Philippines

The Scalabrinian Missionary Sisters - MSCS - have been present in the Republic of the Philippines since 1987, the year in which the country regained democracy through the peaceful People Power Revolution of 1986. Since then, the Philippines also has become a home to the MSCS Sisters. The country was quickly marked by the economic and political problems pursued by the new government which created a strong outbound flow of emigration. Many Filipinos, encouraged by the hope of finding work abroad and thus improving their lives, left for foreign countries; in so doing, other problems were produced in their homeland: children grew up without parents present, females and underage workers were exploited, and moral decay set-in in families and in society at large. The resulting negative consequences of these changes cried out for the sisters' attention.

Today in the Philippines, the sisters are present with two communities in Quezon City. They are composed of 5 Filipino Sisters, 2 Americans and 1 Brazilian. Together with the Sisters, live a number of young woman who are in various stages of discernment and of formation. The MSCS Sisters appreciate the richness of their femininity, and guided by the spirit of the pilgrim Christ, offer witness and service to life and to faith, by dedicating their time, love, effective presence and creative work to others, to reduce the negative effects which emigration leaves among people.

In the accomplishment of their mission, the MSCS Sisters are mainly concerned with: pastoral care of migrants, in particular with seafarers and refugees; education of the internal migrant workers' children and of those of emigrants; and the new "Scalabrini Institute". There are many activities carried out by the Sisters, as organizers and coordinators: in the formation of the Christian and the person, spiritual guidance, teaching in schools, holding after school classes, and teaching English to emigrants. They take care of the updating and instruction of workers, volunteers, parents and teachers. The Sisters are also involved in seminars in order to better prepare and to guide future emigrants.

The MSCS Sisters' faith, lived as prophetic hope, receives body through love shown to others, gives witness, and promotes and nourishes the life and identity of both themselves and of migrants.
 

  India
India occupies 2.4 per cent of the world’s land area and has over 15 per cent of the world’s population which stands at 1,027,015,247. It is only second to China among the countries in the world to cross the one billion mark.

Religion, caste and language are major determinants of social and political organization. The government has recognized 18 languages as official; Hindi is the most widely spoken.

Although 83 per cent of the people are Hindu, India is also home to more than 120 million Muslims, one of the largest Muslim populations in the world. India’s population also includes Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists and Parsis. The most number of Christians are found in Kerala, South India.

About Kerala:  Capital – City of Trivandrum;   Location – between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, southern tip of India;  Land area – 38,863 sq. km. Population: 31,838,619 (census 2001); Language – Malayalam, English is widely spoken; Culture – diverse and is enriched by the three great religions that have ancient roots in South India.
Religions – Hinduism is the religion of the majority, practised with a rare rigor that prohibits non-Hindus from entering temples. Christianity is followed by a quarter of its population, was brought here by the Apostle St. Thomas. Islam was introduced by Arab traders in the 7th century. Politics – power alternates between Left and Centrist parties.
Education – has the highest literacy rate in India.

About the Archdiocese of Trivandrum: The ecclesiastical province of Trivandrum has 5 dioceses namely Neyyattinkara, Punalar, Trivandrum, Quilon and Alleppey.

Categories of People on the Move in the Archdiocese of Trivandrum: Expatriates – those who come to Trivandrum from other countries for study and/or work purposes. They stay in Trivandrum for a period of time and then return to their country of origin. Among those who come are nationals of Germany, Australia, United States, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Holland, England, France, Japan, Philippines, Korea, Maldives, Malaysia, Singapore and China. The majority of those under this category are professionals (engineers, administrators, consultants, trainors, educators, etc.) and with long term work contracts for projects financed by the World Bank. Usually, they bring along their family members with them. They prefer to be called expatriates.

Local immigrants – those who come to Trivandrum from other States of India for study and/or work purposes. They stay for a period of time in Trivandrum and return to their State of origin.

Tourists – those who come to Trivandrum from other States of India and/or from other countries for purposes of:
a) eco-tourism; b) social tourism; c) health care tourism; d) business/shopping tourism
e) rest and recreational tourism; f) cultural tourism; g) religious tourism

Tourists flock to Trivandrum and other tourism destinations within Kerala throughout the year, but especially in the months of November, December and January. The top tourist-generating countries for Kerala are the United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Spain, France, Italy, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Australia, Netherlands, Japan and Singapore.

