2025 Winter MISSION Magazine

A MAGAZINE OF THE PONTIFICAL MISSION SOCIETIES
WINTER 2025
HEARD TO BE HEALED

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Letter from the National Director
The Missionary Union:
Serving Migrants and Ministry to Refugees:
Heard to Be Healed
02
04
Give now
Ukrainian Military Chaplain:
“In the midst of hell, God is good”
Basilian Sisters in Ukraine bring light amid
the darkness of war
Feature: The Church in Argentina
Answering the Call Amid Challenges
Feature: The Church in Argentina
In the Impenetrable,
Christ is the Only Source of Hope
The Fulton Sheen Legacy Society Part 4
07
11
14
18
24
The Pontifical Mission
Societies USA
PUBLISHER: FATHER ROGER LANDRY,
NATIONAL DIRECTOR
EDITOR/WRITER: INÉS SAN MARTÍN
PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL
OFFICE OF THE PONTIFICAL MISSION
SOCIETIES
IN COOPERATION WITH DIOCESAN
OFFICES IN THE UNITED STATES
©THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION
OF THE FAITH
MEMBER, CATHOLIC MEDIA
ASSOCIATION
Editor’s Note
Four societies
one mission
26
We welcome your ongoing feedback
and your “letters to the editor,” ever
grateful for your prayers and help. If
you prefer to send an “email to the
editor,” you can send it to
contact@missio.org
Learn all about our new look on page 28
follow us @TPMS_USA

A Letter from our
National Director
Dear Friends of the Missions,
It is a great joy to greet you for the first time
as the new National Director of the Pontifical
Mission Societies in the United States.
I was appointed by the Vatican on July
23, two days after I had completed leading
the Seton Route of the National Eucharistic
Pilgrimage. For 65 days, together with some
intrepid young adult perpetual pilgrims, I
was privileged to carry Jesus from New
Haven, Connecticut, to Indianapolis, Indiana,
in advance of the first National Eucharistic
Congress in 83 years.
Never in the history of the Church, including
in the most fervent places in Europe during
the height of Catholic piety, had there been
a Eucharistic procession across even their
relatively small national expanses. But what
had never previously been dreamed, the Church
in the United States actually accomplished
across a land the size of a continent.
With similar groups of priests and faithful
leaving from San Francisco, Lake Itasca,
Minnesota, and Brownsville, Texas, we together
made a national Eucharistic benediction over
the entire country from north, south, east and
west, asking God to bless our Church and bless
America.
Along the way, we saw hundreds of
thousands come out to greet Jesus as we
journeyed with Him through major metropolises
and small towns, brought Him into famous
cathedrals and basilicas as well as into rural
Churches, nursing homes, Catholic schools and
prisons.
It was awe-inspiring to see such faith.
It was also an important way God was
preparing me for my new duties as National
Director.
A Eucharistic procession is fundamentally
missionary. We take Jesus out of our Churches
into the world He redeemed. We seek to
bring Him to those who otherwise might not
encounter their Savior.
On various occasions along our way, those
seeing us processing with the Lord, accustomed
to parades or to political protests, would shout
out, “What’s this about?” The young people and
religious sisters at the front would reply, “We’re
bringing Jesus across the country!” Some would
honk or clap in support. Others would join us.
The Church, as we say in Eucharistic Prayer
III, is a “pilgrim Church on earth.” We are all on a
journey, not to Indianapolis but to the heavenly
Jerusalem. On that pilgrimage, we do not walk
alone. Jesus Himself accompanies us in His
Real Presence in the most Holy Eucharist. Godwith-us,
Emmanuel, is still with us, calling us to
follow Him.
In the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus fulfills the
promise He made to us when He sent out the
whole Church on mission to proclaim the Gospel
to all nations and to every creature. “Know,” He
said then, “that I am with you always until the
end of the age.” What an incredible consolation
it is to behold Jesus’ fidelity to those words in
the sacrament of the altar!
This connection between the Eucharist
and the missionary dimension of Christian
life was eloquently driven home by Cardinal
2

a Magazine of The Pontifical Mission Societies
Father Roger
J. Landry
Luis Antonio Tagle, the head of the Vatican’s
Dicastery for Evangelization, my new boss, who
was also Pope Francis’ legate to the Eucharistic
Congress. In his homily for the closing Mass, the
Filipino prelate said that “Jesus’ mission and His
gift-of-self meet in the Eucharist,” as He gives
us His Body and Blood for the life of the world.
In Him Eucharist and evangelization are united.
They’re meant to be united in us, too.
The Church’s mission, therefore, is essentially
Eucharistic. “A Eucharistic people is a missionary
and evangelizing people,” Cardinal Tagle
preached.
We seek to bring to the ends of the earth not
just the “words of God” but the Word-madeflesh.
The Church is sent not just to evangelize
individuals but to form and build Churches —
communities of faith, with, as Vatican II teaches,
the Eucharistic Jesus as their source, summit,
root and center.
After the Eucharistic Congress, the Church in
the U.S. has now entered into the “missionary
phase” of the Eucharistic Revival. We’re all urged
to “Walk with One” person at a time, trying to
bring each person to the Eucharistic Jesus for
the first time or the first time in a while. It is one
way we are summoned to live out our missionary
identity as Jesus’ disciples.
Another way is through your prayers and
financial support for the work of the missions.
You are generously making it possible for far
more than “one” to come to know Jesus in the
Holy Eucharist, to love Him, adore Him and build
their lives on Him.
In this way, you are strengthening the “pilgrim
Church on earth,” as we, across more than
1,050 dioceses across the globe, are striving to
help each other to journey with Jesus on the
pilgrimage of earthly life, not to Indianapolis,
but all the way to the heavenly Jerusalem.
Father Roger J. Landry
National Director
3

