Greetings from JCTR,
We are happy as always to share with you the end of October 2014 Basic Needs Basket for Lusaka and accompanying Press Release. We hope this information is helpful for you.
Mwiinga Shimilimo (Miss), Media and Information Officer
Press Release, 7th November 2014
PROMOTION OS SOCIAL JUSTICE MUST LIVE ON SAYS JCTR
As Zambia mourns the passing of the late president H.E Michael Chilufya Sata, it is important to acknowledge the strides made by the late president and the PF government in the area of infrastructure development and efforts to enable workers afford a decent cost of living by implementing the minimum wage and raising the tax free threshold. It goes without saying that the efforts made will go a long way in boosting the positive economic growth that the country has been experiencing for the past 10 years. However for this growth to have lasting benefits it must significantly translate into poverty alleviation for the majority of Zambians that are living in poverty. The high poverty levels of 60.5% living below the poverty line indicate the extent of hardships currently being experienced by households in accessing basic needs and these hardships are much more severe in the rural parts of Zambia where 77.9% of the population are living in poverty.
FULL TEXT
JCTR BASIC NEEDS BASKET: LUSAKA
Greetings from JCTR,
We are happy as always to share with you the end of October 2014 Basic Needs Basket for Lusaka and accompanying Press Release. We hope this information is helpful for you.
Mwiinga Shimilimo (Miss), Media and Information Officer
Press Release, 7th November 2014
PROMOTION OS SOCIAL JUSTICE MUST LIVE ON SAYS JCTR
As Zambia mourns the passing of the late president H.E Michael Chilufya Sata, it is important to acknowledge the strides made by the late president and the PF government in the area of infrastructure development and efforts to enable workers afford a decent cost of living by implementing the minimum wage and raising the tax free threshold. It goes without saying that the efforts made will go a long way in boosting the positive economic growth that the country has been experiencing for the past 10 years. However for this growth to have lasting benefits it must significantly translate into poverty alleviation for the majority of Zambians that are living in poverty. The high poverty levels of 60.5% living below the poverty line indicate the extent of hardships currently being experienced by households in accessing basic needs and these hardships are much more severe in the rural parts of Zambia where 77.9% of the population are living in poverty.
FULL TEXT
JCTR BASIC NEEDS BASKET: LUSAKA
Par Isabelle Légaré, Jounal Le Nouvelliste, Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada. 8 Novembre 2014.
(Bécancour) Réal Doucet parle sept langues, dont le swahili et le zoulou. À chacune de ses missions en Afrique, il adopte le dialecte du pays. Question de politesse et de survie.
«Quand on connaît la langue d’un peuple, son cœur s’ouvre», soutient le père blanc rencontré entre deux messes qu’il célèbre ces jours-ci à l’église de Saint-Grégoire, à Bécancour. Originaire de Saint-Célestin, Réal Doucet, 66 ans, est en vacances dans la région. Le religieux vient de passer les quatre dernières années dans la République démocratique du Congo et s’apprête à repartir pour trois ans en Afrique du Sud. Il renouera avec le zoulou, une langue… à clics!
Spontanément, le missionnaire se met à prononcer des mots en émettant des sons gutturaux. Le claquement de la langue ou du palais est essentiel pour saisir toutes les nuances du zoulou. Dans la bouche d’un monsieur qui a grandi dans un sympathique village en bordure de l’autoroute 55, le résultat est aussi étrange que fascinant.
Et dire qu’au départ, le missionnaire ne souhaitait pas se raconter en entrevue. «Je m’en voudrais de vous faire perdre votre temps», avait-il prévenu avant – béni soit-il – de se laisser convaincre du contraire. Son apostolat est digne de celui d’un grand aventurier.
