Created in ‘ePub’ format the Letter is much easier to download and open on your mobile device. Small volume of a file, which saves your bandwidth, and automatic resizing to fit you display make reading the document easier than ever.

This time, we didn’t make ‘ePub’ files for each of eight languages the Letter is written. We put together all text into one eight chapter long E-book: ADVENT 2013. One file – eight languages.

As this is experimental technology for us, we will welcome your opinion and comments on this E-book format for our Vincentian publications. We would like to give you resources in the most convenient way for you. Your feedback will help us improve the future publications.

‘ADVENT 2013′ E-book can be downloaded from this LINK or when you click on the image below. You can scan the QR code in the image to dowload it directly to your mobile device.

Another easy way to open Fr. Greg’s Letter on your smartphone, tablet or desktop is to visit CMGlobal.org channel at Scribd.com shared-reading service and open the collection of Advent Letter in eight languages – English, Spanish, French, Polish, Portuguese, Italian, German and Slovak. Simply, click on this LINK or on the image below or scan the QR code to open it directly on your mobile device. To view all language versions on your desktop you can visit Famvin.org.pl website as well.

These  two video clips present the progress of  installation works in the Lower Church between August 8 and September 8 .This is a powerful look. You may watch the video, or click the links to open the PDF presentation on line.

AUGUST 8, 2013

view as regular slideshow online [Slideshare]

SEPTEMBER 8, 2013

view as regular slideshow online [Slideshare]

In the already mentioned  Fr. Sobczak’s 2011 address to parishioners we continue to read about the  new air conditioning system, “please believe me, I took this request to heart and from that moment on, I have been investigating all our options regarding a cooling system in the church. During this period, there were meetings with many companies with expertise in installing these types of systems. Experts discussed which type of system would be most effective and functional, easy to maintain, economical yet would not destroy the magnificence of our church. There is a Polish saying, the deeper into the forest, the more trees. And thus describes this project.

Right from the start, we realized that our church did not have architectural plans. So one of our parishioners, an architect, had undertaken this tedious project. With great patience, he measured every nook and cranny of the church, every bend in the walls, and the thickness of the bricks and input all the information into his own computer.

The completed plans were then given to an engineering firm, to calculate the technical specifications required in the system. After many months we received the specs, unfortunately, the architectural team had doubts whether this would provide sufficient cooling in our church. We then turned to specialists for their analysis, but after many weeks (these) plans changed again, and we began investigating the possibility of using geothermal energy, that is, using water from underground to cool in the summer and heat in the winter.

Excavation was supposed to have been done by the end of June, however, this also moved at a snail’s pace. First we needed permits, and then it was hurricane Irene, and then other obstacles. Finally, a few weeks ago, and many witnessed this, equipment was brought in to drill between the church and rectory for groundwater. Unfortunately, the equipment was not strong enough, breaking the massive drill bits with each attempt, causing more delays while we waited for bigger equipment.

The next delay was caused by the sudden death of the lead architect of the project, Mr. Edvin Stromsten, who died of a massive heart attack at the beginning of September.

A year ago, I was convinced that the past summer would be easier to survive because there would be air conditioning; and now, my hope, even though waning, is that in June we will be starting up the cooling system.

In summary, plans to replace the boiler that heats the church, CCD building and annex, are still a reality. However, we are attempting to integrate the heating and cooling systems, and if we succeed in installing a combination system in the church, we will be able to install a smaller and more energy efficient boiler in the annex and the CCD building. I just want to reiterate, that the funds collected by Fr. Urbaniak for the boiler remain in a special account, and will be used for this purpose only.”

If you don’t want to view the page as “mobile” you can switch your device to “desktop” anytime and back. To change  from mobile to desktop scroll down to the bottom of the displayed page and tap on the link “switch to our desktop site” and that’s it. No more action.  When you would like return to mobile mode tap the link  “switch to our mobile site” on the bottom of the page.  However some of the content might be not visible in mobile version.

Our tiny app for smartphones: “Vincentians New England” is another solution which can encourage you to get latest news from our community and Vincentian Family. More about the app and how to get it could be read from THIS POST.

If your device can read QR Codes you can scan the code here and then follow instructions on the screen to open the website and bookmark it.

From now on VINCENTIANS NEW ENGLAND APP is for you! And it’s completely free!!

The App organized in four tabs brings latest news posted on the websites of the Vincentians New England Province, St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, Brooklyn, NY and two Vincentian Family news websites in English and Polish. It was tested on iPhone, Android and Windows7 mobiles. Blackberry, Symbian and other mobiles were not verified. So were iPads and other tablets. But you can try it.

There are two simple ways to get the application on your smartphone.

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One: copy the link below and type it in your phone browser and open the url. Next, follow the instructions on the screen.

http://mippin.com/app/449497

Two: you can scan the QR Code below and your smartphone will download it almost automatically. This action requires QR Code scanner (or bar code scanner) for smartphone. Watch these tips how to scan QR Code

When your app is downloaded in to your smartphone open it. There is a widget which can be placed on the home screen. In settings you can set the update frequency. Now, you can enjoy it, and be up to date to Vincentian news when on go.

Famvin.org provides another apps and feeds for Vincentians which can be downloaded in the same way as the app mentioned above. These are standard urls which you can either type in the mobile browser or scan the QR Code. See the instructions if you need.