The Missionary Union
Serving Ministry to Migrants and Refugees:
Heard to Be Healed
Metropolitan Archbishop Borys Gudziak*

The Missionary Union
Serving Ministry to Migrants and Refugees: Heard to Be Healed
I am the son of Ukrainian refugees.
My parents came to the United States after
World War II, carrying with them scars of trauma
and stories of survival. As teenagers, they
experienced firsthand the brutality of both the
Soviet and Nazi regimes—witnessing repression
and genocide, ultimately being forced to flee
their homeland. During World War II some seven
million inhabitants of Ukrainian lands were killed.
My mother lost her older sister, a member of the
Ukrainian resistance who was bludgeoned to
death with a rifle butt by a Soviet agent, as well
as her mother, who died as a refugee in Austria.
My father was the only one from his family who
managed to escape; the rest remained trapped
behind the Iron Curtain. He was finally able to
see his mother twenty-five years later, just a
year before her death.
I share these family memories to convey that
for me and for many Ukrainian Americans the
images of February and March 2022—of millions
of Ukrainians forced to leave their homes
and lives behind due to the full-scale Russian
invasion—resonate deeply. They evoke not
only compassion but also revive the narratives
I grew up with—stories of profound, often
unspeakable and unspoken carnage woven into
our family history. Yet in these stories, there was
also hope. My parents’ generation did more than
survive or find coping mechanisms; they lived
fully and fruitfully, creating new life.
This hope and fullness of life is what I hear and
sense from Ukrainians today—from those in the
publishing industry in Kharkiv, a city bombarded
daily, from Catholic Charities workers in
Zaporizhzhia who themselves are internally
displaced and had homes in what are now
occupied territories, and from those who have
lost loved ones to Russian war crimes. During
my September trip to eastern Ukraine, I listened
to stories of suffering, resilience, and hope, and
I found myself asking what I and the Church
community I serve can do to support people
and communities in Ukraine. Since February
2022, our four Ukrainian dioceses in the United
States have successfully distributed some nine
million dollars to address the profound wounds
inflicted by war—be they physical, spiritual, or
mental. The efforts of individual parishes and
parishioners have multiplied that amount many
times.
How can the Ukrainian Catholic Church in the
United States support those currently facing
challenges here? What actions can be taken
to assist individuals who have lost their homes
due to destruction, occupation? How can we
enhance the physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing
of those who found refuge in the U.S.?
In Ukraine, my parents lived less than 20
miles apart, yet they met on the steps of
Saint George’s Church in Manhattan. For them,
the church was a safe haven—a place to find
themselves amid turmoil. Within a year, they
were married in that same church. Their cohort,
known in Ukrainian diaspora studies as the “third
wave,” counted 85,000 people. I was surprised
to learn that number; I had thought it was much
higher given what they accomplished. Arriving
with nothing but their faith the refugees filled
existing parishes, established new ones, opened
schools, and built community organizations.
They were active and visible in both Church and
civic life.
Metropolitan Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of the
Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia prays
at the grave of a fallen Ukrainian soldier at a military
cemetery near the city of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine,
Sept. 6, 2024. (OSV News photo/Gina Christian)

MISSION Magazine
A magazine of The Pontifical Mission Societies
Since February 2022, nearly 350,000
Ukrainians have come to the U.S. under the
“Uniting for Ukraine” program, and on various
visas. All 200 Ukrainian Catholic parishes in the
U.S. have seen new arrivals, but the numbers
attending church do not fully reflect the influx
of newcomers; they are not as visible.
My parents sought out the Church. Today, the
Ukrainians who arrive need the Church to seek
them out. Pope Francis calls us to be a “Church
on her feet,” a Church that “goes forth”—a
community of missionary disciples who take
initiative, engage, accompany, and bear fruit.
This is especially true for a Church that seeks to
serve forced migrants and refugees who carry
profound trauma and need healing.
In our Archeparchy, we currently assist
displaced Ukrainians by providing information
on housing, language courses, therapy,
healthcare, schooling for their children, and job
opportunities. Helping with practical matters
is only the first step; in some ways, practical
challenges are easier to address. The deeper
struggles lie in the internal wounds—anxiety,
sleeplessness, and the overwhelming questions:
Why has this happened? Where was God?
Violence and forced displacement tear apart
a person’s life, sever relationships, and create a
great unknown. “Who am I now that I have lost
all my possessions, possibly family members,
and the ground beneath my feet?”
People need to feel the healing presence of
the Church. The Church must listen; most people
need to be heard before they can begin to heal.
At the heart of our mission is the call to help
people rediscover who they are—that they are
beloved children of God. It is vital to hear their
pain and their questions and to bear witness
to the Good News of the Gospel. If we can be
present, then God’s presence becomes more
understandable. The Lord has placed us in this
world to be signs of the personal relationship
He offers.
Our mission to migrants and refugees—
whether serving millions or just one person we
encounter—starts with presence. That’s what
the Church seeks to offer.
*The author is the Ukrainian Catholic Archbishop of
Philadelphia.
**Through Missio.org, and with the special support of the
Archdioceses of Los Angeles’ Mission Office, The Pontifical
Mission Societies USA have raised and distributed $950,758
in support of the Church’s efforts to remain present in Ukraine.
We thank each of you who have supported this fund, and
those who continue to do so.
Listen now!
6

Ukrainian Military Chaplain:
“I wanted to keep learning, but I had nothing left”
“In the midst of hell,
God is good”
By Gina Christian*

