Columns
from issue no.08/09 - 2010


LETTERS FROM THE CONVENTS


ROMUALDIANS OF MARY
Santa Rosa de Osos, Colombia

Our thanks will manifest itself in daily prayer

Santa Rosa de Osos, 29 June 2010

Dear Senator,
I am a Camaldolesian hermit Father, prior of a hermitage in Colombia, in the diocese of Santa Rosa de Osos.
We would like to receive 30Días in Spanish and, as always, our financial means are very precarious.
We rely on your generosity, which we know to be of great help to the communities of contemplative life. We are a small community but many people come here... to breathe clean air, to experience God and come back reinforced to where the will of God calls them to live. In our communities which are in Europe your magazine is already known and read. It makes us feel close to the Church in every place where it struggles, suffers and sanctifies itself. Needless to say that our thanks will be manifested in daily prayer for you and all your capable collaborators.
Thanks again. Fraternal greetings and may God bless you. Sincerely,

Father Santiago and community


CARMELITE NUNS OF OLDENBURG
Oldenburg, Indiana, United States

We read 30Days with attention and gratitude

Oldenburg, 19 July 2010

Dear Friends in Christ, Peace!
We have been receiving your wonderful, helpful, informative magazine 30Days. It has been mailed to us from Rome and we read it each time at prayer, carefully and gratefully. It opens up a world to us that otherwise we would not have entered, so lovingly, carefully and prayerfully.
The diocese has purchased our monastery in Indianapolis to use it for the minor seminary. We have moved down here and are settled in the property of the Oldenburg Franciscan Sisters. We have our own house and continue our religious life in prayer here.
We would be most grateful if you could continue to send the magazine but changing our former address in Indianapolis.
We would be most appreciative if you could do so, and assure you that we keep you daily in our prayers.
Gratefully in the love of Christ,

Sister Anne Mary


DOMINICAN NUNS OF THE SANTO DOMINGO CONVENT
Lekeitio, Spain

Thanks for sending 30Días

Lekeitio, 22 July 2010

Dear Mr. Andreotti,
A cordial greeting from the Dominican Sisters of the Santo Domingo de Guzmán convent. For some time we have wanted to thank you for sending the magazine 30Días. Many thanks!
It is a very interesting magazine, in all respects, with articles of great religious and human quality. It informs us particularly about ecclesiastic issues and this is very important because we want to be faithful to the Magisterium of the Church.
May the Lord continue to enlighten and strengthen you in all your professional and spiritual life, especially in your work at the magazine 30Días, which you so successfully direct.
For our part, we keep you always in our prayers.
United always in the love of Jesus and Mary and in communion with the Bishop of Rome, “sweet Christ on earth”.
With love and gratitude,

The Prioress, the community and the chaplain


THE CONVENT OF THE VISITATION
Foxhunt Green, Great Britain

Thanks from Great Britain

Foxhunt Green, 28 July 2010

Dear Senator Andreotti,
Thanks for your great kindness in continuing to send us the beaufiful and interesting 30Days; it is much appreciated.
It is a special year for our Order, being the 400th anniversary of our foundation by St Francis de Sales and St Jane de Chantal. Our special day of celebration will take place on 21August.
As St Francis de Sales is the patron saint of journalists, we pray for all journalists, especially those known to us either personally or through journals like 30Days, and through the columns and articles in daily papers.
We thought you might like a copy of the booklet produced to record the journey of our Order from our foundation to the present day and we hope you will enjoy it.
Once again many grateful thanks for your kindness and wishing you and your staff peace, joy, happiness and good health.
Yours sincerely in Christ,

The Visitation Sisters


BENEDICTINE NUNS OF THE CONVENT OF SAN GIOVANNI BATTISTA
Rome

Chi prega si salva for the house in Kenya

Rome, 30 July 2010

Dear Mr Giulio Andreotti,
Thanks for your magazine 30Giorni. A thanks that is not limited to a word of simple courtesy, but opens to a constant prayer for this work started by you, which arrives to all parts of the world, even the most remote. May the Lord Jesus, who rewards for a glass of water, grant you all the good and the graces that your heart contains; your heart is large and very advanced in years, who knows already how much it will be filled with consolation coming from the Spirit!
Now we ask the courtesy of sending twenty copies of Chi prega si salva in English, preferably by August 10. I will bring them with me to Kenya, where we opened a sister house where there are young people present on a journey of discernment.
Thank you and we are waiting to receive them.
Regards and sincere greetings,

