Newsletter of the District of Asia  November-December 1999 Chronicle of the District of Asia AUGUST 15, 1999 SINGAPORE. The District Headquarters for Asia were officially opened in Singapore with the opening of the new St Pius X Priory. Fr Loschi, representing the ‘old guard’ of the Sri Lankan priests, assisted Fr Couture, as deacon, at the altar. MANILA. Fr Vicente Griego became the 3rd prior of Our Lady of Victories Church, after Fr Paul Morgan and Fr Daniel Couture. The missionary field of Manila is now ‘restrained’ to the whole of Luzon and Mindanao, Japan and Korea. SRI LANKA. Fr Loschi also was the third (after Frs Rostand and Davodeau) to receive his prior’s staff to awaken the apostolate in this ‘small’ island the size of Switzerland. INDIA. Our newly ordained Fr. Pragash Suresh, delayed in the obtention of his visa for South Africa, adds a most welcome hand to the three priests. AUGUST 24-29 SRI LANKA. Frs Egli and Couture gave a men’s retreat to 4 men. And while Fr Loschi left for a well-deserved break, Fr Couture filled in for 2 weeks. AUGUST 29 ECONE, SWITZERLAND. At the priestly retreat, Asia was well represented by its veteran missionaries: Frs L. Davodeau, M. Vernoy, B. Wailliez, Fr Mary Dominique O.P. AUGUST 31 SRI LANKA. Just as the Holy Rosary was started, an ambulance arrived at the priory, an imposng nursing Sister stepped down and delivered to Fr Couture a letter of invitation from the local Parliamentary Minister to attend the opening of a new ward in the nearby regional hospital. The Sister in giving the envelope was strongly urging the SSPX priests to come and minister at the hospital. SEPTEMBER 1 SRI LANKA. Fr Blute, prior of India came for a few days to meet Fr Couture and to discuss the Indian Apostolate. SEPTEMBER 2 SRI LANKA. Fr Couture and three faithful attended the opening of the regional hospital’s new wing for sick priests and sisters. SEPTEMBER 3 SINGAPORE. Fr Georges Maurel, an SSPX white hair veteran with his 20 years of priesthood (he is one of the few SSPX priests over the 50 year old mark - let it also be said that the age average of the whole of the 380 SSPX priests is 39 years old), arrived from Brisbane to help out Fr Couture for a few weeks before taking his post in India. SEPTEMBER 4 SRI LANKA. The first day of hospital visitation by 7 faithful and one priest. 4 wards were visited, practically all the sick in every ward were blessed. Very promising. SEPTEMBER 7 MANILA. Young Singhalese Asela Fernando arrived with Fr Couture to try out his vocation to the brotherhood. SEPTEMBER 8 MANILA. On this anniversary of the birthday of Our Blessed Mother, a beautiful candle-lit outdoor procession was organized followed by a birthday celebration well prepared by the Legion of Mary. SEPTEMBER 11 MANILA. The pre-seminarians were busy all day preparing the material to be sent to Iloilo. In the course of the preparation, while moving the almost innumerable boxes of books, it was discovered with horror that a (modernist?) army of termites had begun their systematic destruction! The container ordered for the moving finally arrived at 10:30 pm. SEPTEMBER 12 MANILA. Immediately after the Sung Mass, while Fr Griego was explaining to a fair size group of 60-70 ladies the norms of Christian modesty, especially in church, the 4 aspiring brothers and 2 pre-seminarians left with Fr Soliman for the ferry which was to bring them to their new St Bernard Seminary, in Iloilo after a mere 17 hour boat ride! JAPAN. Veteran Fr Patrice Laroche, SSPX, one of the first SSPX priests to bring the True Mass on the Asian soil arrived in Tokyo after almost 10 years of absence to give a hand to Fr Onoda for a couple of weeks. SEPTEMBER 13 STA. BARBARA, ILOILO. First night at the new seminary: real camping! As there is no furniture yet and the container’s content being still in Iloilo due to its late arrival, the community, with their priests, taste the sweetness of poverty! MANILA. Anti-termite counter attack: wasting no time, Fr. Griego got the whole priory treated against these destructive bugs and their relatives… SEPTEMBER 15 STA. BARBARA, ILOILO. Official blessing of the new seminary by the District Superior followed by a Solemn High Mass. Although it was a Wednesday morning, about 200 faithful came for the ceremony, so grateful that the Good Lord had answered their prayers over and above: they had been asking for one resident priest for so many years, the Sacred Heart gave them a future seminary, lock, stock and barrel - or more precisely, roof, walls and chapel! SEPTEMBER 16 MANILA. A fine young gentleman from Northern Switzerland arrived to devote one year of his time to the missions. Skilled in many trades, Fr Griego harnessed him on the spot to bring the buildings back into shape. SEPTEMBER 18 SRI LANKA. Fr Egli blessed an expecting mother who was having great difficulties in the last stages of her pregnancy: 10 minutes later, as the priest was leaving the hospital, the news arrived that the baby was already born! SEPTEMBER 19 SEOUL. The untiring Fr Laroche officiated the Sunday Sung Mass and gave a conference. There is a little ceremony to mark the publication of the first ever book in Korean on Archbishop