Cause of Servant of God Andrew Majcen Advances

The Cause of the Servant of God Andrew Majcen Advances

(ANS – Vatican City – October 2, 2026) – On October 1, during the special meeting of theological consultors at the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, a favorable opinion was expressed regarding the heroic exercise of the virtues, the reputation for holiness, and the signs of the Servant of God Fr.. Andrew Majcen, SDB (1904–1999), a missionary in China and Vietnam.

The theological consultors were called upon to examine the Positio super virtutibus and to address the question regarding the heroic exercise of the Christian virtues practiced by the Servant of God, together with his reputation for holiness and the signs. The Positio super virtutibus, submitted on June 5, 2025, had Fr. Praskiewicz Szczepan, OCD, as rapporteur; Fr. Pierluigi Cameroni, SDB, as postulator; and Dr. Lodovica Maria Zanet as editor.

The favorable opinion of the theological consultors marks a significant stage in the progress of the cause. The Positio and the conclusions of the meeting will be submitted for examination by the cardinals and bishops who are members of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

Andrew Majcen was born in Maribor, Slovenia, on September 30, 1904. A Salesian priest, he devoted much of his life to the mission in Asia. Following his missionary experience in China, he arrived in Vietnam in 1952, where he carried out intensive work in evangelization, formation, and the support of the fledgling Salesian presence. In total, he spent 44 years in missionary service in China and Vietnam.

On his return to Slovenia in 1979, he continued his service for some 20 years as a missionary animator, spiritual director, and confessor, maintaining a close link with the missions and guiding numerous people on their spiritual journey. He died in Ljubljana on September 30, 1999, on the day of his 95th birthday.

An important testimony to his human, Salesian, priestly, and missionary journey is provided by his personal writings: over 6,000 handwritten pages of diaries, in which an inner life marked by the search for God’s will, fidelity to his Salesian and priestly vocation, and a profound missionary zeal emerges.

The favorable vote of the special meeting of theological consultors thus marks a new stage in the progress of the cause of the Servant of God Andrej Majcen, whose memory remains particularly vivid in Slovenia, China, and Vietnam – countries in which he carried out his long missionary service.

It is highly significant that this milestone was reached on October 1, the liturgical memorial of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Fr. Andrej Majcen had a deep and constant spiritual bond with this young saint, regarding her as a true guide and “godmother” of his missionary vocation.

The “Little Way” of spiritual childhood was, in fact, the lens thru which he lived out the entire Salesian charism in the mission fields: “I owe everything to the grace of God and to the protection of Mary Help of Christians and Saint Therese, who taught me to make myself small among the little ones in order to win them over to Christ.”

Salesian Missions Funds New Hall for Zambian Preschool

Salesian Missions Funds a New Hall
for the Laura Vicuna Preschool

(ANS – Mansa, Zambia – September 29, 2026) – The Laura Vicuna Preschool, located in Mansa, Zambia, has a new school hall thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions of New Rochelle. The funding was used for the construction of a kitchen, dining room, sleeping room, and bathroom.

With construction nearly completed, the parents are happy that their children have better facilities at the school. As a result of the project, enrollment has increased. The projected number of boys has increased from 75 to 83 and the number of girls from 80 to 96.

In the region, many families rely on small subsistence farming for maize, cassava, groundnuts, and vegetables. Fishing and small-scale aquaculture are also important. Seasonal flooding can spoil crops and damage infrastructure, creating challenges for the local population.

There is high youth unemployment and limited vocational and technical training available. There are under-resourced schools, insufficient healthcare, and a lack of water and hygiene services. Salesian education helps youths start with a firm foundation for future learning.

Musumali Esaya, a local man who spoke on behalf of the parents, said he was happy for the new school hall for the children. He expressed gratitude to Salesian Missions for the project. Esaya noted: “Before the building, there was a concern about where the children would rest and be fed, and there was no area for play activities. With the new hall, the children have a better school environment in which to learn. We are all grateful for the support from the donors who made this possible.”

Salesians in Zambia provide a range of social development programs and education to aid youths who are poor and at risk so that they can have a healthy, productive life. Early education helps youngsters gain a foundation to allow them to advance later to skills training for employment. Basic needs are met along the way, ensuring that youths focus on their education.

Source: MissionNewswire

Homily for Thursday, Week 26 of Ordinary Time; St. Therese of Lisieux

Homily for Thursday
Week 26 of Ordinary Time
St. Therese of Lisieux

Oct. 1, 2026
Luke 10: 1-12
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

Jesus sends out the 72 disciples (James Tissot)

“Jesus appointed 72 other disciples whom he sent ahead of him…” (Luke 10: 1).

Jesus first sent the 12 out as missionaries (ch. 9); now he dispatches 6 times as many from the larger circle of his disciples.  Their mission is to announce “the kingdom of God is at hand” (10:11); it’s coming in the person of Jesus, for the 72 are sent “to every town and place he intended to visit” (10:1).  Evidently that includes a lot of territory—36 places.

Assembled in the 2d Vatican Council, the Church emphasized her missionary nature and purpose.  The post-conciliar Popes have reaffirmed that.  All Jesus’ followers are missionary because they follow him and they want to—they must—announce his presence:  “the kingdom of God is at hand.”  They must prepare humanity for his coming.

He comes when his word is preached.  He comes in his sacraments.  He comes when his followers practice the works of mercy, as the 12 were explicitly commanded when Jesus sent them out:  “He gave the 12 power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (9:1-2).  He will come again with his angels on the Last Day to complete the redemption of his people.

