Missionaries of Africa - Southern Africa Province (SAP)

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Month: September 2017

Mua Parish Celebration in Dedza diocese, Malawi.

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On September 29, 2017

In News

Mua 08

Vice-President of the Republic of Malawi Dr Saulos Chilima making a speech.

By Robert Kalindiza

On Saturday the 23rd September 2017, Vice-President of the Republic of Malawi, Right Honourable Saulos Klaus Chilima, attended an important celebration at Mua parish which was celebrating 115 years since its establishment. At the same occasion, Father Claude Boucher Chisale celebrated his golden jubilee of priesthood while the catechist Simon Panyani celebrated his silver jubilee.

Highly attended, the Kungoni troupe dance formed some twenty years ago by Father Boucher, gave a great performance. Mgr Emmanuele Kanyama, Bishop of Dedza diocese, enhanced the occasion with over twenty diocesan and missionary priests in attendance. Even Juliana Lunguzi, Member of Parliament for Dedza East who happens to be a Christian of Mua parish, was present.

During his speech, Father Felix Phiri, Provincial of the Missionaries of Afrika commended Father Claude Boucher for planting good seeds in the hearts of Mua people and elsewhere through the preservation of African culture. Nowadays, few missionaries can expect to remain for very long at the same place. Father Boucher is one of the few. But, as he says; “an old tree cannot be replanted, otherwise it will die.”

The Vice-President also commended the work of Father Boucher Chisale thereby urging other people to do the same. He also advised the gathering to take care of the environment in order to avoid contributing to faster climate change. The celebration ended with a great feast at the Fathers’ house.

SAP Blog has reached 140 000 hits.

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On September 22, 2017

In News

140 000 hitsSAP Blog has reached 140 000 hits since its beginning in January 2013. Over 60 visitors a day with an average of 100 hits, SAP Blog is consulted widely in the Southern Afrika region, especially in Zambia, but also all over the world, mainly in the United States of America.

Thanks for your support. Let the people know that a mine of information is available on SAP Blog. You are following this blog, along with 534 other amazing people. Your comments are always welcomed.

Thanks for your support.

140 000 hits2

New academic year 2017-2018 opening Mass in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

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On September 17, 2017

In Declaration of Intent

New academic year Abidjan 2017 01 copieBy Goodwell Levison.

The opening Mass of the new academic year in Abidjan took place on Friday September 15, 2017.  The first purpose of the event was to welcome the new members of the formation house called the Lavigerie Centre. Paul Pipe started his first year while Joseph Goodwell Levison made his declaration of intention as a second-year student. Both of them are Malawians from the Southern Africa Province (SAP). A third-year student is also from SAP; Brian Banda from Zambia. The new rector, Fr. François Xavier Bigeziki was also presented to the community at Mass.

It is a custom in Western part of Africa to welcome visitors with a cup of water. This local ritual was performed to welcome the new rector and students once they have knocked at the door outside the campus. Then, the visitors were being asked to express their intention of coming. Few pictures below are showing this cultural behaviour. The new academic year starts on Monday 18th September. We wish them all a fruitful year.

On behalf of my fellow brothers here in Abidjan and my own behalf, we appreciate and recognize always the members from SAP and those working in SAP for your unceasing moral, financial and spiritual support.

Golden Jubilee of priesthood of Fr Piet van Heijst, M.Afr.

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On September 13, 2017

In News

Fr Piet van Heijst 03Fr Piet van Heijst celebrated his Golden Jubilee as a priest at St John the Baptist Catholic Church New-Kaloko in Ndola on August 27. The celebration took place in a joyful atmosphere led by the Parish-Priest Fr Francis Scszurek assisted by Fr Didasio Mwanza and the entire church council. A number of delegations came from various parishes and institutions as well as Dominicans and Child Jesus Sisters. The Vicar General, Fr Paul Simukanzi represented Bishop Justin Mulenga of Mpika. Fr van Heijst has been working in his diocese for the past 40 years.

Friends came from Chilonga, Mpika, Serenje and from Twatasha and Kawama in Kitwe. In his preaching, Fr Camille Konkobo highlighted the joy felt by the Jubilerian, a priest dedicated to the people and the sick who loves the Zambian. Christian families and small Christian Communities were encouraged to promote vocations in the Church.

Recently, Fr van Heijst has been the chaplain of Ndola General Hospital while helping the Parish-Priest.

He is a dedicated and hardworking Missionary of Africa. In the thanksgiving Mass, 50 candles were lit as a symbol of faith in all the places where Fr van Heijst worked. It was very touchy and emotional, a great moment of prayer. After Mass, a group of women made a sketch depicting the call to priesthood.

We wish you many more years in your ministry and may you continue being a model, a pastor, an image of Christ to the people you are sent to. Happy ministry and keep your beautiful smiling face always!

Camille Konkobo, M.Afr, Vocation Director for Zambia based at Kolibo Vocation Centre, Serenje, Zambia.

Death of Father Henri Langlade, formally missionary in Malawi from 1952 till 2000.

