PROMOTER OF THE EUCHARIST IN URUGUAY

  

SERVANT  of GOD WALTER ELIAS CHANGO RONDEAU has been called the Carlos Acutis of Uruguay because of his great devotion to the Eucharist and great desire to spread his love of Christ.

He was born in 1921, in the outskirts of Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, to devout parents. Walter had a normal youth. He loved nature, enjoying camping, hiking, and playing ball with his friends. From childhood, he  understood that the Eucharist was Jesus nourishing the soul. Amazingly, children his own age listened to him talk about Jesus.

 On one occasion, a classmate boasted that it had been quite some time since his last confession or communion. Walter spoke to him about the importance of receiving the sacraments and the presence of Jesus in them. This led to his classmate returning to the sacraments.

 He became involved in the parish, first as a catechist, then in charitable associations, with a special care  of the poor: "What you give to a poor person, you give to Christ!" 

He promoted the 1938 Eucharistic Congress in his homeland of Uruguay, working tirelessly. He had personally reproduced the congress logo and distributed copies to his neighbors so they could display them on their doors, thus creating an atmosphere for the event. But Walter didn't stop at mere publicity; he lived this moment as an apostolate, an opportunity to meet others and share the faith. During the diocesan process, one of the witnesses testified that Walter spoke to people with such eloquence that he seemed like a priest. However, Walter deeply felt his lay vocation and lived it with great commitment and dedication.

At 17, having finished his studies, he found work in which he ws known to becconscientious, affable, generous, full of energy, vitality, and joy. A young man of initiative, he organized parties where, at the end, there was always a time for prayer: "We have no right to be mediocre." “It is not enough that I be good; I must work so that my companions may be good. It is not enough that I be honorable; I must also desire the honorability of my companions. Nothing good is done without sacrifice.” 

Shortly after, he was found to have intestinal tuberculosis. Treatments and operations were not a success. Despite the pain, he maintained his good humor, encouraging his family and friends. He remained serene: “We are not destined for this earth, but for God. It is to Him that we must go.” He had great fortitude in the face of suffering, a profound inner peace, with a joy which radiated to others.

With complete surrender to God's will, he said: “I am in God’s hands. May His will be done.”

“I die in peace.” These are his last words, passing away with a smile on his lips.

When Walter fell ill with tuberculosis, his parents moved with him from the city  to a more secluded, quiet, and wooded area, hoping the change of scenery would improve his health. The new house had a garden with a fountain. When Walter felt better and wasn't in bed, he would stroll through the garden or sit in the shade of a magnolia tree. One day, while in the garden with his mother, he said, "Mama, when I die, you must cover me with those roses." He said this while pointing to the rose bushes surrounding the old fountain.

When Walter died, his mother remembered his request for roses and went to the garden hoping to find at least one, but unfortunately, she found none. Later, people at the wake commented on the pleasant fragrance. The news quickly spread among those present: the magnolia and rose bushes were covered in blossoms. They cut the roses to place on the coffin, and they bloomed again.

 This miracle was repeated three times until Walter’s body was completely covered. The event was witnessed by various ecclesiastical authorities, among whom was the Coadjutor Bishop of Montevideo, Monsignor Barbieri, who later became Cardinal of that See.

His cause for beatification was introduced in 2001. After 60 years his remains were transfered to the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel of La Aguada.

A GREAT CHIEF

 The previous Blog dealt with the granddaughter of Salish CHIEF PAUL (BIG FACE) TJOLZHIYSAY,   who between 1831 and 1839 sent four delegations to St. Louis requesting the Blackrobes  (Jesuits) as their teachers. How did he hear about these missionaries and their religion? 

 When Christian Iroquois accompanied the European fur traders into the interior of North America in the early 19th century, they met the Salish and other peaceful tribes and settled among them and of course  mentioned who taught them about the religion they would adopt.  Chief Tjolzhitsay and his people were moved by what they heard and decided to send for these missionaries that they too might learn of this God.

September 24, 1841, Belgian born Father Pierre Jean DeSmet together with his fellow Jesuit missionaries, Fathers Gregory Mengarini and Nicolas Point, and three Lay Brothers arrived in the Bitterroot valley in the southwestern part of Montana.

From Father DeSmet’s journal:

Eight days afterwards we arrived safely in the camp of the Flat-heads, and Ponderas, or Pends d'oreilles.' Immediately the whole village was in commotion ; men, women and children, all came to meet me, and shake hands, and I was conducted in triumph to the lodge of the great chief Tjolizhitzay, (the Big face.) He has the appearance of an old patriarch. Surrounded by the principal chiefs of the two tribes, and the most renowned warriors, he thus addressed me: 

"This day Kaikolinzosten (the Great Spirit) has accomplished our wishes, and our hearts are swelled with joy. Our desire to be instructed was so great, that three times had we deputed our people to the Great Black-gown in St. Louis, to obtain a father. Now, Father, speak, and we will comply with all you will tell us. Show us the road we have to follow, to come to the place where the Great Spirit resides."

