Christmas at Kandisi

Christ our Lord and Saviour is Born! Hosanna, Alleluia!

Yesterday Tuesday, December 24th, the communities of Nairobi and Kandisi came together to mark the eve of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus.

The occasion was ideal for a beautiful celebration of brotherhood and above all a conviviality in the strict family privacy.

The joy of Christmas could be read on the face of each and even in the gestures and reactions. To each and every one we wish a joyful Christmas season and a good journey to the end of the year 2013.

Christmas at OCTC Kaburugi

Yesterday Friday, December 20th, the Don Orione Centre of Kaburugi, staff and friends celebrated the Christmas.

A beautiful family ceremony which gathered around the same table the fathers Alejandro Ruiz, James Waituika, Joachim Ake, Stan Achi, Deacon Morris Mawira, the students and staff of the Centre.

To each and every one we wish a Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year 2014.

India, Adoration in commemoration of the first Orionine Missionary journey

Yesterday at the Philosophy House, Bangalore, a service of adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist was help to thank God for the hundred years since the first Orionine missionaries were sent by Don Orione from Italy to Brazil.  The dream that the young Luigi had of Our Lady with the blue cloak is gradually being fulfilled and we are especially aware of it in our Delegation which is composed of seven nations which exist in the Orionine Family because of the Orionine Missionaries who came to bring the charism of our Founder.

December in Holidays’ colors!

On Wednesday 11th December we celebrated in anticipation, the birthday of Deacon Morris Mawira Gichia. This same celebration was also an opportunity of an advance Christmas celebration with our students in philosophy whom on the following day December 12 have all taken the road for a two weeks family vacation.

Therefore, our community is kept to a staff of four members, the Superior Father Paul Mboche, Fathers Joachim and Stan and Deacon Morris.

To each and every one we wish a good journey towards the end of year festivities and the birth of our Lord at Christmas.

Merry Christmas 2013 and Happy and Holy New Year 2014.

Message of the delegate and wishes for Christmas and the New Year

The Word of the Father, who came into this world through Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, continues to speak to each and every one of us. Are we listening and responding to the Word who speaks to us through Scripture, liturgy, people and events every day? Our personal or community daily “lectio divina” can help us to do this.

A simple method of lectio divina by yourself or with others is:

1.     Read the passage of Scripture (preferably from the Gospels) two or three times

2.     Ask yourself which word or phrase strikes you

3.     Ask the Lord to help you to understand what He is saying to you through that word or phrase: how does He want you to apply it to your life? Ask Him to help you to put it into practice, like Mary.

Don Orione says to us, “My Sons let us pray! It is not enough to meditate and keep silent, we must pay great attention to the Word of God, apply it to ourselves; reflect well, and then pray, pray, pray to the Most Holy Virgin”

This is a painting of St Jerome, one of the Fathers of the Church, who said, “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ”. He spent the last 34 years of his long life at Bethlehem, where Christ was born, translating the Bible and meditating on it. His life was a continuous process of conversion to the Word of God.

A Happy Christmas and a Blessed New Year to you all!

DELEGATE’S NEWS, October - November Newsletter

OLM General Assembly Uruguay

Fr Mariano Zapico, co-ordinator in India and Ms Karen Chia from the UK, on behalf of our Delegation, attended the Orionine Lay Movement General Assembly in Montevideo, Uruguay, together with representatives from all over the Orionine world from 7^th to 11^th October 2013.  There were elections of the officers of the “movement” and the General Co-ordinator, Javier Rodriguez, from Spain was re-elected. They also wrote the practical rules of the movement which have yet to be translated into English. 

General Assembly Brazil

The General Assembly of Verification of the Sons of Divine Providence was help at Aparecida, Brazil, from 14^th to 19^th October. Fr Malcolm Dyer and Fr Mariano Zapico represented the Delegation. The aim was to see how the congregation is putting into practice the lines of action and decisions of the 13^th General Chapter of 2010. The representatives looked at some of the principal lines of action and decisions and one the one hand judged what was being implemented and on the other hand made suggestions for better implementation.  There is a document with all the findings which has not yet been translated into English.

