From September 1 to 22, 2024, 15 Missionaries of Africa, representing 12 countries and working in 15 different parts of the world, gathered in Nairobi at St Charles Lwanga Missionaries of Africa Provincial House to share their experiences from the early years of missionary work. These sessions are typically organized at Society level for confreres in their second term. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the sessions had been postponed for three years. As a result, some confreres attending the sessions in Nairobi were nearing the end of their third term, while others were already in their fourth.
Although some of us arrived with a sense of uncertainty, wondering, “What is the purpose of this session?”, these doubts quickly gave way to joy. The opportunity to reconnect with confreres we hadn’t seen in years, and to meet others for the first time, became a source of great joy. Many expressed gratitude, feeling that the Society had not forgotten about us and was committed to our ongoing formation. This care for confreres is a key value in our Society, and it renewed our strength for our missionary journey.
JOYS AND CHALLENGES IN MISSION
The atmosphere of the meeting was filled with openness, sincerity, joy, internationality, and brotherhood, making us feel like part of one big family. We began by sharing our missionary experiences, reflecting on both the joyful moments and the challenges we encountered in our daily work and community life. Most of us had positive experiences, feeling that God had been walking with us in our mission. A sense of joy and fulfilment emerged from our sharing.
However, we also recognized moments when things didn’t go well, either in the community or in the mission. For example, insurgencies in places like Adigrat in Ethiopia and Aribinda in Burkina Faso placed confreres in danger, forcing them to leave or even close the community. Despite these challenges, the confreres remained optimistic, happy to have been prophetic witnesses of the Gospel in such perilous situations. It became clear that, despite the diversity of our experiences and the different contexts in which we work, we are united by a common spirit and strong bonds of our charism. As the days passed, we grew closer, realizing that diversity not only unites us but also enriches us.
A key point of reflection was the recognition that growth in the missionary charism comes not only from lived experiences but also from embracing, reflecting on, and growing through them, despite the challenges. Father Olivier Soma prepared us spiritually for this meeting, which made it easier for us to open up to one another.
COMMUNITY LIFE AND ITS DYNAMICS
Community life – its strengths and weaknesses – was a recurring theme throughout our meeting. We dedicated significant time to reflect on how we can build and strengthen our community life. It became apparent that this is a widely felt need, and the session provided a space where we could collectively seek solutions and support by raising awareness about the stages of community building. We received a comprehensive presentation on the eight stages of community life: orientation, inclusion, control, conflict, cohesion, sharing of faith, intimacy, and finally, termination.
Another valuable session was on coping with stress, healthy intimacy, intentional celibacy, and preventing burnout, facilitated by Brother Fabien Bulamu. We began by doing personality tests and reviewing the characteristics of different personality types, which helped us understand why we act, behave, and reason in certain ways. A talk on stress management helped us revisit moments when we had experienced stress, explore its causes and effects on our lives, community, and ministry, and discuss strategies for managing it. It was clear from our sharing that all of us had experienced stress at some point in our mission or community life.
The topic of healthy intimacy, intentional celibacy, and affectivity reminded us of the importance of developing healthy relationships, respecting personal boundaries, and protecting vulnerable individuals.
BEING PROPHETIC WITNESSES
Our confrere, Dave Sullivan, gave us an online presentation on prophetic witness, which was both encouraging and down-to-earth. We were deeply moved by his personal missionary journey, during which he recounted how the deep faith and commitment of two Missionaries of Africa, whom he had worked with at a minor seminary, rekindled his own missionary calling. This challenged us to remember that the most authentic prophetic witness is lived through deeds, not just words.
FINANCES OF THE SOCIETY
The Treasurer General took some time to present an overview of our Society’s current financial situation. Despite facing liquidity challenges, he expressed optimism, encouraging all confreres to work hard and devise new ways of fundraising to address these issues.
ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE
The session on alcohol and drug abuse reminded us that addiction is a risk for all of us, as we live with and encounter people struggling with addiction in our ministry. We were also reminded that addiction is not limited to alcohol and drugs but extends to things like the internet and social media usage. We were encouraged to remain vigilant.
VISITING COMMUNITIES IN NAIROBI
We had the opportunity to visit other communities in Nairobi. At the Bethany Centre, we were warmly welcomed, and the confreres gave us a detailed briefing on the centre’s history, current activities, and ministry, followed by a tour of the two plots and a meal together. At Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, we celebrated the 11:30 AM Mass, after which our confreres shared about their pastoral work with us. We also visited the Fourth Phase Formation House, where we prayed with the community and shared an evening meal. It was inspiring to interact with our young brothers in formation.
We concluded our meeting with a Eucharist on Saturday evening, followed by a barbecue where we were joined by all the residents of the provincial house. We were grateful that the meeting took place in our own house and for the support provided by the resident confreres in various ways.
CONCLUSION
Our meeting in Nairobi was a valuable time for reflection, learning, relaxation, mutual inspiration, and renewing bonds that, despite geographic distances, remain strong. We thank the General Council for granting us this opportunity for renewal, and our two confrere animators, Olivier Soma and Gilles Efiyo. We were ready to return to our places of ministry with renewed zeal, energy, and the awareness that we are part of a larger, shared mission.
By: Tomasz Podrazik, M.Afr. and Lawrence Tukamushaba, M.Afr.