Newsletter of the District of Asia  March-April 2000 Chronicle of the District of Asia INDIA. (News from the last few months) The school in Christurajapuram got a big new classroom, a staff room, and increased rations at the noon day meal. The schoolyard is now dominated by a statue of St. Pius X, thanks to a faithful of Germany. The school in Christurajapuram also received government recognition, after a year of preparation. The Society received a plot of land as a gift in the subdivision of St. Alphonsa. Fr. Blute completed one year of teaching English successfully. The mission was pleased, thrilled, and consoled with the 1-year visit of Mr. Isaac Moats, seminarian from the SSPX seminary of Winona, USA. Mr. Moats wanted to experience one of the Society’s most difficult missions before proceeding any further. Another visitor, Gabriel Swatzell, 20 years old from Spokane, WA, USA has arrived. He helps keep the house clean. The prior has held a monthly day of recollection every month for the priests. Outside priests are now beginning to frequent it. A grand Solemn High Mass was celebrated in Trichy for the wedding of Mary Jude and her newly baptized husband Marcel. Fr. Pancras Raja assisted as Deacon. Fr. Edwin has been assisting at the hearing of confessions in the shrine of Kadal Matha, Our Lady of the Sea, and Our Lady of Fatima Church, Vallioor, at the request of the parish priest. February 13 ILOILO, PHILS. The Sunday Mass was definitely canceled in Santa Barbara and a second Mass was added in Iloilo in consideration of the growing number of faithful in that city (which, as a reminder, was officially consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by its Mayor, on January 4, 1999). February 14 VIETNAM. Fr. Couture and Fr. Wailliez met in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, for an exploratory and missionary week-long visit. See the full account in the next Newsletter. February 21 SINGAPORE. Fr. Couture returned from Vietnam. SANTA BARBARA. Fr. Wailliez returned from his Hong Kong and Vietnam missions. SRI LANKA. Permission was given by the District Medical Officer to our Legionaries to visit all the wards of the Negombo regional Hospital. “I was sick and you visited Me.” February 22 SANTA BARBARA. The grills closing the chapel from the outside having been finished, at long last, it was now possible to leave the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel, permanently. “Stay with us, O Lord, for it is late…” February 24 SINGAPORE. Fr Couture left for a three week ‘working-holiday’ in Canada, presenting the work done in the Asian District to Canadian Mass centers, from coast to coast. SANTA BARBARA. The first fresh vegetables of the pre-seminary garden were harvested. February 25 SANTA BARBARA. In honour of St Mathias, blessing of the vegetable garden and some of the plants in the pre-seminary vicinity. The litany of the saints were sung during the procession. March 1 SRI LANKA. Fr. Loschi left for Singapore and Thailand to replace Fr. Couture. March 2 SANTA BARBARA. First Thursday of the month: The very first day of recollection at the pre-seminary and also the beginning of the monthly recollections as a regular schedule SINGAPORE. Fr. Loschi arrived from Sri Lanka to give a most welcomed hand to Fr. Vachon while Fr. Couture is away. March 3 SINGAPORE. On his way to Sri Lanka , Fr. Wailliez made a stop-over to visit Fr. Loschi. March 4 SRI LANKA. First visit of the Philippine Chaplain of the Legion of Mary, Fr. Wailliez. SANTA BARBARA. Fr. Egli arrived in Iloilo for his first visit of the mass center as well as of St Bernard pre-seminary. March 5 SRI LANKA Five-day women’s Ignatian retreat for 7 ladies, all of the Legion of Mary. This was for all of them their first retreat. The retreat masters were Frs Wailliez and Suresh. MANILA. A successful medical mission was carried out by Our Lady of Victories’ Bio-Medical Ethics Doctors. It was the biggest (in terms of the number of patients – more than 900, doctors and helpers) medical mission the parish has held so far. March 9 BANGKOK, THAILAND. Fr. Loschi flew to this new field of apostolate, for a 5 day mission, to make contacts with some members of the clergy interested in preserving Catholic Tradition. He