WHAT’S HAPPENING?
Feast of Saint John Mary Vianney
Dear Benefactors,
Happy Feast-day! The Association Saint Jean-Marie Vianney Lausanne was founded in 2007 with the aim of helping and supporting the ministry of Bishop Peter Bürcher in Switzerland and abroad. This was before he was appointed Bishop of Reykjavik by Pope Benedict XVI.
Thanks to you, the help of our Association has been realised for more than fifteen years in Switzerland, Iceland, France and it has been able to support many Christians in Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Armenia. Without claiming to be exhaustive here, we would like to recall some of the projects that we have been able to carry out thanks to your numerous and generous donations: our Association has thus been able to help the Church in Iceland since 2007, in numerous pastoral achievements, until the retirement of its bishop in 2015. In collaboration with other institutions, over a period of eight years, no less than seven new places of worship were built or purchased, not to mention the construction of a large pastoral and hotel centre, the rescue of the Catholic school in Reykjavik, the translation and publication of the first Roman Missal in Icelandic, as well as significant financial support for priests, nuns and laypeople and numerous evangelisation and training projects.
Having already helped the Christians of the Holy Land during this period, we then asked you for new projects, including, at the suggestion of Pope Francis, the production of 1,500,000 rosaries, all made in the Holy Land and offered to young people from all over the world who came to take part in the World Youth Day in Panama; we also helped many needy families in Bethlehem by offering them work in this context, thanks to you and to our very happy collaboration with Caritas Jerusalem. In the last two years, the pandemic has left Jerusalem and Bethlehem, among others, without pilgrims and tourists. Your generous understanding of the situation has enabled us to help these most disadvantaged families, many of whom are still living well below the poverty line. In the same way, we were able to support the Catholic schools in Jerusalem and Bethlehem as well as the Caritas Baby Hospital and the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem. Finally, badly affected by the explosions in their port and the economic crisis that still affects Lebanon, together with you we were able to help the suffering people of Beirut.
Yes, if we are writing to you today, without being able to list here all the numerous commitments of our Association and not forgetting above all your faithful support through prayer, it is first of all to say to you all a BIG THANK YOU for everything!
Very happy with what we have been able to achieve together for more than fifteen years, it is also to inform you today that our Association Saint Jean-Marie Vianney Lausanne has decided to end its mission at the end of 2022. The health and age as well as the professional commitments of the members of our Committee have indeed led us to take the decision of this dissolution. Yes, "there is a time for everything, and a time for everything under heaven" (Qo 3,1). Our Association will therefore be dissolved on 31 December 2022.
Of course, until November 30, 2022, the last donations and bequests are still very welcome to our Association which will forward them to the many families in Bethlehem who are urgently awaiting our help. Our latest payment slip is enclosed for this purpose. We would be grateful if you would honour it generously one last time! After this date, our postal account will be cancelled, our website will no longer be operational and our ASJMVL News will no longer be published. As a concrete sign of gratitude and communion, today and every year to come, Bishop Peter Bürcher will celebrate Mass for all your intentions on the Feast of Saint John Mary Vianney.
Yes, we thank you, Lord, for having given us such generous benefactors for over fifteen years!
They have enabled us to help your Church in Iceland
as well as to the Holy Land which is still suffering so much,
and where you yourself suffered for us all!
You have called us, and together with our benefactors, we have answered your calls.
Blessed are you, Lord, for you have always walked with us,
you have been our daily companion!
Lord, we ask you to bless and keep
and keep all our benefactors in the Peace of your Love!
Dear Benefactors, with the support of the Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and St. John Mary Vianney, let us continue to remain where we are: disciples of Christ and missionaries of His Love for all! Let us continue, especially with other similar institutions in Switzerland, to support very generously our Christian sisters and brothers in the Holy Land! They are counting on each of us with great confidence and gratitude.
Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts, and may the Lord bless you and your families abundantly!
+ Piter Bürcher, Bishop – Bernard Debély, President – Véronique Nebel, Member – Don Martino Mantovani, Secretary
Lausanne, 4 August 2022
Holy Land Coordination 2022
Final Communiqué
‘If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand wither’ Ps 137:5
Jerusalem is a Jewish City, a Christian City, a Muslim City
It must remain a common patrimony and never become the exclusive monopoly of any one religion. We came to meet and pray with our sisters and brothers, mindful of Patriarch Pizzaballa’s message that it is our right and duty as Christians to uphold the city’s openness and universality.
