World’s Day of Migrants and Refugees (4)

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World's Day of Migrants and Refugees (4)

IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT MIGRANTS… The 29th of September is World’s Day of Migrants and Refugees. An opportunity to change our hearts, our ways of thinking… and to enter into the logic of God. NOT JUST ABOUT THE MIGRANTS… IT’S ALSO ABOUT NOT EXCLUDING ANYONE.

“Today’s world is increasingly becoming more elitist and cruel towards the excluded. Developing countries continue to be drained of their best natural and human resources for the benefit of a few privileged markets. Wars only affect some regions of the world, yet weapons of war are produced and sold in other regions which then refuse to accept the refugees produced by these conflicts, are unwilling to take them in.

Those who pay the price are always the little ones, the poor, the most vulnerable, who are prevented from sitting at the table and are left with the “crumbs” of the banquet.

The Church which “goes forth” can move forward, boldly take the initiative, go out to others, seek those who have fallen away, stand at the crossroads and welcome the outcast whom we ourselves as a society are excluding. Real development is fruitful and inclusive, oriented towards the future.”

Pope Francis

The Church has been celebrating World’s Day of Migrants and Refugees ever since 1914. It is always an opportunity for her to express concern for the most vulnerable people, who have to move for one reason or another; it is also an opportunity to pray for the challenges of migration and to raise awareness of the opportunities it offers.

For 2019, Pope Francis has chosen the theme “It is not only about migrants” to help remove our blinders and to ensure that no one is excluded from society, whether they are long-term residents or newcomers.

Download here the full kit for Pastoral use.

Official website

IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT MIGRANTS

Message from the GC to all confreres

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Message from the General Council on the occasion of the Extraordinary Missionary Month
and our 150th Anniversary

We, your brothers of the General Council, take the opportunity of addressing this message to you on the occasion of the extraordinary missionary month convoked by Pope Francis on the theme: “Baptized and sent: The Church of Christ in mission in the world”. This extraordinary missionary month celebrates the 100th anniversary of Pope Benedict XV’s apostolic letter “Maximum Illud”, written in its time to awaken awareness and the importance of the Church’s missionary activity with special emphasis on mission ‘ad gentes’. Coincidentally this comes at the same time with the celebration of our 150,h Jubilee year which is drawing to a close. The coming together of these two events enables us as a Society to pause and reflect in order to find the ways and means to keep alive the flame of our missionary ardour and to renew our missionary momentum and dynamism. This is the approach to which Cardinal Filoni invited us when, during his homily on the occasion of the opening of the Jubilee Year in Rome, he put to us the following question: “What does it mean to celebrate the 150th anniversary of a religious family, if not to reflect fundamentally and understand why it was created and what role it still has today? »

Download the letter of the General Council

World’s Day of Migrants and Refugees (3)

Posted on by Vitus Danaa Abobo

World's Day of Migrants and Refugees (3)

IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT MIGRANTS… The 29th of September is World’s Day of Migrants and Refugees. An opportunity to change our hearts, our ways of thinking… and to enter into the logic of God. NOT JUST ABOUT THE MIGRANTS… IT’S ALSO ABOUT OUR HUMANITY.

“Slavery is not something from other times. This practice has deep roots and it continues today in many forms: they include human trafficking, debt bondage, exploitation of children, sexual exploitation and forced domestic work. No one can wash their hands of these tragic realities without being, in some way, an accomplice in this crime against humanity.

The first thing we must do is to create greater awareness of the subject, to break through the veil of indifference that hangs over this segment of humanity who suffer, who continue to suffer.

The second great task is to act on behalf of those who have been turned into slaves.

All of us Christians are called to work together, in ever greater collaboration, to overcome all forms of inequality, every type of discrimination.”

Pope Francis

The Church has been celebrating World’s Day of Migrants and Refugees ever since 1914. It is always an opportunity for her to express concern for the most vulnerable people, who have to move for one reason or another; it is also an opportunity to pray for the challenges of migration and to raise awareness of the opportunities it offers.

For 2019, Pope Francis has chosen the theme “It is not only about migrants” to help remove our blinders and to ensure that no one is excluded from society, whether they are long-term residents or newcomers.

Download here the full kit for Pastoral use.

Official website

IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT MIGRANTS

World’s Day of Migrants and Refugees (2)

Posted on by Vitus Danaa Abobo

World's Day of Migrants and Refugees (2)

IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT MIGRANTS… The 29th of September is World’s Day of Migrants and Refugees. An opportunity to change our hearts, our ways of thinking… and to enter into the logic of God. NOT JUST ABOUT THE MIGRANTS… IT’S ALSO ABOUT CHARITY.