St. Therese at the crucifix within the Carmel cloister

Little Therese in her cloister knew that.  If she couldn’t go to China, Vietnam, or Algeria as so many of her French contemporaries were doing, she could exercise the mission of prayer and of correspondence.  That she did, so fervently and so effectively that, as you know, Pius XI named her patroness of the missions.

It’s no coincidence that John Paul II canonized 120 Chinese martyrs on her feastday in 2000.  More than a dozen of them were French missionaries.

There was a time, brothers, when you were like the 72, on mission not in pairs but in apostolic communities, announcing the Lord Jesus who came among us as Savior 20 centuries ago and who will come again in his glory to share that glory with all of us.  Now you’re like little Therese, not quite cloistered but missioned to imitate her example by praying for your active brothers and all the members of the Edmund Rice Network, and your past pupils, their families, and the Brothers’ present pupils and families.  May peace rest upon your houses and the homes of all whose lives you touch (cf. 10:5-6).

Message of the Rector Major for October

THE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR

Fr. Fabio Attard, SDB

Do Not Be Afraid

A reflection on Matt 10:26-33

Christ the Consoler (Carl Bloch)

When Jesus invites his disciples “not to be afraid,” we must be careful not to reduce this invitation to a superficial slogan. It’s a call—a word spoken by a Master to those who’ve chosen to walk and be with him. For all their shortcomings, Jesus’ disciples are the ones who’ve already left everything to follow him. Jesus is speaking to people who are gradually discovering what friendship with him means, and that it’s worthwhile to take him seriously. It’s precisely within this friendship that the command not to be afraid carries its full weight.

I. “Do not be afraid” – not a choice, but a discovery

We’re tempted to read these words as a call for courage that we must summon from deep within ourselves, through willpower or positive thinking. That’s not the case.

Jesus’ invitation isn’t based on human calculations. It’s not empty optimism. The disciples, whom Jesus sends out like “sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matt 10:16), face real dangers and opposition. What, then, does “Do not be afraid” truly mean?

“Not being afraid” is possible only because “something” has happened to those who follow Jesus. A relationship has been formed. A friendship emerges—in the deepest sense of the word—one that’s taken root in the depths of the disciple’s heart. Friendship with Jesus is unlike any other friendship. In him and with him, we discover that we are known and therefore are supported. This relationship isn’t a sentimental metaphor. It’s the language of intimacy.

The absence of fear, then, is a discovery we slowly realize over time through the practice of remaining close to him: in prayer, in listening to his Word, in sacramental encounter, and in service to the poor and the young. We realize that, little by little, what began with effort develops into trust. What began as a discipline becomes love, and in that love, fear doesn’t vanish—it loses its grip. We’re no longer slaves but free persons because Jesus’ love has embraced us.

II. Following Jesus: a journey that enriches our humanity

Jesus is sending his disciples forth, yet he isn’t abandoning them. The entire movement of this passage is one of a mission taking place within the context of accompaniment. He tells them what they’ll have to face. He tells them who their Father is. He promises to give testimony on their behalf before the Father. In other words, he doesn’t give merely instructions; he gives himself.

This is the heart of the Christian life: not the observance of a code, but the journey of entrusting oneself to a Person. “Following Jesus” is a phrase so familiar that we risk stripping it of its extraordinary nature. “To follow” means to get moving, to leave behind the security of what once was, and to walk toward what’s being made new—never alone, but with him, in him, and through him.

The beauty of this journey is that it doesn’t diminish us; it doesn’t flatten the human person. On the contrary, it’s the path of becoming fully human. When we entrust ourselves to Jesus—when we dare to surrender to him—we’re like the child who abandons himself in his father’s arms. We find ourselves again. We discover a capacity for love, resilience, joy, and solidarity that we didn’t know we had.

This is what the journey of faith teaches us, slowly but surely: that we’re supported, that our humanity is precious in his eyes, that we’re worth more—infinitely more—than we sometimes dare to believe. And it’s from that certainty of being known and loved that we draw the strength to face the challenges of the mission—without fear.

III. Declaring oneself for Jesus: a mature personal identity

“The one who confesses me before men, I, too, will confess him before my Father who is in Heaven.”

This is the culminating movement of this excerpt. Let’s listen to it attentively because it’s easily misunderstood. Declaring yourself for Jesus isn’t a political act. It’s not the adoption of an ideology, a flag to carry, or a cause to defend in the public arena. The language of “declaring oneself” could suggest a time of public commitment, a sort of strategic positioning. This isn’t what Jesus asks of us.

When the disciples speak about Jesus in the light of day, when they proclaim from the rooftops what they’ve heard in the shadows, they’re not acting. They’re simply sharing what they’ve become. They talk about him because they belong to him. They bear witness because their lives were shaped by his.

Declaring oneself for Jesus, therefore, means approaching the deepest truth of what one is. It’s not a time of religious enthusiasm or emotional social belonging. It’s the recognition, matured through friendship with Jesus, of having allowed oneself to be formed by prayer and abandonment: my identity is rooted in my “dwelling” in Christ Jesus.

Conclusion

“Do not be afraid”: not because the world has become safe. Not because the mission is easy. But because we are known, loved, and supported by Christ Jesus. We are accompanied by him who has counted every hair on our head and who calls us by name before the Father.

We ask that we may never lack the grace of this freedom, the fruit of our friendship with Jesus.