Paul Gilardeau, R.I.P. Posted on 17/10/201917/10/2019 by Vitus Danaa Abobo Society of the Missionaries of AfricaFather Réal Doucet, Provincial of the Americas,informs you of the return to the Lord of FatherPaul Gilardeau on Thursday the 17th October 2019 at Montreal QC (Canada)at the age of 82 years, of which 59 years of missionary life inBurundi, DR Congo (Zaïre) and Canada.Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.Download here the announcement of Father Paul Gilardeau’s death (more…)
Maurice Van Genechten, R.I.P. Posted on 17/10/201917/10/2019 by Vitus Danaa Abobo Society of the Missionaries of AfricaFather Luc Putzeys, Provincial Delegate of the sector of Belgium,informs you of the return to the Lord of FatherMaurice Van Genechten on Thursday the 17th October 2019 at Avondrust – Varsenare (Belgium)at the age of 81 years, of which 56 years of missionary life inin DR Congo (Zaïre), Mali, Burkina Faso (Upper-Volta) and in Belgium.Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.Download here the announcement of Father Maurice Van Genechten’s death (more…)
Joseph (Jos) Leys, R.I.P. Posted on 16/10/201916/10/2019 by Vitus Danaa Abobo Society of the Missionaries of AfricaFather Luc Putzeys, Provincial Delegate of the sector of Belgium,informs you of the return to the Lord of FatherJoseph (Jos) Leys on Tuesday 15h October 2019 at Zelzate (Belgium)at the age of 85 years, of which 61 years of missionary life inCongo and Belgium.Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.Download here the announcement of Father Joseph Leys’s death (more…)
The believer’s destiny Posted on 14/10/201914/10/2019 by Vitus Danaa Abobo Le destin du croyant “The mountain of Zion is solid not because it is stable, but because it is sacred and dear to God. I believe that this is the destiny of every believer. We are dear to God and he does not abandon his own.” (Stan L. meditating on Ps. 125)Christian blogger, Guillaume Nocq interviewed (in French) our Superior General, Stan Lubungo, inviting him to comment on the psalm that speaks the most to him. In this jubilee year blessed by God, Stan took the opportunity to return to the roots of our Missionary Society.
Roger Merceron, R.I.P. Posted on 12/10/201912/10/2019 by Vitus Danaa Abobo Society of the Missionaries of AfricaFather Patrick Bataille, Provincial Delegate of the sector of France,informs you of the return to the Lord of FatherRoger Merceron on Friday the 11th of October 2019 at Pau-Billère (France)at the age of 89 years, of which 64 years of missionary life inDR Congo, Burundi, Switzerland, Jerusalem and France.Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.Download here the announcement of Father Roger Merceron’s death (more…)
Pierre Mauriaucourt, R.I.P. Posted on 11/10/201911/10/2019 by Vitus Danaa Abobo Society of the Missionaries of AfricaFather Patrick Bataille, Provincial Delegate of the sector of France,informs you of the return to the Lord of FatherPierre Mauriaucourt on Friday 11th October 2019 at Bry-sur-Marne (France)at the age of 92 years, of which 66 years of missionary life inAlgeria and France.Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.Download here the announcement of Father Pierre Mauriaucourt’s death (more…)
ICOF Sabbatical Renewal Programme Posted on 10/10/201904/11/2019 by Vitus Danaa Abobo Sabbatical Renewal ProgramArusha 13 January - 19 June 2020This Inter-Congregational On-going Formation (ICOF) program is offered to Catholic Priest and Religious in Africa.Qualifications for applicants:Being Catholic priest or religious.Having been in ministry for at least 7 years.Those in transition from one ministry to anotherwill find it beneficial.Being recommended by one‘s superior/ bishop.Having a reasonable mastery of English.Willing to be open to share oneself with othersfor mutual enrichment and growth.Application deadline: November 30‘“, 2019Application form can be downloaded fromwww.icofgrogram.org/application/sabbaticalOr directlty from the following links :Brochure for the 6 month Sabbatical ProgramApplication Form
Newsletter from Pisai Posted on 08/10/201908/10/2019 by Vitus Danaa Abobo Newsletter from PISAIWe have received from Diego Sarrió, “Preside” at PISAI (Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies) the newsletter of 7th October 2019 and translated the editorial, originally in Italian. We refer you to the Website of Pisai for further information.http://en.pisai.it/home Dearest Friends,Pope Francis offered us a wonderful surprise on Sunday 1 September when, after the Angelus prayer, he announced the names of the 13 new cardinals elected, including Mgr Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, M.C.C.J., President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and Mgr Michael L. Fitzgerald, M.Afr., former President of the same Pontifical Council. This announcement filled us with joy not only because it highlights once again how dear inter-religious dialogue is to the Holy Father, but at the same time because the two future cardinals have long ties with our Institute. To both the sincere congratulations of the entire academic community of the PISAI.The new academic year was also an opportunity to rethink the format of the newsletter we send to the Alumni. As you may recall, in recent years the PAA has sent subscribers a PDF newsletter with news and other information on the life of the Institute. Whenever possible, we have tried hard to translate all the news into Italian, English and French. Starting with this newsletter, we are trying out a new, simpler format: a single newsletter for alumni and other visitors interested in our activities. For now we will limit ourselves to Italian, which is the language shared by all of us. We count on your reactions and advice to help us improve the newsletter. We would be happy to have your contribution of news about your experiences to enrich each other and stay in touch. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Manuela Galaverni, alumna of PISAI, who has been in charge of the implementation of the PAA project since the beginning.I wish you all a good start to the academic year.Father Diego
