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Category: Publications Page 13 of 41
Various publications; Bulletins, magazines
Aujourd’hui, les Missionnaires d’Afrique de l’Ouest vous proposent de visiter de nouvelles pages sur leur site www.mafrwestafrica.net :
Dans la rubrique « Actualités » :
« Début année académique à Abidjan » C’est le 18 septembre 2015 que s’est ouverte cette année académique. Merci à l’équipe de communication pour le texte et les photos. (lire la suite)
« Construire une église à Atakpamé» Une lettre envoyée par la communauté des Missionnaires d’Afrique en mission à Atakpamé, Togo. (lire la suite)
« Candidats en formation 2015-2016 » : le nombre de jeunes se préparant à s’engager comme Missionnaires d’Afrique, en cette année académique. (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Témoignages »:
« Livres publiés par des missionnaires d’Afrique » Quelques précisions sur trois livres écrits par des Missionnaires d’Afrique et publiés récemment. (lire la suite)
« Une société Arc-en-ciel » un article tiré du numéro 108 de « Voix d’Afrique », écrit par le père Jos Van Boxel, premier assistant général des Missionnaires d’Afrique (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Dialogue interreligieux » :
« Défis pour l’islam» : l’Islam se trouve en effet confronté à de nombreux défis, tout particulièrement celui de ses divisions internes. (lire la suite)
« Vivre ensemble différents » : la différence est en effet une réalité à laquelle on n’échappe pas, et qu’il faut prendre comme un élément positif. (lire la suite)
« Le Centre Sénoufo à Sikasso » ce centre dont le but est de faire découvrir la culture Sénoufo a été créé par le Père Emilio Escudero, décédé en 2012 (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Justice et Paix » :
« Migrations, quelle réponse trouver ? » Une réponse qui serait acceptée par tous les pays d’accueil n’est toujours pas trouvée. Il faut garder l’espoir qu’elle le sera un jour. (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Vu au sud, vu du sud » :
« Coup d’Etat au Burkina » Depuis le 16 septembre 2015, le Burkina Faso vit des moments difficiles. La situation est toujours en évolution. Là aussi il faut garder l’espoir. (lire la suite)
« L’école de la différence » le partage d’une expérience vécue en Algérie, où des Nord-Africains et des personnes originaires du Sud Sahara ont l’occasion de vivre une expérience commune. (lire la suite)
My dear Friends, Greetings! I hope you are well.
The great event immediately after the last Newsletter was surely the Lay Leaders Conference of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg. On Saturday 29th, with Bishop Jan DeGroef, M.Afr. (Bishop of Bethlehem in the Free State), we met more than 300 lay people from all the parishes of the Archdiocese. We had one hour and a half to explain the missionary activity of the Church. “The Church, by her very nature, is missionary” (Vatican 2, On the Missionary Activity of the Church, 2). With a PowerPoint Presentation and a talk and a song, we try to show that it is not the Church who has a Mission, but it is the Mission of Christ which has a Church! Dillon Naicker, a young member of our Missionary Group gave a very powerful testimony of his conversion and how he became a missionary in working full time in Youth Ministry. He wanted to become a famous actor – he did it for a short while, appearing in the weekly soap Isidingo – then as he said, “the Lord came to pick me up from my miserable life… One day, when I saw the word MISSIONARY on the calendar of the Missionaries of Africa, I knew I had to become a missionary.” He is now a real missionary working full time at the Youth Office of Johannesburg Archdiocese. Our two Congolese candidates have arrived via Durban on Sunday 30th! Finally, they got their students’ visa! At the moment, they are 31 theology students. They are the most numerous of all the congregations studying at St. Joseph Theological Institute in Cedara. They are from seventeen countries, but so far none from South Africa! We still pray and hope that some generous young men will soon join us! On the same day, Sunday 30th, a group of almost twenty youths took part in the Vocation Discernment Day at the Cathedral. It was a lively group really eager to discover their vocation according to God’s will.
The greatest event in South Africa this month was surely the beatification of Benedict Daswa. I am sure you all know about his life, how he was a strong Catholic Christian, always helping the poor and the children of his school – he was the headmaster – and how he was killed by a mob because he had refused to pay R5 to help hire a sangoma in order to find the culprit who, the people said, had sent lightnings to burn some houses in the village. From Sunday 13th September 2015, we can pray Blessed Daswa to intercede for us to God. He can surely help us to follow his great example by giving our lives totally to God. Many newspapers, radio and television stations covered the event. Benedict was a young man of our time (43 years old): he died 25 years ago, not 200 or 300 years ago! And he is one of us, a real South African! Let us be proud of being Catholic and South African!
October is MISSION MONTH. We all are called to be Missionaries. The theme chosen by Pope Francis is “A PASSION FOR JESUS AND HIS PEOLPE”. As you know, our Pope often challenges us to go out to the peripheries and proclaim the Good News of Jesus to those who are far. Let us pray and reach out to others this coming month in order to live better our missionary vocation. Let us also pray for Pope Francis who is on a very important missionary journey in the USA, so that his message of peace and joy may be well received by the American people and by all the people of good will.
