Claudio Zuccala, M.Afr
Category: News Page 77 of 79
News from Sectors and Rome
The questionnaires were sent last year and each community was asked to work with them and to send back a report before 31st December 2012. Until now we have had no reply from anyone. Please try to do your homework during Lent so that by Easter, at the latest, we receive your findings. See below for the details:
In last year meeting of JPIC coordinators held at Kasisi, some practical decisions were taken. Let me just remind you of the following:
2.5. Two main areas of concern were identified:
2.5.1. Reconciliation (which is problematic per se and it becomes more so at the family level and in politics, compounded with witchcraft and the way the latter is perceived and dealt with).
2.5.2. Devastation of the ecosystem, consequences of discovery and exploitation of natural resources.
2.6. Action Plan
We agreed that our Centres (Kanengo and Fenza) should be directly involved and we proposed the following:
2.6.1. Fenza (in the line of what is said in #42-46 of Africae Munus) will spearhead a research that will provide us with methods/rituals of reconciliation and will also come up with the necessary tools to research and interpret stories of reconciliation.
2.6.2. Kanengo will do the same concerning the realm of Integrity of Creation.
2.6.3. These tools will be used by JP coordinators in the field, in their parishes and communities.
2.6.3. The results of the research will be sent back to Fenza/Kanengo who will then proceed to analyse the findings and send back their reports to the communities in the field.
There were plenty of people on Sunday the 3rd February to bid farewell to Father Evariste Some after being the parish priest for four years at the Parish of St. Peter in Serenje, Kabwe Diocese. In attendance were Christopher Chileshe, Oswald Mallya, who is the incoming parish priest, Faustin Kerumbe, Marc Nsanzurwimo, Emmanuel Mambwe, Everisto Mwelwa and the two stagiaires Fitiwi Abraha and Patrick Sebyera. Father Some will be going soon to Rome for studies in view of formation in his home province of PAO.
Father Some was the main celebrant for the Eucharistic celebration while the reception took place at the hall in town in the afternoon. A colourful send-off in which parishioners congratulated Father Some included a banquet, speec
hes and gifts. In his word of thanks, Father Some urged the Christians to support the new parish priest in the same spirit as they did for him. The SAP, and Zambia Sector in particular, wishes Father Some all the best and thanked him for his good apostolate. By Everisto Mwelwa, M.Afr
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- St. Peter
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- The church of St. Peter
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- Fr Some and parishoners
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- Fr. Some and parishoners
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- Blessing of Fr. Some at Mass
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- Hall in town
Sharing Trentaprile is published 4 times a year by the Missionaries of Our Lady of Africa.
Simply click on the picture to read the content.
Antislavery campaign updates
The followi
ng blog, by our confrere Yago Abeledo, is highly recommended by Claudio Zuccala. Two articles are available in Word format for those with poor internet connection. They can be requested on demand using the section “leave a comment” below. Those articles are: 1. Diarmuid O’Murchu, EMBRACING THE PAINFUL TASK OF DECONSTRUCTING SLAVERY, Insights from the New Cosmology, New Physics and the Historical Jesus. 2. Wolfgang Schonecke, STRUCTURES AND IDENTITIES IMPEDING THE “GREAT TRANSFORMATION”, The Wisdom of a Life’s Journey.
Erick Balderas Vega is originally from the State of Idalgo, close to
Mexico City. He grew up there together with three brothers and two sisters. Erick is the third child of the family and his parents are still alive. After his High School, Erick did his philosophy at the diocesan seminary. Then he spent a year at home before coming to our formation house in Guadalajara in 2006. He first met our confrere Sergio Villaseñor Salinas and saw in him what he was looking for, someone committed to missionary work in Africa. What really attracted him to the Missionaries of Africa is our international community lifestyle where he feels really at home. Erick spent a few months in Washington DC to learn English before going to Lua-Luo in Kasama for his noviciate. At present he is a stagiaire at the parish of Kabwata in Lusaka. Erick has to make efforts to overcome his shyness. He does not rush into things but takes his time to reflect before making a decision. His family will surely see in him a new person when he goes back home at the end of his stage. Erick has been recommended for further studies at Merrivale by his community of Kabwata. He is still waiting for his official appointment.
A Pastoral Statement. To the Catholic faithful and all people of goodwill. Grace, mercy and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
“This is what Yahweh asks of you, only this: to act justly, to love tenderly, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)
On the occasion of our January 2013 Plenary, we want to take this opportunity to raise pertinent issues on the state of our nation.
READ MORE
How Customs and Popular Sayings Contribute to 
the Discrimination and Violence Against Women
by Evans K. Chama, M.Afr, Printed by Montfort Media, Balaka, Malawi, 2011
Contents: 1. What is Gender Equality? 2. Can there be Gender Equality in Marriage? 3. The Image of Women and Their Work 4. Raising a Female Child Today 5. I Will Marry a Woman Like Mum 6. How Much Does Your Daughter Cost? 7. My Wife, A Maize Field? 8. Women’s Dependence on Men 9. Love Potions, Are Women Just Nasty? 10. Romance 11. If Your Husband Does Not Beat You… 12. Why The Silence When Abused? 13. What Does Being a Widow Entail? 14. Property Grabbing: A Mere Criminal Act? 15. Approach to Gender Equality.
