Don Bosco Eastern Africa, FEBRUARY 2013 1
1ST QUARTER2
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, FEBRUARY 2013 3
Chief Editor:
Fr. Sebastian Koladiyil
Editorial Team:
Fr. LUIS Neville
Fr. FELICE Molino
Fr. VINCENT Mokaya
Fr. ShyjaN George
Sr. VIRGINIa Bickford
Sr. jaCqUELINE Wanjira
Administration Office
DByES
Tel: 020 3577991
020 2025591
Publisher
Bosco Eastern africa Multimedia
Services [B.E.a.M.S.]
P.O. Box 2 - 00502, Karen -
Kenya.
E-mail: afebulletin@donboscoeastafrica.org
www.dbafe.org
Layout & Design
anthony Mungai
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Photos Courtesy
B.E.a.M.S.
Printed by:
DON BOSCO PRINTING PRESS
P.O. Box 158 - 01020,
Makuyu, Kenya
E-mail: boscoprint@donbosco.or.ke
2 Editorial
3 Let us Learn lessons from
everything that happens to us
4 The devil is afraid of happy people
5 When you give everything, it means
that there is nothing kept for yourself
7 Celebration of 100 years of Faith
9 a memorable trip to South Sudan
13 Spiritual accompaniment in the
Context of the Salesian youth Ministry
14 a Boy with a Dream
17 Don Bosco’s image Marsabit
18 Don Bosco Didia
19 a New hospital in Maridi
20 “Utume Reloaded Brothers on the
Don Bosco Campaign Trail”
21 Kenya youth for Peace
22 “jivunie” Peace anthem Perfomed at
Nyayo Stadium
23 The Challenging World of Social
Communications
25 Do we really need Missionary
Promotion in africa?
27 Pope Benedict XVI Launches Twitter
account
28 Saint Don Bosco works Miracles
We welcome letters to the Editor. Send your comments
and suggestions.
CONTENTSDon BoscoEast Africa
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Bosco Eastern Africa’ is the Salesian Bulletin published by the Salesians
of Don Bosco, Eastern Africa Province Nairobi, Kenya.
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1ST QUARTER4
From the
EDITOR
New Birth brings new challenges
Early in the month of December 2012 I made a trip to South Sudan, to the Diocese of Tombura-yambio in the
Western Equatorial State bordering DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) and CaR (Central africa Republic). It was
a memorable trip. I went there at the invitation of Bishop Barani Eduardo hiiboro Kussala Eduardo, a man with
a lot of dreams for his diocese and people, to document the centenary celebrations of the arrival of Christianity
there. This place was truly a mission territory where any aspiring and daring missionaries should venture into.
No proper road, no clean drinking water, no electricity, no transport, poor security though it is not very bad, no
proper cultivation and all the ‘nos’ one can think of. But there are wonderful people, God fearing people, who lack
proper schools, medical facilities, social services but they have fertile land which gets plenty of rainfall. The people
are full of dreams and plenty of young people with great hope. On a sunny afternoon while visiting the camps
where the people were living while taking part in the celebrations I asked a boy,
“What do you want to become?”
“I want to become the president of this country” he replied without a second thought
“and what do you want to do as the president?”
“I want South Sudan to become like america, or Uganda, or Kenya, and I will work for it”
That was a boy with a clear dream for the country and that was the hope of many young people there.
This country which got independence just one year ago, has a long way to go before it can attain the dream of
that young man. People who fought in the bush a year ago are the civil servants, security personnel, politicians
etc. though there are many ex-seminarians and priests in high positions in the government, because they were
the best educated in the country. This country needs everything that can be given in any kind of development.
It needs daring men and women; missionaries, volunteers, social workers… to help them stand on their feet.
With its vast resources of oil and natural resources coupled with proper leadership South Sudan can play a
leading role in africa. There is a lengthy article about South Sudan and Tombura-yambio Diocese in this issue
of the Bulletin.
In connection with the centenary celebrations this issue also gives a glimpse into the wonderful ministry that
is offered to the people by the Salesians of Don Bosco in Manguo parish in Maridi County in South Sudan. The
opening of a new hospital, which I was lucky to visit during my trip, is truly a blessing to the people of Western
Equatorial State and this was loudly and clearly pronounced by the government and ecclesiastical authorities
there. But the fact is that to get medicine there, the father in-charge will have to go all the way to Uganda or
Kenya!
after an absence from three issues of the Bulletin the FMas have come with full force and have taken four
pages to give us coverage of their activities in and around Eastern africa.
We want to congratulate Tangaza College together with Sr. Bernadette for performing “jivunie” the peace
anthem, prepared in view of the forthcoming election and performed, during the Republic Day celebrations at
the Nyayo Stadium in front of the President, cabinet and other dignitaries of Kenya. It was covered live on the
National TV network.