MISSION Magazine
A magazine of The Pontifical Mission Societies
During a recent visit to Ukraine, MISSION
Magazine spoke with Father Oleksandr
“Sashko” Bohomaz, a Ukrainian Greek Catholic
priest and military chaplain now working at St.
Volodymyr Ukrainian Greek Catholic Parish in
the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia.
Previously, Father Bohomaz had ministered in
Melitopol, some 85 miles south of Zaporizhzhia.
After Russian forces took control of the city in
late February 2022, Father Bohomaz and his
pastor, Father Petro Krenitskyi, continued to
serve their parishioners for nine months under
occupation, until they were both expelled from
the area into Ukrainian-held territory within the
Zaporizhzhia region.
Father Bohomaz shared with MISSION
Magazine how Russia’s war on Ukraine has
shaped his ministry and how the conflict has
intensified his desire to show that “in the midst
of all this hell… God is good.”
This interview has been edited for length and
clarity.
MISSION Magazine: After your expulsion
from Melitopol, how did you continue your
pastoral ministry?
Father Bohomaz: After the “deportation,”
I needed several months to adapt, because
during the nine months of my experience of
life in occupied Melitopol, serving under the
Russian occupation, a certain style of service
had already developed. First of all, I had to get
used to freedom, because there (in occupied
Melitopol) you are afraid to even think about
some things. So once here, I had to get used to
freedom and see where I could be as effective
as possible.
MISSION Magazine: And what did you
discern?
Father Bohomaz: I really wanted to be useful
to our soldiers who come from Melitopol or from
the surrounding area where we had served. In
Zaporizhzhia, there are also Melitopol citizens
who had fled. There are young people who
come from the occupied territories where their
homes, villages, and cities are currently under
Russian occupation. And there are young people
who come from front-line towns and villages.
One of them converted to the Ukrainian Greek
Catholic Church here in Zaporizhzhia after his
grandfather was released from captivity. His
grandfather and I got to know each other, and
through his grandfather, this guy came to the
church, became a Greek Catholic, and now
dreams of becoming a priest.
MISSION Magazine: You devote much of
your ministry to being a military chaplain.
How do you bring faith to those under fire?
Father Bohomaz: I try to serve our military as
much as possible. In fact, sometimes it happens
that I serve in Zaporizhzhia only on Sundays;
thank God, there are priests who serve here
during the week.
I try to drive close to the front, where there
are field hospitals and so-called “stabilization
points,” where wounded soldiers are taken and
stabilized. I travel to different cities that are
close to the front, such as the Donetsk region,
the Zaporizhzhia region – where my friends
serve, where there is a need.
Last summer, you could say that I lived with
the military for almost the entire season. And
there were huge conversions. I listened to many,
many different confessions. My friendship with
the military has been a great experience.
I was also present with them, and I saw the
pain they are going through due to the loss of
their close friends. Most of these soldiers also
come from the occupied territories, so it adds
to such suffering that they cannot be at home.
8

Ukrainian Military Chaplain:
“In the midst of hell, God is good”
MISSION Magazine: You also work closely
with children and youth here at St. Volodymyr.
Can you describe that ministry?
Father Bohomaz: Well, I am an employee
here at the parish, so if I am not with the military,
I am with the youth. We held an evangelization
camp for Zaporizhia youth. We had 35 children,
young people, and teenagers there, and 50
percent of them had no idea about God. They
may have been baptized, but they were not
practicing Christians, just as their parents were
not practicing Christians at all.
We gave them the kerygma (the proclamation
of Christ’s love and salvation), and in the process
they began to know God. Some began to
prepare for the sacrament of Reconciliation.
It’s such a great experience, serving the
youth.
MISSION Magazine: What do you say to
both these young people and to the soldiers
amid this horrific war so that they grow in
faith, and continue to believe?
Father Bohomaz: Well, first of all, there are
a huge number of questions for God. And it is
obvious that I am looking for God’s answers
myself in my personal prayer, in my personal
spiritual search. In specific situations, the Lord
gives some kind of answer to these questions.
For soldiers who are fighting, and for people
who have lost their homes and relatives, very
often it is not words that are important, but
presence.
For example, there are military medics who
do not come out of the basements. They save
lives, resuscitate the wounded and stabilize
their condition right in the basement. And
when, despite the terrible danger, I go to the
basement and serve with them, give them
confession there, and then run to the car and
run away from the drones, they appreciate it. I
don’t know if they remember what I tell them,
but they definitely remember that I’m there with
them, and they’re waiting.
Presence is important to people, and people
here value authenticity very much. If I were false
and I did not believe in what I say – that God is
love, that God is good – and if I did not live by
it, then it would be apparent to me and to these
people. They would feel this fakeness, and they
wouldn’t communicate with me.
Twice I gave a general absolution for military
who were to go into battle right at that moment.
I understood that some of them would not return
– and they understood it too. Their condition
was terrible, because they understood that they
were going to die. But when I gave them general
absolution – when they had been cleansed and
had accepted the Lord – their faces changed.
And they began to believe that life is eternal. At
that moment I saw that the Lord was definitely
touching them in some supernatural way, making
them feel that they would not be lost, that He is
with them, that God is good.
Despite it all, God won, Jesus won. Amid all
this hell, all this evil, God is good.
Since February 2022, nearly 350,000
Ukrainians have come to the U.S. under the
“Uniting for Ukraine” program, and on various
visas. All 200 Ukrainian Catholic parishes in the
U.S. have seen new arrivals, but the numbers
attending church do not fully reflect the influx
of newcomers; they are not as visible.
My parents sought out the Church. Today, the
Ukrainians who arrive need the Church to seek
them out. Pope Francis calls us to be a “Church
on her feet,” a Church that “goes forth”—a
community of missionary disciples who take
initiative, engage, accompany, and bear fruit.
This is especially true for a Church that seeks to
serve forced migrants and refugees who carry
profound trauma and need healing.
In our Archeparchy, we currently assist
displaced Ukrainians by providing information
on housing, language courses, therapy,
healthcare, schooling for their children, and job
opportunities. Helping with practical matters
is only the first step; in some ways, practical
challenges are easier to address. The deeper
struggles lie in the internal wounds—anxiety,
sleeplessness, and the overwhelming questions:
Why has this happened? Where was God?
Violence and forced displacement tear apart
a person’s life, sever relationships, and create a
great unknown. “Who am I now that I have lost
all my possessions, possibly family members,
9