The wind of change is blowing, sending waves tossing up and down stirring up what has existed undisturbed for centuries. In this rousing the world is being hatched from its centuries-old shell to new birth. We are in the time of awakening, maturing too perhaps. Once again we are challenged to take distance from our own cultures and traditions, our own identity, in order to reflect in a disinterested way on our society and on ourselves. Certainty we marvel at our beauty that often overflows unnoticed, yet still, we also realise there is some mopping up to do somewhere. (…)
Books for sale at Woodlands House, 1 Mwapona Road, Lusaka, at the cost of ZR 30
Priest takes on the inequality of women in African tradition
A WOMAN LIKE MUM: Reviewed by Mphuthumi Ntabeni
Zambian-born Fr Evans Chama’s book, A Woman Like Mum: How Customs and Popular Sayings Contribute to the Discrimination and Violence Against Women, is apt for our country and times.
DREAMS. Where do Biblical, Zambian, and Western Approaches Meet? First book published by FENZA (Faith and Encounter Centre Zambia), Lusaka. January 2013. With contributions from Gotthard Rosner, Bernard Udelhoven and Patrick Mumbi.
What does the Bible say about dreams? What do Zambian cultures say? And how does this all mix with Western psychology? Dreams are important in Zambia. Yet when Christians try to find meaning in their dreams, they have to juggle with very different worldviews. This book is written for all who have an interest in dreams, from the perspectives of Zambian cultural traditions, psychology and theology. It clarifies some important issues and is of special benefit for those who help people in the pastoral field to deal with compelling dreams experiences.
Available at FENZA at the cost of ZR 40.
“Come to me, all you who work hard and who carry heavy burdens and I will refresh you” (Matthew 11: 28).
The Ministry of Inner Healing and Reconciliation (MINHER) offers Counselling Sessions and Healing Retreats. These two services are offered in order to bring inner healing and reconciliation to a person experiencing the following problems:
1. Suicide and thoughts of death: Haunted by feelings of wanting to commit suicide or thinking of committing suicide. 2. Trauma: Being very much disturbed by a very powerful shocking and sad event that has happened in your life. Experiencing being haunted (troubled, disturbed, or chased) by the bad experience that happened to you in the past. 3. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Experiencing intense fear, shock and helplessness as a result of remembering a very sad event that happened to you in the past. 4. Bereavement: Intense, shock, sadness and sorrow after the death of somebody you love very much. Recurrent and disturbing dreams especially after the death of your beloved person (parent, spouse, child, brother/sister). 5. Depression & Anxiety: Persistent feelings of hopelessness and pessimism. Feelings of worthlessness, guilt and helplessness. Loneliness, sleeping too much, not wanting to socialise or come out of bed or house. Difficulties and fear in making decisions (especially important ones). Restlessness, anxiety and experiencing intense fear, worries or empty mood. Insomnia (lack of sleep). Not feeling yourself, especially after a shocking event. Lack of confidence and enthusiasm in your life. 6. Healing and Renewal Retreats for Christians: for those who want to be healed from the wounds of the past, who want to have more personal relationship with God, who want to grow in freedom and peace with God and with each other. 7. Bipolar Disorders: Having two extremes when acting: either happy or very sad. Lack of balance in your life; either very excited or very depressed. Sudden changes of mood (mood swings).
All the services are offered in strictly confidential and non-judgemental environment!
Counselling Sessions. First option: Individual Counselling Sessions in a package of 4 to 7 sessions offered once a week between Tuesdays to Thursdays on agreed time. Second option: three days individually guided Healing Retreat with a session once a day on agreed date and time.
Fees. First option: Counselling Sessions: Negotiable. Second option of three days residential (including full board) and Healing Retreat: KR 750.
Where to find MINHER. MINHER is located at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in SERENJE at about 7 kilometres from the first “T” junction on the Great North Road, coming from Lusaka.
Who to Contact? Fr. Oswald Mallya, M.Afr (Psychotherapist/Counsellor).
St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Box 850018, SERENJE, Zambia. Telephone: 097-856-7684/095-585-2771. E-mail: oswaldmallya@yahoo.com
The increase in electricity tariffs is leading to Service Exclusion
Addressing poverty continues to be identified as a major challenge for Malawian society and has been a central topic that successive governments have attempted to tackle or at least pretended to do so. Commitments in Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS), pronouncements in the newly launched Economic Recovery Plan (ERP) and various key government documents underscore that view. However, in spite of all these attempts to address poverty the reality is grim: poverty in Malawi remains severe and widespread – a situation that leaves millions to grapple, on a daily basis, with the unabating increase in food and essential non-food commodities. The ever rising cost of living presents to the country an extremely serious challenge upon which all efforts must be concentrated so as to ease people’s daily suffering. (…)