Remembering Tiananmen Square

People will flock to Victoria Park in Causeway Bay on June 4 to burn candles in honor of those who died in the Tiananmen Square Massacre twenty years ago. Cautious expectations that China was on the verge of some democratic change in 1989 were shattered by early morning gunfire as the Chinese government rolled its tanks into the students, workers, journalists, government officials and people from all walks of life who were calling for reform and an end to corruption.

Thousands gathered in the rain on the evening of June 3 as news filtered into Hong Kong that there was trouble in Tiananmen. On June 4, the extent of the horror was broadcast around the globe. On each succeeding anniversary, the memories of those who died have been honored at a candlelight vigil organized by the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movements of China.

Today, the true death toll of Tiananmen is still unknown. People involved in the pro-democracy movement are still in exile while others are in prison. Families of the victims are still denied the opportunity to mourn their dead, and a group gathered under the collective, Tiananmen Mothers, is harassed and kept under surveillance.

With its current political clout, China can buy the silence of foreign governments and societies.
China adopted economic reform in 1978, but without political reform to safeguard the rule of law, only those in power benefited from it. As long as the economy is used as justification for human rights abuses, candles will continue to burn for the victims, not only in Victoria Park, but in the hearts of millions worldwide.

Columban Fr. Jim Mulroney who is living and working in Hong Kong provided this update.

Bored Media Syndrome

We are a global world. News coverage of any event is instantaneous. Thanks to the internet, a dowdy, middle-aged female in the United Kingdom became an overnight YouTube sensation worldwide and appears to be well on her way to an entirely new lifestyle. When a typhoon struck Myanmar, the rest of the world heard about it and geared up to send aid within hours.

The communication technologies available today make helping our global neighbors easier than at any other time in history. However, with this amazing gift of technology comes responsibility. Just a couple of weeks ago, a new strain of flu with the current moniker H1N1 struck in Mexico. Within hours, the rest of the world knew about it. Over the course of the next several days, news agencies were posting almost minute by minute updates of outbreaks around the world. Every time the CDC raised the awareness level, the news was transmitted. Many news anchors used the phrase, “I don’t want to freak out anyone,” while continuing to report on the possibilities of a global pandemic.

Fortunately, it appears as though the H1N1 will be milder than previously reported. The rate of infection is slowing, and Mexico, the epicenter of the outbreak, is slowly returning to normal. While the virus could always morph into something else, it appears as though the world will be able to handle it with current stocks of antiviral medication.

However, I do wonder if the pandemic hysteria might have been avoided if the world hadn’t been bombarded with minute by minute updates about the spread of the virus. Perhaps if news anchors hadn’t continually used the phrase “freak out,” my local superstore wouldn’t have run out of hand sanitizer. I would like to think that the media wasn’t bored and looking for something that would whip the world into a frenzy. I would like to believe that helping people was at the forefront of the reporting and not ratings.

And just once, I would like to see the same sort of attention paid to the winner of the local spelling bee, the teacher who retired after 45 years teaching second grade or the young man who mowed lawns during the summer to pay for college.

Connie Wacha, Communications/Mission Education Associate, The Columban Fathers

"War is always a defeat for humanity."

“War is always a defeat for humanity.”
--Pope John Paul II

At www.nationalpriorities.org, you can see the up to the minute cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Furthermore, you can find out how much money your state has spent on war spending since 2001 and what that money could have purchased in other areas.

The following information is for the state of Nebraska as of May 8, 2009:

Taxpayers in Nebraska will pay $6.5 billion for total Iraq & Afghanistan war spending (approved & pending) since 2001. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

1,795,978 People with Health Care for One Year OR
6,136,815 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year OR
157,386 Public Safety Officers for One year OR
110,641 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR
1,111,924 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR
1,219,375 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5350 OR
72,712 Affordable Housing Units OR
2,393,238 Children with Health Care for One Year OR
929,163 Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR
121,597 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR
104,274 Port Container Inspectors for One year

How could your state have spent the money?

Sr. Jeanne Janssen, CSJ, Communications/Mission Education Director, The Columban Fathers

Dancing for the World

Dancing for the World presents Crossroads 2009, an evening of cultural presentations of music and dance from countries where the Columban Fathers serve.

When: July 19, 2009, 6 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.

Where: Friendship Auditorium, 3201 Riverside Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m., and the dance program will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available at the Columban Mission House, 2600 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027.

For more information, please call 323.665.4289 or 213.422.7598

--Ariel Presbitero, Columban Mission Outreach Coordinator, Los Angeles, CA

The Mother’s Day Squirrel

Mother’s Day falls on Sunday, May 10, 2009 in the U.S. this year. Mother’s Day was founded in 1912 by Anna Jarvis, two years after her mother’s death. By 1914, Mother’s Day was a nationally recognized holiday. It was U.S. President Woodrow Wilson who signed the bill into law. Miss Jarvis was very specific about the meaning of the holiday. She meant for each family to honor their mother not to commemorate all mothers in the world.

In 1972, my husband purchased a decorative squirrel with intriguing rhinestone eyes at a garage sale for his mom for Mother’s Day. I believe the purchase price was one nickel which might have been a bit high given the artistic quality of the animal. The squirrel has a place of honor in the china cabinet nestled securely among the stemware. My mother-in-law holds no affection for squirrels in general but stated that if the house were to catch on fire, she’d grab the squirrel on her way out. Why? The squirrel was given by a young boy to the mom he loved.

Fast forward to Mother’s Day 2008, and my five year old son gave me a concrete squirrel festooned with rhinestones and glitter. I’m hoping to receive another one this year and turn them into bookends.

Some people give chocolates and flowers to their mothers on Mother’s Day. We give decorative squirrels. The gifts and customs may differ by age, gender and financial means, but they help us convey our affection and gratitude to the women of our families.

Kate Kenny, Managing Editor, Columban Mission magazine