PGF Jérusalem

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News from the Small Formation Group in Jerusalem

Isaac Kinda, student in SGF Jerusalem

“You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” (Mt5:13-16). It was in the light of these words of Christ that Calvin and Trésor made a final commitment to the Society of the Missionaries of Africa. The ceremony took place on November 28th in the rather unusual context of covid-19 restrictions. Mass was presided over in the Basilica of Saint Anne by the Apostolic Nuncio of Jerusalem. Given the situation we live in, the number of guests for the celebration was limited. We were about 30 people only. But this did not affect the quality of the celebration.

There were two distinct moments that marked the Eucharistic celebration. The first is the Missionary Oath. Calvin and Trésor solemnly promised, before God and the congregation, to live the demands of the evangelical counsels, namely, poverty, obedience and celibacy. The words they pronounced were words that came from deep down in their hearts, testifying to their desire to follow Christ and to participate in His saving mission which is to proclaim the gospel to all. They did so in the presence of Joe, the representative of the Superior General.

The new confreres were joyfully congratulated by their elders. The gesture of love that each of the confreres made to the new members already showed that they are ready to live with them in love and solidarity for the mission of Christ.

Then came the time to listen to the liturgical texts chosen by the confreres themselves for the occasion.

The first reading, taken from the book of the Prophet Isaiah (Is 61:1-3), invited all of us (in particular the confreres who have received a mandate from Christ), “to bring the gospel to the poor, to heal wounded hearts, to proclaim freedom to the captives and deliverance to the prisoners.” In the second reading, Saint Paul said to his son Timothy (2Tim 1:6-14), “I invite you to revive the spiritual gift that God has put in you by the laying on of my hands.” And he continues, “Take as your standard the holy words which you have heard from me in the faith and love of Christ Jesus. ‘These words also invite the confreres to also place the Word of God at the heart of their lives. In the Gospel of Saint Matthew (Mt 5:13-16), Jesus himself invited us to be salt of the earth and the light of the world.

In his homily, the main celebrant invited the two confreres to live out the ministry of the diaconate to the full through the proclamation of the Word of God in a life of service. He reminded them that the deacon has two main functions: the service of the Mysteries of Christ and the service of men and women. These two dimensions of service are at the heart of the deacon’s life. Likewise, he also reminded the elect of the day, the origin and purpose of the ministry of the diaconate, instituted after a complaint by the widows of the Greeks, who saw themselves forgotten in the distribution of goods. Deacons were chosen to take special care of them, so that the apostles could mainly proclaim the Word of God. Therefore, like Jesus, Calvin and Trésor are called to serve others, not to be served. The Word of God must be proclaimed without compromise and without fear.

The second moment was devoted to the ordination of the two confreres. After having received the permission of the Rector, the Nuncio proceeded with the ordination. And it was with reverence that the assembly implored the mercy of God, and prayed over the confreres to the Saints to intercede for the confreres. By laying his hands on them, the bishop established them as servants of the Word and of the people of God. They are to assist the bishop or priest at the altar. They may preside over certain sacraments of the Church. They are also invited to live what they preach and preach what they live.

At the end of Mass, successively, one of the elect of the day and the Rector addressed a word of thanks to all those who had come and in particular to the Apostolic Nuncio for having accepted to ordain the fellow deacons. We wish them a good ministry. After the Eucharistic celebration, all were invited to share a fraternal meal with the new confreres and the whole community.

A life serving the Dagombas

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A life serving the Dagombas in Ghana

Interview of our confrere Olivier Lecestre by KTO (French Catholic Television)

A look at the small Christian communities in the North of this West African country. Father Olivier Lecestre, Missionary of Africa, spent almost 50 years there, in the footsteps of the first White Fathers who arrived in Ghana in 1906. He was in Tamale, in the North, and had a parish ministry among the Dagombas, an ethnic group with a Muslim majority. He was involved in a long process of translating the Sunday readings into the Dagombas’ language, Dagbani, to train lay leaders in the villages. The Church has also developed schools, agricultural projects, and works for inter-religious dialogue, a factor for peace in the region. Father Lecestre was delighted to see a small church blossom over the years.

Henk van de Ven, R.I.P.

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Society of the Missionaries of Africa

Le Père Jozef de Bekker, Provincial Delegate of the sector of the Netherlands,
informs you of the return to the Lord of Father

Henk van de Ven

on Friday 11th December 2020 at Roermond Hospital (Netherlands)
at the age of 90 years, of which 65 years of missionary life
in Tanzania and the Netherlands.

Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.

Download here the announcement of Father Henk van de Ven’s death

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Hermann Kimmich, 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

Hermann Kimmich

on Wednesday 9th December 2020 at the Hospital of Balingen (Germany)
at the age of 81 years, of which 53 years of missionary life
in Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Mauritania and Germany.

Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.

Download here the announcement of Father Hermann Kimmich’s death

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Homily of the Superior General on the 8th December

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Homily of the Superior General on the 8th December

“Under the protection of Mary Immaculate Queen of Africa”

As all the Missionaries of Africa, as well as theirs sisters, the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa, were celebrating, throughout the world,  the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, official feast of our two institutes, the two communities of Rome were celebrating around the two Superiors General and their council. Here is the homily given on the day by Father Stan Lubungo.

The 8th of December we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary in communion with the whole Church. It is also the Patron Feast of our Society and that of our Sisters, the Missionary Sisters of our Lady of Africa because our Founder had, in the early years of our history, placed our two institutes under the protection of Mary Immaculate Queen of Africa. On this occasion, our community of the Generalate is in communion of prayer with all our confreres wherever they are in the world entrusting them to the intercession of our Lady whom we invoke as our protector. As disciples of Jesus, we welcome the Virgin Mary as our mother to whom Jesus presented us as her children (See John 19:26). Like all our good mothers, the Virgin Mary faithfully provides us with the maternal care she had for her son Jesus. As we celebrate our Patron Feast, we also contemplate our brotherhood with Jesus with whom we are, as his disciples, sons of Mary.

The Immaculate Conception of Mary is one of those teachings of the Church that we have difficulties to establish clearly from the Scriptures. Today’s Gospel (Luke 1:26-38) invites more a reflection on the virginal conception of Jesus than it does on the Immaculate conception of his mother. However, it seems to me that the second reading (Ephesians), that doesn’t mention the Virgin Mary, provides us with a possible, significant and interesting ground to capture the meaning of today’s feast, not only for the Virgin Mary but for all of us but too. It would be useless for us to be celebrating the Virgin Mary for her own sake and today’s feast not having anything to do with us.

In the perspective offered by the Second Reading, Mary participates in the eternal will of God who “chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love”. It comes out more strongly in French: “Il nous a choisis, dans le Christ, avant la fondation du monde, pour que nous soyons saints, immaculés devant lui, dans l’amour !”. Far from being anything exclusively reserved to the Virgin Mary, the call to be holy and blameless, the Immaculate Conception seems, from before the foundations of the world, to be intended for all.

Our experience is different, though. Ours is the experience of the first reading (Genesis 3:9-15. 20). It is an experience marked by sin, by disobedience to God’s will that can be traced down to our ancestors Adam and Eve. Fortunately, today’s feast is here to remind us that God did not abandon us in the sin, so to speak, we inherited with Eve, the mother of all who live (and with Adam the father of all who live). With Mary, the new Eve as Irene of Lyon referred to her, there is a somewhat new creation. This is quite striking. Studies in Mariology demonstrate enough how in the Virgin Mary, God establishes a new beginning. Renowned Theologians of Mary agree that the Gospel according to Luke describes the beginnings of the life of Jesus almost totally in Old Testament terms, in order to show from within, that the Jesus event is the accomplishment of what Israel was hoping for. Indeed the words with which the Angel greets Mary are closely related to those used by the prophet Zephaniah addressing the redeemed Jerusalem of the eschatological times (Zephaniah 3: 14 – Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion, shout O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart O daughter Jerusalem!) In the pericope of the Gospel proposed today, Luke equally takes up words of blessing which were used to greet famous women of Israel like Judith to whom Uzziah says: O Daughter, you are blessed by the Most high God above all other women; and blessed be the Lord God, who created heaven and earth (See Judges 5:24; Jdt 13:18).

The Virgin Mary is such portrayed as the Holy Rest of Israel, the real Zion to whom everyone looked up with hope amidst the miseries of their history. In the Gospel of Saint Luke begins the new Israel with Mary. She is the “daughter of Zion” in whom God establishes a new beginning. Mary comes across as the mother of all who are called to live in Jesus Christ.

The feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary reveals the fulfilment of God’s project for humanity to be holy and blameless through Jesus Christ. Isn’t the Virgin Mary the perfect example of what each one of us is called to be? Unlike Eve, she is obedient to the will of God. Mary is not only for us to venerate, but a model of life. In modelling our lives on hers, we will fulfil our vocation as human beings, called to be holy by remaining attentive and obedient to the will of God and through our steadfastness in the faith.

