Karl Hermes R.I.P. Posted on 29/06/202429/06/2024 by Vitus Danaa Abobo Society of the Missionaries of AfricaFather Ludwig Peschen, Provincial Delegate of the sector of Germany,informs you of the return to the Lord of FatherKarl Hermes on Thursday, 27th June 2024 in Trier (Germany)at the age of 85 years, of which 58 years of missionary lifein Zambia and Germany.Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.Download here the announcement of Father Karl Hermes’ death (more…)
Training on the safeguarding of minors and persons in situations of vulnerability, Kigali, 10th day Posted on 29/06/202429/06/2024 by Vitus Danaa Abobo Our last day of training was very practical. In the morning, we took time with Stéphane Joulain to do a case study of how to deal with possible abuse cases. A time of group work allowed us to share on the ways we understand possible situations of abuse.Subsequently, Lowrent Kamwaza presented how to elaborate a strategic plan. Inspired by his strategic plan as Safeguarding coordinator of the Society, he recommended each and everyone of us to work on our strategic plan of sector/province to go back with concrete actions to be implemented in our safeguarding ministry.We concluded this training session with recommendations. Those to be presented to the General Council and provincials, some to be carried by the safeguarding delegates and others to be proposed to our different sectors/provinces. We committed ourselves in a final statement (Kigali Statement) to implement this ministry of safeguarding.Safeguarding is our commitmentBy: Alex Manda, Clément Kpatcha, Guy Sawadogo, Lowrent Kamwaza (News Team)
Official Communication, Rome, 28th June 2024 Posted on 28/06/202428/06/2024 by Vitus Danaa AboboAfter consultation with the Provincial Superiors, the Assistants General and the General Officials, as required by article 215 § 3 of the Constitutions and Laws of the Society, the Superior General, Father Stanley Lubungo, has designated Father Pawel Hulecki First Assistant General.Our fraternal congratulations and best wishes to Pawel.Rome, 28th June 2024André-L. Simonart,Secretary General.
Farewell to Francis Bomaansan, new Bishop-elect of Wa, Ghana Posted on 28/06/202428/06/2024 by Vitus Danaa Abobo Today, 27th June 2024, we said our goodbyes to our confrere Francis Bomansaan, recently appointed Bishop of Wa, in Ghana. This Eucharist, concelebrated with the Superior General Stanley Lubungo, was Francis’ expression of thanksgiving for each confrere of the Generalate.During the homily, Bishop-elect Francis shared with the entire Generalate community his deep feelings following his episcopal appointment: surprise, hesitation, a time of discernment and prayer to regain inner peace, and finally the acceptance of the appointment by the Holy Father, Pope Francis. He also spoke of the profound significance of his episcopal coat of arms. These include several key symbols: a star on a blue background representing Mary and his attachment to the Mother of God; the tongues of fire representing the Holy Spirit; the Pelican highlighting his attachment to the Society of Missionaries of Africa; and an empty basket, a symbol from his native culture, signifying the state of being in need in order to receive generously, thus illustrating the need to receive God’s graces.At the end of the Eucharist, Superior General Stanley Lubungo thanked Francis for his service to the Society, and assured him of everyone’s support in prayer. He also expressed his best wishes for his ministry in the diocese of Wa, and finally sent him on mission with confidence and prayer for his future episcopal office.The episcopal ordination of Father Francis Bomansaan will take place on 2nd August 2024 in Wa. We express our prayerful support to him and wish him a fruitful episcopal ministry.By: Pawel Hulecki M.Afr.Assistant General
Training on the safeguarding of minors and persons in situations of vulnerability, Kigali, 9th day Posted on 28/06/202428/06/2024 by Vitus Danaa Abobo On this 9th day of our formation, our confrere Prosper Harelimana, JPIC-ED Coordinator of the Society, presented to us the theme of “Safeguarding as a matter of Justice and Peace“. He showed us that in many African cultures, a child must be protected and cherished by his or her parents and those around him or her. Unfortunately, children can be abused under the pretext of cultural values. For this, we, missionaries, must be aware that children are human beings with the same dignity, protected by the human rights, and not objects. It is necessary to find a balance between what their education and duties entail and the acts of abuse they may suffer, such as sexual assault. The ministry of Safeguarding implies social fairness. To deepen this subject, we took the time to work in groups by provinces. In the afternoon, Brother Fabien Bulaimu, a member of the Congregation of the Marist Brothers, gave a conference on the need to prevent child abuse in our pastoral contexts. He addressed it mainly in the context of initial and on-going formation. Safeguarding is an integral part of our commitment to pastoral and formative ministry.Safeguarding is our commitmentBy: Alex Manda, Clément Kpatcha, Guy Sawadogo, Lowrent Kamwaza (News Team)