Entrance to the Postulancy

On Saturday November 30th, three of our young aspirants have made their official entrance to postulate. Augustus Omumani Denis Aoka and Thomas Gwaro are now postulants. This ceremony was held in the strictest community privacy during the Saturday morning Mass, at 7am. Relying on the Gospel passage of the day, the feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle of the Lord, Father Paul Mboche has not failed to explain the depth and the specificity of this first step. This is a first "yes" that will determine and guide all the other "yes" they will be called to give to the invitation of Christ who constantly speaks to them, saying, "Follow me". This first "Yes" in the Little Work of Divine Providence is for our three young students of third year of Philosophy the opening of a period of immediate preparation for the novitiate. By the official entrance to the Postulancy, Augustus, Denis and Thomas made ​​their the call that Christ addresses to his Apostles. While thanking God with them for this first step they have made in the religious family of Don Orione, let us pray for them that the Lord who calls and wants to associate them to his work of love and mercy strengthens and make them, after the example of St. Andrew, true "fishers of souls" for their own joy, the joy of the congregation and for the greater glory of God.

"Come and see" Act 2

From Monday 18 to Saturday 23, November, seven of our aspirants took part in the second session "Come and see" of the year. They were invited by the Deacon Morris, first responsible of the vocational sessions.

For one week, they tried to meet Christ on the theme: "We want to see Jesus" (Jn 12:20-26). Already on Wednesday, with Father Paul Mboche, their journey to the discovery of Christ led them to browse the areas of formation: human, intellectual and spiritual formation.

In the afternoon of Wednesday, a video session plunged them in what would be the theme of Thursday with Father Stan, the Discernment. Try to know who Jesus is above all, _ made us his own (phil 3:12) leave by him, listen to his voice calling us and so decide to follow: "I will follow you," the title of the film. 

The feast of Our Lady of Divine Providence in Nairobi!

The celebration was marked today by the solemn Mass presided by Father Paul Mboche this morning assisted by Father Stan and Deacon Morris. Have also participated our young boys presente for the "Come n C" and our neighbours, the Sisters of Benebikira and Comboni Sisters.

In the evening, a fraternal meal worthy of the great feast days and a cake in honour of our Principal Patron.

May the Virgin Mary Our Mother, the one by which is coming all providential grace, obtain us to remain always faithful to God's love and may her who brought joy at Cana in Galilee, obtain happiness, charity and peace for all the Sons of Divine Providence and all the Little Missionary Sisters of the Charity.

Mary, Mediatrix of Divine Providence

We want, in the honour of this solemnity, share with you, how our Founder Luigi Orione understood the title of Mary as Mother of Divine Providence.

Mary, Mediatrix of Divine Providence in the life of the Church and of souls.

What is Providence?  It is the action of God which takes care of all things, and, by doing this, continually creates and directs them, ordaining them towards their purpose.  But Mary Most Holy, as she is co-redeemer, also by that same Providential action directs and consoles the Church towards her purpose and by her virtues supports our lives in their purpose.

These are the two points: the Providential action of Mary in the life of the Church; the Providential example and help of Mary in our lives.

The prophecies had foretold about Mary: the symbols and the types had somehow photographed her.

She was born in a poor little house in Nazareth, surrounded by all the signs of poverty, but heaven exulted and earth rejoiced:  "May the whole universe, therefore, rejoice and quiver with the deepest joy, because of the birth of the holy Virgin who has brought light to it."  (from a sermon attributed to St. Augustine; PL 39. 2104-2105).

The annunciation informs Mary of the ineffable plan of Divine Providence: Mother of God, Mother of Divine Providence, who is God.  The curse laid upon Eve turned into a blessing.

Mary of Nazareth, now the Mother of God, does not neglect for one second to comply with the plans of Providence.

Principal patron and titular of the Congregation

November 20th, as a Congregation, we celebrate today our principal Patron, the feast of our Blessed Mother Mary, Mother of Divine Providence. Find here a brief history of this celebration.

BLESSED VIRGIN MARY MOTHER OF DIVINE PROVIDENCE

Devotion to Our Lady under the title of Mother of Divine Providence seems to have originated in the year 1732 when in the Church of SS. Blaise and Charles in Rome the picture of the Virgin with the Child in her arms was exposed and presented under that name.

