Closing the Jubilee Year in Bangalore

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SOLA STUDY HOUSE - BANGALORE: CLOSURE OF JUBILEE ANNIVERSARY

On 7th of December, along with about 250 people from various religious communities and our friends, the two communities in India celebrated the closing of the 150th anniversary of our Society’s foundation at SOLA Study House in Bangalore.

In preparation for the event, the students worked hard at preparing paintings, artwork, banners and posters focussing on Africa and our Society and placed these around our compound. This presented a festive atmosphere in which the celebration took place.

The programme started with a Mass of thanksgiving, with Fr. Praween D’Souza, OFM, as the main celebrant, who was joined by the confreres of both houses. In the name of our two communities, Fr. Paul Johnston, rector of SOLA Study House, welcomed our guests before inviting Fr. Praween to lead us in prayer. In his homily, Fr. Praween emphasized the great missionary zeal of our founder Cardinal Charles Lavigerie and how his words encouraged the early missionaries to speak of Christ and to live like Christ, in the midst of life-threatening conditions.

During the offertory, several symbolic items were presented, including a unique picture of Cardinal Lavigerie painted by Lithin Varghese, one of our third-year students, who used only coffee powder. It was well appreciated by everyone. Music for the Mass was provided by our own SOLA Study House students and the African community in Bangalore when they arrived.

Following the Mass, the festive meal took place during which everyone was delighted and contented by a spicy-Indian buffet. When all were satisfied, our cultural soirée started with presentations from the African community of Bangalore and an Indian component, including presentations from both our communities. While some adjustments needed to be made, not even the light drizzle dampened the spirit of the evening.

The celebration was an important moment where, in the presence of our friends, we gave thanks to God for his abundant blessings and his constant protection on our Society for the past 150 years.

It was a remarkable and wonderful way to bring to a close our 150th Anniversary.

Albin Joseph – Third Year Student – Bangalore

(From SOA Newsletter – January 2020)

Life in CEBU Formation Community

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LIFE IN CEBU FORMATION COMMUNITY

The Cebu Formation House is located at 4 Kalaw Street, Santo Nino Village, Banilad, Cebu City. The Community for the academic year 2019-2020 is composed of three priests (Frs. John Gould, Bonaventure Gubazire and Boris Yabre) and five Filipino candidates (Richard, Roberto, Mark, Vincent and Christian). Our candidates come from different islands of the Philippines and have come here to follow God’s call and are aspiring to be part of Missionaries of Africa community.

Our academic year started in August 2019 with a three-week immersion experience at the “Fazenda de Esperança”, a rehabilitation centre for people with addictions, which is located on Masbate Island, about 300km from Cebu City. On our return to the community, together with the formators, we held meeting to decide on how we would like to live together as a community. We came up with a document entitled “Community Orientation Plan” in which we outlined our expectations, means to achieve them, and the obstacles that we might encounter on our discernment journey. During our monthly recollection, we committed ourselves to our Community Orientation Plan under the theme: “Called by Jesus, we commit ourselves to grow in love through openness with one another as we discern our call.”

From a spiritual perspective, our daily life is centred upon Morning and Evening Prayer, coupled with meditation and the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Every third weekend of month we go for a recollection at Betania Retreat Centre – Lahug with the recollection animated either by one of the formators or someone from outside the community. These moments of recollection help us to be in touch with ourselves as well as to reflect upon our struggles and hopes and how we are being called to deepen our call to become disciples of Jesus in the Society of Missionaries of Africa. At the same time, they provide us with a moment of rest from our academic life.

From an academic perspective, we follow the Philosophy Program (B.A.) at the University of San Carlos, Talamban Campus, located at about 3 km from our Formation House. There we are challenged to reflect deeply. Apart from academic studies, in our community, we are also privileged to follow sessions and programmes, like human formation, English classes and initiation into the Missionaries of Africa Charism. All of these things put together provide us with a well-rounded formation.

We have candidates’ meetings and other platforms where we are free to share our life experiences as well as our challenges. Once a week, during our daily mass, we are invited to share our reflections during Mass. During these moments, we learn to listen to how God is speaking to us through Holy Scriptures and the events of our lives. Birthdays are celebrated on the last Friday of each month.

Every second Sunday of the month, we have an open mass for the Friends of the Missionaries of Africa (FROMAP).

Through these encounters, we are learning to relate with people of different ages and gender. We also do some vocation promotion through sharing our experiences with the young people who came to attend the Mass.

We are grateful to the Missionaries of Africa for granting us this opportunity to learn to become disciples of Jesus, also to discover and to develop our academic potential and to learn more about who I am as a person.