“Charity cannot be neutral, antiseptic, indifferent, lukewarm or impartial! Charity is infectious, it excites, it risks and it engages! For true charity is always unmerited, unconditional and gratuitous! It is also about the face we want to give to our society and about the value of each human life. Many positive steps have been taken in different areas, especially in the developed countries, yet we cannot forget that the progress of our peoples cannot be measured by technological or economic advances alone. It depends above all on our openness to being touched and moved by those who knock at our door. Their faces debunk and shatter all those false idols that can take over and enslave our lives, idols blind to the lives and sufferings of others, idols that promise an illusory and fleeting happiness. How arid and inhospitable a city becomes, once it loses the capacity for compassion! A heartless society… a barren mother. You are not the marginalized; you are at the centre of the heart of the Church.”

Pope Francis

The Church has been celebrating World’s Day of Migrants and Refugees ever since 1914. It is always an opportunity for her to express concern for the most vulnerable people, who have to move for one reason or another; it is also an opportunity to pray for the challenges of migration and to raise awareness of the opportunities it offers.

For 2019, Pope Francis has chosen the theme “It is not only about migrants” to help remove our blinders and to ensure that no one is excluded from society, whether they are long-term residents or newcomers.

Download here the full kit for Pastoral use.

Official website

IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT MIGRANTS

World’s Day of Migrants and Refugees (1)

Posted on by Vitus Danaa Abobo

World's Day of Migrants and Refugees (1)

IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT MIGRANTS… The 29th of September is World’s Day of Migrants and Refugees. An opportunity to change our hearts, our ways of thinking… and to enter into the logic of God. NOT JUST ABOUT THE MIGRANTS… IT’S ALSO ABOUT OUR FEARS.

Credit Photos : A Gichigi

“The ugly cruelty of our time tempts us to abandon any dream of freedom. And so we close in on ourselves, within our fragile certainty and security, inside the circle of people we like, in our safe routine.

Withdrawing into ourselves is a sign of defeat, and it increases our fear of “others”, strangers, outsiders, foreigners especially today, when migrants and refugees arrive to knock at our door in search of protection, security, and a better future.

It is not easy to enter into someone else’s culture, to put on the shoes of people who are so different from us and understand their thoughts and experiences. And so we often refuse to encounter others and raise barriers to protect ourselves. Instead of this, we are called to overcome fear and open up to encounter.” 

Pope Francis

The Church has been celebrating World’s Day of Migrants and Refugees ever since 1914. It is always an opportunity for her to express concern for the most vulnerable people, who have to move for one reason or another; it is also an opportunity to pray for the challenges of migration and to raise awareness of the opportunities it offers.

For 2019, Pope Francis has chosen the theme “It is not only about migrants” to help remove our blinders and to ensure that no one is excluded from society, whether they are long-term residents or newcomers.

Download here the full kit for Pastoral use.

Official website

IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT MIGRANTS

Roman conferences – Vatican relations with African States

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Vatican Diplomatic relations with African States

Archbishop Paul Gallagher is currently the Secretary for relations with the States within the Holy See’s Secretariat of State.

Born in Liverpool in 1954, Paul Gallagher is ordained priest in 1977 and soon joins the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy where he obtains a doctorate in Canon Law. From 1984, he begins working in the Holy See’s diplomacy. He will be posted in Tanzania, Uruguay and the Philippines before becoming the Nuncio in Burundi, the Observer in the Council of Europe, the Nuncio in Guatemala and, finally the Nuncio in Australia until Pope Francis appoints him Secretary for relations with the States. From 2015, he is instrumental in promoting dialogue between parties in the Middle East.

Archbishop Gallagher has known a number of confreres, especially in Tanzania where he remembers Atiman House and its residents of the time. 

Archbishop Gallagher was invited to the Generalate to tell us of his experience as secretary for relations with the States, especially with the States of Africa.  In a style very relaxed and friendly, he told us, not without a certain realism on the difficulties, of his optimism for an Africa which is naturally very religious.

Eco-citizen Day at Our Lady of Africa

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Journée Eco-Citoyenne à Notre-Dame d’Afrique

Translated from an article of our confreres on the website of Our Lady of Africa in Algiers. 