In 1744 Benedict XIV granted the concession of an annual celebration of a feast in honour of Our Lady, Mother of Divine Providence, on the Saturday preceding the third Sunday in November.  A confraternity under the same name then started, having been authorised by the same Pope.  It was then raised to the status of archconfraternity by Gregory XVI.  The Barnabite Fathers honoured Our Lady, Mother of Divine Providence, naming altars, chapels, churches and colleges everywhere after her.

Blessed Luigi Orione took on this devotion as one suitable for the purpose and name of his Congregation. By a decree of 13th December 1948, the Holy See allowed the Sons of Divine Providence to include this celebration in their own calendar.  It was then granted with the title of Principal Patron by a decree of 29th September 1961. The Mass was approved on 2nd February 1972 and appointed for 20th November.  The approval of the Divine Office was granted by a decree of 27th January 1977.

Happy feast to all the Sons of Divine Providence (SDP) and the Little Missionary Sisters of the Charity (LMSC). May our Heavenly Mother intercede for us all.

And 45th candles!

Last Tuesday, November 12, the Community of Kandisi was celebrating a special event. Father Alex blew his 45th candle.

It was a great family celebration attended by some relatives, friends, confreres and collaborators of Father Alejandro. Among the guests was also Mr Konrad Paulsen Rivas, the Chilean Ambassador to Kenya.

To Father Alex we still wish a happy birthday and all the best for the years to come.

Something of our Founder: Only charity will save the world!

We live in a century which is full of coldness and death in the life of the spirit. Everything is closed upon itself, only pleasure, vanity, passions and the life of this world is to be seen, and nothing else.  Who will give life to this generation which is dead to the life of God, if not the breath of charity of Jesus Christ?  The face of the earth will be renewed with the warmth of Spring; but the moral world will only have new life with the warmth of love.

Therefore, we must ask God not for a spark of Charity, as the Imitation of Christ says, but for a furnace of Charity to set us on fire and to renew this cold, frozen world, with the help of the grace that the Lord will give to us.

We will have a great Catholic renewal if we have great charity. We must, however, exercise it among ourselves today, and cultivate it in the heart of our Institutions, which must be real cenacles of charity. Nemo dat quod non habet [you cannot give what you do not have] :we will not give souls the flames of life and the fire and light of Charity, if we, ourselves, are not on fire, very much on fire...

Charity must be our impetus, our passion and our life: we are the garibaldini [soldiers] of the charity of Jesus Christ. I find it most unpleasant to have to use that name in such a holy, pure and divine matter; but that was the best way of expressing myself.

The cause of God and His Church can only be served by a great Charity of life, and of works. We will not get through to consciences, nor will we convert the youth, nor will we draw people to the Church, without great Charity, and a real sacrificing of ourselves, in the charity of Christ.

There is a terrible corruption in society; there is a dreadful ignorance of God; there is a materialism, a frightening hatred: only charity can still lead hearts and populations to God, and save them.

Nairobi’s Community Chapel, where are we with it?

As slowly as things may seem, they are moving forward. The Chapel of the Orionine Community of Nairobi gradually takes its final form; it shows what it will be.

As you can see, the work is in the finishing phase. The tilers are at work, the glazier has completed his part and the altar is emerging in the centre of the choir. In a little while, the doors will open to the beautiful liturgical celebrations in honour of the Lord of Heaven and Earth. Once again thank you to all our benefactors, confreres and donors for the ongoing sacrifice. God bless everyone.

Orione in Kenya, the Great October 2013: two major events

Dear confreres and dearest friends,

We are glad to share with you  this  good news…

·       The first lady of Kenya visited our centre and the farming  project on last 23rd October. she was really impressed to see the job that the Son of Divine Providence are doing  in Kenya !!!

·       Secondly, last Saturday  26th, we celebrated our first mini marathon for and with our brothers in need of permanent support. Our students were able  to  run together with Olympic champions of Kenya. Many people accept our  invitations to create awareness  about our job. Also His Excellency the Apostolic Nuncio of  Kenya  was  with  us and walk  for  more  than  5 km  together  with  our  students.

With  prayer,

 

Fr Alex.

