austraLasia 1368
On the Feast of St. Stephen - reactions to the death of Fr Philip
NAIROBI: 26th December 2005 -- Fr Joseph Pulikal, AFE Provincial, wrote this morning to the confreres of his province giving more details of the event which has shocked the Salesian world and indeed so many in Kenya and Tanzania where Fr Philip was well-known. Fr Brian Jerstice in Tanzania has wondered at the number of priests, religious and volunteers killed in similar fashion in the past years in Africa - at least eight, personally known to him: they include Sean Deveraux, Fr Declan Collins and now Fr Philip Valayam. Fr Francis Preston, Rector at the Salesian Ratisbonne Institue in Jerusalem, writes of his visit this morning to Beit Jemal, a Salesian community some 40 kms west of Jerusalem. It would seem, as has been believed by many and now with recent corroborating evidence, that the martyr Stephen's body was brought precisely to this place, after he was killed. The resting place (his body was later transferred to Jerusalem) is beneath the Salesian Church at Beit Jemal. Fr Preston notes how our celebrations of life and death are interwoven, especially as we celebrate the Christmas story.
Back in Nairobi, on Christmas Day, a memorial mass was celebrated starting at the scene of the crime, where the penitential rite was held. The procession moved to the DBYES chapel nearby. Some of the blood shed by Fr Philip was kept before the altar during the mass. The celebrant and homilist reminded those present of the particular power of the words 'This is my body...my blood' in the context, words Fr Philip had uttered a few hours before at midnight mass.
From Fr Pulikal's letter, the details of the crime are now clearer. Fr Philip was returning from Uhuru Camp, a military chapel, with three confreres from the theologate and a youngster. He had dropped the confreres off at Utume and was heading home with the lad only to find themselves blocked by thugs who had dragged a telephone pole across the road. They were seconds from home. The thugs demanded money and Fr Philip reversed the vehicle - it was at that point that they shot him. The boy escaped into bushes and fled the 200 metres back to DBYES. The thugs disappeared. The police accompanied the body of Fr. Philip to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Fr Philip's parents are still alive. The body will be flown back to India and buried in the Salesian cemetery in Mannuthy.
__________________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
On the Feast of St. Stephen - reactions to the death of Fr Philip
NAIROBI: 26th December 2005 -- Fr Joseph Pulikal, AFE Provincial, wrote this morning to the confreres of his province giving more details of the event which has shocked the Salesian world and indeed so many in Kenya and Tanzania where Fr Philip was well-known. Fr Brian Jerstice in Tanzania has wondered at the number of priests, religious and volunteers killed in similar fashion in the past years in Africa - at least eight, personally known to him: they include Sean Deveraux, Fr Declan Collins and now Fr Philip Valayam. Fr Francis Preston, Rector at the Salesian Ratisbonne Institue in Jerusalem, writes of his visit this morning to Beit Jemal, a Salesian community some 40 kms west of Jerusalem. It would seem, as has been believed by many and now with recent corroborating evidence, that the martyr Stephen's body was brought precisely to this place, after he was killed. The resting place (his body was later transferred to Jerusalem) is beneath the Salesian Church at Beit Jemal. Fr Preston notes how our celebrations of life and death are interwoven, especially as we celebrate the Christmas story.
Back in Nairobi, on Christmas Day, a memorial mass was celebrated starting at the scene of the crime, where the penitential rite was held. The procession moved to the DBYES chapel nearby. Some of the blood shed by Fr Philip was kept before the altar during the mass. The celebrant and homilist reminded those present of the particular power of the words 'This is my body...my blood' in the context, words Fr Philip had uttered a few hours before at midnight mass.
From Fr Pulikal's letter, the details of the crime are now clearer. Fr Philip was returning from Uhuru Camp, a military chapel, with three confreres from the theologate and a youngster. He had dropped the confreres off at Utume and was heading home with the lad only to find themselves blocked by thugs who had dragged a telephone pole across the road. They were seconds from home. The thugs demanded money and Fr Philip reversed the vehicle - it was at that point that they shot him. The boy escaped into bushes and fled the 200 metres back to DBYES. The thugs disappeared. The police accompanied the body of Fr. Philip to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Fr Philip's parents are still alive. The body will be flown back to India and buried in the Salesian cemetery in Mannuthy.
__________________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