“Don Bosco still works miracles”, was the statement by one of the persons healed during the visit of the Relic
to Eastern africa last year. you will read about this exceptional story in this issue
as Kenya is facing the uphill task of the forthcoming elections with the experience of the post-election events
of 2007-2008, the peace anthem is a good initiative, but we need to go one step further to put these words into
practice.
Sebastian Koladiyil
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, FEBRUARY 2013 5
From the
EDITOR
LET US LEARN LESSONS FROM
EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS TO US
DON BOSCO NARRATES
Speaking of myself and telling my
story, I have to start from the first
years of my life. Beautiful and difficult
years, years in which I learned to be a
boy and become a man.
I can tell you with great simplicity:
that Don Bosco whom you may
already know something of, the
Don Bosco who one day would
become a priest and educator and
friend of youth, took lessons from
a lot of things that happened in
those early years.
I put before you the values that
I breathed, that I’d learned to live
and I, afterwards, passed on as my
heritage to my Salesians. Over the
years they would become the basis
of my teaching.
The presence of a mother.
Mamma Margherita was just 29
years old when my father died;
died within a few days due to a
terrible pneumonia. Energetic and
courageous woman that she was,
she did not feel sorry for herself;
but rolled up her sleeves, and took
on her double duty. Sweet and
determined, she was both father
and mother. Many years later, I
became a priest for young people,
I can say as a result of experience in
the field: “The first happiness of a lad
is to know that you are loved”.
For this, with my lads I was a real
dad, with concrete gestures of
peaceful love, happy and ‘catching’.
I loved my boys and I gave them
concrete proof of this affection,
giving myself totally to their cause.
This love, strong and manly, I
learned about from the volumes I
inherited from my mother and for
which I am grateful.
The work. My mother was the
first one to set us an example. She
always insisted: “Whoever doesn’t
get used to working when they are
young, will almost always become
a ‘lazybones’ until old age”. In the
family chat after dinner and after
the evening prayers (the famous
“good night”) I insisted that “heaven
is not made for ‘lazybones’”.
The meaning of God. My
mum had condensed the entire
catechism into a phrase that she
repeated at every moment: “God is
watching you!”. I don’t: at the school
of a full-time catechist as was my
mother, I grew up under the eye
of God. Not a God-COP, cold and
unforgiving who bit me openly, but
a good and generous God whom I
could see in the succession of the
seasons, whom I learnt to know
and to thank when the wheat was
harvested or after the grapes were
gathered, a great God whom I
admired, obsessed in the evening
staring at the stars.
“We Think!” This is an old phrase
spoken in Piedmontese; and how
much better to find wisdom in this
saying. It was used to talk, to explain,
to arrive at a common decision,
taken without a particular person
wanting to impose their views.
Later, I’ll make the word “reason”
one of the pillars of my educational
method. The word “reason” will be
for me synonymous with dialogue,
acceptance, trust, understanding;
will become a research attitude
because between the teacher and
the boy there can be no rivalry, but
only friendship and mutual esteem.
For me, the young lad will never
be a passive person just carrying
out orders. In my contacts with the
lads, I will not ever pretend to listen,
but really listen to them, discussing
their views, their reasons.
The pleasure of working
together. For many years I was the
absolute protagonist among my
companions: I am thinking of my
first experiences as acrobat at the
Becchi, those wonderful Sunday
afternoons; I think of the popularity
gained among my schoolmates
in Chieri, to such an extent that
in a page of the autobiography I
From the Rector Major
DON BOSCO EDUCATOR
1ST QUARTER6
THE DEVIL IS AFRAID OF HAPPY PEOPLE
could say that “I was revered by
colleagues as a captain of a small
army”. But I understood later that
it was the desire of everyone to be
the centre of attention. That was
the beginning of the Cheer Society,
a sympathetic group of students
where everyone was equally
involved. The Regulation was
composed of three short articles: to
DON BOSCO NARRATES
I am known throughout the world
as a saint who has openhandedly
sown so much joy. Indeed, as
someone who knew me personally
wrote: I made Christian joy “the
eleventh commandment”. The
experience convinced me that
you cannot work without this
wonderful educational drive, this
beautiful step ahead, which is joy.
and, what’s more, because my kids
were deeply convinced. “If you want
your life to be happy and peaceful,
you must do so by staying in the
grace of God, since the heart of the
young man who is in sin is like the
sea in continuous turmoil”. That’s
why I remembered always that
be always cheerful, fulfil their duties
well, avoiding anything that wasn’t
worthy of a good Christian. Later,
Societies would start, youth groups,
true workshops of apostolate and
holiness within everyone’s reach. I
was saying that they were “things
for the young” for promoting their
initiatives, and making space for
their natural creativity.
“joy comes from peace of heart”.