Mother Ildefonsa Paluzzi, OSB, Abbess


BENEDICTINE NUNS OF THE EUCHARISTIC KING OF OUR LADY MOTHER OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE CONVENT
Calapan City, Philippines

Who prays is saved an excellent guide for confession

Calapan City, 2 August 2010

Dear Senator Andreotti,
We received the booklet Who prays is saved. Thank you for having promptly answered our request. The superior distributed a copy to each of us and it is an excellent guide for confession, and not only, but also to pray for various needs (and a prayer well made is necessary, on our path within the four corners of the convent) of the whole world. We are encouraged to pray more and, thanks to that booklet, we revisit the catechism that even we sometimes forget: it is a marvellous real tool in order not to forget. God reward you and all of your collaborators.
Always grateful,

Sister Perpetua, OSB






Spiritual Reading/38


Ambrose, De virginitate 99

Omnia igitur habemus in Christo, omnia Christus est nobis
Omnia igitur habemus in Christo.
Omnis anima accedat ad eum,
sive corporalibus aegra peccatis,
sive clavis quibusdam saecularis cupiditatis infixa,
sive imperfecta adhuc quidem,
sed intenta tamen meditatione proficiens,
sive multis aliqua sit iam perfecta virtutibus:
omnis in Domini potestate est
et omnia Christus est nobis.
Si vulnus curare desideras, medicus est;
si febribus aestuas, fons est;
si gravaris iniquitate, iustitia est;
si auxilio indiges, virtus est;
si mortem times, vita est;
si caelum desideras, via est;
si tenebras fugis, lux est;
si cibum quaeris, alimentum est.
“Gustate”, igitur, “et videte quoniam suavis est Dominus:
beatus vir qui sperat in eo”.

In Christ we have all, Christ is everything for us
In Christ we have all.
Let everyone aproach Him,
those who are sick because of sins,
who is as if nailed by his lust,
who is still imperfect
but eager to move forward with intense prayer,
who has already grown in many virtues.
We are all in the hands of the Lord
and Christ is everything for us.
If you wish to heal your wounds, He is a doctor;
if you’re burning with fever, He is the spring;
if you’re oppressed by sin, He is justice;
if you need help, He is strength;
if you're afraid of death, He is life;
if you desire Heaven, He is the way;
if you flee darkness, He is light;
if you search for food, He is nutrition.
“Taste”, therefore, “and see how sweet is the Lord.
Happy the man who hopes in Him” (Psalm 33, 9).






LETTERS FROM THE MISSIONS


COMBONIAN MISSIONARIES
Gulu, Uganda

Chi prega si salva, a precious booklet for the sick

Gulu, 29 July 2010

Dear Editorial Staff of 30Giorni,
We are a community of Combonian Missionary Sisters offering services of spiritual assistance and Christian religious and social promotion in the various departments of our St Mary’s Lacor Hospital, in the area of Gulu, northern Uganda.
A missionary priest told us that 30Giorni could help us in our efforts, especially by sending us this beautiful booklet Chi prega si salva, of which we already have a copy as a gift from him. He assures us that it would be the greatest help for the sick, to pray and live the Christian life. The language taught in schools here is English.
We would be very grateful if you could satisfy our desire to share this precious booklet with all the hospitalized sick, paralyzed, who find difficulty in prayer. Later, through our correspondence we will let you know the outcome of our efforts, and indeed even as of now we assure our remembrance in prayer, and thank you in advance for your great gift!
The Father passes on your magazine to us and we enjoy immensely knowing, apppreciating and esteeming it, for it is of great spirituality and gives comprehensive information, as well as being a great incentive for our spiritual and missionary life.
I reiterate my sincere and due thanks to you, mister director, and your staff, and I wish you a world of good!

Sister Romilde Spinato


SALESIAN MISSIONARIES
Dili, East Timor

Quem reza se salva translated into the local language

Dili, 3 August 2010

Dear Senator Andreotti,
Coming into town from the mountains, I sometimes find in our provincial house the magazine 30Giorni, sent to our Salesian missionary Don Dino Donaggio, and I read it with great interest. We would also like to receive it, along with the book Quem reza se salva, which we would then like to translate into our local language, Tetum. Would it be possible to find a generous benefactor for us?
I ask God’s blessing that you may continue for long on your “mediatic” mission.

