Silver Jubilee Celebration

Approximately 300 people gathered on our provincial house compound one fine day for the Silver Jubilee celebration of the SVD’s missionary presence in Kenya. This ‘One Fine Day’ needs emphasizing primarily in reference to the weather. Days before and after the appointed day, downpour offered no letup. Yet, somehow, the sky was clear and the ground was dry on 7 April 2010.

 Nothing could be more appropriate in celebrating the beginning of something (even if it took place a long time ago or maybe because it happened 25 years back) than holding it within the octave season of Easter.  The Lord’s resurrection ushers in a new beginning in everything that we do. Theologically we can say that Jesus, the New Adam has brought about the founding of the New Creation and New Life through His incarnation, passion, death and resurrection.

Thus, referring now to our Silver Jubilee, it could very well be understood as the marking of a new beginning, a new creation, a new life. It was indeed a fitting occasion, more so because Easter season coloured it with greater significance and meaning.

And so on that day, confreres set aside their pastoral and ministerial activities to assemble in Nairobi. On that day also, the Archbishop of Arusha, Tanzania Josaphat Lebulu shared his time with us as he presided over the Eucharistic celebration and was made the guest of honour. Moreover, on that day, parishioners, lay-partners, mission collaborators, and friends from other religious orders and congregations joined us in thanking the Lord with prayers, in fun and merriment. On that day, SVD confreres looked back with a sigh of relief for having survived and gone through a significant chapter of its missionary journey in Kenya, and , by extension, in Tanzania. On that day, we also looked ahead with a sense of great hope for the future.

As planned, we started the day with the Eucharist, and then went on with the presentation of cultural numbers and entertainment. Being a day of sharing, almost everyone participated and all had a great time.

Several confreres were acknowledged and given recognition for having done something special for the province. They were the following:

Bro. Karl Schaarschmidt  — Missionary Service Award

Fr. Tom Leyden (in absentia; on home leave)   – Leadership Award

Fr. James Mailady – Leadership Award

Fr. John Serrao  (in absentia; now at INM) – Leadership Award

Fr. Eusebio Manangbao — Leadership Award

Bro. Karl was a member of the pioneering SVD-Kenya team. He came to the country in January of 1985, and has been here since. Frs. Tom, James, and John served the province as regional or provincial heads. Fr. Eusebio is our current provincial superior.

The four provincial house employees, namely Cecilia, Jimmy, Fred, and Francis, were also given Loyalty Award for their many years of dedicated and faithful service. Their having worked in the provincial house gave them unique opportunities to interact with and serve all confreres in the province.

In actual, 7 April 2010 was nothing but the culmination of the province’s year-long celebration. It is to be recalled that parishes and communities marked the occasion in different ways and at different times throughout of last year.

For more photos, please follow the link below: http://soysi.multiply.com/photos/album/37/SVD_Kenya-Tanzania_Silver_Anniversary_Celebration

Provincial Assembly 2010

The province just saw the completion of its two-day assembly. The much-anticipated event was attended by all confreres, except those who were out of the province at the moment.

Common Formation Center (CFC) of Langata hosted the first day, while the second day was held at Divine Word High School in Katani, sponsored by Fr. Justus Rottuk.

Organized and facilitated by the provincial superior Fr Eusebio Manangbao, confreres showed their interest and concern for the province through their active participation in the discussions and deliberations. Reports on spirituality, development, community and pastoral life, and formation were presented by council members.

The coordinators of JPIC, mission animation, Bible ministry and communication also pitched in with their assessments on the state of affairs of their respective offices, alongside the confreres’ involvement in the four characteristic dimensions of the Society, which the four offices represent and stand for.

Debates and exchange of ideas gave color to the assembly, as each confrere was given the chance to speak and be heard.

The 28-29 January 2010 provincial assembly had the 38 confreres agreed on six resolutions.

Also worth-noting is that, a day before the assembly, the philosophy house community hosted a dinner for all confreres to anticipate the celebration of the feast of the house’s patron St. Joseph Freinademetz, which fell on Jan 29. 

Feast of St. Joseph Freinademetz

  

 

Provincial Assembly 2010

A new way of looking?