Then he resigned his authority to me; but I replied that he mistook the object of my coming among them; that I had no other object in view, but their spiritual welfare; that with respect to temporal affairs, they should remain as they were, till circumstances should allow them to settle in a permanent spot.—Afterwards we deliberated on the hours proper for their  spiritual exercises and instructions. One of the chiefs brought me a bell, with which I might give the signal.

Chief Big Face, nearly 90 years old, greeted the Blackrobes with great joy and was one of the first to be baptized, along with 350 others at the three forks of the Missouri River.  He received then name of Paul. Only months later in 1841, after receiving his first Communion, he died.

When I first came to Our Lady of the Rock, nearly 40 years ago, we were reading at table A History of the Catholic Church in the Pacific Northwest 1743-1983 by Wilfred P. Schoenberg, S.J. of Gonzaga University.  That tome, which is almost 900 pages, won the Washington Governor's Book Award. It was a fascinating reading, at times stranger and more adventuresome than fiction. While it took us 2 years to get through, it was nevr boring.

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'TRANQUIL WATERS"- A HOLY NATIVE WOMAN

 

Why saints?  Venerable Thomas A Kempis (15th C. monk & mystic) wrote: saints of God are friends in this life, guides along the way, advisers in doubt.. guardians in dangers, attendants in battle, defenders against the enemy, intercessors for sin, assistants at the last hour, consolers during agony, advocates at judgment, patrons before God, and welcoming friends in heaven…

In August, we presented some mystics and in September martyrs. The next two months, before Advent, we will cosider a miscellaneous group of holy people. The first two to be to be presented I am not sure will be canonized, but they have roots in our Pacific Northwest and their contribution to the early Church here is fascinating and lasting.

The people who called themselves, now commonly known as the The Coeur d’Alene Tribe (known as Schitsu'Umsh by the natives), have a legend about the coming of white men. Tradition says that Chief Circling Raven climbed a mountain on a vision quest and came back with a prophecy that two black-robed angels with white skin would come to teach his people of the great spirit.

Chief Circling Raven’s granddaughter, SIUWHEEM, meaning “tranquil waters,” was among the first to be baptized by Father Pierre-Jean De Smet in 1842. The black-robed priest was setting up missions in the West, and he was then starting one near present-day St. Maries in northern Idaho. Yet, even before the Black Robes arrival she was living a virtuous life, practicing great charity among her people. Her father was Chief "Twisted Earth".  We know of her life because Father De Smet wrote of "the remarkable  young woman" in 1865.
 
The St. Joseph’s Mission was constructed on the banks of the St. Joe River. Frequent flooding at that site caused the missionaries to soon abandon it. They moved to a hill overlooking the Coeur d’Alene River near present day Cataldo in 1846. They built what would become the Mission of the Sacred Heart there between 1850 and 1853. It stands today as Idaho’s oldest building. On the way to visit family in Couer d’Alene I would pass this very Hispanic looking church, yet never stopped.

 As a teenager Siuwheem married a member of the Spokane Tribe called Polotkin. Upon their baptism Father De Smet gave her the name Louise, and her husband the name Adolph, not only baptizing both but uniting them in marriage. From that point on Siuwheem was known as Louise Siuwheem Polotkin.

Louise became a talented translator and a fervent believer in the new religion the missionaries brought with them. She had a special love for children, especially girls, and took in several when their parents couldn’t care for them.

Louise Siuwheem has her own tribal legends. Two stories praise her for stopping battles, first with Spokane Indians, and then with the Nez Perce. 

She died in 1853 and is buried in the small cemetery on the grounds of the Mission of the Sacred Heart, which was later renamed in honor of another priest. It became the Cataldo Mission of the Sacred Heart.

Her grave marker includes the words “She taught religion to the children, cared for the sick and the orphans, taught hymns and prayers and came to this cemetery every night to pray for those buried here.” 

(At left is the painting  on her grave marker)

SLOVAK MARTYR/MISSIONARY

 

This martyr should have been with others in September, so I am a bit tardy, but I am sure St. Therese would not mind on her feast day, and a new month.