MISSION Magazine
A magazine of The Pontifical Mission Societies
and the ground beneath my feet?”
People need to feel the healing presence of
the Church. The Church must listen; most people
need to be heard before they can begin to heal.
At the heart of our mission is the call to help
people rediscover who they are—that they are
beloved children of God. It is vital to hear their
pain and their questions and to bear witness
to the Good News of the Gospel. If we can be
present, then God’s presence becomes more
understandable. The Lord has placed us in this
world to be signs of the personal relationship
He offers.
Our mission to migrants and refugees—
whether serving millions or just one person we
encounter—starts with presence. That’s what
the Church seeks to offer.
*Gina Christian is a multimedia Catholic journalist who
traveled to Ukraine in September 2024 as part of a delegation
led by Metropolitan Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of the
Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia.
10

Basilian Sisters in
Ukraine bring light amid
the darkness of war
By Gina Christian

A magazine of The Pontifical Mission Societies
As Russian forces strike the city of
Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine, seeking
to drive further into the nation’s interior, an
unusual calm prevails over one house, tucked
behind a fence on a side street.
Inside, a small candle burns, suspended from
the ceiling in a red votive glass – a sanctuary
lamp, signaling the Heart that makes this a
home for three Basilian Sisters who have chosen
to stay with those they serve, even as Russian
bombs rain down and Western aid ebbs.
The chapel is the center of this monastery,
part of the Basilians’ Holy Trinity Province, and
where the sisters – Bernadeta Dvernytska,
Lucia Murashko and Yelysaveta Varnitska –
steadfastly live out their vocations amid the
decade-long war, which Russia launched in 2014
and accelerated with its full-scale invasion in
February 2022.
The aggression has been declared a genocide
in two joint reports from the New Lines Institute
and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human
Rights. To date, the International Criminal
Court has issued six arrest warrants for Russian
officials – including the nation’s leader, Vladimir
Putin – due to the atrocities.
A few days after Russian troops stormed
across Ukraine’s borders in 2022, Sister Lucia
texted me pictures of her and her fellow
Basilians helping those fleeing the attacks. The
sisters opened their home to those who had lost
theirs, providing food, clothing and shelter to a
steady stream of refugees, whose numbers now
total close to 10 million, with almost 4 million
internally displaced in Ukraine and another 6.7
million seeking safety in other nations.
Since that first message almost three years
ago, Sister Lucia has continued to share how
she and the sisters bring Christ to, and see
Him in, the suffering – including the Ukrainian
soldiers, who come to pray with the sisters
whenever they have the opportunity, especially
on Sundays.
The Basilian Sisters also travel regularly to
deliver aid to the soldiers, and to civilians still
living in villages that Russia relentlessly targets.
Amid those missions, the sisters also
dedicate long hours to catechizing children
and youth – imparting to tender souls, seared
by unimaginable violence and loss, the seed
of a love that destroyed death. In May, Sister
Lucia and some 10 adults – including Father
Oleksandr “Sashko” Bohomaz, a Ukrainian Greek
Catholic priest who was forced out of his parish
in Melitopol by Russian occupation forces –
even led 45 Ukrainian youth on a pilgrimage to
Medjugorje, imploring Mary’s intercession for
peace.
“This was a drop of water in the desert,”
Sister Lucia told me over the phone while there,
as the youth chattered and laughed in the
background.
I’d finally hoped to make good on a repeated
promise to visit her and the sisters in Zaporizhzhia
when I traveled there in September as part of a
group led by Metropolitan Archbishop Borys A.
Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy
of Philadelphia, who completed a 1,560-mile
pastoral visit throughout Ukraine that regularly
saw him within 30 miles of the front line.
Sister Lucia happened to be out of the
country when we arrived, but Sister Bernadeta
and Sister Yelysaveta welcomed us with a
simple, serene grace – cooking meals for us,
pouring refreshing glasses of homemade
kompot, a traditional Ukrainian fruit drink, and
(perhaps most astonishing to me) smiling and
laughing with ease, despite the shadows of war.
Although they knew all too well the constant
threat under which they were living, and had
seen countless tears and scars among those
whom they served, the sisters were like that
flame in the sanctuary lamp of their chapel –
constant, close to the Lord and to others, and
giving light without the glare of self-interest.
During our last afternoon at the monastery,
I headed to the kitchen for a final cup of coffee
before the long drive to Kharkiv. Sister Bernadeta
insisted on preparing it, and as she stood at the
coffee maker, a little girl – one of the children
who often visit the monastery – fluttered over
and wrapped her arms around Sister’s waist.
Smiling, Sister returned the hug, while keeping
an eye on the coffee. A few minutes later, we
were sitting at the table for an impromptu hymn-
12

Basilian Sisters in Ukraine bring light amid the darkness of war
Basilian Sisters in Ukraine bring light amid the darkness of war
sing, joined by Sister Yelysaveta, and recording
the performance on my cell phone as a kind of
“wish you were here” postcard for Sister Lucia.
Shortly after I returned to the U.S. in mid-
September, Russian forces began intensifying
their attacks on the city of Zaporizhzhia,
prompting several panicked texts from me to
Sister Lucia.
“We are well,” she wrote after one strike in
late October, but added that some of the sisters’
friends had been “very close to the damaged
places.” She included several pictures of ruined
homes and dazed survivors – and boxes of aid
that the sisters had brought to the families.
Less than two weeks later, a Russian strike on
Zaporizhzhia killed at least 6, followed by more
attacks over successive days.
“I’m checking in again after the latest attack,”
I wrote in my message to Sister Lucia.
“Please let me know if you
and the Sisters are safe.”
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13