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On September 7, 2017

In News

henri_langlade copieHenri Langlade died on the 2nd September, 2017, in Billère, France, at the age of 92 years of which 67 of missionary life in Malawi and in France.

Birth: Aimargues, 03/09/1925

Spiritual Year: Carthage, 25/09/1946

Oath: Thibar, 27/06/1950

Priestly ordination: Carthage, 24/03/1951

29/03/1952 Arrival at Mzuzu, Nyasaland (Malawi). 22/08/1952 Curate at Mzambazi. 18/09/1953 Curate at Nkhata Bay. 12/02/1955 Curate at Karonga. 07/10/1956 Catechist School Rumphi. 22/05/1961 Retreat at Villa Cavalletti Italia. 22/08/1962 Chaplain at the Training Teacher College, Katete, Diocese of Mzuzu, Malawi. 01/12/1966 Chaplain at the Rosarian Sisters at Rumphi. 26/09/1979 Session- Retreat at Jerusalem. 01/01/1984 Curate at Nkhata Bay. 01/01/1986 Chaplain at the Rosarian Sisters at Rumphi and Seminary, Malawi. 04/11/1988 Back to France. 31/07/1989 Chaplain and teacher at Nkhata Bay, Diocese of Mzuzu, Malawi. 01/07/1991 Chaplain and teacher at Mzuzu, Secondary School, Malawi. 01/07/2000 Back to France. 02/07/2000 Residence in Billère, France. 13/09/2000 Session in Roma, Italia. 02/09/2017 Death at Billère.

Priestly ordination of Fr. Paul Donnibe, M.Afr, july 2017 in Ghana.

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On September 5, 2017

In Priestly ordination

BISHOP MATTHEW ORDAINS THE FIRST SMA PRIEST FROM THE DIOCESEBy Patrick Kadima, stagiaire from South Africa.

Three ordinations are to take place in different Dioceses in Ghana in 2017; in Sunyani, Bolgatanga and at the Diocese of Wa. One of them has actually taken place: the priestly ordination of Paul Donnibe.

His ordination took place at St. Mary Help of Christians Parish, Sunyani on Saturday 22nd July 2017, by His Lord, Most Rev Matthew Gyamfi, Bishop of Sunyani Diocese. I personally travelled on Friday. On our arrival, one could observe that people were arriving from different parts of the country and across the borders with Burkina Faso to witness the event.

At the venue, it looked like nothing was taking place when we first arrived. But it did not take long when parishioners, family members, friends, priests, sisters, and religious men and women started to show that something great was about to unfold.

The District Commissioner of Sunyani, one of the chiefs and most especially the Bishop, were introduced. The Bishop likewise welcomed the whole assembly. He emphasised the importance of the day and the reason of the gathering. He mentioned that our brother Paul was set apart and reminded the people to pray for him and his family.

While congratulating our Brother Paul, the Bishop mentioned that the whole parish and the diocese of Sunyani were proud of him. Paul is the first fruit of the Missionaries of Africa in the diocese. In a manner of advising Paul, the Bishop pinpointed in his homily the good examples Jesus sets for us. He reminded Paul that Jesus was a servant for others illustrated by the washing of his disciples’ feet. The priesthood is a journey of service for others just like our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

The bishop emphasised that a good priest finds joy in his duties. Since God loves a cheerful giver, if our brother Paul, as a priest, gives himself to God’s service by doing what a priest is supposed to do, indeed he will be a joyful servant of God in his priesthood. The bishop ended his homily by reminding our brother that he was also sent as a missionary to be an ambassador of the diocese of Sunyani wherever he will be.

Before Mass ends, our brother Paul gave his first and fresh blessing as a newly ordained priest, first to the Bishop, then the Provincial followed by all the religious men and women and then his parents and his relatives, lastly to all the faithful who were present. Finally, he expressed his gratefulness to all of us and to special people who made his ordination possible including some of his former teachers who were present and the District Commissioner of Sunyani.

After Mass we were invited for some refreshment at the parish house. We had supper together with Paul’s family and some parishioners. On Sunday, Paul said his first thanksgiving Mass at 7h00. After it, we took the road to go back home. It was good to be part of Paul’s ordination and very interesting to see how people celebrate life.

Ordination of Frederick Chungu Mulenga, M.Afr

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On September 1, 2017

In Priestly ordination

Frederic Chungu Ordi2By Felix Kamunenge, M.Afr

The ordination of Rev Fr. Frederick Chungu Mulenga by his Lordship Rt. Rev Patrick C. Chisanga, OFM. Conv. took place at St Peter’s Catholic Church, Nchelenge – Mansa Diocese, on 19th August 2017 which is a new parish created from St Paul’s – Kashikishi which had been one of the oldest parishes of the M.Afr in the 1980s.

As early as 08:30 am on Saturday morning, scores of diocesan priests from the neighbouring parishes and Missionaries of Africa from afar were getting ready to be witnesses of Frederick’s ordination day.

The ordination proper was punctuated by the solemn profession of faith in St Paul’s Parish in which the ordained publicly, in front of the Bishop, the Provincial Superior and a few priests and lay people, read and signed the creed as a sign of being faithful to the deposits of Catholic faith. The whole ceremony took about 30 minutes.