Porté par ses convictions religieuses, Réal Doucet a accepté d’affronter les pires dangers sur un continent qu’on associe trop souvent à des images d’extrême pauvreté, de sécheresse, de famines, de guerres civiles, de pandémies…
Pour le missionnaire, l’Afrique n’est pas que misère. Là comme ici, tout n’est pas noir et tout n’est pas blanc. Le père Doucet se considère même comme un témoin privilégié de sa beauté du monde et de sa richesse spirituelle. Il y retourne toujours avec le plaisir de rentrer chez soi.
Plus jeune, Réal Doucet s’est rendu plusieurs fois dans les villages isolés de la brousse africaine pour partager sa bonne nouvelle et offrir un coup de main. Jamais le missionnaire ne s’est fait piquer par les nombreux serpents croisés sur sa route, pas plus qu’il s’est retrouvé nez à nez avec les lions dont il pouvait entendre les rugissements en écho. «Dieu est grand», sourit celui qui a cependant été gravement affecté par l’hépatite A, communément appelé jaunisse. Cette fois-là, M. Doucet a eu peur de mourir, mais pas autant qu’en avril 1994, lorsqu’il s’est retrouvé au Rwanda plongé en plein cauchemar.
Le sourire bienveillant du missionnaire s’efface. Des larmes coulent malgré lui. Vingt ans se sont écoulés depuis ce génocide où le père Doucet a fui de justesse la violence barbare des Hutus. Assis sur son lit, le père blanc a entendu, terrorisé, les coups de massue dans la porte d’une maison où il avait trouvé refuge avec d’autres prêtres et des religieuses dont certaines, d’origine tutsi, étaient menacées d’être enlevées puis tuées.
«Des soldats hutus sont arrivés à temps pour nous sortir de là et nous escorter jusque dans les bureaux diocésains, en haut d’une colline», raconte M. Doucet qui a assisté impuissant à des gestes de vandalisme, a accueilli des hommes et des femmes blessés à coups de machette et, surtout, a vu la rage meurtrière dans les yeux de la foule.
«Nous étions comme dans un film, mais c’était bien réel. Il n’y avait aucune possibilité de s’en sortir. On se préparait à mourir», poursuit le missionnaire qui a prié Dieu et sa propre mère alors décédée pour échapper à ce massacre dont les images le hantent encore, parfois, après toutes ces années.
Lorsqu’on évoque la force en lui, le père blanc rétorque en murmurant: «Non. Je suis très émotif…»
Le missionnaire n’a jamais pensé plier bagage pour revenir chez lui, à Saint-Célestin. Aujourd’hui encore, il refuse de condamner les acteurs de cette tuerie sans nom. «Quand on connaît la situation là-bas…», laisse-t-il tomber, songeur.
Et à ceux qui, devant de telles horreurs, remettent en question l’existence d’un Dieu juste et bon, le missionnaire répond simplement: «Dieu fait ce qu’il peut et pleure aussi avec les gens.»
D’un positivisme à rude épreuve, Réal Doucet préfère s’attarder sur les scènes d’entraide auxquelles il a pu assister durant cette période sombre de l’histoire africaine. «Des Hutus ont protégé des Tutsis. Certains ont caché des enfants», souligne le père blanc qui dont le dernier mandat consistait à œuvrer auprès de futurs prêtres dans un centre universitaire de théologie de Kinshasa, capitale de la République démocratique du Congo.
À compter de janvier prochain, il occupera des fonctions similaires, cette fois, en Afrique du Sud, pour une période d’environ trois ans.
«En Afrique, notre relève est composée de 490 jeunes hommes âgés de 20 à 35 ans. La grande majorité d’entre eux souhaitent devenir prêtres», précise celui qui, vacances ou non, a déjà hâte de les retrouver pour leur enseigner à devenir à leur tour des messagers d’espoir, et ce, dans la haine comme dans la paix.
Le père blanc pourrait aussi leur partager ce qu’il a écrit dans son cahier de finissants de 1968 du Séminaire de Nicolet, alors qu’il se savait déjà futur missionnaire: «La vie, c’est une recherche du bonheur et consiste à faire, d’une façon extraordinaire, les choses ordinaires de la vie.»