OCTC in Marathon with the Nuncio and Celebrities to raise fund

Today 26th October, 2013, was held in Kandisi an operation of fundraising to support the implementation of the new OCTC (Orione Community Training Centre) for disabled children and youth in the area.

The event began with a “Family Walk/Run” or “mini marathon” which has seen the presence and participation of many celebrities and sports champions Kenyans and especially the honourable presence of the Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya. Among the celebrities were Douglas Wakiihuri, who remains one of the favorite sons of Kenyan running, a woman volleyball champion and many other runners.

We, (the Apostolic Nuncio H.E. Archbishop Charles Daniel Balvo, Athletes, Priests, Religious, Seminarians, Faithful Parishioners from Kandisi and Kaburugi, Children, Youth and Aged, from Nairobi, Ongata Rongai, and elsewhere) were so many to take part in this Family Walk/Run and Fundraising". 

"Such a pleasure to visit your center!"

Just a few words, but full of emotions and motherly love and care: “a pleasure to visit your center”.

This day October 23, 2013, the First Lady of the Republic of Kenya, Mrs Margaret Kenyatta has made us the joy of visiting our Centre Kaburugi.

Just a courtesy visit and an opportunity to touch of the finger the reality of OCTC Kaburugi.

The program of the visit in itself reflects its simplicity and its special character. Before she went to our farming project in Muruka where she was expected by Father Alex, Mr James Ng'ang'an of Uchumi and some of our children of the centre. After visiting the field, the cape was set to the parish of Kaburugi. A crowd worthy of the great days was gathered there, no one willing to miss this historic event the life of the Orione Centre, but also of all Kaburugi.

Orionine Missionary Year: One year for hundred years of mission

11th July 2013 St. Benedict

Dear Confreres and Consoeurs, and Friends of the Orionine Family,

We wish to announce to you that from 20th October 2013 until 8th December 2014 we shall celebrate the ORIONINE MISSIONARY YEAR, commemorating the departure of the first missionaries sent by Don Orione from Genoa to Brazil.

On 17th December 1913, 100 years ago, at 4pm, the first Orionine missionaries left Genoa for Brazil on the ship named “Tomaso de Savoia”.  The missionaries disembarked at the port of Santos on 29th December 1913 and, travelling by train, reached their destination, Mar de Espanha, in the State of Minas Gerais, on 2nd January 1914.

That departure was the first opening of the Congregation beyond the borders of Italy.  It is an important date because it signifies the beginning of the embrace of the peoples in the name of Don Orione.  After that the embrace of Don Orione reached many other peoples!  Today we are present in 32 countries. 

At the end of the Year of Faith, the Little Work of Divine Providence will celebrate the Orionine Missionary Year, from 20th October 2013 until 8th December 2014

The beginning will take place at the Marian Shrine of Aparecida, in Brazil, in the context of the pilgrimage of the Orionine Family in Brazil at the end of the General Assembly of the Sons of Divine Providence and will be the occasion of a vast gathering of Orionine men and women religious and lay people. 

It is a centenary which is important for the entire Orionine Family.

In this missionary year we intend to celebrate the meeting of Don Orione, personally, or through his Sons and Daughters, various nations: Argentina, Uruguay and Palestine in 1921, Poland in 1923, Rhodes (now Greece) in 1925, the U.S.A. in 1934, England in 1935, Albania in 1936, while Don Orione was still alive, then all the others: Chile in 1942, Spain in 1951, the Ivory Coast in 1971, Madagascar in 1976, Jordan in 1982, Venezuela in 1985......up to India in 2002 and Mozambique in 2003.

The Little Missionary Sisters of Charity have walked the missionary paths together with the Sons of Divine Providence.  They remember in particular the 90th anniversary of the beginning of the LMSC in Poland, in 1924, and the sending of the first Missionary Sisters to Argentina in 1930.  In 2015 they will celebrate the Centenary of the beginning of the Congregation.

With the celebration of the Orionine Missionary Year we propose three aims:

1. To thank the Lord for the history of the Congregation which in itself is a history of mission;

2. To celebrate in our common origins the unity of the Orionine Family in the world with a renewed commitment to creative fidelity to the Charism;

3. To revive the missionary ardour typical of our Orionine identity, also in response to the continual appeals of Pope Francis for a “Missionary Church”.

