the children are discipled, and their relationship with Jesus grows as well.

Brothers and Sisters, walk with me on a mission trip. 

Monsignor Joe Catrambone, OCarm

Executive Director and Founder,

The Guatemala Mission Fund

E-mail:  MonsignorCatrambone@reformedcatholicchurch.org

Donations:

The Guatemala Mission Fund

28 Michael Court

Gaithersburg, MD  20877

DEMOGRAPHIC COMPARISON

(A Comparison of Guatemala and the State of Ohio

Area In Sq. Miles 

Population    

Life Expectancy    

Percentage Under Age 14

Birth/Death Ratio   

Infant Mortality Rate  

Unemployment Rate 

Population Below Poverty Line

Guatemala  

42,042   

 14,655,189  

69yrs

43%

34/7

35/1000   8% 

75%

Ohio

44,828

11,353,140

77yrs

20%

14/8

6/1000

6%

11%

From the office of Monsignor Bernard Wamalwa

To all of you Our Beloved Family in Christ and Bishop Elects,

I have the honor and privilege to send you a word of congratulations to your well deserved appointments to the Episcopacy. This comes from deep down our hearts and on behalf of my brother Bishop Elects and my own behalf here in Africa We share in your own varied levels of joy as we look forward to the coveted day of your consecration in October 2008. We shall continue to remember all of you at our Mass celebrations and pray that His Grace rests upon each one of you always. Feel free to communicate with us here in Africa and when you can please come and visit us. Let us Mentor to each other, in fact we can enhance such a task by pairing up each Bishop from over there with one from over here so that we share on a regular basis while encouraging each other in our ministries. A Big thank you to our Dear Archbishop Phillip Zimmerman for his Superb Leadership in our Church. We can't wait to receive him here on the African Continent in September. The Reformed Catholic Church has changed lives of so many over here. Again, Congratulations.

Rev. Fr. Bernard Wamalwa

Designate Archbishop for the Africa Region.

And on behalf of

Rev. Dr.  Gabriel Lumbasi , Bishop Elect

Rev. Fr. Matthew Theuri   PhD. Bishop Elect

Rev. Fr. Daniel Kasomo      PhD. Bishop Elect

Rev. Fr. Joseph Mulwa CSSP, MA. Bishop Elect.

OFFICE OF THE BISHOP OF THE DIOCESE OF

Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England

My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ in Europe,
 
One or two issues have claimed my attention recently and I'd like to share them with you.
 
I personally hate, loathe and detest talking about church and money in the same breath. Reality though requires me to do so. Without the latter there can be no church. Church needs resources.  
As the clergy will be aware from the website and from documentation in the past, we are asked to take leadership in particular in helping to resource the church at large. We are required by our church to make a donation - dues if you like - of $25 US dollars monthly to help advance the church in the world. It helps pay for such things as the website, donations to needy causes in the wider world and for the day to day running expenses of the Presiding Archbishop's office.  $25 US dollars monthly from each of us in Europe is nothing, especially when you consider the currency exchange rates at present. So I appeal to you to comply with this requirement of the church on it's  clergy. Please start now if you don't at present. Please get a US money order for the amount - to prevent the church having to incur the expense of bank fees to convert money from Euros and Pounds - and forward it to me as Bishops are now responsible for collecting this in their jurisdictions. I will send the whole amount onwards and we will obtain receipts in the form of an email from the Vicar of Finance when he receives the remittances. Thank you for bearing with me in this difficult matter. 
 
I am taking an active part in 'MarriagEquality' here in the diocese. This is the spearhead organization for public debate on the new parliamentary bill on civil union for same sex couples in Ireland. We marched in the Dublin Pride Parade whose theme was centred on marriage. Please pray for a just and equitable Act to be passed in parliament here.
 
I am visiting England shortly to meet with the an Anglican Archbishop at the 10 yearly Lambeth Conference of the Anglican Communion, currently suffering on the - for them - divisive issue of the ordination of gay clergy. I will be sharing the experience of our church on this matter. I also hope to meet again with our representative in England, Fr. Guye Gemechu.
 
I will be attending Autumn - Fall - synod, so please remember to get in your reports to me before then. It is my hope - funds permitting - to visit Kenya to participate in the ordination of our new bishops there.
 
Please remember to pray for the diocese and communities in Europe every day!
 
In Christ, Your brother,
 
+Niall

 Building of a New Church in Brazil

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Archbishop Zimmerman was informed by Fr. Samuel Moura, pastor of St. George RCC- Rio De Janeiro, that a generous donor has provided a plot of land for the RCC to build a church.  Fr. Moura has advised Archbishop Zimmerman that a wooden building is permitted and can be built for $2000.00 American Dollars.

This is an historic opportunity for the Reformed Catholic Church to build its first chapel in South America. As such, Archbishop Zimmerman has approved Fr. Moura's request for an appeal to help raise funds for the building of the St. George Chapel. A time frame of three months has been granted to begin building the church otherwise, the property may be transferred to another church or group. 

Fr. Samuel Moura has begun clearing the plot of land donated to the RCC to build a church.  For those wishing to contribute time, talent or treasure to this very important cause, please contact Archbishop Zimmerman at   presidingbishop@reformedcatholicchurch.org

Dear Family in Christ,

My name is Fr. Bernard, Bishop Elect For RCC in Kenya – Africa, I work in the Slams of Mathare Valley in Kenya with people living under extreme poverty conditions. People here  live in shanties,  a good majority have never known the comfort of sleeping on a bed. There are so many hungry Children here and most of them have never worn a shoe. Though Education in Kenya has been declared “free” for Primary schools, pupils and students are expected to buy their school Uniforms, shoes, pens and pencils, books to write in and some school administrators ask for a contribution from each parent towards buying desks. Most of the students are not able to go to school because they can't afford the later demands. In response to the directive of Christ to St. Peter, "Feed my lambs" I have recently started a feeding program for hungry children in the slams. I give them one meal every Saturday and Sunday after Mass. I wish to do this once every day but I have no funds at the moment; I have a portioned a little money out of my mean salary that I get from working at a local University here, to buy the food. Some weekends I am not able to feed them and so we skip. Archbishop Phillip has been very supportive of the program and we have been brain storming as to how we can keep this good deed going. I have thought of requesting most of you Archbishops, Bishops, all other clergy and Religious at RCC worldwide to adopt each a child for as low as $50 a month to provide for one meal a day for the child. You will get a photo of the child you are sponsoring and if you wish you can have personal correspondence with the child, and you can plan to come visit and meet the child in Kenya any time at your convenience. You can also help by passing on information and showing the photos to many more the faithful in your Diocese and Parishes, friends and well wishers who may want to adopt a child in Africa for a meal a day.  You can definitely make deference in a child's life and also make this world a better place to live in with just a small sacrificial giving.

God Bless you and I look forward to hear from you personally.

Rev. Fr. Bernard Wamalwa Kinisu

Bishop Elect, RCC Kenya/Africa.

Africa@reformedcatholicchurch.org  

I will be forwarding the Photos  and a brief history of each child soon, look out for them on the Pax Press.