I insisted: “I don’t want anything
other than a young man who does
what is good and is always cheerful”.
at times, someone comes to
mind as the eternal acrobat of
the Becchi and I think ‘you can do
me a big favour’. But it is a very
reduced image of my ideal. Games,
rides, musical bands, theatrical
performances and festivals were a
means, not an end. I had in mind
what I wrote openly to my kids: “I
have only one desire: to see you
happy in time and in eternity”.
Games and happiness were for
me a form of serious apostolate,
of which I was deeply convinced.
Since my boyhood, for me joy was
The pleasure of being together.
I wanted educators, whether young
or old to be always among the
young, as “loving fathers”. No act of
mistrust in them, but just walking
alongside together, to build and
share together. I’m really pleased
to say with deep joy: “With you I am
well. It’s just my life to be with you.”
an inseparable element from study,
from work and from compassion.
a lad from those early years
remembering the ‘heroic’ years,
described them thus: “Thinking
about how he ate and how he
slept, now we wonder how he had
then been able to enjoy himself,
without sometimes suffering and
without complaining. But we were
happy, we lived for affection”.
To live and pass on the joy was
a form of life, a conscious choice
of pedagogy in action. For me, the
lad was always a lad, his deep need
was joy, freedom and playfulness.
I found it natural that I, a priest for
the young, passed on to them the
good and joyful news contained in
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, FEBRUARY 2013 7
the Gospel. and I did not have to do
it with a stern face and in unfriendly
and abrupt ways. young people had
to understand that for me having
fun was something really serious!
The courtyard was my library, my
chair where I was at times both
teacher and student; that joy is the
Basic Law of youth.
Increasing the value of theatre,
music, song. Organizing in minute
detail the famous autumn walks.
In 1847, a book on Christian
formation was printed, The cared-
for young man. I’d written it losing
many hours of sleep. The first words
that my boys were reading were
these: “the first and foremost trick
with which the Devil sweeps away
young souls from virtue is to let
them think that serving the Lord
consists of a melancholic life far
removed from all fun and pleasure.
Not so, dear young people. I want
to teach you a Christian way of life
which can at the same time make
it cheerful and happy, in addition,
those things which are real fun and
real pleasure…. This precisely is the
DON BOSCO NARRATES
It was on Easter Sunday when
I finally was able to tell my kids:
“We have a house.” In truth, it
was a low shed and insufficient,
but it was ours! We ended up
wandering around Turin, in a state
of exhausting insecurity, full of
misunderstandings and mistrust.
The date is too important to forget:
april 12, 1846! I was thirty years old,
for five of which I was a priest. I saw
things in a perspective brightened
by confidence in Providence. I
threw myself headlong into the
job: I would climb onto rickety
scaffolding for buildings under
construction, in order to find my
boys: I walked into the workshops,
into stores: to speak a word of
purpose of this booklet, serve the
Lord, and be happy “.
as you can see, for me joy has
a deep religious significance. In
my educational style there was a
balanced combination of sacred
and profane, of nature and of
grace. The results didn’t take long
to appear, so much so, that in
some autobiographical notes that
I was almost compelled to write, I
could say: “Faithful to this mixture
of devotion, amusements and trips;
friendship, and to have a joke
with them. I was concerned about
their physical health; I spoke with
their employers, who were often
too cruel. It was a relationship of
friendship and mutual trust that I
wanted to establish with everyone.
Education is not something for only
one day, it requires patience and
lots of hope.
as you know, july is a hot
month in Turin. But at Valdocco,
it is suffocating. Everything was
so unexpected. It was going to
be a Sunday filled with plenty of
activities. Suddenly, I collapsed on
the ground. a gush of blood spread
over the dust and grass of the lawn.
Then I became unconscious. When
I came to my senses, I found myself
in bed: there was a lot of people
around, then a doctor arrived.
having seen the seriousness of
the case he forced me to take
a rest. I spent a week while my
physical strengths decreased more
and more. I felt exhausted, in a
continuous doze.
I remember seeing the doctor
shake his head, helpless, and he
said: “Maybe it won’t last the night.”
The next day, almost by magic,
I woke up. Then, little by little, I
recovered my strength. My thought
was always for my boys. Where were
they? Would they have returned to
Valdocco? another week. Then it
was Sunday. Leaning on a stick, I
went off to the shed. I heard voices,
shouts of joy, my head was reeling
everyone who became part of the
sign, were not only very obedient to
my commands, but were anxious to
help to carry out some task”.
I wasn’t just satisfied that young
people were cheerful; I wanted them
to spread around this atmosphere
of rejoicing, of enthusiasm, and love
of life; I wanted them to be builders
of hope and joy. Missionaries
to other young people through
the apostolate of happiness. a
contagious apostolate.