The Christian community is essential to Jerusalem’s identity, both now and for the future. Yet its continued presence is threatened by occupation and injustice. Many of those we encountered are facing violence and intimidation by settler groups, restrictions on their freedom of movement, or separation from their families because of the status they are assigned.
We share the concerns expressed by the Christian community about unilateral restrictions on freedom of worship during Easter, imposed by the Israeli police. We experienced the deep sorrow and anger felt by local Christians at the killing of Palestinian Catholic journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and the shameful attack on mourners at her funeral.
We witnessed how many people of all backgrounds are living in poverty, which has been compounded by the pandemic. The absence of pilgrims during the past two years has devastated livelihoods, including among Jerusalem’s Christian community, leaving some families struggling to afford housing, food, or other essentials.
Amid these challenges, there are nevertheless signs of hope. We visited Christian organisations taking responsibility for the wellbeing of their community and wider society. They are working tirelessly to alleviate hardship and improve lives. We met young people who, despite facing daily violations of their fundamental human rights, refuse to be the last generation of Christians in the city.
As pilgrims return once more, we call upon them to support Christians in Jerusalem and throughout the Holy Land. It is essential that all pilgrims understand and engage with the reality of life for the Christian community here. A true Holy Land pilgrimage should be a journey of faith, encounter, and solidarity.
Pope Francis affirms the universal value of Jerusalem, which goes beyond any consideration of territorial issues. Inspired by Christ our Peace, all Christians must help preserve the city’s sacred character and promote an authentic vision for Jerusalem as a place of dialogue and unity.
Jerusalem, 26 May 2022, Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
Bishop Declan Lang, England and Wales (Chair of the Holy Land Coordination)
Bishop Udo Bentz, Germany
Bishop Peter Bürcher, Nordic and Swiss Bishops’ Conferences
Bishop Nicholas Hudson, Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union
Bishop Alan McGuckian, Ireland
Archbishop William Nolan, Scotland
Photo gallery:
Note: Photos in the image gallery can be downloaded free of charge for the purpose of reporting, provided that the copyright holder is acknowledged (© Mazur/cbcew.org.uk): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzR4L4
Al Venerabile fratello
PETER BÜRCHER
Vescovo emerito di Reykjavík
Esprimiamo, in occasione della celebrazione del suo giubileo d’oro del sacerdozio, gioiosa gratitudine per il suo attento esercizio del suo lungo ministero pastorale nella diocesi di Losanna, Ginevra e Friburgo, e in seguito nella diocesi di Reykjavik, come pure per il suo zelante impegno per la verità del Vangelo, che va annunciata nella carità, e per la sua premurosa cura con la quale si è impegnato nell’assiduo e sapiente ministero per il bene della Chiesa e la salvezza delle anime. Insieme ai Nostri migliori auguri, per intercessione della Beata Vergine Maria e dei Santi Pietro e Giuseppe, impartiamo volentieri a lui e a tutti coloro che gli sono vicini, la Nostra Benedizione Apostolica e chiediamo preghiere per un prospero esercizio del Nostro ministero petrino.
Dato a Roma, presso il Laterano, il 15 del mese di marzo dell’anno 2021.
Francesco
Holy Land Coordination 2020
We must not ignore the voice of people in the Holy Land
Every year we come to encounter and hear the people of the Holy Land. We are inspired by their enduring resilience and faith in a worsening situation.
In their recent powerful message, the local Catholic Bishops lamented the international community’s failure to help realize justice and peace here in the place of Christ’s birth. Our governments must do more to meet their responsibilities for upholding international law and protecting human dignity. In some cases they have become actively complicit in the evils of conflict and occupation.
The local Bishops also warned that people are facing further “evaporation of hope for a durable solution”. We have witnessed this reality first-hand, particularly how construction of settlements and the separation wall is destroying any prospect of two states existing in peace.
In the same message, the local Bishops have sounded the alarm about living conditions becoming “more and more unbearable”. This is painfully clear in the West Bank where our sisters and brothers are denied even basic rights including freedom of movement. In Gaza the political decisions of all sides have resulted in the creation of an open air prison, human rights abuses and a profound humanitarian crisis. We were welcomed by families whose focus is now day-to-day survival and whose aspirations have been reduced to bare essentials such as electricity and clean water.
Amid these circumstances we are moved by the sacrifice of religious sisters, lay people and priests who are reaching out with respect to every side, in order to build a better future for all. They offer vital services, especially education, job opportunities and care for the most vulnerable people. We give thanks for their witness.