Stanley Lubungo, M.Afr

Many confreres made their oath on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Happy feastday to all. Among those, our Superior General, Stan Lubungo, ans Stephen Ofonikot, who celebrated 24 years of Missionary Oath.

Coronavirus Controversy

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Coronavirus Controversy

Bapuoh Pascal, M.Afr. – Taken from Ghana-Nigeria Link of November 2020

The battle against COVID-19

Nobody knows tomorrow. Who could believe that the year 2020 was going to be destabilised by a deadly disease called coronavirus? Who could believe that people were going to experience social distancing and self-quarantine? Who could believe that in 2020 countries were going to experience a total or partial lockdown? Who could believe that in this year churches, markets, social gathers and airports were going to be closed down, and the movement of people restricted for many months? Who could believe that wearing of face masks was going to be introduced as part of our dress code in 2020? For the younger generation in the 21st century, this is an experience that has never been thought possible. For others, the year 2020 is a sinister year when the wickedness of some people led to the destruction of vital lives, households, enterprises, countries and livelihood. Yet for others, the controversy of 2020 sends a signal that human beings should assume their rightful places as human beings, and leave God in his rightful place. Man is not God neither thinks for Him.

Prior to leaving for Congo, I stayed back at home for about six months without having an active interaction with people. I watched information on the television on how Covid-19 was devastating the world, I listened to the cry of families who were being destroyed by the Covid-19 pandemic and I watched the number of people being buried every day due to coronavirus pandemic… And so, I asked myself what life was all about. I asked myself what else could life be. I asked myself what the essence of life is all about.

The coronavirus pandemic imposes a deep reflection on the essence of life. Life is a precious entity received graciously from God, it is very precious and sacred. And therefore one needs to take care of it. Yes, Covid-19 has destroyed any joy in the year 2020. Indeed it has been a natural massacre where lives, properties and economy have been annihilated. It has been a time when we needed the words of Psalm 121:1-2 to comfort the broken-hearted; “I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth”. That cry from the psalmist has been the hopeful prayer of the broken-hearted, the desperate and the less privileged who could not receive full medical attention. That has been the prayer of many presidents, religious leaders, medical personnel and other social activists whose professional interventions were not yielding them the desired outcome. That has been the prayer coming from the depth of children’s hearts who witnessed their parents dying. That has been the prayer of family members who had to bury their relatives, loved ones and friends in terrible conditions. That has been the prayer of many people who had lost hope in their lives, who had lost almost all their relatives. That is a prayer that makes many people go on their knees and cry out from their hearts.

As coronavirus imposed a natural suffering, other people worsened the suffering of people by manipulating the prices of the things they were selling. Some merchants fell in the fraudulent merchandising practices that the prophet Amos condemned in his book (Amos 8:5-6) where merchants, in a great eagerness to profit from the situation, cheated on their unfortunate customers with bad products and dishonest scales. The poor had to comply with the unjust rise of the cost of products so as to survive. Some other people enriched themselves from the deplorable situation of the poor. False coronavirus medicines were fabricated and sold at high costs. In the name of the poor and those affected with Covid-19, many projects were written and are now being sponsored. Countries and individuals received funds to help alleviate the situation of those who were affected, but how many of these poor people and Covid-19 affected people were helped, especially in Africa? Maybe, a handful. Personal Protective Equipment destined for fighting against Covid-19 has been sold out illegally by hospitals and in health centres. Projects that have been written and sponsored for the purpose of helping a given community to fight against coronavirus remain a utopia. Beneficiaries do not even know that their deplorable situation had been used by some people to search for money to enrich themselves.

As people with a good heart tried to help fight against this pandemic, others with a thirst of enriching themselves thwarted the efforts of these well-intended people. Coronavirus controversy. As cases of affected people keep on rising, that twists the hearts of many people to ask a litany of questions.

Is coronavirus (though real) a political propaganda? Are some individuals and countries using the relieve aid for their own political rallies and personal propaganda?

Will a country be honest enough to publish to its citizens the total aid received from people and groups, and indicate clearly and truthfully how this aid has been utilised? Will it be a paper narration or an evidence that everyone can see? Covid19 has not only called us to show solidarity, but it has equally called our political leaders to be serious with the citizens of their countries, especially to enhance the health facilities in their countries. The year 2020 will be unforgettable. It is a revolutionary year. It has opened another phase in world history. There is a reason for everything. May God welcome the departed souls due to Covid-19 into his kingdom, and implant in the heart of the living, the spirit of sincere solidarity.