BL. JANKO HAVLIK was born on April 12, 1927 in Vlékovany, near Skalica (present-day Dubovce), Slovakia, into the family of a poor laborer (Karol Havlik, and his wife Justina, née Pollékova). His handwritten curriculum vitae reads: “Since I wanted to continue my studies, I attended for two years the Civic School in Holic, where I walked 6 km a day. After two years I started going to the gym in Skalica, cycling every day, which was 36 km a day.” Janko grew up in times of great economic crisis, which increased during the time of World War II.

Then, in 1943, he moved to Banska Bystrica and entered the Apostolic School, (Minor Seminary) of the Congregation of the Mission of St. Vincent de Paul where he completed his baccalaureate studies. After the war, the political regime changed radically. The victory of February 1948, as it was called, meant the advent of communist totalitarianism and the beginning of an open struggle against the Church.

Janko Havlik was one of the young men on whom the totalitarian power was to exert the full force of its brutality. On October 29, 1951 he was arrested together with other seminarians of the Congregation  The terrifying state police interrogated and tortured him for 16 months, abandoning him to the elements. After the trial, which lasted from February 3 to 5, he was sentenced to ten years in prison. At the end of February 1953, Janko Havlik was escorted to the Jachymov camp where he was forced to labor as a miner in the uranium mine. In this environment of fatigue and suffering he discovered that, if he could not be a priest, he could be a missionary.

 He told his dear friend Anton Srholec: “I feel as though I am on a mission. No missionary could choose a better and more difficult mission place.”

 He underwent a second trial in 1959 and another year was added to his sentence. Even in prison he was interrogated, mistreated, tortured and left without food. He always behaved bravely. In August 1961, Janko collapsed at work. The diagnosis  required immediate hospitalization. When he was able to leave prison, he was sent home terminally ill. The young man who had once been as strong as a fir tree was now only a ruin. But until the Lord called him to Himself, he still managed to describe his spiritual experience, his thoughts and prayers, writing two small but dense notebooks: “The Way of the Cross of the Little Souls” and “Diary”. They are important because they allow us to see His deep relationship with the Lord.

In spite of everything, Janko had not drunk his cup of bitterness to the bottom. When the sound of the ambulance was spreading through the village, everyone knew that Janko was being transferred to the hospital in Skalica,  and the agents were constantly spying on him.

His last breath came on December 27, 1965. At the age of 37,  he died suddenly in the street on the feast day of his patron saint, St. John the Evangelist. He died in the morning hours … standing up. He was found in one of the streets of Skalica, leaning against the wall, next to the ash heap of a house.

BEATIFICATION OF AMERICAN ARCHBISHOP

On September 24, 2026, the Church will celebrate the beatification of ARCHBISHOP FULTON J. SHEEN. The Beatification Mass will be celebrated at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri, a venue chosen to allow a large number of faithful to participate in the celebration.

The Mass will begin at 2:00 p.m. in St. Louis, corresponding to 9:00 p.m. in Rome, Italy.

EWTN will also offer special coverage of the day in English beginning at 3:00 p.m. Rome time, with live reports, analysis and commentary before and after the celebration.

The Mass will be presided over by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Pro-Prefect of the Section for First Evangelization and New Particular Churches of the Dicastery for Evangelization and the papal legate for the celebration.

The miracle which paved the way for the beatification was the unexplained recovery of James Fulton Engstrom, born apparently stillborn in September 2010 to Bonnie and Travis Engstrom of the Peoria- area town of Goodfield. He showed no signs of life as medical professionals tried to revive him.

The child’s mother and father prayed to Archbishop Sheen to heal their son. A seven-member panel of medical experts advising the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints gave unanimous approval of the miracle attributed to the Archbishop in March 2014.

His feast  will be December  9.

(See Blogs: 3/22/2012, 9/9/18, 11/28/19 & 2/14/26)

MARTYR OF MADGASCAR

 

In a lesser known part of the world, which has experienced its own upheavels, we find our next martyr. 

BL. LUCIEN BOTOVASOS was born about 1907,  in Vohipeno, a rural town in the southeast of Madagascar, the province of Fianarantsoa the oldest of nine brothers and sisters.  Not much more is known about his early childhood.

He was a schoolteacher and a professed member from the Secular Franciscan Order.  He served as a teacher for his entire adult life and was dedicated to both the religious and secular education of children. His thirst for the religious life led him to discover the Secular Franciscan Order in 1940.  Bl. Lucien adopted the Franciscan charism for himself through his fasting and clothing, wearing khaki colored clothes of the Third Order rather than the usual uniform for teachers.

