News archive

Senegal: Using scarves on Palm Sunday

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Of the West Africa website:

In order to protect nature, Bishop Benjamin Ndiaye, Archbishop of Dakar, asked the Catholics of his diocese to use scarves instead of palms for the procession of Palm Sunday and the Passion of the Lord.

In some parishes, the use of scarves in the place of palms is already nearly ten years old.

But in almost all the other parishes of Dakar, the Archbishop’s message was not well received.

“The people who are looking for the palms had already committed themselves to doing so,” commented Pierre Bassène, another Catholic. According to him, the instructions of the Archbishop of Dakar will be better followed next year.

As he said, the environment suffers from this cutting of palms every year. The most serious thing in Senegal is that there is no culture of reforestation. »

(Excerpts from “in Senegal, the Archbishop of Dakar suggests using scarves instead of twigs” by Charles Senghor, La Croix-Africa, 26/03/18.)

Muslim-Christian Engagement for Social Transformation

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TANGAZA-UMMA CONFERENCE : 11-12 April 2018

Theme : Muslim-Christian Engagement for Social Transformation in Africa : the role of the Academic Institutions.

Read / Download the leaflet

Stagiaires meeting in Bujumbura

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Extracts from the 25th March 2018 report of the meeting by Célestin Sarambe and André Sawadogo, first year stagiaires

standing from left to right : Gérard Niyongabo, Lucien Some, Nazaire Bonkoungou, Allan Kawenda, Francis Umoh, Peter Bwire, Jean-Luc Compaore, Julius Rweyemamu, Célestin Sarambe, Hugo Leinz, Martin Ndiritu, Jean-Bosco – brother of Gérard Niyongabo -, Ludwig Peschen, Emmanuel Kavishe, seated in front : Jean-Bosco Ntihebuwayo, Arsène Somda, Joseph Odhiambo, Isac Kinda, André Sawadogo, Dennis Pam

The meeting of stagiaires from the province of Central Africa (PAC) was held in Bujumbura, Burundi from 19 to 25 March 2018 in the Emmaus Spiritual Center of the Jesuits on Kiriri Hill. This meeting was preceded by a week’s retreat held in Gitega from March 10th to 17th, 2018, at the spiritual center of the Carmelites and preached by Father Gérard NIYONGABO. It saw the participation of 16 stagiaires including 8 in the second year who renewed their declaration of intention on Sunday, March 18 at St. Augustine parish of Buyenzi. This meeting was moderated by the vice-provincial, Father Dennis PAM. After setting up and installing, he gave a general orientation and the steps to follow in the sharings. He mentioned that sharing is about all the aspects of the mission. It is about appreciative discernment in optimism while looking at the good that Christ has done to us in our journey. Father Dennis PAM opened these sharing sessions beginning with himself, where he shared his family life, his curriculum with the missionaries of Africa and his missionary experience since his perpetual oath, but also his joys, perspectives and challenges, which he meets in his mission. It should also be noted that this meeting saw the presence as co-facilitator of Father Bosco, superior of the sector of Burundi who also shared his missionary experiences undermined with joys and difficulties.(…)

In the end, what will be remembered of the stagiaires meeting is that it went well in a fraternal atmosphere. Each stagiaire was able to share his experiences in his community and in his stage environment while mentioning the joys and difficulties encountered. We live all this in love, trusting God who sent us for this mission. This meeting ended with a visit to the New Hope Center and a relaxing outing on the beach. Saturday was dedicated to the discovery of the city and on Sunday, March 25 each one of us returned to his community.

Taken from Info-Pac nr 75 of March 2018

My experience in the Maniema Region

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Extracts from an article of 15th March 2018 written by Bertin Bouda, in communauty in Lubumbashi

After my annual retreat in Goma, I had the opportunity to visit Maniema as part of my local leave to enjoy and to visit the confreres who are appointed in their mission and to get in touch with their missionary reality. It was an interesting but challenging missionary adventure. My first stop was Tokolote in Kindu. I spent four days there. During my stay in Kindu, I had the opportunity to pray with the Christian community of Tokolote during the morning masses and the Sunday Mass. The morning Mass included thirty people. I would estimate attendance at Sunday Mass at about 500 people. I also had the joy of concelebrating at the priestly ordination Mass of two sons of the Diocese of Kindu; an occasion that brought together the presbyterium who shared a meal after a Thanksgiving Mass presided over by the new priests the day after their ordination. The priests present (almost all, they told me) were fewer than fifty. My second stop was Mingana. From Kindu to Mingana (180 km), we took more than seven hours on a motorcycle with the stagiaire Isac who was driving me. We drove on a road rather poorly maintained, almost impassable, sometimes due to the mud and the stagnant rainwater. I spent three days in Mingana and took a whole day to recover a little from the fatigue. Mingana is a village where there was no telephone network when we arrived. In order to be able to call, one had to travel about ten kilometers to Kunda (Vodacom runs there from the morning to around 18 hours). Nature is pleasant and full of potential for agriculture and gardening in Maniema. Surprisingly, the only common foods are the “ugali” made from cassava flour and rice. In Mingana, I had the joy of presiding at two morning Masses and participating in the Way of the Cross with a hundred Christians (children and adults). My stay in Mingana allowed me to visit the activities in the parish (health center and schools) accompanied by Isac. On the one hand, I note that there is always a great need for evangelization and missionary activities, but on the other hand, I was surprised to hear that the parish had already celebrated 75 years of existence. My last stop was Kipaka 65 km from Mingana. I stayed there for two days. I had the opportunity to preside at the two masses of the first Sunday of Lent. The first mass had a participation of about two hundred people (note that it had rained in the morning and mass began before the end of the rain, and I was told that when it rains, many Christians do not come to the church. mass); the second mass was for the children. (…)