We congratulate our brother Kiran Joseph, from India, who received his ghandourah and rosary at a ceremony held in the Spiritual Formation Centre in Kasama. We keep Kiran and all our young brothers in our prayers.

(From SOA Newsletter – January 2020)

A 17-day immersion experience in the Farm of Hope

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MASBATE PASTORAL EXPERIENCE IN FAZENDA DA ESPERANÇA

Masbate, an island in Bicol region, is at a crossroad of two Major Island in the Philippines – Luzon and Visayas. Its capital city is Masbate, but it is not in the city where we had our 17-day Immersion Experience.

It was in the place called Fazenda da Esperança, a name in Spanish meaning “Farm of Hope”, located in the town of Milagros, where we did our immersion experience.

Communication with those with whom we were living was difficult as there were people from different parts of the Philippines, but Tagalog was the common language used and became the middle ground for our communication.

Fazenda da Esperanca (Farm of Hope) is a place helping in the rehabilitation of people with various addictions like drugs, gambling, alcohol and even video games. Recovery is based upon three pillars:

    • COMMUNITY: where love and unity are lived as a family;
    • WORK: where each member of the community works for the food they eat daily as a way of making the project self-sustainable and
    • SPIRITUALITY: which gives meaning and direction to their lives and helps them to discover that God is the one who journeys with them, who loves them and who provides them with the strength to make the journey toward recovery.

These three pillars are the foundation which we experienced during our Immersion Experience in Fazenda da Esperanca. We lived, worked and prayed as they do. Seeing these things and experiencing life in their community helped us to grow more in our formation and brought us closer to the reality of life.

By representative of student community – Cebu

(from the SOA Newsletter – January 2020)

News from the sector of France

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News from the sector of France

Here are the latest news from the sector of France, only in French. In the next few days, if time permits, I’ll publish some of the more important articles in English.

Mini-lien nr 492

News from Section of Asia

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Newsletter from the Sector of Asia

SOA News January 2020

Some News from JPICED in Rome

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JPIC Newsletter January 2020

Here is the newsletter of the JPIC commission of the Union of Superiors Major, celebrating the 5th anniversary of Laudato Sì, which remains a challenge for each one of us. 

JPIC E news letter 2020 January

Meeting the Muslims: the contribution of the White Fathers

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Meeting the Muslims: the contribution of the White Fathers

The Society of Missionaries of Africa has promoted a renewal of the Christian approach to Islam

 Rémi Caucanas

Rémi Caucanas est chercheur associé à l’Institut de Recherches et d’Études sur le Monde Arabo-Musulman (IREMAM, Aix-en-Provence) et au Pontificio Istituto di Studi Arabi e d’Islamistica (PISAI, Rome). Il enseigne également au Tangaza University College (TUC, Nairobi). Ancien directeur de l’Institut Catholique de la Méditerranée (ICM, Marseille), Rémi Caucanas a un doctorat en Histoire.

The journeys of Pope Francis to Abu Dhabi (February 2019) and Rabat (March 2019) cannot but challenge us on the historical depth of the relationship between the Catholic Church and Islam. Now if the Argentinean pope inscribed his journey in the footsteps of Saint Francis, commemorating the 800th anniversary of his meeting with Sultan Ayyûbide in Damietta in 1219, another anniversary deserves our attention: the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the Society of Missionaries of Africa, whose work and history have contributed to a complete renewal of the Christian approach to Islam and Muslims.

Founded one hundred and fifty years ago by the Archbishop of Algiers, Mgr Charles Lavigerie (1825-1892), created Cardinal in 1882 and “Primate of Africa” in 1884, the Society has been one of the great cogs of modern evangelisation of the African continent. If the destiny of this missionary work thus extends beyond the Maghreb alone, the relationship with Islam and the Muslims of North Africa has nevertheless remained one of its foundations since its creation in 1868-9 and remains the focal point of our subject, namely the relationship of the White Fathers to Islam (1).

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Siegfried Elbert, R.I.P.

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Society of the Missionaries of Africa

Father Rudi Pint, Provincial Delegate of the sector of Germany,
informs you of the return to the Lord of Father

Siegfried Elbert

on Friday 24th January 2020 at Sarrelouis (Germany)
at the age of 81 years, of which 54 years of missionary life in
Ghana and in Germany.

Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.

Download here the announcement of Father Siegfried Elbert’s death

(more…)

Heinz-Jozef Schäckel, R.I.P.

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Society of the Missionaries of Africa

Father Rudi Pint, Provincial Delegate of the sector of Germany,
informs you of the return to the Lord of Father

Heinz-Jozef Schäckel

on 22nd January 2020 at Hersel (Germany)
at the age of 84 years, of which 53 years of missionary life
in Nigeria, Uganda and Germany.

Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.

Download here the announcement of Father Heinz-Jozef Schäckel’s death

(more…)

Christian unity – Day 8

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Let us Pray for Christian Unity

Day 8 - Generosity: Receiving and giving

Acts 28:8-10

“The father of Publius lay sick in bed with fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and cured him by praying and putting his hands on him.After this happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. They bestowed many honours on us, and when we were about to sail, they put on board all the provisions we needed”.

Reflection

This story is full of giving and receiving: Paul received unusual kindness from the islanders; Paul gives healing to the father of Publius and others; having lost everything in the storm, the 276 receive abundant provisions as they set sail. As Christians we are called to unusual kindness. But in order to give we must first learn to receive – from Christ and from others. More often than we realize, we are recipients of acts of kindness from people who are different from us. These acts also point towards the generosity and healing of our Lord. We who have been healed by the Lord are responsible for passing on that which we have received.

Prayer
God, giver of life,
we thank you for the gift of your compassionate love
which soothes and strengthens us.
We pray that our churches may be always open
to receive your gifts from one another.
Grant us a spirit of generosity to all
as we journey together in the path of Christian unity.
We ask this in the name of your Son
who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Day 7 - Conversion: Changing our hearts and minds

Acts 28:3-6

“Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire, when a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, ‘This man must be a murderer; though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.’He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.They were expecting him to swell up or drop dead, but after they had waited a long time and saw that nothing unusual had happened to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.”

Reflection

The locals realized that their judgment of Paul as a murderer was wrong, so they changed their minds. The extraordinary event with the viper enables the islanders to see things in a new way, a way which might prepare them to hear the message of Christ through Paul. In our search for Christian unity and reconciliation we are often challenged to rethink how we perceive other traditions and cultures. This demands an ongoing conversion to Christ in which the churches learn to overcome their perception of the other as a threat. As a result, our pejorative views of others will be cast away, and we will be drawn closer to unity.

Prayer
Almighty God,
we turn to you with repentant hearts.
In our sincere quest for your truth,
purify us from our unjust opinions of others
and lead the churches to grow in communion.
Help us let go of our fears,
and so better understand each other and the stranger in our midst.
We ask this in the name of the Just One,
your beloved Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Day 6 - Hospitality: Show unusual kindness

Acts 28: 1-2, 7

“After we had reached safety, we then learned that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us unusual kindness. Since it had begun to rain and was cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed all of us round it… Now in the neighbourhood of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days.”

Reflection

After the traumas and conflicts of the storm at sea, the practical care offered by the islanders is experienced as an unusual kindness by those washed up on the shores. Such kindness demonstrates our common humanity. The Gospel teaches us that when we care for those in distress we are showing love to Christ himself (cf. Matthew 25:40). Furthermore, when we show loving kindness to the weak and dispossessed we are attuning our hearts to the heart of God in which the poor have a special place. Welcoming outsiders, whether they be people of other cultures or beliefs, immigrants or refugees, is both to love Christ himself, and to love as God loves. As Christians, we are called to step out in faith and reach out with God’s all-embracing love, even to those we find difficult to love.

Prayer
God of the orphan, the widow and the stranger,
instil in our hearts a deep sense of hospitality.
Open our eyes and hearts when you ask us to feed you,
to clothe you and to visit you.
May our churches participate in the ending
of hunger,  thirst and isolation
and in overcoming barriers
that prevent the welcome of all people.
We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus,
who is present in the least of our sisters and brothers.
Amen.

Day 5 - Strength: Breaking bread for the journey

Acts 27:33-36

“Just before daybreak, Paul urged all of them to take some food, saying, ‘Today is the fourteenth day that you have been in suspense and remaining without food, having eaten nothing. Therefore I urge you to take some food, for it will help you survive; for none of you will lose a hair from your heads.’After he had said this, he took bread; and giving thanks to God in the presence of all, he broke it and began to eat. Then all of them were encouraged and took food for themselves.”

Reflection

Paul’s invitation to eat is an exhortation to those in the boat to strengthen themselves for what lies ahead. This taking of bread marks a change of attitude, as those in the boat move from despair to courage. In a similar way the Eucharist or Lord’s Supper provides us with food for the journey and re-orientates us to life in God. We are made strong. The breaking of the bread – at the core of Christian community life and worship – builds us up as we commit ourselves to Christian service. We long for the day when all Christians will be able to share at the same table of the Lord’s Supper and draw strength from one bread and one cup.