Notre-Dame d'Afrique à Alger

The idea was in the minds of the White Fathers of the Basilica and in their conversations for months… as they saw the surroundings of the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa, one of the most visited places in Algiers, becoming increasingly dirty. Finally, encouraged by what is being done elsewhere, we launched an appeal inviting citizens to come and clean up for a few hours. The messages went on social networks…. We didn’t know how many people would come…  We were a little stressed!

On August 31, at 7:30 am, the first three volunteers arrived from Dely Ibrahim… by bike! Little by little, other people came: as a couple, with family, with friends, with colleagues from work, or on their own… I saw Algerians, Poles, Malians, Burkinabés, Brazilians, French, Ghanaians, Mexicans, Spaniards, and even the police and the city hall services (NetCom), as well as some tourists who were a little surprised. We also had a television journalist… from China!

We gave safety instructions, gloves, garbage bags (partly provided by NetCom) and each was assigned a zone. From time to time someone would scream, “Who wants “freshhh” water? Who wants “freshhh” water? ” Fortunately, because the heat was intense. For two and a half hours we worked in a cheerful mood, making new friends, sweating, but above all with the pride of helping to restore the beauty of the place!

A whistle blew to end the work. Everyone gathered so that we could tell them: “Thank you for coming to restore the beauty of this place. The fact that most of you are Muslims who have come to take care of a Christian church is also a beautiful act. God created nature so beautiful, so we as believers must keep it that way. Thank you for coming!  ». We took a few pictures in front of “the fruit of our sweat”: while being quite surprised that only two hours allowed us to collect so much waste!

We had ordered delicious cakes (sweet and savoury) and arranged everything necessary to offer tea or coffee to the 70 people and more who stayed until the end. It allowed us to regain our strength and make new friends. For some people it was the first time they came to the basilica and a “guided” tour ended the morning.

We are very grateful to all those who made this day possible. The ideal would be for us not to have to make an appeal again to clean the domain…. But if it were the case, now we know that we can count on the many friends of the Basilica.

Peter-Claver KOGH and José M. CANTAL
White Fathers at the Basilica

Solidary hospitality as the foundation of our intercultural communities

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Solidary hospitality as the foundation of our intercultural communities

Inspired by a resolution of the last chapter, the workshop on living in intercultural communities as an apostolic witness brought together 18 confreres, including the animators Freddy Kyombo, Andreas Göpfert and the secretary Jean-Paul Guibila, from 1 to 8 September 2019 at the Generalate.

The overall objective of this gathering was to define an intercultural spirituality with the objective of helping our M.Afr. communities to improve their community witness. It is at this level that solidary hospitality appears to be the notion that best defines the foundation of our intercultural communities.

Thanks to the progressive construction of our international communities, inspired from its foundation by the words of Cardinal Lavigerie, who insisted on “esprit de corps” to witness to Christ and to the values of the Kingdom of God, we are able to periodically evaluate our identity. More than ever, we are taking into account our cultural diversity, which is perceived not as a threat, but rather as a source of wealth. Our deep desire is to witness our unity in diversity.

This poses a serious challenge. Indeed, preserving unity in plurality requires a constant effort. This spirit of unity refers to an awareness of our different ways of thinking or making decisions together. A double movement oscillating between belonging to a group and the subjective feeling of uniqueness, this otherness therefore, allows the acceptance of mutual dependence. Our identity is built on the basis of our diversity.

Thus, our identity must remain plural. Otherwise, there is a risk of rejection of the other to the detriment of community life, a danger of cultural assimilation leading to forms of alienation and a danger of the development of conflict zones. On the other hand, identity consolidation is achieved in a climate of dialogue.

Risks that threaten the development of community identity

An intoxication of the relational climate is increasing with an exaggeration of ethnic differences and their manipulation and instrumentalization. A purification of perceptions is therefore necessary with the development of a critical sense. This will prevent violence.

The identity of the person or group is a multiple composition supported by a mental openness. It is in this context that plurality is the source of identity development that connects individuals and peoples alike through the example of a bridge. In everything, we must avoid the single thought.

Another risk or danger is the spread of discriminatory stereotypes or labels. As persons consecrated to the Kingdom of God, we are particularly chosen to fight against this. The preferred approach is a spirituality of fraternal communion that respects differences. To be a disciple of Christ is to affirm that we are all complementary to each other.

A strong individual and collective identity is both demanding and fully compatible with a spirituality of communion. Indeed, it is based on the stated desire to acquire a new vision of oneself based on the concept of interculturality. It is in this sense that interculturality is perceived by some people or groups as a great provocation.