LIEN
A vigil Mass for Archbishop James Spaita took place on Thursday 6th November 2014 at 18 hours, in the Cathedral of St Johns, Kasama. The Funeral Mass and burial was at the Cathedral of St. Johns, Kasama on Friday 7th November.
Let us all join together in praying for this great pastor and servant of God in the Zambian Church.
May he rest in perfect peace.
Christopher Chileshe, M.Afr
Saturday Post
Kasama Diocese Archbishop Ignatius Chama urges politicians not to tear Zambia apart –
By Salim Dawood in Kasama | Updated: 08 Nov, 2014
Do not tear the country to pieces because of the desire to become president, Kasama Diocese Archbishop Ignatius Chama has told politicians. Speaking during the burial ceremony of Archbishop James Spaita at St John’s Catholic grounds yesterday, Archbishop Chama said the country could only be ruled by one elected person at a time. “Now let me turn to my friends, the politicians, I appeal to you to lead us in common desire to be ruled by an elected president after the death of Michael Sata, the president of our country,” he said. “The country can only be ruled by one candidate at a time, so allow us to have a president that is elected in a peaceful, free and fair election without tearing this country into pieces.” Archbishop Chama said politicians must allow eligible Zambians to vote for a candidate they wanted without intimidation. Archbishop Chama also thanked the government for the support during the funeral of Archbishop Spaita. And speaking on behalf of government, home affairs minister Dr Ngosa Simbyakula described the death of Archbishop Spaita as a double tragedy because of the death of president Sata. “Government deeply mourns the late Archbishop whose death came to us with deep shock. We shall miss him as a caring shepherd for his priests and Christians in Kasama and the country. We interacted well with him and took advice from him on many issues concerning the development of the country,” said Dr Simbyakula. Archbishop Spaita who died on November 4 aged 80 was buried yesterday within the St John’s Catholic grounds. Among those who attended the burial were mines minister Christopher Yaluma, commerce deputy minister Miles Sampa, Eastern Province minister Malozo Sichone and his Northern Province counterpart Freedom Sikazwe. Others were FDD president Edith Nawakwi, ABZ president Frank Bwalya, NRP president Cosmo Mumba, Kasama member or parliament, Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba and his Kabwata counterpart Given Lubinda. Meanwhile, Sampa and 11 others, including this reporter, were yesterday forced to make an emergency landing after their chartered plane developed a mechanical fault mid-air. The Lusaka-bound plane was returning from Kasama where government officials attended Archbishop Spaita’s burial. The pilot Steven Terblance said he was not sure what caused the fault as nothing of that nature had ever occurred in his seven-year flying experience. One of the engines on the Nkwazi Air-charter aircraft failed 10 minutes after take-off from Kasama Airport. After realising the failure, the pilot U-turned to Kasama on one engine where he made an emergency landing. Those on the plane included Lusaka lawyer Anthony Kasolo, Cosmo Mumba and some journalists.
See more at: http://www.postzambia.com/news.php?id=3843#sthash.4S1zjf9r.dpuf
Ongoing construction at the Preparatory Centre in Chipata, Zambia. Updates November 2014 in pictures.
Looking around; René Garand and Jean-Luc Gouiller.
See also the surrounding hills. Nice view indeed!
Also:
Ongoing construction at the Preparatory Centre in Chipata, Zambia
Ground work at the Preparatory Centre in Chipata, Zambia
Dave Cullen is currently the Hospital Chaplain in Chipata, doing a remarkable work every day in the afternoon walking throughout the wards to pray with the sick. The establishment looks pretty good and large. Dave updates his list of sick patients and provides spiritual assistance with the help of Patricia, a lay volunteer. Here are some pictures of Dave in action moving up and down the aisles and stairs of the hospital.
Thanks to you Dave for your beautiful ministry.
During the last years, we have most of the time been four or five members in the Kalongwezi community. Henk van Kessel, Dutch, 88 years old, is the unwearied and uncontested Archivist of the Diocese. He has also been the Chicewa/Chinyanja language professor for quite a long time, a job which regularly bounces back.
