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20110822 Saintly bishop had missionary zeal 充滿傳教熱誠的聖主教

This month the Church celebrated World Youth Day in Madrid, Spain. It is an event that inspires many young people to grow in faith and holiness. On Oct. 23 the Church is going to present to us three models of faith and holiness when it canonizes Bishop Guido Maria Conforti, Father Luigi Guanella, and Sister Bonifacia Rodriguez de Castro.

Guido Maria Conforti was born at Ravadese (Parma) March 30, 1865, and was baptized the same day. As a young boy he would drop by a small church each day to pray in front of a crucifix before school lessons. Through this devotion to Jesus crucified, Conforti experienced the call to holy priesthood.

Conforti entered the seminary in 1876. He was an outstanding seminarian. Due to an illness, his ordination was postponed, but he was appointed vice-rector of the seminary even before ordination. He continued his task of forming clergy after his priestly ordination in 1888.

Founder and bishop

Evangelizing non-Christians was the dream of Father Conforti, but poor health prevented him from travelling to missionary territory. However he embraced the non-Christians of the world through the Missionary Society he founded Dec. 3, 1895: St. Francis Xavier Foreign Missions Society (Xaverian Missionaries).

In 1902, at the young age of 37, Father Conforti was appointed Bishop of Ravenna. He made his final profession as a religious on the day of his consecration as bishop. Bishop Conforti dedicated himself totally to the service of God and the people. However his poor health obliged him to resign from his see in October 1904.

Bishop Conforti humbly returned to his Missionary Society. Upon recovering sufficiently good health he worked with zeal forming missionary students.

Pope St. Pius X appointed Bishop Conforti to be the Coadjutor Bishop of Parma with the right to succeed Bishop Magani. With the death of Bishop Magani, Bishop Conforti became the Ordinary of the Diocese of Parma Dec. 12, 1907.

‘Christ is all things’

The motto of Bishop Conforti is “Christ is all things.” He lived out this motto in his 24 years as Bishop of Parma.

Bishop Conforti was a zealous pastor who promoted religious instruction. He set up schools of Christian doctrine in all parishes and initiated programs to train catechists. He carried out five pastoral visits and organized two diocesan synods.

Bishop Conforti promoted Catholic organizations, press, and missions. He deeply care about his priests and encouraged lay people, especially young people, to be involved in the Church.

While faithfully fulfilling his duties as Bishop of Parma he strove to promote evangelization to all nations through the Missionary Society he had founded. Pope John XIII defined him as “the Bishop of Parma, but missionary to the entire world.”

In September 1928, despite illness and old age, Bishop Conforti visited China as superior of Xaverian Missionaries. On Nov. 5, 1931, he died a saintly death in Parma.

Zeal for evangelization

Bishop Conforti’s burning desire to evangelize all nations did not diminish with his poor health. Even though he spent most of his priestly life living within the narrow confines of the town of Parma, he embraced the whole world through his spiritual sons of the Xaverian Missionaries.

Although we might not live in missionary territory, but we should all have missionary zeal. We can easily support the missionary works of the Church through prayer, sacrifices, and financial contributions. This year Oct. 23 will be World Mission Sunday.

May the canonization of Bishop Guido Maria Conforti on that date be an inspiration for all the faithful to become more involved in the missionary work of the Church.

本月在西班牙馬德里,教會舉行「世界青年日」。這個活動,誘導及增進了許多年青人的信德和聖德。而教會在今年十月二十三日,亦會把三位富有信德和聖德宣聖,今別是基道.瑪利亞.郝福定總主教、類斯.關訥諾神父和博麗花.卡詩洛修女。

基道.瑪利亞.郝福定在一八六五年三月三十日,出生於意大利帕爾馬,並在同日領洗。幼時,每天上學前,必定到一所小聖堂,在苦像前祈禱;亦因熱敬苦像,感應神品的聖召。

一八七六年,基道進入修道院,是出色的修生。雖然他的晉鐸因病被推延,但他早在晉鐸前,已被任命為修院的副院長,專責培育神職人員。他本人於一八八八年晉鐸。

創辦人及總主教

本來,向非基督徒傳福音,是郝福定的抱負,但他的健康卻不適合舟車勞頓。一八九五年十二月三日,郝福定創辦「聖方濟沙勿略外方傳教會」,以向普世非基督徒傳福音為使命。

一九零二年,年僅三十七歲的郝福定,被晉牧為拉文納的總主教。晉牧當天,郝福定發了終身聖願,把自己奉獻於服務天主和眾人。可惜,兩年後的十月,他因健康理由而辭去牧銜,退隱自己的修會。後來,健康漸見起色,郝福定恢復工作,在修院內熱切地培育傳教人員。

教宗聖碧岳十世任命郝福定作帕爾馬的助理主教。主教病逝後,郝福定在一九零七年十二月十二日,正式接任當地教區首長之職

「基督就是一切」

郝福定任帕爾馬主教的二十四年中,完全活出他的座右銘:「基督就是一切」。作為一名熱誠的牧者,郝福定極力推動宗教教育,在每個堂區設立教理班,積極培訓要理講授員,推行所有教會組織活動、刊物和福傳工作。此外,他作了五次牧區巡訪,舉行過兩次教區會議,亦關心教區的聖職人員,鼓勵平信徒、特別是年青人,參與教會的服務。

郝福定一方面善盡牧區之職,另方面仍不忘強化自己修會的傳教任務。故教宗真福若望二十三世,形容郝福定「在帕爾馬當主教,但卻是普全世的傳教士」。

一九二八年九月,年邁的郝福定,以總會長身份,抱病巡「聖方濟沙勿略外方傳教會」在中國的傳教事業;一九三一年十一月五日,他聖善地去世。

福傳的熱誠

郝福定無視自己不濟的健康,向普世福傳的熱誠未減;所以,雖然看去他的工作受地域所限,但他內心的抱負,能藉他「聖方濟沙勿略外方傳教會」的弟子去成全。

我們雖然不是生活在傳教區,但我們應保有傳教的熱誠,以祈禱、犧牲、資助和服務,支持教會的傳教使命。今年的十月二十三日,是「普世傳教主日」,希望因基道.瑪利亞.郝福定總主教的宣聖,激發我們對教會的傳教工作,熱切地支持和參與。