Lefebvre. It consists of a series of sermons and conferences. It has been published by a large publishing company in order to give it more impact in this very promising country. SINGAPORE. Last public talk at the Singapore International Convention Center: the topic: The Apparition of the Mother of God on the Mountain of La Salette, France. The attendance was rather poor, it has become an evidence that the opposition to the SSPX presence in Singapore by the hierarchy is very live and real. SEPTEMBER 25 INDIA. Still no sign of a visa for Fr Pragash… SEPTEMBER 26 MANILA. Torrential rain sent from Heaven to force the faithful to attend Sunday Catechism after Mass. SEPTEMBER 29 SRI LANKA. Fr Loschi returned from his vacation just in time to bid farewell to Fr Egli who left Negombo to assume his new assignment in Manila. OCTOBER 1-2 MANILA. The Second National Pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag, "The Virgin that calls…" Departure at about midnight on Friday, a 4 hour bus ride, a 5:00 am Solemn High Mass in the inner court of a school, followed by a 4 hour walk, will give a good idea of the pilgrims’ efforts. This year’s theme was: the Practice of the Rosary and Christian Modesty. About 250 pilgrims took part in this public manifestation of faith. OCTOBER 2 EYNESSE, FRANCE. Alma Genato received the postulant’s veil in this French Traditional Carmel. OCTOBER 4 INDIA. Fr Richard Vachon left Palayamkottai to take his new post in the District’s headquarters in Singapore with Fr Couture. Two Quebecois riding on the equator… OCTOBER 5 MANILA. The usual union of a despedida and bienvenida party to bid farewell to one priest and to welcome another. The departing priest is our Filipino, Fr Emerson Salvador, the arriving is Swiss Fr Paul Egli, former missionary in Zimbabwe. Bishop Lazo graced the party with his charming presence and lifted everyone’s thoughts to the supernatural nature of the work of a priest, going where God knows best. OCTOBER 7 MANILA. Day of recollection for the priests. They held their breath (!) for a solid two hours listening to Fr Egli recall his African adventurous missionary life for 20 years. SEOUL. The publishing company launched a big advertisement campaign for Archbishop Lefebvre's book. A good date to do that! OCTOBER 8 SRI LANKA. Newly ordained Filipino, Fr. Emerson Salvador, arrived in Negombo as the new assistant of Fr Loschi. MANILA. The new rector of St Bernard Seminary, Fr Benoit Wailliez (Fr BMW as some call him), spent the night at our Lady of Victories as a stopover on his way to Hong Kong, a mission under his care. Fr Egli left for his first trip to Mindanao, in the Southern part of the Philippines. OCTOBER 9 SRI LANKA. Fr Salvador baptized a baby in extremis during the hospital visitation. MANILA. Fr Griego with some choir members went to Baguio, North of Manila, to offer the Holy Sacrifice for these faithful who regularly drive the 5 hour trip to Manila for their once-a-month Sunday Mass. OCTOBER 16 SRI LANKA. The hospital visitation is working wonders: 20 communions, 15 confessions, a midwife gained to our cause (she had tried for a whole week to get hold of 3 priests - in vain), many children blessed… Deo gratias! Moreover, in the last weeks Divine Providence has managed our priests to meet some of the local clergy who showed themselves surprisingly quite friendly. OCTOBER 20 MANILA. Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin gave a message to the Solidarity Network in Defense of Land, invoking the Great Jubilee celebrations for the year 2000 as one calling for the liberation of the masses from slavery, debt and poverty. "I impart my blessing on all your efforts and struggle for the true development, justice and peace." (From Philippine Daily Inquirer Oct 21, 1999). When will we have Prelates preaching the Social Kingship of Christ? OCTOBER 23 - 26 THAILAND. Fr Couture visited some faithful in Bangkok. OCTOBER 24 - 28 Days of adoration in our various priories in reparation for the repeat of ‘Assisi’, this time in Rome itself. The highlight of these days of adoration in reparation for the false ecumenism of Vatican II took place in Sri Lanka. Here it is as it was described to the District Superior: "Yesterday, I convoked our own ecumenical meeting here in our own chapel… They were about 30 contingents. But hold on! This was a true and good one; and in fact it was very edifying. Yes it was very edifying to see our pupils, Catholics as well as Buddhists, praying with fervor in front of our Eucharistic King making reparation for the outrages being done at this moment against the unique Mystical Body of Christ. They prayed for half an hour -singing hymns and praying 2 decades of the rosary. In fact it was a Buddhist girl who led the singing and to my surprise she knew the hymns by heart. Please God one day these Buddhists pupil of ours may come to the full knowledge of Truth." OCTOBER 25 SEOUL News from the sales of the Archbishop's book are good: 400 sales so far in two weeks! OCTOBER 31 MANILA. Another of our girls left for the convent, this time, the Noviciate of the SSPX Sisters in Browerville, USA. Marivic Raveche became the 4th Filipina to join the SSPX Sisters.