WHEN YOU GIVE EVERYTHING, IT MEANS THAT
THERE IS NOTHING KEPT FOR YOURSELF
1ST QUARTER8
from exhaustion. I met a priest who
gave me a hand. he told me of the
many sacrifices that boys had done,
because they said: “Don Bosco must
not die”.
I understood that they had
worked a true miracle. Then the
older ones took me, they forced me
to sit on a high chair and carried
me in triumph. Many cried with
satisfaction. They gathered around
me. When they went silent, I told
them: “My dear ones: you have
prayed and made many sacrifices
so that I could recover my health.
Thank you. I owe you my life. Well:
I promise that I will live totally for
you “. I couldn’t say anything more
because I too was moved. But from
that day I felt devoted to causes
of the young forever. The most
beautiful and most convincing
lesson the boys had given me!
Sitting on that high chair,
surrounded by so many boys had
destined my life to young people.
and so I continued. But there is an
answer that I gave them in an even
clearer and more convincing form.
It was the end-of-the-year party
on December 31, 1859: Despite
the chronic poverty of Valdocco,
we exchanged small gifts, as you
do in the family: a holy picture, a
small pencil, a rubber, a sweet, a
notebook ... little things, but given
from the heart. after the Evening
Prayer, I gave the ‘Good-Night’ in
a few words. I, too, wanted to give
something to these young people.
I said: “ My dear little children: you
know how much I love you in the
Lord, and how I am totally dedicated
to make of you the very best I
can. What little I know, what little
experience I have acquired, what
I am and as much as I have, I want
to use in your service. Whatever the
day and no matter what you do, is
of interest to me, but especially in
matters of the soul. On my part, I
give all that is myself; they may be
petty things, but when I give you
everything, it means that there is
nothing I keep for myself. “From that
Sunday in late july when I had made
that solemn promise to donate my
entire life to young people, 13 years
had passed; Valdocco was a larger
family. There were already several
hundred young people who had
studied or had learned a trade. I
wanted them to understand that I
stood with them: it was the result
of an irrevocable choice. I would
never betray the trust which young
people put in me, and later, in my
Salesians. When I told them, “I
keep nothing for myself”, it was as
if I’d said: I don’t think any more of
myself, I give totally to each one
of you; I do not belong to myself
anymore, I belong only to you, I
am yours forever, I no longer have
anything of myself. Look! I have
unwrapped my secret. With the
lads I have always been guided by
these decisions, by these choices. I
am never turning back. The young
people; I have never betrayed them!
Of letters, I’ve written thousands.
But if I had to pick one that was
from the heart, I would choose the
one I wrote to my Salesians, and
their professors and the students of
Lanzo Torinese.
here are some excerpts: Let me tell
you, and let no one be offended: you
are all thieves; I say this and I repeat,
you have stolen everything from me.
When I was in Lanzo, you enchanted
me with your care and loving-
kindness, I have linked your mental
ability with your pity. I was still this
poor heart, from which you had
stolen all the love. Now your letter
signed by 200 nearest and dearest
friends took possession of my whole
heart, where nothing more remains
but a keen desire to love you in the
Lord, to make the best of you, to save
the soul of everyone.
This was my way of speaking
and writing for young people:
with my heart in my hand, without
unnecessary frills, with sincere
words and saying things that I really
believed in. as a good farmer I had
learned to keep my word. and my
word was this: “I promised God that
until my last breath I would be there
for my poor young people”.
I know that my second successor,
Fr Paul albera wrote a beautiful
letter in which he says one thing
that’s true: “Don Bosco taught us
to love, to attract, to capture and to
transform”. an enriching sequence
of verbs, all four important, each
one recalling the other. “My little
Paul” had understood the lesson:
love attracts, the attraction
becomes a conquest, and this ends
up transforming.
My programme, simple and
straightforward, is expressed in a
phrase that is a serious and radical
commitment: “For these young men
I would sacrifice anything, I’d even
give my blood willingly to save them”.
It wasn’t just spoken words; it was
the programme of my life!
january 1888. Even on my
deathbed, in that whirlwind in
which they are memories, feelings,
worries, fears and hopes I still had
the power to pass on to a dear
Salesian, Fr Bonetti, my last message
which summarises almost all my
life: “Tell the young people that I
await them all in Paradise”. It was my
will, the last wish which I expressed
in the groan of the agony. I loved
the young people right up to the
end! and I wanted them with me,
forever, even in Paradise.
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, FEBRUARY 2013 9
A Brief History
South Sudan officially the
Republic of South Sudan and
previously known as Southern
Sudan, is a landlocked country in
East-Central africa that is part of
the United Nations sub-region of
Eastern africa. Its current capital is
juba, which is also its largest city;
the capital city is planned to be
moved to the more centrally located
Ramciel in the future. South Sudan
is bordered by Ethiopia to the east,
Kenya to the southeast, Uganda to
the south, the Democratic Republic
of the Congo to the southwest, the
Central african Republic to the west
and Sudan to the north. It includes
the vast swamp region of the Sudd,
formed by the White Nile and
known locally as the Bahr al Jabal.