was able to meet a parish priest who has read a lot and is eager to know more about the Tridentine Mass and the SSPX. March 13 SINGAPORE. Fr. Loschi stopped over for a day on his way home to Sri Lanka. March 16 SANTA BARBARA. Two pre-seminarians lost their “pre-” and became full seminarians as they left for Holy Cross seminary, in Australia. Gerard Fallarcuna, from Manila, and Albert Ghela from Marbel, Mindanao, went to join the other three Asian seminarians at the seminary to study for the Sacred Priesthood. March 17 SINGAPORE. At midnight Fr. Couture returned from his home country having recruited Canada as one of our new ‘power-house of prayer’! March 18 MANILA. His Excellency Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, one of the SSPX bishops, arrived at Our Lady of Victories for a 9-day visit of the Philippines. SANTA BARBARA. Fr. Wailliez, the pre-seminarians and nine children from the seminary catechism group went on pilgrimage to visit the relic of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus in the chapel of the Third Order Carmelite, in Jaro. March 19 MANILA. Bishop Tissier gave confirmations to 18 candidates at the church of Our Lady of Victories. During the Mass, Brother Ignatius renewed his vows for one year. After the Mass, His Excellency gave a conference to the faithful on the recent events in the Church. March 20 MANILA. Bishop Tissier blessed the new grotto at the Dominican Sisters convent. SANTA BARBARA. During this whole week which started with the feast of St Joseph, a lot of work and purchases went on, such as the making of 3 big tables in view of the retreats, the buying of 25 folding beds, many pillows, etc…, the instalation of a new sink in the refectory, the setting of holy pictures in corridors… March 21 PHILIPPINES. Bishop Tissier flew to Mindanao, to General Santos City, with Fr. Salvador, for 28 confirmations and a conference. March 22 PHILIPPINES. Bishop Tissier then proceeded to Bohol, with Frs Salvador and Soliman, for 36 confirmations and a conference. The District Superior stopped in Manila for a few days on his way to the Legion of Mary Congress in Santa Barbara. In Manila, he was able to visit the weakened Bishop Lazo in hospital. March 23 PHILIPPINES. Bishop Tissier visited next Cebu for a similar program, administering confirmation to 23 candidates. March 24 SANTA BARBARA, PHILIPPINES. Bishop Tissier continued his tour of the Philippines visiting our pre-seminary and as the guest of honor for the first National Congress of the Legion of Mary. At 1:00 pm: arrival of His Excellency Bishop Tissier with Fr. Soliman from Cebu. The Society Bishop was warmly welcomed at the airport by Fr. Wailliez and around 20 faithful (mainly Legionaries) holding two large banners. At 5:30 pm the Bishop gave a thirty minutes conference to the pre-seminarians about “How the Society of Saint Pius X started”. Bishop Tissier is one of the two ‘surviving’ members of the very first year of the SSPX, 1969-1970. The other is Fr. Paul Aulagnier, Second Assistant to Bishop Fellay. At about 5:45 pm: Fr. Couture arrived at the seminary also. At 6:00 pm: first Vespers in honor of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. March 25 SANTA BARBARA. Feast of the Annunciation: Acies and First National Congress of the Legion of Mary in the Philippines. At around 8:00 am, the Legionaries from the different praesidia in the Philippines arrived at the pre-seminary. At 9:00 am Solemn High Mass was officiated by H.E. Bishop Bernard Tissier de Mallerais, attended by almost 200 people, among whom 59 auxiliary members and 100 active. After the Mass, opening of the Acies: Rosary followed by Fr. Couture’s allocutio, then procession to the statue of Our Lady and individual consecrations, lastly, the collective act of consecration read by Fr. Wailliez, general chaplain of the Legion of Mary for the district. Lunch was served at 12:30 pm and at 2:00 pm the Congress was opened, attended by 75 active members from our 11 Filipino praesidia. Conference of the Bishop followed by many talks on the Legion system and the work being done by the Legion of Mary all over the Phiilippines: visit of hospitals, of prisons, of houses, of home of abused children, work done in the