Other screenshots of the application:

MOBILE APPS FOR VINCENTIANS
FROM VINFORMATION.FAMVIN.ORG

These apps will send a Vincentian quote of the day, daily reflections in the Vincentian tradition, feeds taken from daily famvin posts. Additionally, there is an app for the game “Hobson’s Choice” which simulates the harsh choices you face when living in poverty. Finally, for the moment, there is an app “Ultimate Change” which allows you to experience a fictional systemic change project through the eyes of one of seven characters.

We believe these new efforts will make your contact with Vincentians of New England and Vincentian Family easier and faster. Please, do not hesitate to put a comment below or by email to webmaster@cmnewengland.org on how do you find these apps. Perhaps you have suggestions for another mobile apps which you will find helpful. Any comments and suggestions warmly welcome.

“The world is not now what it once was, nor is it what it will be”

DOWNLOAD THE LETTER IN PDF

13 January 2011

To all the members of the Congregation of the Mission

The Congregation is not now what it once was; nor is it what it will be.

My dear confreres,

May the grace and peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ fill your hearts now and forever!

The world is not now what it once was, nor is it what it will be. My brothers, the world has changed faster than most of us would ever have anticipated. The internet is one of the key movers in this change. One web site alone, Facebook, has a population the size of the third largest country in the world, behind only China and India. We live in a world without borders. Can missionaries neglect this virtual country or choose not to engage in conversation with its citizens, most of whom are young? Have not missionaries always had to learn the language and culture of a mission territory? We hear from Pope Benedict XVI, that we are to, “…help the men and women of our digital age to sense the Lord’s presence, to grow in expectation and hope, and to draw near to the Word of God which offers salvation and fosters an integral human development. In this way the Word can traverse the many crossroads created by the intersection of all the different “highways” that form “cyberspace”, and show that God has his rightful place in every age, including our own.” (Message for the 44th World Communications Day). How can we do this if we don’t speak their language and frequently encounter them in their virtual world?

The Congregation is not now what it once was, nor is it what it will be. Just twenty years ago few in the Congregation had any awareness of how the world would be changed by technology. A mere ten years ago, at the beginning of the third millennium, our former Superior General, Father Robert Maloney wrote a series of letters, one requiring each province to have an internet connection in its motherhouse and house of formation. We have advanced to the stage where, from the General Curia can send e-mails to all of the provinces and vice-provinces of the Congregation and to many of the individual and confreres as well. He also encouraged each province to have a website. It is noteworthy that today only a handful of provinces have active and attractive web sites. Father Maloney also challenged us to champion the pastoral use of technology on behalf of the poor.

I have two questions to pose to you for your reflection, my brothers. First, How will the world be different in just six years? Whether we like it or not, technology will be woven more and more into the fabric of our lives, even the lives of the poorest among us. Second, Will we be ready to serve in such a world? Our Lines of Action from the General Assembly 2010 provide direction as they focus on

1. Formation: encouraging confreres to form attitudes and develop skills necessary for pastoral ministry in the next six years;
2. Reconfiguration: being able to streamline our structures and our administrative processes;
3. Dialog: widening our horizons to discover new needs and collaborative ways of evangelizing and serving;
4. Creativity: responding courageously to new needs in a world without frontiers;
5. Systemic change: aimed at root causes of poverty.

All of these goals can be greatly facilitated by the use of the internet and tools of technology.

• Can we use our Vincentian technology resources:
• to work together with others, especially members of the Vincentian Family and yet beyond, in serving the poor and investigating the causes of poverty?
• to seek grants for setting up computer learning centers in the poorest countries? We had a pilot project going in Africa, specifically regarding computers and computer centers, but because of lack of financial backing, the project was not able to move forward. Yet there were eight or nine countries of our provinces in Africa interested in pursuing this means of development as a tool of helping to educate and at the same time to evangelize.
• to continue to train confreres in computer technology? I know of individual confreres throughout the Congregation who have a particular interest in this type of technology and are well equipped and are moving forward. A good example is Father Aidan Rooney in Bolivia. From Bolivia he has the opportunity to develop a great deal of technology for the service in the Diocese as well as the service of the poor that he and the men in the mission there are serving.
• to devise ways in which older confreres can help in the service of the poor through computer technology?

We have to do some reviewing and take specific steps:

• That each province have a website that is attractive, especially to the young, and that it be frequently updated. It means commitment of personnel without a doubt. And yet, a commitment that will enable a confrere or confreres to reach a good number of people in and through this technological advancement.
• At the international level, we are willing to move forward with this training. We will try to offer as much as we can to help the confreres become equipped in this means of evangelization.
• We can help to establish guidelines or perspectives on the pastoral use of the internet by missionaries.
• We can provide assistance through Famvin in setting up websites, that is, in the major languages that can be easily updated by anyone who has the basic skills of word processing.
• We have also thought about the possibility of a type of international gathering, whether it be virtual or in person in order that we might come together and share our expertise and at the same time help prepare moving others forward in this most needed advancement in technology.

Let me conclude with a great thought made by John Paul II in his document on the Church and the internet in 2002. “Although the virtual reality of cyberspace cannot substitute for real interpersonal community, the incarnational reality of the sacraments and the liturgy or the immediate and direct proclamation of the gospel, it can complement them, attract people to a fuller experience of the life of faith, and enrich the religious lives of users.”

My brothers, I ask you to reflect seriously upon this message and move forward with a desire to evangelize and serve those who are our lords and masters with new ways and new means ever faithful to our call.

Your brother in Saint Vincent,

G. Gregory Gay, C.M.
Superior General

Przeczytaj List Przełożonego Generalnego w języku polskim