The modern states of South Sudan
and Sudan were part of Egypt under
the Muhammad Ali Dynasty, later
being governed as an Anglo-Egyptian
condominium until Sudanese
independence was achieved in
1956. Following the First Sudanese
Civil War, the Southern Sudan an
Autonomous Region was formed in
1972 and lasted until 1983. A second
Sudanese civil war soon developed
and ended with the Comprehensive
Peace Agreement of 2005. Later
that year, southern autonomy was
restored when an Autonomous
Government of Southern Sudan was
formed.
South Sudan became an
independent state on 9 July 2011,
following a referendum that passed
with 98.83% of the vote. It is a
United Nations member state, a
member state of the african
Union, and a member state of
the Intergovernmental authority
on Development. In july 2012,
South Sudan signed the Geneva
Conventions.
Though independent, certain
disputes still remain with North
Sudan, such as sharing of the oil
revenues, as an estimated 80%
of the oil in the nation is secured
from South Sudan, which would
represent amazing economic
potential for one of the world’s
most deprived areas. The region of
abyei still remains disputed and a
separate referendum will be held
in abyei on whether they want to
join Sudan or South Sudan. South
Kordofanian conflict broke out in
june 2011 between the army of
Sudan and the SPLa over the Nuba
Mountains.
joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance
army (LRa) also operates in a wide
area that includes South Sudan.
Presence of Christianly in
South Sudan
In 1836 Pope Gregory XVI
established the vicariate of Central
africa. The first 5 missionaries (2
jesuits, 2 Diocesan Priests and a
member of Mazza Institute) arrived
in Khartoum on 11 February 1848.
In the year 1850 they went up
to jebel (Rejaf ) and in 1853 they
opened the mission of Gondokoro
(near juba). In 1877 Daniel Comboni
was made bishop. In 1881 on the
10th of October, Comboni died
in Khartoum, at the age of 50. In
1882 Bishop Francis Xavier Sogaro
succeeded Comboni. as he could
not visit Khartoum he administered
it from Egypt. he resigned in 1894.
In 1895 antonio Goveggio was
made Bishop at the age of 26, to
replace Bishop Sogaro. he died in
1902 while on his way to Europe.
In 1903 Francis Xavier Geyer was
made Bishop for the Vicariate in
Celebration of 100 years of faith
A History of the Diocese of Yambio-Tombura in South Sudan
Feature
1ST QUARTER10
Central africa. With him the mission
in Bahr el Ghazal started. In 1913
the vicariate of Bhar el Ghazal
was formed and the whole South
(except Upper Nile) and Northern
Uganda were linked to the new
Vicariate. Bishop Geyer opened
five missions in the area of Wau. he
had arrived in Wau in 1904. The five
missions were Kayango, Mbili, Wau,
Mboro, and Mupoi.
Mupoi
The mission of Mupoi was opened
in 1912. Though Bishop Geyer
wanted to open this mission in
1904 among the azande people he
was not allowed since the area was
not yet under the full control of the
government. Bishop Geyer made
and exploration of the area in 1906,
he left Wau reaching Tombura and
yambio. The Christian community
grew fast. When Mupoi became
independent from Wau, in 1949, the
Catholics of Zande land were more
numerous than those in the rest of
Bahr el Ghazal. In 1949 Mupoi in the
Western Equatoria became the See
of a Prefect apostolic, and in 1974
Tombora became a Diocese.
The Catholic Diocese of
Yambio-Tombura (CDTY)
The diocese has one ordinary
and one bishop emeritus, 49
diocesan priests and over 6
religious congregations (Salesians,
Combonis, Our Lady of Mission,
Christian Brothers, Missionary
Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
and about 400 catechists working
for the evangelization of the
people in WES (Western Equitaoria
State). CDTy (Catholic Diocese of
Tombora-yambio) has a growing
number of vocations to religious
life and holy families exemplified
by the presence of seminarians and
aspirants.
Over 600,000 people in the state
are Catholic, which constitutes over
60% of the population. The region
is very ethnically and culturally
rich and diverse. The majority of
the population is azande with
smaller numbers of Balanda, Baka,
Mundu, Muru, avukaya, and others.
Catholic faith first entered Western
Equatorial State in 1912 from Wau,
the then apostolic Vicariate of
Bahr el Ghaza. Mupoi parish was
the first mission building to be
erected. The Comboni Missionaries
inspired rapid expansion of Catholic
faith in the region and it was finally
named as the apostolic Prefecture
of Mupoi in 1949 under the
leadership of Msgr Dominic Ferara.