universities, with the youth. A truly wonderful litany of corporal and spiritual works of mercy accomplished by Our Blessed Lady through her legionaires. Deo Gratias! Magnificat! At 5:30 pm, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament was officiated by Fr. Couture and the ending prayers by Bishop Tissier who gave the final blessing. March 26 ILOILO. Bishop Tissier gave 30 confirmations in Iloilo. In the afternoon, Fr. Couture gave two slide presentation to the faithful: one on the Holy Shroud of Turin, one the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. A large crowd of over 100 attended both. March 27 PHILIPPINES. Bishop Tissier and Father Couture flew back together to Manila for a few hours stopover on their way to Kuala Lumpur. Fr. Onoda, having just arrived from Korea, waited at the airport to meet Fr. Couture (who had returned there before the bishop as his flight was earlier than the bishop’s). In the afternoon, Fr. Onoda, then was able to visit Bishop Lazo in hospital with Bishop Tissier. SANTA BARBARA. Meanwhile, at the pre-seminary, a 5 day women’s retreat began at noon for 39 ladies, including 20 active and 6 auxiliary members of the Legion from the whole Philippines. March 28 KUALA LUMPUR. First episcopal visit in 5 years! The new chapel of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was finished only hours before the arrival of Bishop Tissier. Fr. Vachon also came from Singapore (5 hours by bus) to enable the first Solemn High Mass in the history of the chapel. The Bishop first blessed the chapel, then administered confirmation to 6 candidates, then celebrated the Solemn High Mass. March 29 KUALA LUMPUR. In the evening, Bishop Tissier gave a lecture on the non-suppression of the Tridentine Mass by Pope Paul VI in 1969. March 30 KUALA LUMPUR. In the evening Bishop Tissier gave a conference on the sad event of the famous act of asking forgiveness done by the Holy Father last March 12. The Bishop showed how this contradicted previous rules of the Church, especially in Pius XI’s Encyclical Mortalium Animos and in a decree of the Holy Office in 1949. Bishop Tissier left late that evening for Switzerland. During his voyage, he administered the Sacrament of confirmation to 125 persons, in the Philippines, and 6 in Malaysia. Some of our faithful in the Philippines have an interesting interpretation of a passage of the book of the Apocalypse, chapter 7, verses 1–3. This passage speaks of the four angels standing on the four corners of the earth to whom it was given to punish the world. Another angel cried to them: “Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we sign the servants of our God in their forehead.” Signing on the forehead? It looks very much like the sacrament of confirmation! It sure is amazing to see how many people at the four corners of the earth have been ‘signed on their forehead’ by the four bishops of the SSPX in the last 12 years! The total number of confirmed certainly reaches many dozen of thousands (in some places in Mexico alone, it exceeded the thousand mark!) April 1 KUALA LUMPUR. Fifth and last First Saturday of the series organized for the KL faithful. April 2 MANILA. Bishop Lazo’s health having slightly improved, he was dismissed from the hospital to come to the Priory in the good care of the priests. April 4 SANTA BARBARA. Session of the Apostles of Mary for 15 young people, mainly from Iloilo area. April 8 HONG KONG, CHINA. First visit of Fr. Egli, made possible thanks to a last minute intervention of St Rita with the Philippine Immigration Department. (St Rita has now proven herself to have a special power when it comes to travelling, especially with airport problems and immigration matters.) April 9 HONG KONG, CHINA. Fr. Egli gave 7 hours of catechetical instructions to various people of the group! Nothing like having real veteran missionaries to do this kind of work! (For the readers who don’t know him, Fr. Egli has spent 20 years in Rhodesia before joining the SSPX.) April 10 KUALA LUMPUR. Fr. Vachon made an emergency journey for the first funeral of this mass center. SANTA BARBARA. Five-day men’s retreat for 15 men. April 11 MANILA. Our dear Bishop Lazo died peacefully at the priory assisted by four priests – R.I.P.