To this end, we invite all the Communities and Provinces to celebrate in each nation the arrival of the Orionine charism and the foundation of the first institutions, even if the anniversaries are less than 100 years.  In fact, that first missionary expedition of 17th December 1913 included the missionary drive right from the heart of Don Orione which was seconded by the generosity of many of his Sons and Daughters and brought about all the later openings.

We are sure that every spiritual, public, personal, community and congregational and civil event will do good to us and to the people among whom we live.

However, we, men and women religious celebrate the Orionine Missionary Year not only as a historical event with “external” initiatives, but above all as an interior event, as a vocational reminder to return to “the sources” of the radical centrality of Christ, of charity, of the salvation of souls.  Remember the two objectives signed in blood by the young Orione and Vaccari?  “1st: who will have saved more souls in the first place.  2nd : who will become more holy”.  Our identity is here.  The glory of God and our happiness is here.

As we once more thank the Lord for having given us Don Orione and his charism, spread today among many peoples, let us ask Mary, “our Heavenly Mother and Foundress”, to spread her blue mantle over us and over so many people that are entrusted to our missionary zeal.

Sr Mary Mabel Spagnuolo                                                                         Fr Flavio Peloso

Superior General PSMC                                                                        Superior General FDP

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Prayer for the Orionine Missionary Year

Oh God, Father of all that is good,

we thank you for the gift of the missionary vocation

which animated Saint Luigi Orione

and his Little Work of Divine Providence.

In this Orionine Missionary Year

renew that apostolic fire through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Give us a hunger and thirst for souls,

and for the most ardent charity to restore all things in Christ.

Support the faith of the heralds of the Gospel,

with the gift of meekness and strength,

humility and charity.

Raise up new missionary vocations,

young people ready to dedicate their heart, time and goods

to give “along with bread for the body, the divine anointing of faith”

to the poor and outcast.

May the loving arms of the Church reach everyone

and may the unity of all humanity be fulfilled

in the reign of the justice and peace of Christ.

Mary, star of the new evangelisation,

and Saint Luigi Orione intercede for us.

Amen.

Mission and Vocation in the Light of Faith

For our monthly recollection preached by Fr. Joachim ABOA, October 18^th -19^th, 2013

« GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS » (Matthew 28, 19-20).

Dear brothers, Rev. Deacon Morris and Fathers Paul and Stanislas, I have the duty and pleasure of meeting you this time for our monthly recollection of October 2013. Among us, are our seminarians, the young people on a vocational journey, living with their senior brothers who are already ordained ministers of the church: a deacon and three priests. For you seminarians who come from every part of this country, you represent the church’s youth, the youth of the Don Orione community/the Sons of Divine Providence. You are also at the same time the seed and the fruit of the larger Orionine pastoral work in Kenya. Therefore, this is a season of discovery, assessment and formation. Let me assure you that this is a very beautiful and challenging period during which the human, intellectual, moral, spiritual and theological foundations are laid for the future. Thank you for joining this community!!!

            This coming Sunday, October 20^th, 2013, the whole church will celebrate the World Mission Sunday 2013 in this Year of Faith. Coincidentally, from October 20^th, 2013 up to December 8^th, 2014, the Orionine Family will celebrate its Orionine Missionary Year to commemorate the departure of the first missionaries sent by Don Orione from Genoa in Italy to Brazil. It is in line with these two great events of the World Mission Sunday and the Orionine Missionary Year that I have chosen this theme for our recollection: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28, 19-20). This short passage from the gospel of Matthew speaks to us of mission. As we continue reflecting on the theme of our recollection, i will explore with you three main subtitles:

·         1. Understanding JESUS and its mission He  entrusted to us in the Church,

·         2. Knowing the demands and implications of this mission in discerning your vocation,

·         3. Being a missionary of JESUS today.

APARECIDA, GENERAL ASSEMBLY DAY

Dear Confreres,

Today began with morning prayer and Mass celebrated in Spanish by the provincial of Spain, Fr Jose Antonio Ruiz. He spoke very movingly about the lives and martyrdom of Fr Ricardo Gil and aspirant Antonio Arrué and their tremendous poverty and complete trust in Divine Providence, as well as their great charity to the poor in Valencia, Spain.