The missionaries act of 1962
prohibited the movement and
activities of missionaries in South
Sudan. In 1965, the anyanya I, or
South Sudan Liberation Movement
broke out, and many of the clergy
and affiliates sought refuge in
Central africa Republic (CaR) and
the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC). The church’s infrastructure
was destroyed during this period
as all assets were looted and /or
destroyed, this was the first civil war
of Sudan.
The first civil war ended in
1972 following the addis ababa
agreement. The clergy returned
to the diocese, and in 1974, the
Mupoi Prefecture became Tombura
Diocese under the leadership of
Rt. Rev. joseph Gasi abangite as its
first Diocesan Bishop. In 1981, the
Seat of the Bishop was transferred
to yambio as it became Equatorial
Province. accordingly, the Diocese
changed its name to the Catholic
Diocese of Tombura-yambio.
In 1983, the Sudan People’s
Liberation army/Movement
(SPLa/M) launched another armed
rebellion against the Khartoum
government. The SPLa/M took
control of WES, including yambio,
in 1990. Much of the population,
including the clergy, were once
again forced to seek refuge in
CaR and the DRC. Priests started
returning to WES in 1992 and
immediately began to rebuild and
rehabilitate their pastoral and social
programs.
On the 9th january 2005, the
Comprehensive Peace agreement
(CPa) was signed in Nairobi,
Kenya. The formal end to the
conflict between the SPLa/M
and Khartoum Government
ushered a new opportunity for the
diocese to increase its activities
in reconstructing its dilapidated
structures and programs according
to the needs of the people of WES.
On 19th april 2008, the holy Father,
h.h. Pope Benedict XVI appointed
Rt. Rev. Eduard hiiboro Kussala
to succeed bishop joseph Gasi
abangite as bishop of Tombura-
yambio Diocese.
80 percent of the population of
WES is illiterate and infant mortality
remains staggeringly high at 30-
40 per cent. Only 40% of people
have access to improved sources
of drinking water and only a few
(8%) children are fully immunized
(National Bureau of Statistics, 2011).
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, FEBRUARY 2013 11
From 3rd to 14th December, I went
to South Sudan to the Diocese of
Tombora yambio close to the border
with Democratic Republic of Congo
and Central african Republic. It was
an amazing experience. The whole
experience was truly a blessing.
From the beginning the trip to the
South Sudan seemed to have been
dashed when the visa did not come
on time. as a result the trip had
to be postponed for a day which
meant a change of flight ticket. a
day late me and (my camera man)
Stephen Ondieki, took off from jKIa
to juba the capital of South Sudan.
This trip was an answer to the
request from Rt. Rev. Eduard hiiboro
Kussala Bishop of yambio-Tambua.
as they were celebrating 100 years
of faith - the coming of Christianity,
the Bishop asked me to go there
to cover the events and to make a
documentary on the Diocese.
South Sudan, is a land of plenty
but they are people suppressed,
abused, chased and on the run
until july 2011 when they got
their independence, yet they
are a people with deep faith
and unrelenting trust in God.
The Diocese of yambio-Tambura,
bordering the Democratic Republic
of Congo (DRC) and Central african
Republic (CaR) was celebrating the
centenary of Christianity, the arrival
of the first Comboni missionaries.
Two wars and countless amount
of sufferings were part of the story
of the people there. Though the
celebration coincided with the year
of Faith it was not a coincidence, as
the Bishop puts it. They preceded
their own year of Faith before the
official one began in Oct. 2011. The
celebrations took place at the place
where the first missionaries arrived
that is, Mupoi, where the first seeds
of faith were planted. People came
from every parish, they came in
large numbers and stayed there
the whole of the 8 days celebrating,
living and coming to know one
another as a Diocese. Some came
from as far as 120 kilometers, by
foot which took up to five days.
They carried their food with them
to cook and to eat on the way, they
walked during the night to avoid
the heat of the day.
On 5th December we arrived in
juba, the capital of South Sudan,
on time, but even though the
bishop had promised to pick us
up no one was waiting. Everyone
was looking strange, the tall dark
men and women appeared more
intimidating then friendly. Thank
God for the marvels of technology,
I bought a SIM card loaded the
credit and called the Salesians in
the same town who contacted
the Salesians in yambio Diocese
(the Salesians have a parish in that
Diocese) who in turn contacted
the Bishop’s office, In 45 minutes
the car came to pick us. They were
somewhere in juba, and did not
have proper communication. While
waiting at a certain place in juba a
Vincentian priest, Fr. antony, with
his team of two people, whom I
knew from Nairobi, came in to go
to yambio. They were to preach a
retreat for the people during the
celebration. In all we formed a
team of five people. The plan was
to drive straight to yambio which
would take us the whole night, but
we were put up in a guest house
A Memorable Trip to South Sudan, to
the Diocese of Yambio-Tambura
1ST QUARTER12
citing that it is dangerous to travel
at night.