Grace upon grace… Posted on 07/10/201907/10/2019 by Vitus Danaa Abobo Grace upon grace...The beginning of the month of October was very intense in Rome. Launching of the extraordinary missionary month on the 1st of October , commemorating and reviving the very strong missionary appeal made by Benedict XV in his Apostolic Letter “Maximum Illud” a hundred years ago. “Baptised and sent: the Church of Christ on mission in the world.” To speak today of the ones baptised and sent means that each baptised person, at his or her level, can be a missionary, can be the instrument of the proposal that God wants to make to Man, through his or her personal witness, prayer and offering. Three days later, on the feast of St. Francis, the Pope took part, in the Vatican gardens, in a cultural event to celebrate the end of the Season of Creation 2019 and to consecrate the forthcoming Synod on Amazonia. But even nearer to our heart and identity was certainly the creation of 13 new Cardinals taken for a great part from missionary institutes, among whom our confrere Michael Fitzgerald. A lot has been written about the event. The General House was full of guests, between the 25 family members and friends of Michael Fitzgerald and a few of the Congolese Bishops who had come to celebrate the creation of Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa. The Pope had called a Constistory for Saturday the 5th of October at 16 hours to elevate the 13 new Cardinals. For that occasion, all the Cardinals of Rome were present to welcome their new brothers. A few minutes before 3 in the afternoon, “Cardinal Fitzgerald to be” appeared in his scarlet cassock but without the scarlet zuchetta and biretta, both of which he would receive from the hands of the Pope himself during the ceremony. You will recognize on the left side of the photo our confreres, Bishop Willy Ngumbi, and Martin Wullobayi, professor at the Pisai, chose by the new Cardinal as his personal secretary for the ceremony. The following video is the part of the consistory when the Pope is inviting the “Cardinals to be” to profess their faith, when he wears them with the scarlet zuchetta and biretta and when the new Cardinals are welcomed and congratulated by the College of Cardinals present. This extract of the ceremony just lasts 24 minutes. If you want to see the full video (1h15), follow this link. After the ceremony, each of the new Cardinals were given a space where they could be met and congratulated by their family members and friends. Back to the house around supper time, Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald still founds the energy to come and share a bit of the evening time with the confrères of the Services and a few others. This shows how simple and fraternal Michael is with his “family”. On Sunday, the new Cardinals were concelebrating with the Pope the morning mass on St. Peter’s Square for the big celebration inaugurating the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region.At one o’clock in the afternoon, all the ceremonies and liturgies were finished. It was then time for celebration. In his congratulating speech, Father Stan Lubungo, superior general, commented on the “Coincidence” of this honour given to Michael but also to all of us and remembering the beatification of our 4 confreres martyred in Algeria and the proclamation of an extraordinary missionary month this October, all occurring within our Jubilee Year, he preferred speaking of a “wink” of God… as we are harvesting “Grace Upon Grace”!
ICMA-IC Formation on protection Posted on 04/10/201904/10/2019 by Vitus Danaa Abobo Session sur la protection des mineurs et des personnes vulnérablesFrom 17-24 September 2019, our confrère Stéphane Joulain gave at the Catholic Missionary Institute of Abidjan (ICMA) a final training session on the protection of minors and the prevention of sexual abuse. This session had 34 participants, students from the last years of formation of ICMA’s partner or founding institutes, but also nuns and other lay people. Also participating, members of the new Centre for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons (CPM-PV) of ICMA. This Centre was inaugurated this year and will offer training and awareness in the parishes and dioceses of Ivory Coast. The director of this new centre, Sr. Solange Sia, co-hosted the session with our confrere. Members of this new centre also include two other Missionaries from Africa, Father François-Xavier Bigeziki as psychotherapist and trainer, and Father Bonaventure Mashata as a resource person. Starting next academic year, the session will be offered by the CPM-PV team and ICMA trainers. Good luck to them all. Here are some pictures of the presentation of the certificates that are jointly offered by ICMA and the Centre for the Protection of Children (CCP) of the Gregorian University of Rome.