SAP Blog started three years ago. WordPress.com is offering us today the highlights of 2015. The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 30,000 times in 2015 (33,372 times to be exact). If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 11 sold-out performances for that many people to see it. There were 1002 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 289 MB. That’s about 3 pictures per day. The busiest day of the year was January 16th with 355 views. The most popular post that day was ‘Tragic death of Bishop Rt. Rev. Joseph Mkasa Zuza in Mzuzu, Malawi.’In 2015, there were 204 new posts, growing the total archive of the blog to 823 posts. Among them, the following attracted quite of lot of attraction in 2015: Collection of a 1000 Chewa proverbs, Zambia on April, Some news of Jean-Louis Godinot (Mpundu) who was attacked by a crocodile in December 2014 in January and Warm greetings from Kabwe, ordination of Humphrey Mukuka, June 2015 in July. 
The number of visitors increased a lot through the SAP Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/mafrsaprovince/?ref=hl). Most of them came from The United States, Zambia and European Union though SAP Blog was seen in 144 countries in all! These were our 5 most active commenters: John Itaru, Jean Amour Tanoh, Adrien Sawadogo, Calvalho Assamo and Camille Konkobo. The number of views is increasing by 5000 each year. Let us hope that we will get up to 35,000 by the end of 2016. SAP Blog is always eager to hear from you. Bring your own story on board!
Month: December 2015 Page 1 of 3
Christianity in the Luangwa Valley, by Bernhard Udelhoven
Where faith and culture meet of don’t meet.
What does the Christian faith offer to people in the remote Luangwa Valley of Zambia? How does it link up, of not link up, with their values, life-experience and knowledge of God and the unseen world?
The first Catholic missionaries opened a mission station in the Luangwa Valley in 1904, but they left the valley barely seven months later. They had found greener pastures elsewhere. Within the next 100 years of evangelisation, the valley had witnessed periods of renewed impetus, but the social, cultural and religious coordinates of people in the valley found only few considerations in the pastoral plans of the established Church. For many pastoral workers, the valley was conceived as a difficult place, backwards, and left behind.
Now people of the valley are themselves asking questions to the Church. The answers given to their questions should be significant for the approach to Christian evangelisation far beyond the valley.
This study into the significant social and religious coordinates of people in the valley was commissioned by the Catholic Diocese of Chipata in search for a contextualised pastoral approach.
FENZA Publications, 252 pages, 2015. (First publication in 2007)
By Bernhard Udelhoven. An history of the Bemba Kabende and Batwa people of Zambia, narrated by elders, chiefs, headwomen and headmen in the Bemba language.
Ukwisa kwa bantu ku Kabende. Ulwendo lwakwa Shichimbanama na Milanshi Chiba. Ubufuma kwa cina Ngulube. Ubufumu bwakwa Kasoma Bangweulu, Kalasa Mukoso, Mulakwa na Mushili Mufway Ku Mimana Ubufumu bwakwa Sokontwe Makumba Ukwisa kwa ma church.
FENZA Publications, 205 pages, 2015. (First publication printed and distributed in 2004)
The stagiaire Audace Niyonsaba, Burundian, made his declaration of intent on Christmas Day 2015 at Good Shepherd Parish in Kabwata, Lusaka. Witnessing officially the event on behalf of the Missionaries of Africa were Fathers Venerato Babaine and Adelarde Munishi. The Christian communities was very pleased to share the joy of Audace together with the celebration of the birth of Jesus.
Click on the following picture to see the video:
My dear Friends, Christmas Greetings to you all! It is with joy that I write to you on this day after Christmas, which is celebrated here in South Africa as the “DAY OF GOOD WILL”. Consider the message of the angels on Christmas night: “…Peace to people of good will”!
As mentioned in the last Newsletter, on 27th November six of our candidates became officially Missionaries of Africa by taking their missionary oath. The next day, they were ordained deacons. Now they are all gone to different M.Afr parishes in Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to help out during their Christmas holidays. They will be back by mid-January for their annual retreat and their last academic year in Cedara.
From 3rd to 6th December, there was the mini World Youth Day in Bosco Centre near Walkerville. Over two thousand youths came from all over, including Botswana and Lesotho! On Saturday 5th, with two youth interested in the M.Afr, we put up our exhibition; many visited it and asked questions. We hope and pray for vocations.
On December 8, Patrick and his co-novices received the M.Afr habit and rosary in the noviciate in Zambia. From 11th to 14th I took part in the Xaveri Camp in Rustenburg: 85 youths and adults were present. Nice occasion to introduce them to a possible vocation as missionary priest, brother and sister!
Fr. Jean-Pierre Le Scour, M.Afr who works to combat human trafficking in the Mozambique-South Africa border had a serious heart operation and is now resting here. Your prayers for him, please.
Christmas is still here. May it last the whole year: “It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you… yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand.” (Mother Teresa)
Fr. Michael Meunier, M.Afr
Dear confreres. It’s with regret that I announce to you the death of my uncle, Mr Thaddeus Chileshe. He is the elder brother of my father. He died yesterday in Ndola where he stays. The funeral is in Mushili, Ndola near the UCZ church. Asking for your prayers. Yours, Robert Chipumbu, M.Afr
Aujourd’hui, les Missionnaires d’Afrique de l’Ouest vous proposent de visiter de nouvelles pages sur leur site www.mafrwestafrica.net :
Tout d’abord, ils vous souhaitent de belles fêtes de Noël et de fin d’année, et une bonne année 2016. Par ailleurs, ils vous communiquent comme d’habitude quelques informations :
Dans la rubrique « Actualités » :
« 8 décembre au Niger » cette date était pour les confrères vivant la mission dans ce pays pour se retrouver, et vivre des moments intenses de fraternité. (lire la suite)
« Assemblée précapitulaire d’Europe » cette assemblée de préparation au chapitre de mai-juin 2016 s’est tenue à Bruxelles du 23 novembre au 3 décembre 2015. (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Témoignages » :
« Lettre de Noël de Nouakchott » ce texte rédigé et envoyé par notre confrère Mgr Martin Happe, qui est évêque de Nouakchott depuis vingt ans. (lire la suite)
« La paroisse N.D. d’Afrique de Talo au Togo ». Des nouvelles de la communauté de Missionnaires d’Afrique qui est engagée dans cette paroisse. (lire la suite)
« Ouverture de la porte de la miséricorde à Zinder », un deuxième texte de la communauté de Zinder dans l’est du Niger. (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Dialogue interreligieux » :
« Comprendre et dialoguer » : encore une fois notre merci aux Missionnaires d’Afrique de l’ARCRE qui nous invitent à nous informer et réfléchir. (lire la suite)
« Islam et christianisme » trois articles pris sur le site de l’ARCRE et qui éclairent sur les possibilités de rapprochement, et ce qui se fait déjà dans ce domaine. (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Justice et Paix » :
« Message du Pape François, 1er janvier 2016 » cette date est la 59ème journée mondiale de la paix. (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Vu au sud, vu du sud » :
« Mandat contre Blaise Compaoré » des informations prises sur les sites de Radio France Internationale et du journal Libération, à ce propos. (lire la suite)
Today, the 21st December 2015, we celebrated Mass in our community around our confrere Fr Norbert Nkingwa who lost his maternal uncle, Mr Barnabas Kiyuga, on Thursday. His funeral Mass and burial is taking place in his home village in Mwanza, Tanzania.
We pray for the peaceful repose of his soul.
Message sent by Camille Konkobo, M.Afr