As soon as this exercise was concluded, there followed an ordination motorcade with a convoy of 20 cars following each to the ordination square in St Peter’s. It is a distance of 3.5kms from the presbytery. Two policemen on a twin police motorbike led the motorcade in front. The whole procession was so well organised that no car was allowed to overtake the other.

The ordination Mass kicked off at 10:00 am with the procession accompanied by the Stella (child dancers aged 5-10), ba Buomba (adult traditional dancers) and all the priests. Frederick was accompanied to the altar by his parents, who later presented him to the bishop and the M.Afr Superior.

The liturgy was lively and inculturated. The singing by the choir and by Buomba at different intervals was well coordinated. The ordination Mass was attended by hundreds of people from all walks of life. About 35 priests out of which 13 M.Afr attended the function and a handful of religious Sisters. Here we can say that our Chungu was fully supported.

The homily was short and straight to the point. In his homily, the bishop made it a point to praise the past missionaries of this land and urged the Christians to safeguard the faith deposits planted in the hearts of people. He urged the ordained to be an ambassador of the Church in Nchelenge by being a good example wherever he would be sent. He was tagged as the 125 Jubilee baby of Nchelenge being one of the fruits of M.Afr evangelisation. Citing Jer. 1:4-10, he was encouraged not to be afraid to speak the truth as the cross is part of our Christian identity. He further talked about certain traditional practices like seeking witch doctors as hindrances to real evangelisation.

After the ceremony, all M.Afr gathered in front of the altar to sing the Sancta Maria while the newly ordained priest was kneeling down.

Mafrwestafrica lettre du 1er septembre 2017

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On September 1, 2017

In News, Publications

Mafrwestafrica logoAujourd’hui, les Missionnaires d’Afrique de l’Ouest vous proposent de visiter de nouvelles pages sur leur site http://www.mafrwestafrica.net.

Actualités

« Contre la dynastie Gnassingbe au Togo » des manifestations du Parti National populaire (PNP) contre cette famille, au pouvoir depuis 50 ans (lire la suite)

« Attentats de Catalogne » : l’enquête a mis au jour une filière terroriste marocaine d’une douzaine de personnes. Parmi elles, quatre fratries originaires du royaume chérifien (lire la suite)
« Le site M.Afr pour la France » quelques informations au sujet de ce site et de sa nouvelle adresse sur internet (lire la suite)

Témoignages 

« Ce qu’ont vécu les lycéennes nigérianes » les journaux intimes clandestins tenus par plusieurs des jeunes filles enlevées par le jihadistes de Boko Haram a été rendu public par l’agence de presse Reuters (lire la suite)

« Biographie du père Joseph Olivaud » ce missionnaire qui se trouvait dans notre maison de Billère, est décédé le 9 juin dernier. Son parcours est raconté par le père Jaquinod (lire la suite)

« Problèmes au Congo Brazzaville(Pool) » Pas moins de 2 000 personnes sont venues assister à la manifestation de l’association des jeunes-mères du Congo (AJMC) le 28 août (lire la suite)

Dialogue interreligieux

« Recherche sur la radicalisation violente » quels sont les phénomènes de radicalisation cognitive et comportementale qui touchent des acteurs islamistes partisans du djihadisme armé (lire la suite)

« Observatoire pour les minorités » Mgr Gallagher a participé à l’inauguration d’un Observatoire pour les minorités religieuses dans le monde (lire la suite)

« Religion et violence » des informations intéressantes fournies par l’Observatoire des Religions et de la Laïcité (lire la suite)

Justice et Paix

« Ras Bath au Mali » Ras Bath, qui est aussi membre du Collectif pour la défense de la République (CDR), est une des voix les plus audibles de la plateforme « Antè A bana » contre le projet de révision constitutionnelle au Mali (lire la suite)

« Journée mondiale migrants et réfugiés » le message du pape François pour la 104ème journée des migrants et réfugiés qui se tiendra le 14 janvier 2018 (lire la suite)

« Prier pour la sauvegarde de la création » la 3e édition de la Journée Mondiale de Prière pour la Sauvegarde de la Création qui se déroule le 1er septembre (lire la suite)

Vu au Sud – Vu du Sud

« Armes françaises en Afrique »  De 2012 à 2016, l’Afrique aura acheté des armes à la France pour un montant de 3,939 milliards d’euros. Le continent est même en constante augmentation (lire la suite)

« Situation en Sierra Leone » La catastrophe a fait au moins 499 morts et des centaines de disparus. Les populations sont traumatisées, les secouristes tentent toujours de retrouver les corps des disparus (lire la suite)

« Faux médicaments en Afrique » Interpol a annoncé vendredi la saisie de plus de 420 tonnes de produits médicaux de contrebande en Afrique de l’Ouest (lire la suite)

« Togo : manifestations en faveur du pouvoir » Une marche organisée en réponse aux manifestations de l’opposition du 19 août qui ont coûté la vie à deux personnes (lire la suite)

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