MISSION Magazine
A magazine of The Pontifical Mission Societies
Feature: The Church in Argentina
Answering the Call
Amid Challenges
A boy gives a thumbs up
to the camera during a
visit to the school Nuestra
Señora de Fatima (Our
Lady of Fatima) in Villa
Soldati, in the outskirts
of Buenos Aires. (Credit:
Margaret Murray/TPMS)
14

Feature: The Church in Argentina
Answering the Call Amid Challenges
The Church in Argentina stands as a beacon of
hope amidst its people’s decades-long economic
and social struggles. From the bustling slums of
Buenos Aires to the remote regions of Chaco,
Formosa, and Santiago del Estero in the north,
the Church tirelessly works to answer the call to
“go and invite everyone to the banquet.”
Serving the Forgotten
Though full of life, the slums of Buenos Aires,
where seven percent of the city’s population
lives, are nobody’s idea of a fun place. Their
inhabitants routinely experience crime and
despair from the residue of what the state calls
“structural poverty” which stems from decades
of corruption and mismanagement.
Yet one word here makes mothers and
grandmothers shudder like no other: Paco.
Paco is not “El Chapo;” he’s no crime lord
recruiting young boys for his private army. Nor
is he a Don Juan, the fictional libertine who
seduced countless young women, ruining the
lives of many.
Nevertheless, Paco has a militia of young men
and women – some as young as 8 – known in
the villas miseria (slums of misery) as muertos
vivientes (the living dead). Considered the
cheapest illegal drug available in the streets
of Buenos Aires, paco is what remains from the
narco-kitchens producing cocaine bound for the
United States and European markets.
It’s a highly addictive mixture of raw cocaine
cut with chemicals, glue, crushed glass, and rat
poison. It’s sold in small transparent bags that
in upper-class neighborhoods such as Recoleta
or Puerto Madero are used to hold candies, and
their price is not too different: with $3 you can
buy two of Argentina’s famous dulce de lechefilled
alfajores, or a paco fix in the slums.
In 2008, when then-Cardinal Jorge Mario
Bergoglio, now known to the world as Pope
Francis, tasked a parish in one of Buenos
Aires’s largest slums, Villa 20-21, to open a
center for rehabilitation for drug addicts, no
one questioned the logic. The first Hogar de
Cristo (Christ Home) opened its doors on
Holy Thursday 2008, with a Mass in which the
cardinal washed the feet of six young men and
one young woman from the slums.
Father Carlos “Charly” Olivero, from the parish
of Our Lady of Caacupé, recalls the inauguration
of the first Hogar de Cristo rehabilitation center
in 2008. Then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio,
now Pope Francis, washed the feet of drug
addicts during a Mass, symbolizing the Church’s
commitment to fighting this scourge. Father
Olivero recounts, “Bergoglio told us that the
fight was going to be body-to-body, that we
had to commit ourselves and welcome life as it
came, but that it had to be every life.”
Not far from there, in the slum known as
10-14-17 in the neighborhood Bajo Flores, with
the San Lorenzo soccer stadium visible in the
backdrop, the Church of Santa María Madre
del Pueblo is led by Bishop Pedro Cannavó,
appointed parish priest here in 2022. He shares
his initial struggles: “During my first 15 days
here, I was so overwhelmed that I cried myself
to sleep every night.” Nevertheless, today he
finds strength in the community:
“My faith is a gift from the people
I serve… If I go to sleep thinking
about all that was left undone, I won’t
sleep. But instead, I remember the
blessings of the day that is coming
to an end, and thank God for all that
we were able to accomplish.”
The Hogar de Cristo in Bajo Flores provides
crucial support to those battling addiction. “We
see children as young as eight consuming paco,”
Bishop Pedro explains. The parish also runs a
maternal school, a kindergarten, and primary
and secondary schools, serving hundreds
of children and providing a safe haven from
the dangers of the streets. The parish’s soup
kitchens feed thousands daily, a lifeline for many
struggling families.
Among the many hats Bishop Pedro wears is
that of chief fireman of the neighborhood: the
streets are too narrow for the firetrucks, yet
15

MISSION Magazine
A magazine of The Pontifical Mission Societies
the precarious conditions of the homes made
with repurposed bricks, woods, and corrugated
tin, with no running water nor natural gas, one
stacked on top of each other and attached to
each other to save on construction materials
make this slum, and all others in Buenos Aires, a
giant fire hazard. So much so that in their senior
year the children learn how to combat fire with
no truck and little to no protective gear.
There doesn’t seem to be a single person
who doesn’t know who he is, and he is often
stopped in the street by people asking for a
blessing, a visit, or food. Here and there, he is
also asked about Pope Francis and when he will
visit Argentina. The pontiff hasn’t returned home
since being elected in 2013, but the hopes for
seeing the pontiff celebrate Mass in the San
Lorenzo Stadium, serving as a backdrop for the
slums, are high.
Bishop Pedro, who was ordained a priest
by then-Cardinal Bergoglio and made bishop
by Pope Francis in 2024, can’t confirm these
rumors, nor does he deny them either. “Seeing
how much he loved the stadium and seeing that
it is at the heart of a neighborhood he walked
too many times to count, I would say this place
is a strong contender if he does come.”
“A visit by Pope Francis would be the best
thing to happen to us,” he said. “If he does come,
it’s here, to these neighborhoods, where he
will be the most comfortable and feel the
most welcome. Here, no one reduces him to
politics. To everyone here, he is the best thing
that’s ever happened to Argentina.”
Father Andrés Tocalini, from the Marianist
congregation at the Shrine of Our Lady of
Fatima, also in Bajo Flores, echoes the same
dedication and challenges. Today, the parish
runs the School of Fatima, which educates over
3,000 people yearly between kindergarten,
primary and secondary, and trade schools, as
well as a tertiary nursing school that had its
groundbreaking done by then-Cardinal Jorge.
“To this day, I will never forget one of the first
confessions I heard when I moved here,” Father
Andrés said, visibly emotional. “It was that of a
15-year-old who admitted he prays every day
not to become like his brothers because his
brothers are all criminals. Can you imagine going
to bed every night praying, ‘I don’t want to be
like my family’?”
He also highlights the vibrant faith practiced
in the slums: “Faith here in the slums is lived
through what we call popular piety, and
coming here is that you understand what Pope
Francis means by a Church that goes out and
encounters people where they are. We have
many communities here, of people who come
not only from various countries but diverse
regions from each, with each having their Marian
advocation. When I first arrived here, they would
celebrate their feasts in a home, or a street, but
it was mostly about eating and drinking. Now,
we still have the feast, but every celebration
begins with the Mass, and in most cases, they’re
now doing a novena as well. I found that the
more I go to encounter them, the more they
then come to encounter Christ in the Eucharist.”
16