Fr. Bapuoh Paschal

Stanley Dye, R.I.P.

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Society of the Missionaries of Africa

Father Hugh Seenan, Provincial Delegate of the sector of Great Britain,
informs you of the return to the Lord of Father

Stanley Dye

on Sunday 6th December 2020 in Wales (Great Britain)
at the age of 67 years, of which 34 years of missionary life
in Sudan and Great Britain.

Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.

Download here the announcement of Father Stanley Dye’s death

(more…)

Community experience of Covid-19 in Katakwi

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Community experience of Covid-19 in Katakwi (Uganda)

The experience of Covid-19 can be compared with that at the time of Noah, or that of Sodom and Gomorrah, where people were eating and drinking and going about their own things. This may sound as if we were also only going about eating and drinking and committing sins, but on the contrary, we were making our own plans and drawing up our own programme of activities, how best to move things forward in the year 2020.

As a community we had already planned that Remi would go on holiday in June and come back probably in September and then Josephat would go. Our Stagiaire Yannick was everywhere singing the songs of Burkina, because he knew that soon he would be renewing his Declaration of Intent and say bye to Katakwi. Our Deacon was preparing himself so that, when he is called, he would go home for ordination.

That notwithstanding, our pastoral programme was planned from February up to April, each one knew which outstation he would visit on such or such a date, etc. Our bigger pastoral projects were well planned and execution commenced: the construction of the church, the fund-raising, the youth apostolate programme, the school building and a whole lot of goings and comings. At the diocesan level, the pastoral programme was rolled out.

In this agenda, the Bishop made it clear that we should all join hands to build the new cathedral and to strengthen the pastoral work at the grass roots, by bringing the sacraments close to the people. Consequently, this would protect our Christians from being misled by Christians of other sects. Then all of a sudden, we started hearing of a sickness which had started in China and was spreading like village rumour. Within a twinkle of an eye, we started hearing that this sickness was in Spain, Italy, France and Germany. At first, we thought to ourselves that this was a European sickness, and it would not reach us here. All this while we were still moving about doing good, and I am sure our plans and projects were still on. However, in a surprise and frightening turn of events, it looked as if the world was coming to an end or a standstill, as all activities were put on hold in Uganda and all our neighbouring countries.

I had gone to Soroti to go shopping. There, an Indian shop keeper showed me a message on WhatsApp which was very frightening. The information from the message was that the virus was in Uganda and the cases were much higher than what we had heard on TV, even in the surrounding villages of Soroti. I was scared and got suspicious of everyone I was meeting that day, as if they had Covid-19.

Earlier in the year, we had the locusts’ invasion, which was also scary. I had read about the locust only in biology during my secondary education, and the picture I had of locusts was nothing less than destruction, hunger and poverty. In the words of the commentators I would say: what a year? A year of surprises, a year of disappointments, a year of anxieties, a year of sorrows, yet in another sense a year of reassuring us of God’s constant presence in the journey of humanity.

In spite of all this confusion, we first tried to take precautionary measures, by purchasing enough food and other necessities for the house and also bought some sanitisers and masks to make sure we were protected. We keenly followed the news every day to be updated on the pandemic in Uganda as well as in other countries. We were much concerned with Rome since that is the seat of the Church, and Italy was one of the much-hit countries. And also, because our General Council is there, so many of our confreres study there and generally a lot of priests and religious life in Rome. We also sympathised with one another country. First it was Burkina, then Ghana and finally Malawi in terms of how the Covid cases were recorded. Most of all, we were all faithful to listen to the President of Uganda and his ministers as they guided the country on the lockdown.

These pictures of Katakwi are taken from the Internet and are not directly related to the article.

All hope was not lost as we committed to prayer, asking God to intervene and let corona leave the face of the earth. We also encouraged the families to pray at home. Many of our Christians were saying the lockdown was the work of the devil to stop prayer, but we tried to help them take this as an opportunity to reinforce family prayer which is fast disappearing in many Christian families. We also encouraged them to see this pandemic as an opportunity to build the family bond and unity as many of them have not had this opportunity to be together for long.