In juba I noticed many big cars that
spoke of the fast growing class of the
rich; a sign of mismanaged wealth
in a new born country, then a lot of
foreigners, giving me the indication
of the numerous NGOs which meant
that many outsiders are living on
the poverty of this country and also
many Chinese showing that China
is also trying to a get a piece of its
untapped resources.
The following morning on 6th
December, we embarked on the
longest road trip I have ever done.
We began our journey at 4.00 aM.
It took us 23 hours to reach our final
destination, Mupoi, in the diocese of
yambio-Tambura. Four hours after
commencing the journey we came
to a place where over 20 trucks and
many other vehicles were stuck due
to a bad slippery road. It took us
about one and half hours to get out
of there. hungry, after nine hours,
we reached a place called Maridi
where the Slaesians have a mission,
there we had lunch. (We had called
them and asked them to prepare
lunch for us). We spent two hours
here. after three hours of drive from
Maridi we reached the bishop’s
house at yambio where we had to
spend about 5 hours because the
car developed a problem. It was
11 pm by the time it was ready.
after three hours of driving from
there we arrived at Mupoi. all
together the journey took 23 hours
and when we hit the pillow it was
4.am exactly the time we began
the journey the day before that is
4.00 aM! There, we were given a
temporary accommodation.
Throughout the journey we
found few people along the
mud road full of potholes,
corrugations and windings. Two
things I noticed were charcoal
and Mobile phone towers.
The charcoal for sale was an
indication that the few trees
left standing will soon end
up in someone’s kitchen and
the mobile towers indicated
that this country is moving for
communication in the beginning
stages of its existence.
The celebrations had already
begun on 6th which we missed.
The theme for the first day was
“the role of the laity and the civil
servants, Social Teaching of the
Church”, and the Mass of the day
was a healing Mass for the Civil and
Community Leaders”
The following day 7th we were
ready by 9.00 aM to meet the bishop.
he was young, a visionary truly
interested in his people. We had
breakfast with him then we took a
round to survey the place, tested and
adjusted the sound system. They had
hired a generator for the whole feast
which ran throughout the feast. By
2.30 PM Fr. antony, gave his first talk
to the people.
The response from the people was
tremendous. The Mass was at 5.00
PM, outside, in a specially prepared
podium. It was a big spiritual event
with lot of cultural expressions such
as dancing, singing by various choirs
etc. The theme of the Mass was
“health, hIV, aIDS and anointing the
Christians with holy Oils and prayers
for the needy.” among those present
were local government authorities
and members of Parliament. The
Eucharistic celebration took four
hours. What followed was dinner
and rest.
The following day 8th, the Feast
of Immaculate Conception, was a
special day. The Mass was at 10 aM.
During the Mass three Missionary
Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
a local congregation, made their
perpetual profession. Four sisters of
the same congregation celebrated
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, FEBRUARY 2013 13
their 25 years of profession and one
Comboni sister celebrated her 50
years of profession. The Missionary
Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary
which started in Mupoi had to run
away to Central african Republic
and later to Uganda during the war.
Now after the independence they
are back to their roots to start their
ministry once again. at present
they have novices and aspirants.
The entire Mass took five and half
hours. The theme for the day was
“The role of the Mother of jesus, of
the religious sisters and of women
in the salvation of human kind”.
There was the Solemn reopening
of the newly built Mother house
of the “Missionary Sisters of the
Blessed Virgin Mary”. There was also
the blessing of the group “Women
movement for Peace”. The simple
faith that was demonstrated during
the Mass was truly touching. It was
truly a moving scene, an expression
of faith. For the offertory people
even men came walking on their
knees!!The lunch was given by the
sisters as it was the inauguration of
their new house and also the feast of
the Immaculate Conception. after
Lunch I went to visit few parishes.
First was yubu which is the home
parish of the bishop. a very serene
and peaceful place deep in the
Diocese and the parish priest was
Fr. joseph a Kenyan Missionary from
the Congregation of Missionaries
of St. Paul the apostle. he was very
passionate about his work and was
with lot of dreams for the people
and the place. after taking a few
photos and videos we proceeded
to the parish of Tombura where we
did the same. after reaching back
we joined the retreat talk and the
adoration given by Fr. anthony.
On Sunday 9th there were
baptisms at 10. aM and at the same
time talks of the retreat was given by
Fr. anthony. In the evening at 6.00
the Mass began and there were 85
confirmations during the Mass. The
Mass lasted 6 hours! The theme of
the day was “unity of Christians and
other religions (Muslims, Traditional
healers, jehovah Witnesses, ECS,
Lutherans, 7th Day adventists,
Pentecostal, Pagans, etc.)” The
crowds were huge and everyone
was at home with all that was
happening in spite of the fact there
were no conveniences at all. On the
same day that is Sunday at 9.30 aM
morning Stephen, my companion,
and I went to take videos and
photos of various parishes. It was
an adventurous and long trip.