Feature: The Church in Argentina
In the Impenetrable,
Christ is the Only
Source of Hope

The home of Hilda Catan in Los Tigres, Añatuya, the poorest
diocese of Argentina. (Credit: Margaret Murray/TPMS)

MISSION Magazine
A magazine of The Pontifical Mission Societies
It is often said in Argentina that even though
God is everywhere, He operates in Buenos
Aires. Yet, this doesn’t apply to the Church’s
evangelizing efforts, which reach far beyond the
capital into Argentina’s northern region, known
as the Impenetrable. Here, in the northern
provinces of Chaco, Formosa, and Santiago del
Estero, the Church’s mission extends to remote
areas where the government, locals say, hardly
operates.
In Monte Quemado, Santiago del Estero,
Father Juan Lanzotti, a missionary from Rosario
and the diocesan director of The Pontifical
Mission Societies for the Diocese of Añatuya,
leads a mission grounded in the legacy of
Bishop Jorge Gotteau. Known as “the missionary
bishop,” Gotteau transformed the landscape of
the Añatuya Diocese, not only by expanding the
Church’s presence through the construction of
15 parishes and 200 chapels but by uplifting the
local community with education, healthcare, and
essential infrastructure. His work continues to
inspire priests like Father Juan, who face similar
challenges in bringing hope and the Gospel to a
region as beautiful as it is harsh.
This remote area lacks infrastructure and
resources, and until Bishop Jorge’s arrival in
the 1960s, it also lacked a strong spiritual
foundation. When he took on the role of bishop,
he knew he was called to serve in one of the
most impoverished and forgotten areas of the
country, a place where extreme temperatures,
scarce drinking water, and barren landscapes
make life a constant struggle. Bishop Jorge did
not shy away from these challenges; instead, he
embraced them as his mission. His motto, Ad
Jesum per Mariam (“To Jesus through Mary”),
encapsulated his dedication to bring both
material and spiritual aid to Añatuya.
Berta Cortez, a mission animator at the parish
in Canal de Dios, grew up in one of the seven
orphanages founded by Gotteau. Raised amidst
the challenges of rural poverty, she recalls his
relentless work with the government to bring
running water and electricity to the region.
“We owe a lot to the Church,” she said. “Yes,
me personally, but also as a community. Had it
not been for Monsignor Gotteau, we would still
lack basic things.” Gotteau not only saw to the
building of these essential services but also
empowered lay leaders like Berta to continue
his work, creating a legacy of resilient faith that
persists today.
Father Juan further elaborated on the
challenges faced by the community and the
absence of the government: “There is virtually no
presence from the national government in this
region. The governor buys people off and uses
a private helicopter, but we have no medevac
services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this
lack of resources was a tragedy. People know
the governor is corrupt, but they feel powerless.
And they have so little that the governor can
often buy them for two loaves of bread.”
The size and astonishing biodiversity
of the Impenetrable make this rugged dry
forest only second to the Amazon in South
America. Still, the message of the Gospel has
penetrated it and is full of inspiring individuals
who embody the Church’s mission.
In Monte Quemado, ministers of the
Eucharist like Jorge and Roberto play a crucial
role in supporting the elderly and disabled.
“I know that what I do is important, and I am
honored to be able to do it,” said Roberto. “It
is time-consuming, yes. But I cannot think of a
better thing for me to do with my ‘free time.’ I
still remember Monsignor Gotteau bringing the
Eucharist to my mother when she was bedridden
and the joy this caused in her. To know that
today I get to do that for others makes the
sacrifices worth it.” Inspired by Gotteau’s
example, they work tirelessly, knowing that, like
him, they are building more than a community –
they are building the Church.
Theirs was supposed to be a three-year
assignment, renewable for another three. They
have brought the Feast to people’s homes for
over 15 years, and Father Juan has already told
them that they should plan on helping until they
die or cannot physically do it anymore.
“And I’m fine with that,” said Jorge. “It’s often
said that only women go to Church, but we are
proof that this is not true!”
In the nearby community of Los Tigres, Hilda
Catan considers herself blessed: Along with
her husband, in the home where they raised
20