On our side, we continued with daily Masses in our chapel where, united with all our Christians in spirit, we continued to pray for our Christians in their everyday challenges and especially for the world to defeat Covid. In the same vein, we asked for the wisdom of God to discern what message God has for us amidst this pandemic, so that we can learn and respond positively to God’s call. To reach out to all our Christians we also resorted to radio Masses as well as to give the gospel readings and reflections in Facebook and WhatsApp, in this way continuing to nourish the spiritual life of our Christians.

We continued to visit the sick, and administer the sacraments of anointing of the sick, the viaticum, and of reconciliation, and to give counselling in various degrees for those who came to the parish. I can say our Christians really stayed with us during these trying times, as many of them were very much concerned about our upkeep. They came to greet us and find out how things were going; some came with food items; others with their offertory and tithes, etc. to ensure that the parish would continue to run.

Also, we continued with those programmes which were still possible such as the 3-classroom block we were building in Kaikamosing outstation, the construction of the last ring beam of the church, the tiling and other finishing touches of the toilet in the church, etc. More interestingly, we did some farming as a way of encouraging our people that if all other things have come to a stop, farming can go on, as we will still need to eat. Thus, we had a garden of pawpaws, vegetables, matoke, groundnuts, etc. It made as busy and fit enough to fight the virus as we wait in joyful hope to harvest. We also engaged in sports: football, basketball, etc. with our youth to improve the body fitness too.

In addition, we planted some trees and flowers around the house and the new school. And plans are underway to plant trees around the newly constructed church. We give credit to our predecessors who have planted a lot of trees around the parish, which we enjoy today in their absence; maybe if all of us did the same, the world would not suffer Covid-19 today.

In conclusion, we say, though the pandemic has devastated the world, there are so many good things the world can learn.

Mostly, we need to think of the effects of many things we take delight in doing. We pray for all those who have died due to Covid-19 and its affiliated causes. May they rest in peace and may the Lord save the world from this and other pandemics.

Josephat Diyuo (A Missionary of Africa from Ghana, on mission in Uganda)

A word from the Provincial of GHN

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A word from the Provincial of Ghana-Nigeria

Taken from Ghana-Nigeria Link of November 2020

Fr. John Aserbire, M.Afr.

Have you wondered why some people remain calm in the face of crisis, while others fall to pieces?

Some people are able to go through the ups and downs/difficulties of life and are able to bounce back from crisis. Indeed, Covid-19 caused and is still causing (with the new wave) many setbacks to peoples, institutions, organisations, nations, governments, etc., etc. In our Link of May 2020, a lot was written about Covid19.

A week ago, I was asked to give a recollection to our candidates at St. Martin of Tours formation house in Ejisu, and to celebrate the ceremony to receive the first years. I decided to take a reflection on RESILIENCE in times of crisis. That “capacity to adapt to stressful life changes and to bounce back from hardship”. I knew that like any of us, most of our candidates, if not all, experienced difficulties and disappointments. To encourage them, I looked for examples of courageous women and men in the Bible who demonstrated resilience during difficult times. In fact, the Bible contains many quotations on how to overcome hardship, temptation, and to persevere in the face of trials (James 1:12).

It also gives us many examples of women and men who suffered greatly but continued to follow God’s plan for their lives. Notable among them are Job and St. Paul.

After losing everything, Job was in great agony of soul and body, yet he refused to curse the Lord or give up (Job 1:22). He knew that God was in control, and that knowledge helped him maintain resilience instead of giving in to defeat. His faith resulted in resiliency. Paul showed great resilience after his life changing encounter with Jesus (Acts 9). He was transformed from religious Pharisee to radical Christian. He was beaten, stoned, criticised, jailed, and nearly killed many times (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). In Lystra in Asia Minor, he was stoned, dragged out of town, and left for dead, but, when his enemies left, Paul simply got up and went back into the city (Acts 14:1920). Godly resilience enables us to pursue our mission, regardless of our crisis and suffering.

The key to resiliency is faith in the Lord: “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand” (Psalm 37:23-24). St. Paul tells us, “We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). As Christians, we keep bouncing back. We keep moving in faith.

One of the amazing things about resilience is that many of us did not realise how resilient we were until we looked back at difficult times in our lives and saw the simple fact that we made it through, that we learnt something and that we had enough faith to keep going. Marking the end of the Liturgical Year and beginning, the new Season of Advent, I wish you the strength to remain positive, keep the faith and continue moving. Blessed time of Advent!

John Aserbire, M.Afr.

Ghana-Nigeria Link – November 2020

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Ghana-Nigeria Link - November 2020

GHANA-NIGERIA NOVEMBER LINK-corrected