Maryknoll Mission Work In Africa and Latin America To Be Highlighted in November on CatholicTV

During the month of November, CatholicTV will air programming which highlights the work of the Maryknoll missionaries in Africa and Latin America on the show “The Field Afar”.

The Maryknoll missionaries consist of priests, brothers, sisters, and lay persons who primarily serve in East Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Latin America and Africa.

During the month of November, “The Field Afar” focuses on Maryknoll’s work in Guatemala, Kenya, and Brazil.

In Latin America, Maryknoll has helped build the infrastructures of parishes, schools, clinics, and social programs, and increasingly assists in the formation of laity.

In Africa, Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers work with the hundreds of thousands uprooted by war and famine, those struggling with AIDS and orphaned by AIDS, and the many who labor to compete in a global economy.

Each week in November, “The Field Afar” will air during the following times: Monday at noon; Wednesday at 5 a.m.; Friday at 8 a.m; Sunday at 10:30 p.m. (all times Eastern)

Globe-Trotting Nun To Be Featured in Interview on CatholicTV

On Tuesday October 6th, Sister Janet Hockman will be featured in a television interview on the CatholicTV talk show “This is the Day”. Sister Janet has worked with the poor in Nepal and the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Each of these places has its own culture and language. She has been with the Maryknoll Sisters since 1986.

CatholicTV is a nationally-broadcasted television network headquartered near Boston. CatholicTV streams its broadcast simultaneously, 24 hours a day at www.CatholicTV.com

Not long after her studies, Sister Janet was assigned to the Central Pacific Region, where she ministered to the people of Majuro in the Marshall Islands. As a trained spiritual director, Sister Janet has used her talents directing retreats, counseling, and forming prayer groups among the people in Micronesia. In 2005, she was assigned to Nepal, where the per capita income is less than $500. In Nepal, Sister Janet was engaged in educational and retreat-formation work.

In 2009, Sister Janet was assigned to lead the Vocation Ministry of the Maryknolls. Sister Janet works to connect with the young people who will make up the next generation of Maryknoll missioners.

Founded in 1912, Maryknoll Sisters were the first group of Catholic Sisters in the United States to devote their lives in service overseas.

Maryknoll Sisters come from 29 countries and serve in 30 lands around the world. The sisters work in small numbers in many places and in non-structured ministries such as basic Christian communities, adult education, leadership training, teaching English in China, fostering income-generating projects, and working with people who live with HIV/AIDS.

The Maryknoll headquarters is located in Ossining, New York, while the orientation program for new members is in Chicago, Illinois. Women who join the community are trained in a variety of professions, serving as nurses, doctors, teachers, social workers, catechists, theologians, agronomists, artists, journalists and community development specialists. The sisters are sensitive to local needs, searching out with the local people what needs to be done and adapting themselves to various cultures.

Sr. Janet’s interview will take place on Tuesday, October 6th live at 10:30AM (EST) on CatholicTV where available (rebroadcast at 8PM). The show will also be streamed simultaneously at www.CatholicTV.com and will be available on the site’s archives starting Tuesday night. All videos at the website are viewable in full-screen. Paste this URL into your browser in order to access the “This is the Day” video archives. http://www.CatholicTV.org/shows/default.aspx?seriesID=72

24-Year-Old American Founder of Educational Non-Profit to Appear on CatholicTV

On Friday, July 10th, Victoria Cavanaugh, a 24-year-old from Western Massachusetts will appear on the CatholicTV talk show “This is the Day”. After volunteering in an orphanage in El Salvador, Victoria later founded a Non-Profit Organization which provides housing, food, books, and tuition to underprivileged youth in El Salvador.

In August of 2005, Victoria Cavanaugh visited El Salvador as a member of a service-learning program. During her visit, she spent 2 days a week at an orphanage, where she witntessed extreme poverty and lack of education. During her visit, Victoria became close with one of the orphans, Magdalena Lopez. After finding out that Magdalena could not afford to go to college, Victoria wanted to help. From this desire to help, the organization “Nuestro Ahora” was eventually born.

“Nuestro Ahora” currently supports 18 young men and women, who collectively represent 6 of the same 15 orphanages “Nuestro Ahora” works with throughout Western and central El Salvador.

Also on “This is the Day” will be William Lacey, author of “Seeing With the Heart”, a book which offers reflections on holy seasons, original essays and other verses. In this book, Lacey discusses how personal trials can lead to new perspectives and insights into God’s involvement in the Christian person’s life.

William Lacey has a background in corporate communications and is also the creator of an inspirational program “WillUnite” which motivates people to social and cultural change.
These guests can be seen on Friday, July 10th live at 10:30AM (EST) on CatholicTV where available (rebroadcast at 8PM).

Documentaries of Catholic Missionaries in Remote Places Now on CatholicTV

Fr. Heinz Kuluke

Starting this month, CatholicTV will air the “Limitless” documentary series. This series features missionaries from the Society of the Divine Word. The episodes on CatholicTV will include incredible stories of missionaries to “garbage people” in the Philippines as well as Mindoro, where a unique group of indigenous people live on a remote island. These documentaries will be shown during the month of June on CatholicTV.

According to the website of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), they are the only major congregation of religious men which has shown steady growth over the last 30 years. There are more than 6,000 SVDs with 35 nationalities working in 67 countries worldwide. The SVD’s work primarily where the Gospel has not been preached at all or only insufficiently, and where the local Church is not yet viable on its own.

Fr. Heinz Kuluke’s story will be one of those shown on CatholicTV. This documentary filmed in Cebu, tells the story of Fr. Heinze and his ministry to over 3000 men, women, and children, who work, live, and sleep at garbage dumps. He once lived there himself. After being troubled by the conditions he saw at the dumps, Fr. Heinz tried to find ways to get help for the people, but found that in a legal sense “they didn’t’ exist” and no one seemed to care about them. In order to understand their plight better, he came to live with the people and still visits them regularly. He also ministers to the girls from Cebu’s red light district.

Another documentary in the “Limitless” series to air on CatholicTV depicts the story of Fr. Ewald Dinter. The story is told of how Fr. Dinter fights for the rights of the Mangyan people, who live on a small island in the Philippines. The documentary tells the story of how Fr. Dinter fights for the rights of the Mangyan people who used to own their own island, but whose land continues to be taken from them. In addition, Fr. Dinter provides the people with educational opportunities.

These documentaries can be seen on CatholicTV until June 15th at these times (Eastern):

Fridays- 8AM-9AM; Sundays 10:30PM-11:30PM; Tuesdays-11:30AM-12:30PM; Wednesdays-5AM-6AM.