Training on the safeguarding of minors and persons in situations of vulnerability, Kigali, 8th day Posted on 27/06/202427/06/2024 by Vitus Danaa Abobo We had two speakers for the 8th day of our training session. In the morning, we welcomed the Reverend Father Romuald Uzabumwana, a member of the Pallotine Fathers. He is a psychologist and lectures at the Institute of Anthropology of the Gregorian Pontifical University. He addressed the theme “Safeguarding and healthy boundaries in relational and pastoral contexts”. Fr Romuald presented the different factors of pastoral boundaries that exist and insisted on the importance of cultivating appropriate and healthy relationships while administering the people of God. He also emphasizes that, for us pastoral agents, pastoral supervision is the key to our ministry in order to reduce the risks of abuse. In the second session, our confrere Lowrent Kamwaza gave a presentation on the skills needed to conceive relevant safeguarding training sessions/workshops for different target groups. He stressed the need to consider a number of key issues and elements for a workshop. A sound workshop should be participant-oriented with an approach that ignites active participation and aims at positive results. To practice, we worked in groups by provinces to craft sample training sessions for different audiences of our provinces.Safeguarding is our commitmentBy: Alex Manda, Clément Kpatcha, Guy Sawadogo, Lowrent Kamwaza (News Team)
Dieudonné Utera R.I.P. Posted on 27/06/202428/06/2024 by Vitus Danaa Abobo Society of the Missionaries of AfricaFather Arsène Kapya, Provincial of Central Africa,informs you of the return to the Lord of FatherDieudonné Utera on Wednesday, 26th June 2024 in Tangala (DR Congo)at the age of 65 years, of which 36 years of missionary lifein Mali, Canada, France, Ghana and DR Congo.Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.Download here the announcement of Father Dieudonné Utera’s death (more…)
Training on the safeguarding of minors and persons in situations of vulnerability, Kigali, 7th day Posted on 26/06/202426/06/2024 by Vitus Danaa Abobo The 7th day of our training was enriched by the presentations of three speakers, our confreres, Simon Ouedraogo, Vitus Abobo and Stéphane Joulain. In his presentation, Simon highlighted how incidents of cases of sexual abuse of minors are treated and handled in the Church based on the Code of Canon Law. He further explained the necessary procedures for a preliminary investigation and how false allegations of abuse are dealt with canonically.In concluding the morning, Vitus, our webmaster, spoke to us how to handle the official email addresses related to this safeguarding ministry.In the second session, Stéphane gave a presentation on pastoral responses and care for victims/survivors and the accused of sexual offenses. Firstly, he stressed the need to cultivate attitudes and skills to welcome, listen to and pastorally accompany victims/survivors at the time of disclosure of an abuse. And secondly, he explained how the pastoral care of abusers of minors is ensured in the Church.Safeguarding is our commitmentBy: Alex Manda, Clément Kpatcha, Guy Sawadogo, Lowrent Kamwaza (News Team)
Training on the safeguarding of minors and persons in situations of vulnerability, Kigali, 6th day Posted on 25/06/202425/06/2024 by Vitus Danaa Abobo The beginning of this second week of our training has been marked by three key interventions by our confreres namely Michael Heap, Stephane Joulain and Elvis Ng’andwe. In his talk, Michael Heap gave a comprehensive presentation of different safeguarding incidents that can take place in our contexts of mission. In addition to this, Michael explained how, we safeguarding delegates ought to act in a case of a safeguarding incident, in front of the complainant, the accused, and other stakeholders involved in child protection. In situations of abuse, we are all vulnerable. As delegates, we are called to be aware of what is going on within us and around us. On his part, Stephane Joulain, explained how safeguarding delegates ought to handle cases of an abuse and how to conduct a canonical preliminary investigation.At the second session, Elvis Ng’andwe gave a full and detailed presentation on the relationship between safeguarding, international law, and children’s rights. As delegates, he strongly recommended us to be conversant with laws that address child protection issues in our areas of mission, for in the exercise of our ministry, we have to deal with juridical cases.Safeguarding is our commitment.By: Alex Manda, Clément Kpatcha, Guy Sawadogo, Lowrent Kamwaza (News Team)
Training on the safeguarding of minors and persons in situations of vulnerability, Kigali, 5th day Posted on 24/06/202424/06/2024 by Vitus Danaa Abobo The fifth day of our training session marked the conclusion of the first week of this learning program on safeguarding. This day was nourished by two interventions by our confreres namely Wroblewski Jacek and Kaburame Jean-Claude.In the first session, Kaburame Jean-Claude gave a presentation on the importance of integrating safeguarding in our formation houses and communities. He highlighted that safeguarding has to be part and parcel of our community projects. This will ensure the smooth process of creating safe environments in our ministry for minors and those in situations of vulnerability.At the second session, Wroblewski Jacek gave a comprehensive presentation on how we can effectively do continuous risk assessments in our areas of mission to prevent abuse from taking place. Safeguarding also entails enhancing protective measures in our missions to protect minors and persons in situation of vulnerability from any harm and abuse.The day was concluded with a visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial.By: Alex Manda, Clément Kpatcha, Guy Sawadogo, Lowrent Kamwaza (News Team)