After the departure of Edgar Pillet in 2012, at 78, for retirement in France, Dave Cullen, English, of the same age, came to replace him as Chaplain of the Regional Hospital nearby, and, like Edgar also, he gives a help to the Marriage Encounter groups. He also does some visits to the local Prison. Both Henk and Dave go to St Monica’s Secondary School for Masses during the week.
Jean-Luc Gouiller, 78, French, who is linked with some groups of the Christian Agricultural and Rural Adult Movement. He has also been asked to update the demarcations and the title deeds of the various places held by the Diocese of Chipata throughout the Province, a work very much tied with the delicate land issue. He also takes part in some vocation work as do the other members of the community.
Joe Mc Menamin, Irish, 74, joined us after several years of missionary animation in Ireland. He replaced Edgar Pillet who was also a curate at the Mary Mother of God Parish of Nabvutika, a big compound of Chipata. After some time Joe became and still is the Parish Priest of that very parish.
The stagiaire Halen Kerketta, from India, is finishing his first year of Stage. He has some activities with the Youth Team of the Diocese and some others in Nabvutika Parish.
Brother René Garand, coming from South Africa, is joining the community and will supervise or follow up the construction work on the site of the new Preformation Centre.
READ HERE THE FULL TEXT ON PDF FILE
By Fr. Serge St-Arneault, M.Afr
Mary Mother of God Parish is situated at Nabvutika (the name means, “I suffer”) a very poor compound on the northwest outskirt of Chipata. Zambia.
About 15000 people live there without any land or the possibility of having even a vegetable garden. The soil is rocky and the slope of the mountain nearby is unproductive. Everyone needs to find ways to get some income to survive. Side roads and local markets are full of vendors selling vegetable, charcoal, etc. brought from Malawi through the mountains and other areas. Life is tough, especially for sick and old people. The town of Chipata, which hopes to become a ‘city’, provides electricity and water for those who can afford but no health clinic is available.
I was privileged to walk around part of the compound with Fr Joe Mc Menamin the Parish Priest and a group of dedicated women. The compound starts from the crossing gate leading to the church. The last remaining few hundred meters or so of the road leading to town is in bad condition and impassable during the rain season. Soon, we entered into a house to greet an old women who is partially paralysed following a stroke. Then, we move on through small and crooked paths to greet more people.
The houses are small and poorly constructed. The Parish is involved in building a house for poor widows; a pre-school and clinic for the people in the compound. From there, we stopped at Anastasio Kolowa Banda’s house; a tiny shack with thatch roof. Old but quite alert, Anastasio, having lived some years in Tanzania speaks Kiswahili better than the local language. We exchanged few words in Swahili to the amazement of the women walking with us.
After a long stride, just before going back to the church, we stopped to see Maria Kabwe, Bemba speaker. I fell on my back while trying to sit on a small stool put on the slight slope facing Amai Maria. The neighbour quickly brought me a chair. Greeting her was very nice. Her vision is restricted because of cataracts but her mind is clear and her character cheerful. She like so many others is totally dependent on the St Vincent de Paul organization for material support, food etc.
Joe walks through the compound each and every day. Indeed, he needs good legs to be the Parish Priest of Nabvutika. His mission is challenging and inspiring. He is assisted by a diocesan priest for weekdays and Sunday Masses.
Situated at ten kilometres from the new Formation Centre for the Missionaries of Africa, Nabvutika offers an ideal place for pastoral work for forthcoming candidates of the Missionaries of Africa.
Many thanks to Joe, a truly good fellow … with good legs!