Feature: The Church in Argentina
In the Impenetrable, Christ is the Only Source of Hope
9 children and today raise two of their 17
grandchildren, they have no running water – no
one in this community does – but they do have
electricity. They are one of five families, among
the 300 that live in this conglomerate of homes,
that can say the same. “We live close to the
road,” she said, with a smile that could light the
world, despite its lack of teeth.
Father Juan, along with a lay missionary
woman, visits this community every Tuesday.
They have a WhatsApp group through which the
missionary shares the Sunday Gospel with them
and then they discuss what it means for them.
When we visited them, they discussed the
Parable of the Lost Sheep. In the words of one
of the women, it is important to remember
that “yes, we’re called to be shepherds and
evangelize. But we cannot forget that we are
also the sheep. Sometimes, we’re one more of
the flock, others we are the sheep leading the
flock, and other times we are the lost sheep, the
one that has to be found, and this is okay We
need to remember that God does not leave us
just because we might fall or sin.”
“He chooses to be by our side, even
when we get lost, and if he gave his life
because he loved us, how could he not
forgive our sins?”
Padre Federico Aquino, the diocesan director
in Formosa, is working hard to find financial
support for the Parish Father Jose Gabriel
Brochero, named after Argentina’s most recent
saint, a priest who traveled the country on top of
a mule he called Malacara (roughly translated to
long face), opening mission stations, churches,
and schools.
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MISSION Magazine
A magazine of The Pontifical Mission Societies
The parish, which is currently little more
than a small shed, is being built out of the
sheer willpower of a group of women who
live in the newest neighborhood of Formosa,
on the outskirts of the city and miles away
from the nearest parish. After moving to the
neighborhood, they secured a plot of land,
built the shed with a cross atop the roof, and,
in months, found themselves overcome by the
number of people coming to pray. It’s been three
years since they opened the chapel, and they
now have a full-time priest, have acquired the
neighboring plot of land, and are planning on
building a church for around 300 people. These
plans, however, are already too small. Despite
the lack of shade to protect people from the
95-degree heat, some 700 people attend each
of the three Masses on Sundays according to
the local priest.
This growth is partially attributed to the
fact that since 2021, World Mission Sunday –
to be marked October 19 this year – has had
its principal celebration here, and not in the
Cathedral: “We gather here to pray, share,
and then go visit each of the homes and the
families in this neighborhood. It is an enriching
experience to go and encounter the people
bringing the Gospel to those open to receiving
it. It has also been an experience to strengthen
our faith as missionaries, and of convincing
ourselves that the only path to live our faith is
the mission.”
The Church in Argentina faces significant
challenges, from financial hardships to social
issues. However, its unwavering commitment
to its mission – sharing the Gospel with all –
continues to bring hope and support to those in
need. As we reflect on the powerful stories and
tireless efforts of the Church and its missionaries,
we are reminded of our call to support and pray
for these vital missions. Together, we can help
ensure that the invitation to the banquet is
extended to everyone, especially those most
in need.
Bishop Pedro
Cannavó, from
the 10-14-17 slum
in the outskirts
of Buenos Aires.
(Credit: Margaret
Murray/TPMS)
22

Hilda Catan with one
of her 17 grandchildren,
during a Lectio Divina
held in her backyard.
(Credit: Margaret
Murray/TPMS)

The Fulton Sheen
Legacy Society Part 4
By Father Anthony D. Andreassi*
In the Winter 2023 issue of Mission Magazine,
we began our series on the life, ministry,
and legacy of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen by
discussing the recent documentary Follow that
Bishop. Released in early 2024, this short film
uses the FBI’s investigation of then-Monsignor
Sheen during World War II as a lens to highlight
his remarkable impact on the Church in the
United States, especially through his pioneering
use of media to spread the Gospel. In this issue,
we return to exploring his life, focusing on his
time as a professor at The Catholic University
of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C., and the
beginnings of his use of radio as a powerful
tool for evangelization—a medium that soon
garnered him a national audience and reputation.
After completing his doctoral studies at the
University of Louvain in Belgium, Sheen was
awarded the highly prestigious agrégé honor
after further postdoctoral work, including the
publication of a book. In 1926, he returned
to CUA, where he had previously begun his
graduate studies in philosophy. Now a faculty
member, Sheen took on a demanding teaching
load and began writing prolifically, leading to
the publication of his book Religion without God
in 1928, a sequel of sorts to his dissertation, God
and Intelligence. The young priest-scholar also
became well-known and popular on campus for
his frequent lectures to clubs and groups, as
well as his involvement in the newly-founded
American Catholic Philosophical Association.
His reputation soon extended beyond CUA’s
campus as invitations to speak poured in from
around the country.
From 1926, Sheen began delivering the
Lenten sermons at St. Paul the Apostle Church
in Manhattan, one of the city’s largest parishes.
His first radio appearance came in 1928, after
which he was quickly flooded with invitations to
speak on radio programs nationwide. Amid this
busy schedule, he also became a sought-after
retreat leader for religious women, forming a
particular friendship with the Sisters of the Holy
Child Jesus, thanks to his bond with a nun at
their new Rosemont College near Philadelphia.
His presence in New York City’s Catholic pulpits
expanded further when he was invited to preach
at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on the four Sundays of
Advent in 1929.
Despite his growing fame, Sheen was acutely
aware of the need to ground himself spiritually,
especially in the virtue of humility. He faithfully
dedicated himself to a daily Holy Hour before
the Blessed Sacrament each morning and often
retreated to monasteries for longer periods of
24