Difficulties related to constant change

Stereotypes and prejudices are based on cultural codes linked to the relationship that man has established with nature, time, space, disease and death, power.

The variety of cultural behaviours is almost infinite. Nowadays, we must add the presence of digital culture, which poses new challenges.

There is a significant difference between new generations and seniors. The latter have more difficulty keeping up with the pace of digital innovations.

Towards an intercultural spirituality

How can we integrate the spirituality of interculturality into our daily lives?

    1. We must be ready to change our way of looking at and perceiving things.
      1. Developing a constructive approach.
      2. By considering the other person or group as a source of complementarity.
      3. By appreciating the other as a gift to me, not a threat.
      4. In this way, an intercultural community becomes a gift for all.
    2. We must value the diversity that is intended by God.
      1. Following the example of Moses who must take off his shoes to enter the sacred place of the meeting, we too take off our prejudices to prioritize the spirituality of interculturality.
      2. We are all children of the same creator.
      3. Diversity is a gift from God.
      4. Diversity is generated by the Spirit of God.
    3. We must seek to reach or tend towards the spirituality of communion.
      1. To play its role well, the Church should above all be the home or a school of communion.
      2. The best way to do this is to look through the heart, pay attention to the other, see the positive in the other (person or group) and share the burdens.
    4. We must build fraternity (reference: 1 John 4:20).
      1. By expanding our “circle of brotherhood”.
      2. By becoming PLACES OF SOLIDARY HOSPITALITY by promoting true dialogue and the progressive construction of an intercultural spirituality in the welcoming of the other.

Conclusion

We have been focusing a lot on hospitality since our foundation. Solidarity is also part of our way of living in community. There is nothing new about this. On the other hand, by more intimately combining these two dimensions, we are able to incorporate interculturality into our communities. It is then that interculturality is defined as a spirituality, that is, a place of expression of the Spirit, a gift of God.

A reflection of Serge St-Arneault, M.Afr.
Participant in the Workshop

First published in French on his personal blog

Translation: Philippe Docq

Participants in the workshop “Living in intercultural community as an apostolic witness today”, Rome, 1-8 September 2019.

1: Freddy Kyombo. 2: Paul Makambi Kitha. 3: Andreas Göpfert. 4: Michael Mpindo. 5: Ignatius Anipu. 6: Georges Jacques. 7: Robert Ubemu. 8: Armand Galay. 9: Daniel Nana. 10:  Paul Johnston. 11: Benjamin Jigeesh. 12: Hans Joachim Lohre. 13: Serge St-Arneault. 14: Serge Boroto. 15: Emmanuel Noufé. 16: Robbin Simbeye. 17: Bonaventure Bwanakweri. 18: Alex Manda.

Giuseppe Mattedi, R.I.P.

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Society of the Missionaries of Africa

Father Gaetano Cazzola, Provincial Delegate of the sector of Italy,
informs you of the return to the Lord of Father

Giuseppe Mattedi

on Monday 9th September 2019 at Treviglio (Italy)
at the age of 93 years, of which 67 years of missionary life in
Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Italy.

Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.

Download here the announcement of Father Giuseppe Mattedi’s death

(more…)

Steven Kambuku becomes a priest

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Priestly ordination of Fr. Steven Kambuku

On the 20th of July 2019, the Missionaries of Africa and the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa in the Malawi Sector witnessed the ordination of Fr. Steven Kambuku (M.afr) and Fr. Joseph Palasa (Diocesan). It was a colourful and beautiful ceremony. The ordaining minister was the Archbishop of Lilongwe Archdiocese, Archbishop Tarcisius Zizaye. Present also was the Retired Archbishop Remi Joseph Gustave Sainte-Marie. There were a lot of priests (missionaries from different congregations and diocesans) and religious men and women who also graced the occasion, as well as parishioners from almost all the parishes with the Diocese of Dedza and the neighbouring dioceses.

Rev Fr. Steven Mark Damiano Kambuku who was ordained that day, was born on 30/07/1988 to the family of Mr. Damiano Hamilton Kambuku and Mrs. Calorina Anastazio Chiputula. Fr. Kambuku was the second of four children in the family; three boys, one girl. He did his secondary school education at Bandawe Boys Secondary School, Nambuma Community Development Secondary School in Nambuma, Unity Private and Army Private. In the year 2009 he started his formation at Kanengo pre-formation house in Lilongwe, Malawi. Later he was sent to Balaka for his philosophical studies. After his studies in Philosophy in 2012, he was appointed to Kasama for his novitiate. After his novitiate in 2013, he was sent to Burkina Faso for his pastoral experience (Stage). He was later appointed to Kinshasa in DRC for theology. While in theology, he took his perpetual oath on 9/12/2018. On the same day he was ordained a deacon by Bishop Placide Lubamba (M.afr) from DRC.