We have been in plenary session all day today going through the verification of the 15 main themes and other themes of the last General Chaper. Every theme has a brief summary of whether or not it has been put into practice and then each group makes suggestions for helping confreres to put it more completely into practice.  We are in the process of preparing a hopefully brief but inspiring document for you all.

This evening four bishops joined us!  They are Bishop Raymond Ahoua FDP, bishop of Grand Bassam, Ivory Coast, whom many of us know very well, Bishop Adolfo Urione FDP, bishop of Anatuya, Argentina, former provincial superior in Argentina, Bishop Miguel Mykycej FDP, bishop of the Ucranian Eparchy of Argentina, and Bishop Daniel the successor of Bishop Mykycej.  They all gave us few words of encouragement as a good night talk after night prayer, happy to be with us as their spiritual brothers in the Orionine Family in the Church.

I will attach some photos from yesterday's visit to the river where the statue was found and the great basilica of Nossa Senora de Aparecida.

God bless,

Fr Malcolm

Day 4 General Assembly, Aparecida, Brazil

17^th October 2013

Aparecida, Brazil

Dear Confreres,

Greetings from Aparecida!

This is now day 4 of the Assembly and we were working in groups this morning and so there is not much to report today.

This afternoon, we visited the great shrine of Our Lady Aparecida.  But first we went, by boat,  to the place where the statue was found in the river near to where the shrine now stands.  In 1717 on 7^th October two fishermen were ordered to catch a lot of fish for the visiting Portuguese Governor of the territory.  The fishermen caught nothing at the first two attempts, but on the third attempt they caught a broken statue of Our Lady with the head missing.  It was 36 cm high and made of terracotta.  The next attempt to catch fish rendered the head of the statue, quite some distance away.  On the next casting of their net they got an enormous catch of fish which threatened to sink the boat. 

One of the fishermen kept the statue in his house for a number of years.  Gradually devotion to Our Lady Aparecida grew and graces and favours were received.  A shrine was built on high ground not far from the river.  Now there is an enormous shrine which has become the national shrine of Brazil. 

At Mass in the chapel of Confessions, Fr Flavio spoke about the theology or Mariology of devotion to Mary in the Church.  It is not idolatry, as Christ alone is the Redeemer and Saviour of humanity, but Jesus himself gave us Mary as our Mother and as the Mediatrix of His grace.  She leads us to Jesus in the Church and helps us in many ways to remain close to Christ in our lives as Christians, religious and priests.  Don Orione had great confidence in the tremendous help that Mary can and will give us if we ask her, in every aspect of following Christ our Lord and her Son.  Don Orione was confident that those students who had firm devotion to Mary would be good and faithful religious and priests.  Fr Flavio told of how young Luigi Orione entered the diocesan seminary of Tortona.  His mother accompanied him to the door of the seminary.  They were met by Monsignor Daffra, the rector of the seminary, and then left the mother at the door and went to the chapel where Luigi received the cassock and said three “Hail Marys” for perseverance.  The rector said to him, “your mother brought you to the door of the seminary.  I will now bring you to the altar and ordination.  But then your heavenly mother, Marry will lead you through your life faithfully to Heaven”.

It is a tradition in the congregation that we say three “Hail Marys” before going to bed for perseverance and for purity. 

I think that we have had a good lesson about Our Lady in our lives from the General Assembly and from Fr Flavio, our superior general.

God bless,

Fr Malcolm

Day 3 of the General Assembly, Aparecida, Brazil.

16^th October 2013

Aparecida, Brazil

Dear Confreres,

Today, the third day of the Assembly, we started the plenary sessions, that is, where all the groups come together to share their conclusions from the group work. 

As the Sisters and Lay People were going to leave after lunch, we had the reports of those groups in which the Sisters and Lay People took part, that is, the groups reflecting on Ministries and Vocations and charism.

We then celebrated Mass at midday, with Fr Pierangelo Ondei, provincial of Italy, as the main celebrant, and then had a photo of all the participants of the Assembly.  The Sisters and Lay People departed after lunch.