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 » :
« Messe en mémoire de Michel Tremblais » à la Maison Lavigerie -Ouagadougou – le 18 octobre 2014. (lire la suite)
« Jubilé à Zinder au Niger. » : la paroisse de Zinder étant la paroisse “Sainte Thérèse de l’Enfant Jésus”, dont la fête est célébrée le 1er octobre, c’est à cette date qu’a commencé l’année jubilaire de la paroisse. (lire la suite)
« Nouvel archevêque de Niamey » : Monseigneur Laurent Lompo, évêque auxiliaire depuis le 9 juin 2013, vient d’être nommé archevêque de Niamey et remplacera Mgr Michel Cartagéguy à la tête du diocèse (lire la suite)
« Echos du Conseil Provincial » : la dernière réunion du Conseil Provincial de la P.A.O. s’est tenue à Ouagadougou du 14 au 23 octobre 2014. (lire la suite)
« Conclusions du synode sur la famille » le 18 octobre, un texte a été publié sur le site Zenit du Vatican, avec les orientations données par le synode, ainsi qu’un message du pape suite à ces conclusions. (lire la suite)
« Les statistiques des candidats chez les M.Afr. », chiffres qui viennent d’être publiés dans sur le sitewww.mafrome.org. (lire la suite)
Etant donné la situation actuelle du Burkina Faso, nous ne sommes pas encore en mesure de donner des informations précises et durables. Une recherche sur internet permet de suivre l’évolution des choses au jour le jour.
Dans la rubrique « Vu au sud, vu du sud » :
« Les rayures du zèbre » un article paru dans « Voix d’Afrique » au sujet d’un film qui parle du recrutement des joueurs de football en Afrique (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Dialogue interreligieux » :
« Ouverture de l’IFIC » à Bamako. L’Institut de Formation Islamo Chrétienne, vient en effet d’ouvrir ses portes pour l’année 2014-2015 (lire la suite)
« Lettre du diocèse de Laghouat Ghardaia ». du mois d’octobre 2014, lettre rédigée comme à l’accoutumée par Mgr Claude Rault, évêque du lieu. (lire la suite)
« Quelques extraits du bulletin n° 95 de l’ARCRE », lequel bulletin a été envoyé dans sa totalité le 30 octobre 2014 à tous les abonnés. (lire la suite)
Dans la rubrique « Témoignages » :
« Mission au Brésil », un texte écrit par le Père Serge Moussa Traoré, originaire d la P.A.O., et qui vit sa mission dans ce pays d’Amérique du sud. (lire la suite)
« Famille et vocations ». Merci à Vincent Kiye, étudiant à Abidjan, qui nous a fait parvenir le texte d’une conférence qu’il vient de donner au CFMA (Centre de Formation Missionnaire d’Abidjan). (lire la suite)
We have received a great number of messages from all over the world. Thanks for your prayers. Only that a slight misunderstanding might have occurred. Indeed, the one who died is the mother of our confrere Claudio Zuccala even though the news appeared on my personal Facebook page which is posting the news appearing on the Southern Africa Province (SAP) Blog. Please, look also at the following link:
http://mafrsaprovince.com/2014/10/26/death-of-the-mother-of-claudio-zuccala/
As indicated below, the funeral is taking place today the 30th October. I have forwarded to Father Zuccala all your kind words of sympathy. May God bless you all for your kindness and love!
On behalf of Father Claudio Zuccala, I am grateful for your prayers and words of encouragement.
Here is the message of Father Zuccala sent yesterday night:
I arrived yesterday morning (28th October) on a beautiful late autumn day, with the sun brightening the snow-capped mountain tops and a touch of frost on the ground.
The sun was shining bright by the time I reached the village perched on a mountain top where my mum lived. She looked very serene, almost smiling and I felt a sudden rush of consolation in spite of the deep sadness which had nested in my heart since I heard the bad news.
It’s been very hectic at home with lots of friends, family members and acquaintances coming to say a prayer and to pay their last visit to mother and to express their condolences to my sister and me. Her gentleness, simplicity and readiness to help which have been the trademark of all her life has produced this kind of overwhelming response.
Tomorrow (30th) we’ll celebrate her funeral and lay her to rest in the tiny parish cemetery overlooking the valley below.
United in prayer,
Claudio Zuccala, M.Afr