The priestly ordination ceremony took place in a village called Matumba, at the Holy Angels Parish under the Diocese of Dedza. The officiating Archbishop was from the neighbouring Archdiocese (Lilongwe) as the hosting diocese is currently without a chief shepherd. On a personal note, the choice of the place of ordination was a good one because it shows the Church’s preferential option for the poor and also allowed the simple people in this village who are without a means of transport, an opportunity to witness this Holy and Sacred ceremony. If the ordination was to be done in town, many of these people would have found it difficult to witness it. The participation of the local people in the order of the mass made the celebration very colourful. There were the Angoni traditional dancers, little girls and boys, and the catholic women organisation members who throughout the mass were using their various dance styles to praise God while the Choir sings. The choir was a combined group of choir members from all of the outstations of the hosting parish, and they sang wonderfully.

The homily of the Archbishop Tarcisius Ziyaye was centered on love. He started by saying that even though Isaiah offered himself to be used for the mission of God, he wasn’t the one who made himself into God’s prophet and servant. Rather, it was God who made Isaiah into His prophet and sent him on a mission. God through His mercy and love always calls someone from among the faithfuls to serve Him as a priest in the Church.

The Archbishop went on to say that, the priesthood we receive is not a human thing, but rather the priesthood of Christ himself, and that is why the Church always affirm that a priest is another Christ. Therefore, he encouraged the candidates to be ordained and all priests present not to take their priestly ministry lightly, not to forget the holiness and honour of the sacred priesthood and to always strive to live their lives like Christ did.
He further emphasized that, the service of the sacred priesthood is to be rendered with all humility, respect for God’s people, total devotion and love. For the sacred priesthood is not a profession or a part time job, it is a lifelong service, he added. He buttressed this point by making reference to the teachings of Mother Theresa of Calcutta who when advising her sisters said “when doing your examination of conscience at night before you go to bed, do not ask yourselves, what have I done today? But rather ask yourselves, all that I did today, have I done them with love?”
He rounded up his homily by reminding everyone present that our life is a life of love, a life centered and guided by love. Because God is love and Christ Jesus died for us because he loved us. We must also not depart from love, but remain steadfastly rooted in love.

After the homily of the Archbishop, the vocation director of the diocese Fr. Emmanuel Chuma called forward the ordinands for the rite of ordination. The two ordinands answered from where they were sitting among the crowd “Ndilipo” meaning Here I am. The two ordinands then came forward gleefully, accompanied by their parents and a troupe of traditional dancers – it was a very touching moment. During the litany of the saints, the two candidates lay down in total submission to God and the choir sang the litany in a way that moves the heart, one could feel the presence of the saints. After the rite of ordination, all the priests, brothers, sisters, seminarians and family members congratulated the newly ordained, and they (the newly ordained) in turn blessed the archbishops, the priests and religious and all the faithfuls present. 

They are now priests forever according to the order of Melchizedek!!

The ceremony continued as normal till after the communion when the choir sang the Magnificat. This was another moment that stood out; there were three little girls who came out and danced beautifully to the hymn. One was dressed as Mary and the two others as angels – it was quite a sight to behold.

During the speeches, Fr. Kambuku expressed his profound gratitude to God for the gift of vocation to serve Him as a priest. He also thanked all members of the Society of the Missionaries of Africa, his parents, all friends of the Missionaries of Africa who have lived with him and all those who have helped him in various ways to reach the Altar of God.

The family members expressed their profound joy in the speech that was given. They thanked God for the honour he has bestowed on them by considering their families worthy of giving Him priests to serve in His vineyard. They also expressed their profound gratitude to all those who partook in the formation of their children, and also all those who came to witness the ceremony.

The Archbishop in His closing remark reemphasized on the focal point of his homily, that is, Love. He encouraged the newly ordained priests to serve with love and complete devotion, to be humble and to be Christ like. He also urged them to be obedient sons of the Church and to follow the teachings of the Church.

Okunola Michael Olatude
Stagiaire at St. Francis Parish, Kanengo, Malawi