In the afternoon, we continued with the findings of the other three groups dealing with Sources, Relations in community life and New frontiers. 

In the plenary sessions, every member is free to comment on the texts presented by the groups and to offer suggestions to change the text. 

After Night Prayer, Fr Walter Groppello, of the Italian Provincial Council, gave a Good Night talk on our mission in Madagascar, which started in 1976, and about the opening of the new community of Abanja in the north of the island, near the coast, about 900km from the next community of Anathihazo, in the capital city of Antananarivo.

It has rained for most of today so it has been difficult to visit the shrine of Aparecida which is only 15 minutes walk from the Redemptorist Spirituality Centre where we are staying.

God bless,

Fr Malcolm

Day 2 of the General Assembly, Aparecida, Brazil.

15^th October 2013

Aparecida, Brazil

Dear Confreres,

Today, the second day of the General Assembly of Verification, we are still blessed with the presence of the Superior General of our Sisters, Sr M Mabel and Sr M Bernadeth, the General Responsible for the MLO/OLM, Javier Rodriguez, the coordinator for the Orionine Secular Institute in Brazil, the two lady Co-ordinators of the MLO/OLM from Brazil North and South and the two representatives of the Youth Movement from Brazil, one young man and one young lady.

We began with Mass and Morning Prayer celebrated by Fr Cadenini the Provincial of Argentina in Spanish. 

The work of the Assembly began at 9am with the reports of the provincials of Poland, Italy and Spain, giving the strengths, weaknesses and future priorities of their respective provinces.  The Provincial of Spain, Fr José Antonio and his confrere representative, also José Antonio, had just arrived this morning from Spain after the beatification of more than five hundred martyrs in Spain, including our own Fr Ricardo Gil and aspirant Antonio Arrué.  The Superior General of the Sisters gave answers to some questions on our religious congregation from their point of view and how we can co-operate better in the future.  The lay people also gave their report.

The rest of the day consisted of work in groups.  There are five groups; each one is looking at the feed-back from the provinces, vice-provinces and our delegation on the five themes of the 13^th General Chapter.  The Sisters and Lay People participated in some groups.

Javier gave a report on the General Assembly of the MLO/OLM which had been held in Montevideo, Uruguay, 9-11^th October in which our representative, Karen Chia from England, took an active part.  He ended with the famous prayer of St Teresa of Avila, as it is her feast day today, “Let nothing disturb you...”

We prayed for you all and all your needs in the Mass and morning and evening prayer.

God bless,

Fr Malcolm

OCTC Kandisi: “Disability IS NOT Inability”

We are trading to start with a new center for “mental challenge people”

We will be happy and grateful to see you among our guest in this special event.

Fundraiser mini marathon

People with mental challenges!

VENUE: 

Supermarket  

  “UCHUMI” 

LOCATION: 

ONGATA RONGAI

Their rights are not recognized 

and even their access to be provided for their most basic needs depends wholly on the support of a third party.

October 26^th   2013    

Time:  09:00 am

Day 1 of the General Assembly in Brazil

14^th October 2013

Aparecida, Brazil

Dear Confreres,

Greetings from Aparecida, the town where the great shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida is situated in Brazil, between Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro!

The General Assembly ofVerification began today and will continue until 19^th October.  On 20^th we shall have the official launching of the Orionine Missionary Year.

We have spent the first day of the General Assembly looking at the PowerPoint presentation of each province, vice-province and our delegation, with a few words from the General Responsible for the Orionine Lay Movement, Javier Rodriguez and Antonella, representing the “Tra Noi” movement.

After lunch Fr Flavio gave a very clear and precise summary of the 13^th General Chapter, the programming which followed it in each province etc. and some characteristics of the world in which we are called to live our vocation with guidance of Pope Francis with the emphasis on being close to people in their difficulties in life and in living the Gospel, if indeed, they are aware of Christ and his message.

After the coffee break, each province, vice-province and our delegation had to present in ten minutes their strengths, weaknesses and proposals for the future.  The Assembly was able to ask questions to each provincial, vice-provincial and delegate for five minutes.  

God bless,

Fr Malcolm