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

First Green House for OCTC of Kandisi.

The farming project linked to the Orione Centre of Kandisi takes more shape.

Started under the initiative of the Orionines Fathers and led by Father Alex and the generosity of our benefactors, the first Green House is just born.

It is the first of eight others coming soon. Largely financed by donors and benefactors of the Congregation, the project is a continuation of the Centre, which has now become Pilot Centre of Kaburugi. It therefore have the same name, OCTC: Orione Community Training Centre. The other two components of the Centre will be the Special School and the Centre for Physical Rehabilitation.

Thank you again to all those who by their prayers and support have made and continue to make this project possible.

Do not forget to join us for the “fund-raising” and “semi-marathon” of the 26^th October.

CWA of Kandisi: Proximity and maternal love.

A mother, what could be more precious!

Who has a mother will never feel lonely.

Moreover, even distance cannot be an obstacle to the motherly love.

Maternal love always conquers all to express itself towards the children.

The Catholic Women Association of Kandisi (CWA) has once again demonstrated this reality and richness of the motherly love.

Yesterday, Wednesday 9^th of October, accompanied by their parish priest Father Peter Wambulwa our moms of the CWA of Kandisi, carrying gifts, have paid ​​a friendly visit to the Community of the Formation House in Nairobi.

“Do not confine children with disabilities behind closed doors."

In the context of the activities of the Orione Centre, OCTC, our confrere Fr Alex had an audience with Her Excellency the First Lady of Kenya yesterday Tuesday 08th October 2013. Father Alex was with Mr James Ng'ang'a of Uchumi who is an ardent surporter of the Orione Community Project in Kandisi.

""The First Lady Margaret Kenyatta has appealed to parents to shun the culture of hiding children with special needs. She asked parents to instead take them to institutions that will be equip them with skills and knowledge to be self-dependent. Insistently, she calls upon parents : “Do not confine children with disabilities behind closed doors. They have a right to knowledge and skills like other children,” she said.

Message for the month of the Missions and of the Holy Rosary

This month of October is dedicated to both the Missions of the Church and to the Holy Rosary. In this way the Church reminds us that missionary work must go hand-in-hand with prayer – meditating on Christ with Mary, which is what the Rosary is. So let us continue to try to make the Rosary a regular daily prayer whether we do it as a community or not. In the synod we reminded each other that, as the last General Chapter said, we are all called to be witnesses, shepherds and formators in our works of charity and education, in our parishes and in our houses of formation. Let us ask our Lady and St Luigi Orione to help us all to be truly witnesses, shepherds and formators all the time like Saint Luigi Orione and also Ricardo Gil and Antonio Arrue who are soon to be beatified in Spain on 13^th October. I would like to add a word from Pope Francis in his homily for 27^th September 2013:

“And what about us? … We all want to rise on the third day, and this is good, it is good, we should want this”. But not everyone, the Pope said, is ready to follow the way, the way of Jesus, in order to reach the goal. The sign that “a Christian is a true Christian” is “his ability to bear humiliation with joy and patience”. And yet, he affirmed, “there are many Christians who look upon the Lord and ask for humiliation in order to be more closely conformed to him”

Fr. Malcolm Dyer FDP

Delegate

Missionary Delegation "Mother of the Church" 

DELEGATE’S NEWS

Ireland and UK

At the beginning of August I was “baby-sitting” that is, looking after the community house and basic activities in Dublin while Fathers John Carmel and Michael Moss were on retreat with the other confreres from the UK and Br Francis from the Vatican at the Jesuit retreat house of St Beuno in North Wales.  I then flew from Dublin to Liverpool where Br Firas met me and I stayed with Fr Stephen and Br Firas for a few days at Up Holland.  At Cardinal Heenan House there is wonderful work going on caring for elderly people, many suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s.  Fr Stephen supervises the lay manager and celebrates Mass and sacraments and Br Firas was daily with the staff and residents.  I was able to visit Mr Joseph Tipping, an ardent benefactor of our Delegation and with him went to visit some of the other friends and benefactors in Penwortham, near Preston. Then I went down to London with Br Firas who was changing communities from Up Holland to London.  He was sorely missed by the staff and residents of the Home.  I spent the week-end in Hampton Wick, spent some time in Orione House for elderly people where again great work is going on in caring for our needy older brothers and sisters.  I also had a cup of tea with our Polish brothers and sisters who attend Mass in Polish with Fr Henryk Halman after the earlier Mass in English with Fr Philip and Fr Joseph Tirello.   I returned to Rome on 13^th August.  It is good to note that in the UK the Charity of the Sons of Divine Providence is now legally modified with greater participation in decision-making of the “Members” that is, the Confreres, the Delegation Council and Fr Flavio Peloso.  The Board of Management consists of Fr Philip Kehoe, Chairman, Fr John Carmel Perrotta, Fr Stephen Beale, Fr Michael Moss, and the newly appointed Mrs Ursula Harrison and Mrs Bernadette Griffin, old friends of the Congregation.  The two lay-members are appointed by the Members for a three-year term of office and can be re-appointed.

OCTC Kandisi, Fundraising for a centre to cater for children living with mental disabilities

Please join us to help children and youth leaving with mental disability. The smile you may create on the face of a disadvantaged kid is so wonderful, because it outshines the challenges the kid have.

According to available statistics, 3.6 million Kenyans are living with developmental disabilities. There is a correlation between occurrence of developmental disabilities with hunger, malnutrition and difficulty accessing the basic services necessary for good health such as clean water, etc. These also are the principal causes of mental impairment. Less than 1% have access to health care and rehabilitation services, with 99 % having to struggle to survive without any attention. It is also estimated that only 23,000 students (between the ages of 10 to 30) have access to education, in the 1,200 schools and special facilities for persons with developmental disabilities in the country. There are only 48 small residential homes and private schools providing care to only  438 persons.