The 25-25 Duo

We have a back-to-back celebration this year, two important events taking place in 2009. The first one belongs to Fr. James Mailady, the second to SVD Kenya-Tanzania province. One can call it ‘The 25-25 Duo’, for both refer to the maturing of God’s gift that was received a quarter of a century ago. For Fr. James, it is his 25th ordination anniversary; for the province, it is the silver jubilee of SVD foundation in Kenya.

As already mentioned in the preceding article, Fr. James Mailady touched the silver lining of his priesthood ordination last 12^thof May 2009 in Dol Dol parish where he is currently serving. The celebration was held on 10 May 2009 (Sunday), so as to accommodate the parishioners and mass goers. It was a colourful day, made more vibrant with songs and dances during the mass. Fr. Provincial Eusebio Manangbao did not travel from Nairobi alone as the likes of Bro. Karl Schaarschmidt, Fr. Jacek Rejman, Fr. Mariusz Kubista, Fr. Narciso Cellan and 2 seminarians came with him to attend the occasion. Another confrere, Fr. Stan Roz, arrived as well. The event was organized by Fr. Marcin Karwot, the parish priest of Dol Dol.

Lunch followed the eucharist, although the evening was booked for a dinner of nyama choma (grilled meat), for which an mbuzi(goat) had to be sacrificed. Comboni sisters, the mission partners of the SVDs in the parish, joined the post-sunset sumptuous meal and pitched in with their deliciously baked pastries. True to the occasion, conversations during the meal turned religious and inspiring as Fr. James intimated that he is a happy and contented man.

 As to the silver jubilee of the province, the other 25, it is something that is still unfolding.

Below are some photos from the occasion.

 

 

Confreres one with Fr. James

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eucharist

Fr. James, installed as a Maasai elder

Fr. James with the mass dancers

Pointing high: Fr. Eusebio and Fr. James atop the 'Roman Rock'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To view more photos on Fr. James’  jubilee celebration, follow this link: http://soysi.multiply.com/photos/album/20/Jubilee

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fr. James’ 25th Sacerdotal Anniversary

He is one of our former provincial superiors. After his term of serving the Society as head of Ken-Tan Province from 2002 to 2005, he retreated into a village and assumed the life of a missionary country boy. His name is Fr. James Mailady and he is marking a milestone in his life this year.

 

Fr James is reaching the 25th anniversary of his sacerdotal ordination, an awe-inspiring feat, to say the least, particularly for us younger confreres who still have thousands of miles to tread before we can cover the same distance.

 

Dol Dol parish, through the leadership of Fr. Marcin Karwot, is organizing a celebration to make this event a memorable one for Fr. James and for everyone in the province.  It will be held on 10^th of May 2009 (Sunday) at 10 A.M. in Dol Dol Parish.  All confreres, near and far, are invited.

 

Fr. Marcin is asking those planning to come to contact him for coordination. Rooms are aplenty in Dol Dol, so the door is wide open to confreres. See you there!

Fr. Provincial Eusebio (L) with Fr. James (R) and his best kept secret: stored river water!

SVD confreres attend Chrism Mass in Nairobi

Twelve was the number of confreres who showed up at the Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi for the Chrism Mass last Holy Thursday. The event’s main celebrant was no less than the Cardinal himself, Archbishop John Njue.

 

For the 12 confreres, it was some sort of mini-gathering, and a happy one as they renewed their priesthood together. Unable to contain their joy, they marched to a nearby restaurant after the mass, just for a light lunch, aware of the spirit of the season. Fr. Shaji Michael, who was one of the twelve, sponsored the meal. His birthday, of all days, fell on the following day — Good Friday.

 

At least 400 priests attended the mass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Towering thought: Fr. Tony (L) discussing with Fr. Carlos (R) matters of great consequence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eight of the 12. Not in photo: Frs. Eusebio, Shaji, Carlos, and Narciso (taking the photo)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Someone's in town: Fr. Moses (C), a Kenyan SVD and missionary to Angola, Fr. Carlos (L) and Fr. William (R).

 

At the resto with Fr. Shaji (R), the Birthday Boy.

 

A view from the pew

 

 

 

 

Food donations: From Kayole to Dol Dol

Rain has become the byword in Kenya nowadays, not for its ubiquitous presence, but the lack of it. In many places in the country, crops are failing as drought creeps in. And with rivers drying up, thousands of people have to walk a few kilometres more to fetch water. It’s one big tragic reality that tells us how important rain is to the very survival of the people here.