Fr. Michael Meunier, M.Afr
Aujourd’hui, les Missionnaires d’Afrique de l’Ouest vous proposent de visiter de nouvelles pages sur leur site www.mafrwestafrica.net :
Dans la rubrique « Actualités »
« Baobab Echos n° 23 » la dernière édition du Bulletin de la Province d’Afrique de l’ouest, publié au mois d’août 2015. (lire la suite)
« Lettre de Ghardaia, septembre 2015 », la correspondance mensuelle de notre confrère, Mgr Claude Rault, évêque de Laghouat-Ghardaia en Algérie (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Témoignages » :
« Jubilé sacerdotal Emmanuel Ngona » : un texte et la photo de l’intéressé. Le Père Ngona, assistant général, a servi de nombreuses années dans la PAO. (lire la suite)
« Barabara le voleur » un texte poétique du Père Marcel Boivin, résidant à Québec, au Canada, son pays natal. (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Dialogue interreligieux » :
« Afrique du Nord » : l’Algérie et la Tunisie ne vivent pas les mêmes réalités. Si on peut s’inquiéter pour l’Algérie, l’article sur la Tunisie est plutôt rassurant. (lire la suite)
« Islam, craintes et espoirs » : Selon les contextes très variables, c’est l’inquiétude ou l’espoir de paix qui prend le dessus (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Justice et Paix » :
« Migrations, encore et toujours », des textes pris sur le site de l’ARCRE, et qui tentent de donner la juste mesure des réalités migratoires. (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Vu au sud, vu du sud » :
« Deux expériences sur la famille africaine » un texte du Père Bernard Ugeux, Missionnaire d’Afrique, résidant présentement en République Démocratique du Congo. (lire la suite)
« Le Pape en Afrique en novembre 2015 » Le Pape François visitera le Kenya, l’Ouganda et la Centrafrique au mois de novembre 2015 (lire la suite)
Maputo (Agenzia Fides) – “The Catholic Church has always called on the Mozambican society to appreciate all people, especially those who are most vulnerable and in need”, acknowledged the President of Mozambique, Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, during his speech on the occasion of the Mass celebrated in the Cathedral of Tete on Monday, September 7, the anniversary of national independence from Portugal. According to information sent to Fides, the President expressed appreciation for the role carried out by the Catholic Church in preserving peace and for its efforts for national reconciliation.
On September 7, 1974 the agreement between FRELIMO (National Liberation Front of Mozambique) and Portugal was signed in Lusaka (Zambia), which ended the war for national independence. Soon after, in 1975, the outbreak of the civil war between FRELIMO, and RENAMO (Mozambique National Resistance) exploded. Only in 1992 the civil conflict was solved with the active participation of the Catholic Church in the peace talks.
The celebrations for national independence this year coincided with the 75th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Maputo, the capital of the Country.
President Nyusi was represented by Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario. He asked all the faithful, and society in general, to take concrete actions to maintain and consolidate peace. Recalling the slogan of the celebrations of the anniversary of the Archdiocese (“Thank the Lord for the wonders made in recent years”), the Premier stressed that “only true peace can allow Mozambicans to ‘do wonders’ in the future”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 09/09/2015)
Mission Month (October) is just around the corner and once again the Church invites us collaborate in a tangible way in bringing the liberating and life-giving message of Jesus Christ to all people who inhabit our planet Earth. We are certainly aware of so many disturbing reports of violence, war, exploitation, abuse, corruption, discrimination and religious persecution happening in too many places in our so called civilised world. What is desperately needed in our world are the values and objectives of the Kingdom that Jesus preached. What is our response to all these tragic realities apart from shaking our heads in disbelieve and maybe making some comments? How are we actively working to change our families, communities, society, country and our world? We are all called to be instruments of positive change and hope, irrespective of our age, situation or status in life, each one has something to offer and has the capacity to be a channel of the new life and hope that Jesus brings.
Do we commend these tragic situations to prayer? Are we genuine witnesses of Jesus in our daily lives, at home, at work, at our places of study, wherever we may be? Do we give testimony not only with our words but more importantly with our lives? Pope Francis with his humble and austere life style coupled with the compassion, love and mercy of Jesus radiating from his daily actions give us a wonderful example of how to be missionaries and disciples of Christ. He has made priority visits to areas of conflict, war and poverty, (Palestine, Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Bolivia, Ecuador and Paraguay) to bring Jesus’ message of hope and mercy. He concerns himself with the plight of the homeless, refugees, the sick and the suffering. In an attempt to promote the Universal Mission of the Church in all the dioceses of the SACBC we had a workshop with the Diocesan Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) Directors at Lumko, Benoni in July, which was attended by 21 directors or their representatives. The workshop took the form of an information session on the PMS; its Societies, aims, mission, challenges, achievements and procedures. It also afforded us an opportunity to get to know one another a little better and at least meet in person. From the feedback received it was viewed as positive and helpful. We all agreed that the PMS will only function properly and achieve its mission when the faithful are informed and animated and when everyone here in our local churches collaborates, is enthusiastic and committed. To quote Pope Francis: “Mission is a passion for Jesus and at the same time a passion for His people”.