In 1918 he began studies in the state school and then proceeded to the Jesuit College of St Joseph in Ambozontany.   In 1928 he concluded the studies and was awarded the teaching diploma and in the same year became a parish teacher in Vohipeno, making his own the motto of the Society of Jesus:  Ad maiorem Dei gloriam.

On 10 October 1930 he married Suzanna Soazana in the parish church of Vohipeno and on the following September 12 their son Vincent de Paul Hermann was born, the first of their eight children, of which only five survived. 

Lucien was an excellent teacher, working not only as the village teacher but also in the parish, with generous availability to the needy. In addition to Malagasy, he knew French, Latin, German, and Chinese.   He was an exceptional musician, becoming  the director of the parish choir.   He was also an athlete and is described as always smiling and joyful.

After the Second World War, in the years 1946-1947, there grew in Madagascar the desire for independence from France.   In 1946, as supporter of independence, Tsimihoño, from the Clan of Ambohimanarivo, became king (Mpanjaka).  At Vohipeno there were also violent clashes between the two factions. 

Quickly, Catholics became viewed as French loyalists, and officials throughout the country began turning against them. Their immediate targets were those who were among the religious.

 On March 30, 1947, Palm Sunday, the parish church was burned and so began the king’s hunt for the ‘Christian teacher,’ Lucien Botovasoa, who was respected by both the Catholics and others in Vohipeno.  Lucien was commanded to appear, or his family would be massacred.

Lucien, realizing what was happening, entrusted his wife and children to his brother and returned to Vohipene telling his wife and children, “Whatever happens, do not EVER separate yourself from God. I am not afraid of death. and I will find bliss in heaven.”

Around nine o’clock in the evening of April 17, his brother André and two cousins, under threat of death, were charged with arresting Lucien.   Brought to the house of the king Tsimihoño, he was condemned to death without any trial.   

 Lucien was to be killed at the edge of the Matitanana river and en route asked to stop and reflect. He knelt for sometime in deep reflection before continuing along the path. Upon their arrival, his captors wanted to tie his hands together though he offered to do that himself in the form of a cross. He knelt at the edge of the water in contemplation, noting that the executioners were men that he himself had taught at school as students at some stage. The chief executioner beheaded  Lucien with his sword and the others took turns striking a blow or wetting the sword in his blood before tossing his remains into the waters. He died in his beige khaki jacket and trousers with a black cord for a belt.

 Incredibly, not long after the man who had judged him and passed sentence on him converted to Christianity.

Blessed Lucien is counted among the patrons of married couples, fathers, and teachers. 

In 2011 Pope Benedict XVI named him Servant of God and in 2017 Pope Francis beatified him.  His feast is April 14.

THE GRACE OF OLD AGE

 

 

 

 

In July of this year, our Holy Father Pope Leo wrote a letter, signed by the Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, concerning pastoral care of the ELDERLY.

"The rise in people’s average life expectancy entails, in fact, a prolongation of the frail stage of old age, and this poses the challenge of reflecting on the meaning of this season of existence. What value should we attribute to the many years a man or woman may live in a state of physical or mental frailty? What is the Christian perspective through which to live this time? How can we proclaim that human life always retains, in all its stages, its “infinite dignity”?

The Holy Father Leo XIV has remarked that fragility is “part of the marvel of creation” It therefore has a spiritual and community value, reminding us that we are dependent on each other and in need of God.

"The elderly, in the serene acceptance of the limits linked to the passing of the years, without hiding them or being ashamed of them, can be teachers of life, capable of showing everyone — and especially young people — that the value of a life is not measured by efficiency or self-sufficiency, but by the capacity to love and to allow oneself to be loved, to give and to receive.

Old age, then, is characterized as a time of grace, to be lived in prayer, in service, in tenderness, in memory preserved and passed on: a blessing for generations to come. This makes fragility a theological reality, in the words of Saint Paul: “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong […] therefore, as it is written, 

Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord” (1 Cor 1:27, 31). 

The society in which we live is dominated by the logic of performance and competition, so that strength is  conceived as a display of power and tends to degenerate into abuse of power. We see this on the international stage, where, tragically, war has once again become a widespread strategic tool.  But we also notice it in the ordinary details of daily life, in the way we relate to one another. Indeed, in our daily lives, we increasingly encounter signs of a mindset that confuses strength with arrogance and meekness with weakness.

Faced with these attitudes, the Church continues to propose the Gospel message: that which proclaims blessed the meek and humble of heart (cf.  Mt 5:5; 11:29), and which promotes an unarmed and disarming peace, recognizing in God the Father of all and in others not enemies, but brothers and sisters. The elderly members of our communities are, through their life experience and wisdom, the first and most authoritative witnesses to this Christian vision of humanity."