Father Manuel Fraile


OPERA DON ORIONE
Cerrillos, Chile

Quien reza se salva: prayers and hymns of the tradition

Cerrillos, 15 August 2010

Dear Mr Director,
I have been receiving for some years now the magazine 30Giorni which I appreciate very much for the interesting international articles of information and commentary, that enrich the perspective of the believer.
I am also interested in the book Quien reza se salva. I find it very useful for the faithful people, to root them in an authentic devotion. In addition, it also offers me, who am no longer a child, the possibility of finding again some prayers and hymns of the tradition in Latin that are not present in any similar manual.
I would be grateful if you would send me thirty copies so that I can spread them among my brethren. I am the provincial superior of the Opera Don Orione in Chile and I think that with this booklet I can make a valuable gift to my brothers in the Congregation.
Very grateful from now, I greet you with the blessing of Don Orione.
P.S.: I receive the magazine in Italian. Would it be possible to receive it in Spanish instead? I could then share it with other fellow Chileans who do not know Italian.

Father Roberto Simionato


SALESIAN MISSIONARIES
Soyapango, El Salvador

I read 30Giorni with pleasure and find it really useful

Soyapango, 22 August 2010

Dear Friends of 30Giorni,
First and foremost deep thanks for sending the magazine that I read with pleasure and which I find very useful and very serious both for the topics discussed and the wealth of information on the life of the Church.
I have been here in Central America for more than forty-eight years. My activity now has to do with a rather large and complicated educational initiative: the “Ciudadela Don Bosco”, which caters for more than seven thousand students daily from kindergarten (four, five years) to university. The area of Soyapango is among the most difficult and violent in Latin America. This Salesian initiative that has been present for more than twenty years in this area wants to provide a concrete response to the serious problems of violence and unemployment, especially among the youth. Education and technical training are a response to these very serious social problems.
Sincerely,

Father Salvatore Cafarelli


DIOCESE OF KANNUR
Kannur, Kerala, India

A letter from Kerala

Kannur, 6 September 2010

Dear Director,
Greetings from Father Antony Kurisingal. I am a Catholic priest working in the Diocese of Kannur. Currently I am secretary to the Bishop of Kannur, Varghese Chakkalakal. I am pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception. Ours is a mission diocese and most of the faithful have been converted to Christianity by Italian missionaries.
I always read 30Giorni (in the English edition) in the nearby convent. Now they no longer receive it. I would like to continue to read it every month, but the economic crisis of our permanent mission does not allow me to subscribe to it. I appeal to your generosity in order to continue receiving your magazine. I pray for all of you who carry on this service in the Church. May the Lord continue to bless you, your collaborators, your life and your activities. Certain of a positive response, sincerely in Christ,

Father Antony Kurisingal


A Brazilian missionary
Caconde, São Paulo, Brazil

30Giorni is a tool for information and updating

Caconde, 9 September 2010

Greetings!
I am Brazilian and have been a priest for a year now. I studied both theology and canon law in Rome and have now returned to my diocese in Brazil. The whole time I lived in Rome, I was a faithful reader of 30Giorni. The magazine was very useful not only for study, but mainly for personal growth in the knowledge of the Church, because it is a tool for information and updating.
Therefore I would like to request a subscription to your magazine, to receive it also in Brazil so that even far away, in the pastoral work that awaits me, I may continue the permanent formation that 30Giorni can offer me.
While waiting for my request to be accepted, I thank you.

Father Rodrigo Cesar Ferreira






LETTERS FROM THE SEMINARIES


DHARMARAM COLLEGE
Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Who prays is saved for our young

Bangalore, 4 August 2010

Dear Sir,
Warm greetings and respectful regards to you from Dharmaram College, Bangalore, India! Dharmaram College is the Major Seminary of the Congregation of Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI). 212 seminarians study Philosophy, Theology and allied subjects here. Sixty-five CMI staff member live here. (Besides the Seminary, we also run Parishes, Schools, Colleges, Farms, a Publishing House. Hence the large number of Priests).
Recently we received per post ten copies of Who Prays is Saved. We also regularly get 30 Giorni, the journal. We put the journal in the library so that all can read it. It, as the subtitle indicates, gives views and news, nice pictures and serious articles from the Church life and from all over the world.
The small Prayer Book is also very useful. I intend to distribute them among the youth associated with us.
I do want to convey to you the gratitude and appreciation of the Community for the great service you are doing. May God, our loving Father, bless you and your noble endeavours!
With every good wish, yours fraternally in Christ,