But not all is lost. While everyone prays for rain, organizations and communities are mobilizing themselves to help those hit the hardest by the drought. FM stations are broadcasting appeals for assistance to all and sundry. Of note doing this is the Catholic Waumini radio station. Supermarkets, too, are making initiatives by soliciting goods and grocery supplies.

Our SVD parish in Dol Dol is one of those greatly affected by the drought. Having received no rain since November of last year, the place and its expanse are now a picture of dust, sand, and more dust. As the sun continues to parch the earth, people are getting clueless where to get the next meal.

As part of an immediate response, food items were donated to Dol Dol parish by Kayole parish, Nairobi (another SVD parish)  two weeks ago. Organized by the parish priest Fr. Francisco Gonzalez of Kayole and its parishioners, and with the support of our provincial superior Fr. Eusebio Manangbao, food donations were shipped to Dol Dol and were distributed to the most needy. The estimated cost of the whole donation was KSh200,000 (US$2,500). Our Dol Dol confreres Frs. Marcin Karwot and James Mailady have expressed their utmost appreciation and gratitude to Kayole parish. Even in the past, the parishioners of Kayole have always manifested great generosity and willingness to help.

It is hoped that rain will come before Holy Week. However, thick clouds are nowhere in sight, and the government seems very slow to intervene. Should there be still no downpour this month and the next, and should the government fail to throw its weight behind a comprehensive program that will provide adequate assistance to the people, a disaster of phenomenal magnitude could be seen taking place, as it is already unfolding  now.

                                                                                                                                     

Bound for Dol Dol

Fr. James unloading food items donated by Kayole parish

Gone under: Even the water underneath the river bed is fast receding

A distant view of Dol Dol parish compound

No sign of rain

Mission Secretaries’ Workshop ’09 in Angola

AFRAM Mission Secretaries with Fr. Xene Sanchez (right, back row), AFRAM Zonal Coordinator

The AFRAM mission secretaries are up with enthusiasm after  their just-concluded workshop in Angola. Fr. William Owire, Ken-Tan’s own mission secretrary, reports that they have “resolved in the meeting to exchange information among the mission secretaries and opened g-mail address for all the mission offices, so that, if one is not in the office, information will always remain there.”

Hmmmnn… I can sense the communicative aspect of what they’ve agreed to do.

In any case, the workshop must have been very helpful to the mission secretaries as it has clarified many important issues.

Fr. William also sends the report of the workshop and his own report on the Ken-Tan province.

To view both reports, please, click on the items under the ‘Announcement ‘ page.

Celebrating the Feast of St. Joseph Freinademetz with a song

In our province, the feast of St. Joseph Freinademetz was marked this year on several occasions. First, there was the inauguration of Divine Word High School (DWHS). Then, Ruai parish, which is under the patronage of St. Joseph Freinademetz, chose the Sunday following Jan. 29 (hence, Feb 1, 2009) to celebrate their Patron Saint’s feast.  Between DWHS and Ruai parish celebrations, our Philosophy House in Otiende also joined the festivities by holding dinner for our confreres residing in Nairobi area, the reason being our Otiende formation house is named after St. Joseph Freinademetz. Indeed, one can say that St. Joseph is rather popular among us here, and that his feast always gives us reason to gather and celebrate.

Fr. William Owire, a Kenyan confrere ordained to priesthood a few years back, was the main celebrant of the Eucharist and the homilist in the Otiende celebration. Dinner with splendid menu was enjoyed by all after the mass. A quiz game was organized and played to test the knowledge  of confreres about St. Joseph. Our rector Fr. Augustine Rodrigues gave a rousing performance as he led the whole group on other games.

Over and above all these celebrations is the spirit of camaraderie among confreres, which was evident in the way we interacted with each other.  Community life is no easy task, especially for a hetero group like ours, and very international at that. It is perhaps precisely because of this that our province needs the special guidance and prayers of St. Joseph Freinademetz.

As a way of highlighting all the three occasions in which the feast of St. Joseph was celebrated,  a song was written by Fr. Cellan to honor this beloved saint of ours.  Composed just two days before the feast, it was first sung in public on Jan 30, 2009, the day St. Joseph’s feast was commemorated in our Philosophy House in Otiende.

