|
Christmas Celebration at the Children’s
Home in Nakhodka
29th December 2007 was an unforgettable day. It was a day that
I and my companions were given a special Christmas gift. It had been four years since we were able to celebrate Christmas
and New Year’s with the kids of the Children’s Rehabilitation Home, commonly known as a children’s home.
Our hearts were deeply touched by these little ones who are in need of so much.
In the facility, the children are divided into three groups, totaling 59 children. We were allowed to meet only one
of the groups. All the children have parents, and in most cases the parents have abandoned them or the police have taken them
away from their homes. Usually the parents have either a criminal background or are alcoholics. The children are frightened,
they lack attention, especially affection from a father figure. All were excited to talk to us. Our digital cameras and cell
phones stored with music surprised them. They took our cell phones to listen to the music, and others took our digital cameras
and clicked one photograph after another. They delighted to see the photographs stored in them. I, and all who went to meet them, yearned to give them the love, attention and caring they craved. Sadly,
most of them are not allowed to go home. Their parents are not allowed to visit them.
We made another new friend at the home, Brian Roche, a university student from St. Louis, Missouri, USA and exchanged stories with him. Since last year, Brian has been helping in
the Vladivostok Catholic church with sponsored social activities.
Obituary
Joseph
Stanislavich Latkobviskyš 94š of Nakhodka, died August 18, 2007. Joseph’s funeral service was August
22, 2007, in Our Lady of the Pacific in Nakhodka, and celebrated by Father Myron Effing, C.J.D., founder and former pastor
of our parish. Concelebrating was Father Sebastian D’Silva current pastor of Our Lady of the Pacific.
Surviving
Joseph are his children: two daughters Elena and Anna, a son Stanislaw, and many grandchildren.
Preceding
Joseph is death was his wife Alla Vaselevna who died in 2005.
Joseph was born on October 15, 1913 in Latvia. After many years
of hard work and struggle, his father moved the family from Latvia to Siberia with the promise of free
land. But after the land was confiscated they moved to Nakhodka where Joseph was cherished and became founding
member of Our Lady of the Pacific Catholic Church. His death is a great loss for his family, the parish, and all who knew
him.
Fr. Sebastian's updates on his recent mission
trip to the USA.
My
first mission trip to the USA is concluded. I arrived back to our parish in Nakhodka
on August 3rd. When I was planning and preparing for the mission tour, I was initially a bit nervous because I
had never visited the USA. Even more worrisome to me, it was the first time in which I needed to preach entirely in English. It was a long trip for me because I had to travel through at least 11 States in America. It was a great opportunity for me to see that the
church in America is active, vibrant and
prayerful, a picture I had not received through media portrayals. Best of all,
I could meet face to face, my friends that I know only through correspondence and letter writing. I was blessed with a wonderful
gift on my way back to Nakhodka. I was able to celebrate the first death anniversary
of my grandmother in my home town, Mangalore, India.
It was a great day! All of her relatives, neighbors and friends, numbering more than 150, gathered to honor her memory.
Thank
you! Thank you, for all your prayers and all your help. With each of you, and God's blessings, the mission tour was a success.
Fr.
Sebastian
REV. FR. SEBASTIAN MARIAN D'SILVA
NEW CATHOLIC PASTOR APPOINTED AT NAKHODKA PARISH
Bishop Cyryl Klimovicz, of the Diocese of Irkutsk
has appointed Rev. Father Sebastian Marian D’Silva to be the new pastor of Our Lady of the Pacific, the Catholic parish
at Nakhodka.
Fr. Sebastian was born on April
9, 1955, in Mangalore, India. In 1970 he joined the missionary diocese Meerut in northern India, near New Delhi. In 1972 he
joined the major seminary, St. Albert’s College in Ranchi, and was ordained a diocesan priest on May 15, 1981, in his
hometown of Mangalore. Fr. Sebastian then worked in five different parishes in the diocese of Meerut. On May 11, 2003, Fr.
Sebastian came to the diocese of Irkutsk, Russia, to work with the Vladivostok mission. Father Sebastian described the
challenges he will be facing at Nakhodka.
Nakhodka is a small parish
and which consists of parishioners around 60 families. At present the Mass is said in a apartment but
there is a plan to build a small church. In the chapel apartment at Nakhodka, there is no
hot water facility. So Fr. Sebastian bought a new water heater and got it fixed. The problem now is that the
telephone bills has not been paid before and so no telephone, no internet connection is available. So it looks that they have
to start living there with no such facilities.
In the parish there is only
catechesis and “women support centre”. In the US or around the world it is known as, Women Pregnancy Crises Support
Centre.
Fr. Sebastian has plans to have St. Vincent de Paul Conference, and work among the street children and with homeless
people. The women support centre gets $250 per month, out of which $160 would be spent for the office expenses and
the rest is for the women who come for help. So please pray for Fr. Sebastian, so that he will be able to work out
his plans for the new parish. The people over there in the new parish were happy to have Fr. Sebastian as their
new pastor. Anyway God is Good and He will look after all their needs.
|