Prayer
Loving God, your Son Jesus Christ
broke bread and shared the cup
with his friends on the eve of his passion.
May we grow together in closer communion.
Following the example of Paul and the early Christians,
give us strength to build bridges
of compassion, solidarity and harmony.
In the power of the Holy Spirit,
we ask this in the name of your Son,
who gives his life that we might live.
Amen.

Day 4 - Trust: Do not be afraid, believe

Acts 27:23-26

“For the last night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before the emperor; and indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we will have to run aground on some island.”

Cette nuit même, en effet, un ange d
u
Dieu auquel j’appartiens et que je sers s’est présenté à moi et m’a dit
: ‘Sois
sans crainte, Paul
; il faut que tu comparaisses devant l’empereur et Dieu t’accorde aussi la vie de tous tes compagnons
de traversée
!’ Courage, donc, mes amis
! Je fais conf
iance à Dieu
: il en sera comme il m’a dit. Nous devons échouer
sur une île
».

Reflection

In the midst of the tempest Paul’s encouragement and hope contradicted the fear and despair of his fellow travellers. Our common call to be disciples of Jesus Christ entails being a sign of contradiction. In a world riven with anxieties, we are called to stand as witnesses to hope by placing our trust in God’s loving providence. Christian experience shows us that God writes straight on crooked lines, and we know, against all odds, we will not drown or be lost. Because God’s steadfast love endures for ever.

Prayer
Almighty God,
our personal suffering leads us to cry out in pain
and we shrink in fear when we experience sickness,
anxiety or the death of loved ones.
Teach us to trust you.
May the churches we belong to be signs of your providential care.
Make us true disciples of your Son
who taught us to listen to your word
and to serve one another.
In confidence we ask this in the name of your Son,
and in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Day 3 - Hope: Paul’s message

Acts 27:22 ; 34

“I urge you now to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship… none of you will lose a hair from your heads…”

Reflection

As Christians belonging to churches and traditions that are not fully reconciled to one another, we are often discouraged by the lack of progress towards visible unity. Indeed, some have given up all hope and see this unity as an unattainable ideal. Others do noteven see unity as a necessary part of their Christian faith. As we pray for this gift of visible unity, let us do so with steadfast faith, enduring patience and expectant hope, trusting in God’s loving providence. Unity is the Lord’s prayer for the Church and he is accompanying us on this journey. We will not be lost.

Prayer
God of mercy,
lost and disheartened, we turn to you.
Instil in us your gift of hope.
May our churches hope and strive
for the unity for which your Son prayed
on the eve of his passion.
We ask this through him
who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever.
Amen.

Day 2 - Enlightenment: Seeking and showing forth Christ’s light

Actes 27,20

“When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.”

Reflection

Christ is our light and our guide. Without the light and guidance of Christ, we become disorientated. When Christians lose sight of Christ, they grow fearfuland divided from one another. Moreover many people of good will outside the Church are unable to see the light of Christ because in our Christian division we reflect Christ’s light less clearly or, at times, block it out completely. As we seek the light of Christ, we are drawn closer to one another, and so mirror this light more clearly, becoming truly a sign of Christ, the light of the world.

Prayer
God, your word is alight to our steps
and without you we are lost and disorientated.
Enlighten us so that, through your word,
we may walk your path.
May our churches crave your guiding,
consoling and transforming presence.
Give us the honesty we need to recognize
when we make it difficult for others to see your light,
and the grace we need to share your light with others.
We ask this in the name of your Son,
who calls us, his followers, to be light to the world.
Amen.

Day 1 - Reconciliation: Throwing the cargo overboard

Acts 27:18-19, 21

“We were being pounded by the storm so violently that on the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard and on the third day with their own hands they threw the ship’s tackle overboard… Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul thenstood up among them and said, ‘Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and thereby avoided this damage and loss’.”

Reflection

As Christians from different Churches and Traditions, we have unfortunately, over the centuries, accumulated abundantbaggage consisting of mutual distrust, bitterness and suspicion. We thank the Lord for the birth and the growth of the ecumenical movement over the past century. Our encounter with Christians from other traditions and our common prayer forChristian unity encourage us to seek mutual forgiveness, reconciliation and acceptance. We must not allow the baggage of our past to hinder us from drawing closer to one another. It is the Lord’s will that we let go, in order to let God!

Prayer
Forgiving God,
set us free from the painful memories of the past,
that wound our shared Christian life.
Lead us to reconciliation so that,
through the Holy Spirit,
we may overcome hatred with love,
anger with gentleness
and suspicion with trust.
We ask this in the name
of your beloved Son, our brother Jesus.
Amen.