The Maniema region needs a lot of missionary support. There are parishes of very large size in rural areas and there are too few pastoral agents (priests and religious). (…)

I thank the Province of Central Africa and the confreres of the Maniema sector who helped and facilitated my visit to Maniema. Shukrani! Mungu awabariki wote!

Taken from INFO-PAC nr 75 of March 2018

 

Some news of the situation in Ituri

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By Father Manolo Fernandez in Bunia (Email of 16th March 2018)

“(…) We spoke with the leader of the first camp or site of the displaced people. I spoke with the MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières) head of mission when signing the contract for the “cheap” parcel. In principle, the displaced are well assisted, except for the WFP (World Food Program) who do not do their job, supposedly they expect “statistics” … Following the MSF advise, we will wait for the displaced to go home to help them rebuild their homes and give them an emergency kit to start life in the village (…)

 

As for the situation, here in Bunia town, we are relatively fit and secure. Yesterday, thanks to the mediocrity and futility of a politician and minister in the government of Mr. Abdullah, there was a death, a police captain who accompanied the politician because of the revolt of the displaced. We do not know what happened next. The captain was from Bukavu. We continue to work for peace. This requires us all to have good discernment when writing anything or even sharing some ideas about the situation. Because it takes very little to cause a fire. The leaders of the different ethnic groups come together and organise big meetings to contain and properly inform their youth to avoid a situation similar to that of 2002. At the moment they manage to contain them and we continue our prayers and homilies to push people in the same direction of concord and peace between the inhabitants of this beautiful Province of Ituri. These are my thoughts that engage no one but myself, because in this organized disorder nobody will give you a clear idea of what is happening. May God forgive us and finally give us the much desired peace. Greetings to the confreres”

 

Taken from INFO-PAC nr 75 of March 2018

Restructuring the Lavigerie House in Goma

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When the renovation of the Lavigerie House in Goma was successfully completed, the Provincial team, with the collaboration of the Goma Sector, decided to proceed with its blessing on 8/2/2018. This date corresponded to the end of the second retreat of the confreres of the Province at Keshero Goma. Not only that, but it was also the day we celebrated Saint BAKHITA Joséphine and the fight against modern slavery in all its ramifications.

The mass was celebrated in the living room of the new house (because the chapel was held for consecration by the Bishop of the Diocese of Goma, at his request). It was presided over by our Provincial Assistant, Father PAM Dennis, concelebrated by the Provincial, Father NGONA Emmanuel, the Delegate of the Provincial of the Goma Sector, Father MINANI Albéric, and almost all the retreatants and confreres from the Goma Sector were present. The mass was well animated by our propedeutes. At the end of Mass, the Provincial spoke to remind us that this “procure” was not a hotel but a community of Missionaries of Africa. Therefore, it is governed by a life of prayer and a community life to which all confreres who go there are obliged to take part. Because “a missionary who does not pray is a monster”. The celebration was crowned by sharing a festive meal !!!

Taken from INFO-PAC nr 75 of March 2018

INFO-PAC nr 75 – March 2018

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Communicate the mystery of Faith

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This might be a little too evangelical for some of you, but it is a great effort of communication …

Piet Horsten, R.I.P.

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

Piet Horsten

on Saturday the 31st March 2018 at Heythuysen (The Netherlands)
at the age of 81 years, of which 57 years of missionary life
in Great Britain, Italy, Tunisia and the Netherlands.

Let us pray for him and for his loved ones.

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Piet Horsten RIP

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Sœur Margarete Adler (Consolata Maria), R.I.P.

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We recommend to your prayer our

Sister Margarete Adler (Consolata Maria)

From the Diocese of Rottenburg
and the community of Trier, Seniorenzentrum,
she entered into Life with God
at Trier, Seniorenzentrum, on March 28, 2018,
at the age of 89,
of which 62 of missionary life
in Mali, Guinea and Germany.
Pray for her with gratitude.