To view and listen to the song on youtube, please click below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3CvGyWGZFg

 

 

 

youtube

To view it on multiply, please click here: http://soysi.multiply.com/video/item/22/St._Joseph_Freinademetz

multiply

Blessing of DWHS on the Feast of St. Joseph Freinademetz, SVD

Bp. Kivuva cutting the ribbon, assisted by Fr. Provincial Eusebio and Fr. Justus

 

On January 29, 2009, the Feast of Saint Joseph Freinademetz, SVD, the Ken-Tan province marked the day with the blessing and the inauguration of the Divine Word High School in Katani. Bishop Martin Kivuva of Machakos Diocese graced the occasion and was the main celebrant of the mass. Confreres were around, so too were some religious sisters and parishioners from Kayole, Ruai, Soweto, and Mlolongo.

The School Director Fr. Justus Rottuk could be seen running up and down the whole day to make sure that things would be executed to a tee. After the blessing of the school and the celebration of the Eucharist, the Bible was enthroned and speeches were given. Fr. Provincial Eusebio Manangbao made special acknowledgement of Bro. Karl Schaarschmidt’s initiative and efforts in building the school. He is the man behind the establishment of the school. It was a pity though that he could not be around for the occasion as he is still in Germany, recuperating from a medical operation he underwent. We pray for his full recovery and eventual return to the province.

In his homily, Bp. Kivuva stressed the importance of education and expressed appreciation to the SVD for the mission initiative taken in his diocese. In his succeeding speech after the mass, he said: “Why come halfway only?” He then made explicit invitation to the Society to engage in pastoral work in the diocese.

The last part of the program was the partaking of meal, which kind of drew the curtain to a close.

The school is starting out with first year students this year. Enrollment is still going on, and classes are set to commence on February 9, 2009.

For more photos, please click below:

http://soysi.multiply.com/photos/album/15/Divine_Word_High_School_DWHS_Blessing_and_Inauguration

Provincial Assembly & Launching of Silver Jubilee Year

On the 15^th of the January 2009, on the occasion of the Feast of our Founder St Arnold Janssen, confreres in Kenya and from Tanzania trooped to CFC-Langata for the provincial assembly. Besides those who are out of the country at the moment, and also Bro. Lawrence Kibaara who was travelling to Brazil, everyone else was there.

 

The morning of the assembly was devoted to discussions, deliberations, and sharing of information. The exchange of insights and ideas was marked with openness, mission and pastoral concern, and sincerity in discerning for decisions and resolutions regarding particular issues in the province.

 

In the afternoon, confreres braved the sweltering sun to challenge each other in a volleyball match. Table tennis and lawn tennis were also played. It was a good way of rousing our dormant muscles and stirring our latent bones to life.

 

The celebration of the Eucharist in the evening was presided by no less than the provincial superior himself Fr. Eusebio Manangbao, with Fr. Justus Rottuk as the homilist.  During the liturgy, several CFC seminarians were accepted into the Ministries of Lectorate and Acolyte, and one – Frt. Daniel Otieno (a Kenyan) — was initiated into the Second Novitiate Program of which Fr. Augustine Rodrigues is the appointed director.

 

A sumptuous dinner was in order, thanks mainly to the able leadership of our CFC formators, Fr. Mervin Noronha and Bro. Mike Wachira, and the hospitality of the whole CFC community.

 

As if the day was not yet full of significance, the event was further highlighted with the official launching of the Silver Jubilee celebration of SVD Kenya-Tanzania. It must be recalled that our Society came to Kenya in 1984. Having turned Silver this year, the province would like to pay tribute to the pioneering efforts of our early missionaries in this part of Africa, and to give thanks to God for the humbling missionary responsibility and the gift of mission He has entrusted to each one of us in the first 25 years of SVD presence in Kenya. The theme of the Jubilee thus is:

                SilVerDeeds  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Our

                     Our First 25 Years in Kenya

 

Indeed, what better way of honouring our Founder than launching a Jubilee celebration that will give his sons an opportunity to get an honest glimpse of what and how they had been in the last 25 years of SVD presence and mission in Kenya and what they ought to become in the coming years.

Provincial Assembly 2009 (CFC-Langata)