Fr. Gordon Rees mccj National PMS Director – SA, Botswana & Swaziland
Kolibo Vocation Centre has reached 25 YEARS of existence. It is our joy to see that many things have happened during these passes years. A number of aspirants and students have passed in the centre. Amongst them, some are priests, civil servants, officers in various institutions, business men, professionals and others are still in formation. At 25yrs of Kolibo, the number of Zambian Missionaries of Africa is 25. What an achievement!
Aujourd’hui, les Missionnaires d’Afrique de l’Ouest vous proposent de visiter de nouvelles pages sur leur site www.mafrwestafrica.net :
Dans la rubrique « Actualités » :
« Confrères décédés en 2015 » ils sont dix au jour de publication de cette lettre à nous avoir quittés en 2015, parmi ceux qui ont servi dans la Province d’Afrique Occidentale. (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Témoignages » :
« Jubilé sacerdotal Raphaël Lubala » : un texte et quelques photos au sujet de cet événement. Le Père Lubala a servi plusieurs années au Burkina Faso (lire la suite)
« Ordination sacerdotale Gautier Sokpo » Missionnaire d’Afrique originaire du Togo. Ordination qui a eu lieu le 8 août 2015 à Lomé. (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Dialogue interreligieux » :
« Dialogue : nouvelles début août » quelques articles pris sur le site de l’ARCRE au début du mois d’août 2015 (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Justice et Paix » :
« Messages du Pape François », les deux derniers messages du Pape François, l’un au sujet de la paix, l’autre à propos des migrants (lire la suite)
« Message du SCEAM » le Symposium des Conférences Épiscopales d’Afrique te Madagascar vient de publier ce message qui traduit la préoccupation au sujet de nouvelles formes d’esclavage (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Vu au sud, vu du sud »:
« Quel statut pour les femmes ? » le dernier article publié sur le site du SEDELAN : « Née étrangère, étrangère tu resteras ! » (lire la suite)
« Projet ferroviaire Ouest-Africain » la présentation de ce projet grandiose d’une boucle reliant le Bénin à Abidjan, passant par le Niger et le Burkina Faso. (lire la suite)
My dear Friends, Greetings! I hope you are well.
This month has been quite busy, as usual! I guess it has been the same for you too. But let us always take some time to stop and relax and pray. This is important if we want to listen to God who whispers to us mostly in stillness.
In the last two months we were very fortunate in the Southern Africa Province to have two ordinations to the priesthood: one in Malawi and one in Zambia. If you like to see beautiful pictures and read about those events, you can go to our blog at mafrsaprovince.com. I am sure you will find plenty of other interesting news as well.
On Monday 10th, Fr. Seán O’Leary, M.Afr, left us. Fr. Seán has been in South Africa for over 30 years! During the apartheid era, he was even jailed because of his opposition to the oppressive regime. After many years of work in different parishes and then at the Bishops’ Conference – where he was in charge of the Bishop Hurley Institute –, he is now appointed to Ireland, his native country. He will be the Sector Bursar as well as coordinator for all matters of Justice and Peace for the M.Afr throughout our European province. We wish him all the very best and accompany him with our prayers. Thank you, Seán! You will surely be missed and you will miss South Africa, we are sure! This is the lot of missionaries: we come and go!
Now that Fr. Seán is gone, Fr. Christophe Boyer, the South Africa Sector Bursar, and I are alone here in Edenglen. Without counting all the pastoral commitments (helping around in parishes and schools, giving retreats and sessions to various Movements like Cursillos, CWL, St. Vincent de Paul, etc.), we are often running to the airport and bus stations to receive and send off visitors, and preparing evening meals for them.
As mentioned last month, most of our new candidates arrived to start their theology studies in Cedara, near our Formation House of Merrivale in KZN. Finally, on 12th August, Hallen and Shiby arrived from India; they were happy to stay with us overnight and board the bus for Pietermaritzburg the following day. The next Sunday, Francis from Nigeria arrived also at OR Tambo airport and took the bus on Monday morning. We are still expecting the two from D.R. Congo; they are still waiting for their visa! We hope they’ll be here soon because their school year has already started three weeks ago! At the moment, in Merrivale, we have thirty one theology students.
There, our students are very busy; first of all, with their studies, of course; this takes a great part of their time. Then their life of prayer takes surely a good chunk of their day. And especially on weekends, they are occupied with all kinds of pastoral work in the nearby parishes. Some of them are particularly involved in our own parish of Henley (more on this, next month). We have also some who are members of the KZN Pastoral Care of Vocations: with seminarians of other congregations as well as Sisters, they regularly visit parishes for their Sunday Masses and meet with the youths afterward. We hope and pray that they may in this way plant the seed for some vocations to flourish from those parishes.
Our only candidate from this Sector, as you know, is Patrick Kadima. He is still on holiday with his family, but preparing to go for his noviciate early next month in Zambia.
Let us continue strong in our faith and confident that the Good Lord is still calling many of us to be his true missionaries. God bless you all!
Fr. Michael Meunier, M.Afr