Fulton Sheen Legacy Society
Part 4
prayer and meditation. During this period of
rising prominence, he became close to a convent
of Carmelite nuns in New Albany, Indiana, often
writing to the superior to request the nuns’
prayers and supporting the convent financially
through regular, generous contributions.
In 1934, Sheen published his third book,
Philosophy of Science, in which he aimed to
demonstrate the harmony between recent
advancements in mathematics and physics with
Thomistic philosophy. He researched and wrote
this book while managing a demanding teaching
schedule, and spending increasing amounts of
time lecturing and preaching around the country.
Recognized for his academic accomplishments,
Sheen was granted tenure and promoted to
associate professor at CUA in 1935. During
the mid-1930s, he typically spent two days
each week teaching on campus, while traveling
to New York City on weekends to preach at
St. Patrick’s Cathedral and teach classes for
converts—an apostolate for which he would
become especially renowned. His rigorous
schedule was well-documented: a 1940 article
in Time magazine noted that Sheen maintained
around 150 speaking engagements annually
on top of his teaching commitments at the
university. By 1947, Sheen had been promoted
to full professor, and his resume boasted 33
books, 13 pamphlets, and 34 volumes of radio
addresses.
It was during this time that Sheen fully
developed his distinctive public speaking style,
captivating audiences in person, on the radio,
and eventually on television. While he devoted
hours to preparation, he always spoke without
notes and often opened with a self-deprecating
anecdote to establish a sense of connection
with his audience.
This approach proved
especially effective
as he increasingly
addressed radio
audiences.
As mentioned,
Sheen’s first radio
appearance was in
1926, but his radio
career truly began in
1930, when he embarked on a 20-year tenure
hosting The Catholic Hour on NBC radio, which
eventually reached an audience of four million
listeners per broadcast. In 1940, Sheen made
his first television appearance on Easter Sunday,
in what is regarded as the world’s first Catholic
television broadcast. After 22 years on the radio,
Sheen—who had been consecrated a bishop
in June 1951—began hosting the television
series Life is Worth Living in 1952. Initially aired
for five seasons on two of the nation’s major
networks (DuMont and ABC) and later by other
distributors until 1968, Life is Worth Living
reached an audience of 30 million at its peak,
sometimes even outpacing Milton Berle’s show
on NBC, which aired at the same time. Having
refined his presentation style—including his
famous use of a chalkboard—Sheen captivated
audiences with his talks on faith, the meaning of
life, and moral living, resonating with listeners
beyond just American Catholics. The Jesuit
weekly America magazine eventually dubbed
him:
“the greatest evangelizer in the
history of the Catholic Church
in the United States” for his
groundbreaking use of media to
spread the Gospel.
In 1950, shortly before both his episcopal
consecration and his television debut, Sheen
was appointed by Rome as National Director
of the Propagation of the Faith. In the next
installment of this series, we will explore this
new chapter of Sheen’s ministry and how
he used his media presence to promote the
missions among Catholics across the country.
*The author is the National Secretary of the Society for the
Propagation of the Faith, one of the four Pontifical Mission
Societies
25

Editor’s Note
Ines San
Martin
And so, we come to the end of another issue
of MISSION Magazine. First and foremost,
thank you for reading this humble publication
to its final page. Our highest hope is that it has
inspired you to join us in prayer for the Pope’s
missions and those who bring the Gospel to
places where it has yet to be heard.
Your prayers and generous giving support
2,710 projects for the education and protection
of children, the formation of 6,310 novices and
74,080 seminarians, and the building of 751
churches across five continents. On behalf of
the missionary men and women carrying out
this work—and bringing the joy and light of
Christmas to those who need it most—let me
say once again: thank you! Your donations keep
many of these projects going and guarantee the
next generation of priests and religious, many
of whom might find themselves as missionaries
here in the United States.
In this issue, we took a different approach,
looking more deeply into two unique and
challenging realities the Church faces today:
Ukraine, which is marking 1,000 days of war
as this column is being written, and Argentina.
Despite their differences and geographic
distance, these stories reflect the same
essential truth: the Church’s unwavering
commitment to share the Gospel, bring Jesus
to all, and stand with those in need.
Last October, I had the privilege of
interviewing Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin
Mulla, Archbishop of Juba, South Sudan, for
our website, www.onefamilyinmission.org. Our
conversation focused on World Mission Sunday,
which will be marked this year on October 19.
Yet his words about solidarity left a lasting
impression on me: “There is no one too poor to
contribute.”
He went on to say, “We too are a Church
that cares: there is no one in this world so poor
that they cannot help others.” His words ring
true in the pages of this magazine, echoed by
voices from Ukraine, Argentina, and beyond.
These examples show that whether in wartorn
countries, impoverished regions, or places
facing constant crisis, the Church’s mission
remains steadfast. In even the most challenging
circumstances, Catholics around the world find
ways to serve and share the Gospel.
As we celebrate this Christmas season and
the Epiphany, when the light of Christ was
revealed to the world, I am reminded of how
missionaries embody this light. Like the Magi,
they follow a call to bring gifts—not of gold,
frankincense, or myrrh—but of faith, hope, and
love to the farthest corners of the earth. Their
journey is not always easy, but it is one that
brings Christ’s presence to those who long to
know Him.
One last thought to reflect on comes from
Pope Francis’ newly released encyclical, Dilexit
Nos, which centers on the profound love of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus: “Our work as Christians
for the betterment of society should not
obscure its religious inspiration, for that, in the
end, would be to seek less for our brothers and
sisters than what God desires to give them.”
Before I say farewell until spring, I want
to share that we’re undergoing a rebranding
process to fully represent who we are: The
Pontifical Mission Societies USA, supporting
missionaries, building the Church in mission
territories, and helping seminarians, novices,
lay catechists, and children—all on behalf of
the Pope. While MISSION Magazine will remain
the same, our letters, emails, and social media
will have a new look. Here’s a preview so you
know what to expect!
Thank you for your prayers, and see you in
the spring,
26

Pope Francis receives the Fall 2024 issue of Mission Magazine.

28
Four societies
Four societies
one mission

In support of
those spreading
the Gospel…
The money needed to support those serving in the
Pope’s missions comes
from loving Catholics like you.
Won’t you send whatever contribution you can in the
enclosed envelope
today so that the priests, religious and lay pastoral
leaders in the
missions may not only survive, but thrive, in their
ministry?
Thank you for supporting our missionaries.
Please be assured of my prayers for you and your family.
Dear Father Roger J. Landry
Send your gift in this
MISSION envelope to:
Father Roger J. Landry
Society for the Propagation
of the Faith
70 West 36th Street, 8th Floor,
New York, NY 10018
Your diocese will be credited with
your gift.
Your gift is tax deductible.
Enclosed is my gift of:
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Please contact me about remembering The Society for the Propagation of the Faith in my will.
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