A considerable number of tourists stay for long periods of time, i.e. six months to one year, specifically those who come for social and health care tourism.

Foreign missionaries – Christian missionaries, mostly Catholics, who come to Trivandrum to begin their religious and apostolic presence in this southern part of India. They come from different continents and find themselves most of the time in difficult situations because of factors related to language and culture in general. To date, present in Trivandrum are men and women missionaries from Italy, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Philippines, Korea, Congo, Argentina, Chile, Australia and the United States of America. Their status as tourist-visa entries in India require them to leave the country every after a few months for visa renewal purposes.

Inter-state migrants – residents of the interiors of Trivandrum who migrate to other States of India for work and study purposes. They move to Madras, Bombay, Calcutta, New Delhi and other metropolitan centers. They usually come back after each contract time and/or study period.

Fishermen migrants – residents of the coastal villages of Trivandrum who sail beyond the territorial waters of Trivandrum and even Kerala for fishing purposes. They go as far as Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Fishermen carrying smaller boats go out mostly during the monsoon season which lasts for some five to six months. They fish within Keralan coast line specifically in Quilon and Alleppey. Where they find themselves anchored in fishing harbors, they remain on boat or for those who can afford, rent rooms for sleeping and/or safe keeping of their belongings. They visit their families only when there is a need.

Fishermen who carry bigger boats go out for longer periods of up to a year and fish in other States of India and even as far as the waters of Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This group meets with trouble when caught fishing illegally in Pakistani and Sri Lankan territory. Many end up in jail and stay incarcerated for long periods as processing for their release takes not only a lot of time but likewise a lot of political will.

Overseas contract workers - residents of Trivandrum who migrate to other countries for work purposes. Migration from Trivandrum has accelerated in recent years, the number progressively increasing from year to year, according to a study conducted by the Center for Development Studies. It is estimated that ten percent of the annual total number of overseas migrants with Keralan origin come from Trivandrum.

Arab countries of the Middle East are the favorite destinations for overseas migrants from Trivandrum: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar. Outside the Arab world, their principal destinations are the United States of America, England, Maldives and South East Asia.

The largest proportion of these migrant workers are engaged in unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled categories in construction, production and transport activities. A good number are in professional and technical work, and others in clerical, sales and service activities. Their remittances vary according to their level of education.

Married women, most recently, have increased their presence significantly among the overseas migrants. On the contrary, migration involving married men has been in the decline as compared to migration incidents involving unmarried men and married women.

Finally, overseas migration is a costly venture. An average migrant from Trivandrum spends more or less 50 thousand rupees for going abroad. This is used to buy ticket, for visa fees and for agent’s commission. The money raised to meet migration costs come from family savings, borrowings from relatives, institutional loans, sale of properties like land, jewelry and gold ornaments.

Scalabrinian missionary presence in Trivandrum:
The Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo – Scalabrinians is present in the Archdiocese of Trivandrum. Its specific collaboration is with the Latin Archdiocese in the recently created Commission for the Pastoral Care of People on the Move where the Congregation is tasked to animate and coordinate its functions and services in favor of migrants, tourists and expatriates.

It envisions the pastoral care of people on the move to be at the service of bringing people together and of rendering a presence of compassion, solidarity and involvement.

It hopes to be an authentic and effective missionary presence in Trivandrum as it collaborates with the Archdiocese in responding to the new pastoral needs of people on the move and to lead them towards the transformation of their experience, not only into an opportunity to grow in Christian life, but also an occasion of new evangelization and mission (ref: Instruction.Erga Migrantes Caritas Christi).

Preparing the ground for local vocations to the Congregation:
The charism of the Congregation manifests itself in action. This does not fail to attract young people, who with their personal and social awareness, feel drawn to get to know the Congregation better and prepare themselves for a fuller commitment. That is why, forming part of the Scalabrinian missionary presence in Trivandrum is the pastoral care of vocations. Local vocations are necessary to ensure the continuity of the mission entrusted by the Archdiocese to the Congregation.