We encourage Christians in our own countries to pray for and support this mission. The increase in people making pilgrimages to the Holy Land is encouraging and we call for those who come to ensure they encounter the local communities.
At the same time we implore our governments to help build a new political solution rooted in human dignity for all. While this must ultimately be shaped by the peoples of the Holy Land in dialogue, there is an urgent need for our countries to play their part by:
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Insisting upon the application of international law;
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Following the Holy See’s lead in recognising the State of Palestine;
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Addressing the security concerns of Israel and the right of all to live in safety;
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Rejecting political or economic support for settlements;
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And resolutely opposing acts of violence or abuses of human rights by any side.
In taking these steps the international community can meaningfully stand in solidarity with those Israelis and Palestinians who are refusing to give up their non-violent struggle for justice, peace and human rights.
We pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
Bishop Declan Lang (Chair of the Holy Land Coordination)
England and Wales
Bishop Udo Bentz
Germany
Archbishop Timothy Broglio
United States of America
Bishop Peter Bürcher
Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden
Bishop Rodolfo Cetoloni
Italy
Bishop Christopher Chessun
Church of England
Archbishop Richard Gagnon
Canada
Bishop William Kenney
England and Wales
Bishop Alan McGuckian
Ireland
Bishop William Nolan
Scotland
Bishop Marc Stenger
France
Bishop Noel Treanor
Ireland
Archbishop Joan Enric Vives Sicilia
Spain
Fr Antonio Ammirati
Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe
Dr Erwin Tanner
Switzerland
Our beautiful actual project AVEJMJ!
AVE as Ave Maria (Hail Mary) and JMJ as Jornada Mundial de la Joventud and Jesus, Mary, Joseph!
"Here is the servant of the Lord; let all happen to me according to your word! "(Luke 1,38) will be the theme of the WYD of Panama 2019.
Among his many projects to help the Christians of the Holy Land, Bishop Peter Bürcher, Member of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, has pledged to accomplish a wish of Pope Francis: to encourage young people to pray for peace in the world. They will pray the Lord through the intercession of Mary, thanks to the simple prayer of the rosary. This is the AVEJMJ project: AVE as Ave Maria (Hail Mary) and JMJ as Jornada Mundial de la Joventud or as Jesus, Mary, Joseph!
To this end, an olive wood rosary made in the Holy Land by needy families, young unemployed, refugees and families of detainees will be offered to all the young people who will participate in the next WYD in Panama in January 2019 and who will pray for peace in the world. Caritas Jerusalem has kindly facilitated this arrangement. They will be able to give work for several months to hundreds of needy families in Bethlehem and surroundings
To meet the deadlines and reach the goal of the 1,5 million rosaries needed, we must raise a minimum of 200’000 per month. It’s costs us a CHF/USD coin to produce.
Donations can be made immediately to the account of the Association Saint Jean-Marie Vianney Lausanne, Switzerland:
Bank Postfinance SA BIC: POFICHBEXXX
From Switzerland: IBAN CHF: CH49 0900 0000 1721 5224 5
From Europe: IBAN EUR: CH36 0900 0000 9153 3233 5
Others: IBAN USD: CH98 0900 0000 9172 0700 5
Marked « AVEJMJ ».
The ASJMVL www.sjmvlausanne.org and Caritas Jerusalem thank each and every one of you for contributing, even modestly, to the financing of this magnificent global project in this time of evangelization!
Rosary?
Let’s raise the Mystery!
The Rosary is a form of repetitive, contemplative and very simple prayer, during which one meditates on the place of Mary in the Mystery of Salvation, to associate with it, reciting the "Hail Mary". It also refers to the instrument used to pray, a set of pierced grains, threaded one after the other on a thread and held in a loop, with at its end a cross. Strictly speaking, the rosary is a "little hat" or a kind of crown. It was indeed customary in the Middle Ages to crown the statues of the Virgin with roses, each rose symbolizing a prayer, hence the word rosary.
The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is instituted on October 7, 1573, making the practice of the rosary universal and making October the month of the rosary par excellence.
While a rosary includes fifty « Hail Mary", a complete rosary includes 200 "Hail Mary". The 200 "Hail Mary" were divided into four parts. Then each part in five tens, each preceded by an Our Father and followed by Glory to the Father, in honor of the Holy Trinity.
This prayer is not a pure mechanical repetition of formulas: it is meditation, a reception of the mystery of God that touches and rejoins our lives. The Rosary is thus a meditation of the Gospel, and the reception for the believer of the life of the Lord.