Father Augustine Thottakara, CMI, Rector


PABLO VI DIOCESAN SEMINARY
Avellaneda, Buenos Aires, Argentina

I’d like to receive 30Días

Avellaneda, 10 September 2010

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Some months ago I asked my seminary director to recommend a good magazine that deals with theological discussions and also with current news on the Church in the world. Without hesitation, he immediately replied: “You have to read 30Días, it’s the magazine you’re looking for”. I was immediately able to see a few copies sent to our episcopate of the Diocese of Avellaneda-Lanús, Argentina. I found it fascinating. Not only for the depth and the topicality of the issues dealt with, but also for the professionalism with which you carry out your work and your vocation to communicate to the Church and in the Church.
I would love to subscribe to the magazine to be part of the number of your readers but I do not have sufficient financial resources to do so. For this reason, having seen that you send the magazine to other seminarians around the world, I appeal to your generosity. I’d love to receive the magazine that would do me so much good.
Thanks in advance as I await a response. I commend you and your work to the intercession of our Blessed Virgin Mary and Paul VI, the patron of our seminary, that God grant you the graces you want, bless and protect you in this magnificent work that you carry out for the good of the Church.
Thank you very much, may God bless you,

Agustín Álvarez, seminarian

SANTO CURA DE ARS DIOCESAN SEMINARY
Posadas, Misiones, Argentina

We would like to get to know the booklet Quien reza se salva

Posadas, 19 August 2010

Dear Mr Andreotti,
I write from the diocesan seminary “Santo Cura de Ars” in Posadas, in Misiones province, Argentina. We are twenty-seven seminarians from the Diocese of Posadas and Oberá. I would like to thank you deeply for the regular, free sending of the magazine 30Días. The articles and reflections are very useful for the seminarians. We are also interested in getting to know the booklet Quien reza se salva; which is why I ask you, if possible, to send us a few copies of it.
I send a cordial greeting and beg God, through the intercession of Saint John Mary Vianney, to bestow blessings on you and those who work in this much appreciated magazine.

Sebastián Escalante


ST PAUL NATIONAL MAJOR SEMINARY
Khartoum, Sudan

Thank you from Sudan

Khartoum, 31 August 2010

Greetings from Sudan and best wishes.
It offers the opportunity to write to you and thank you for your publication 30Giorni that feeds us with information about the happenings in the Church as well as in the whole world.
Be assured of my prayers. Regards and God's blessings

James Alau Sabasio






THE DIRECTOR’S MAILBOX


ARCHDIOCESE OF PRAGUE
Prague, Czech Republic

Thank you for the reportage on Lebanon

Prague, 16 September 2010

Dearest ones,
I would like to thank the editorial staff for the reportage on Lebanon that appeared in the latest issue of the magazine.
With joy, I read the interviews that opened my eyes a little more, enriched me and even perhaps got rid of a bit of the Western bias that one sometimes encounters in the media.
Love for this country has grown and also the desire to pray and live more and more for peace throughout the world.

Hana Pohorala, secretary of Cardinal Miloslav Vlk Archbishop Emeritus of Prague


ARCHDIOCESE OF ABIDJAN
Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Thankfulness for 30Jours

Abidjan, 22 June 2010

To the Director,
For some years I have been receiving regularly and for free 30Jours, your monthly magazine that offers its many readers a panorama of the world in general and of the Christian world in particular.
It is with great joy that I browse the well illustrated pages of this magazine and with this letter I would like to express my gratitude and warmly congratulate you on the quality of the work you and your staff do.
I pray for you and all members of the staff and wish ever more success to 30Jours.
I bless you and beg you, Mr Director, to accept the expression of my fraternal feelings in Jesus Christ.

Cardinal Bernard Agré, Archbishop Emeritus of Abidjan


DIOCESE OF SYROS
Syros, Greece

30Giorni is also available to the priests of the diocese

Syros, 23 July 2010

To the Director,
For some time you have been sending me your highly esteemed magazine free, which I read with much pleasure for the interesting matters that you deal with, but also for the fact that we, in Greece, being a minority, do not have sources of information. Living then on a small island in a not prosperous economic situation, the possibility becomes even rarer. I am not the only one to read the magazine. I make it available also to my priests.
With this letter then I express my gratefulness and offer, sir, my sincere thanks for the magazine you send me.
Expressing my gratitude, I thank you and I invoke the Lord’s blessings for the magazine, for your esteemed self and all your staff.
In Christ,

Franghiskos Papamanolis, Catholic Bishop of Syros, Santorini and Crete in Greece




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