The parishes are really far apart.
The Land is very fertile and not
cultivated much. The roads were
full of potholes and corrugations.
Old churches which get really filled
on Sundays by the Christians were
wonderful to see. First we visited
the “Cathedral parish” in yambio
which is just a shed made with
corrugated sheets. The bishop’s
house is there and there are other
activities such as a convent, hostel
for girls, a primary and nursery
school, a minor seminary and a
Teacher’s Training College. Then
we went to Zara parish where the
Comboni sisters run a primary
school and there is also a catechists
training center. From there we went
to Namaku parish, Nandi parish and
finally Regina Mundi parish Ezo. all
the parishes have at least a primary
school attached to it. Though the
percentage of the children who can
go to school are few, the Church is
trying its best to bring development
and education to the people. as
we were close to the border with
Central african Republic, which
was just across the road we made it
a point to walk across and to step
into a new country.
The following day, that is Monday,
10th it was the day for families. Many
more people came in as the climax
of the celebration was nearing. In
the morning we visited the “camps”,
the place where the people stayed
during the celebration. We went
with the Bishop. It was an amazing
experience, how the bishop
mingled with his people. The way
people stayed, made their tents,
sleeping places… amazing! Photo
of the Camp It took around three
hours. after noon at 6 PM during
the Mass 45 people got married and
many renewed their marriage vows.
The theme of the day was, “Family
1ST QUARTER14
14
Day – Matrimony and receiving
back those who defected from the
Catholic faith”. holy Mass of renewal
of commitment for already married
people (from 1 year to more than
75), new marriages on this day from
all the 16 parishes and blessing of
all the couples traditionally married
took place.
11th was the day dedicated for the
priests. The whole day was around
the aspect of the ordination that
was to be held in the evening. In the
morning I did a lengthy interview
with the bishop. Two previous
days I had tried but failed, but this
morning as agreed previously the
bishop managed to give some
time for the interview. he spoke at
length in detail. after interviewing
him I managed to talk to two sisters
who went through the wars and
transitions of this country etc. Later
I talked to some of the priests and
sisters working in that Diocese. at
11.00 aM a cross, which travelled
through the whole Diocese for a
year as a preparation for the jubilee
was taken around the whole camp
where the people were staying
according to their parishes. During
the Mass that day in the evening
three deacons were ordained. They
were ordained by a newly ordained
cardinal from Nigeria john
Onaiyekan. at11. 00 aM the whole
group went around and the camp
praying the rosary. The theme of
the day was, “The importance of
presbyteral vocations.” holy Chrism
Mass with ordination of three
deacons and renewal of priestly
commitments took place.
12th was the final day of
celebration. The Mass began
at 10.00 aM and it was full of
Cultural expressions. The Mass was
celebrated by the Bp. Eduarodo
hoboro, the bishop of yambio.
Before the procession of the word
of God there was a play showing
how the first Comboni missionaries
brought the good news to the
people of this place. It showed how
the missionaries won over the local
king with a mirror. In the homily the
bishop spoke about 100 years of faith
and what is a way forward. Many
government officials were present
and all expressed a strong Christian
faith and promised to support the
work of the Church. after the Mass
the Bishop asked forgiveness for all
the mistakes of the Church in the
past. In the afternoon there was a
Cultural exhibition and later cultural
entertainment. at midnight there
was a special celebration concluding
the 100 years and welcoming the
next 100 years, lots of celebrations,
music and dance. That night all the
groups went late into dancing and
singing in various places which they
did every day.
13th was the thanksgiving
day especially thanking the
missionaries, Comboni, who
brought faith there. We did not take
part in it as we wanted to get back
to juba the capital then to Nairobi.
Fr. antony and his team had the
flight on 13th and we had on 14th.
From this place Mupoi where the
celebrations were taking place
there is no proper transport and we
did not want another road trip, so
a small chartered flight, 12 seater,
was arranged by the Governor
for some government officials to
return to juba and we were to get
seats but when the flight came
the governor pushed more of his
people and we could not board
and were left behind. The next day
Bishop chartered another small
flight for us but when we arrived at
juba the capital, all of us missed the
flight to Nairobi. all the other flights
to Nairobi were full because of the
Christmas holidays.
Finally we managed to book a
flight to Nairobi via Uganda by
Ugandan airline. When we arrived
in Nairobi none of our bags arrived.
The following day all the bags
except mine arrived, and until
today my bag which had some of
equipment and other accessories
remain untraced.
This trip was a memorable one
and I thank God for this opportunity,
for this grace.
This is the place to be for any
daring missionaries. Wonderful
people, virgin land and anything
done, is done for a deserving
people. Dare to venture into this
radical frontier.
Sebastian Koladiyil
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, FEBRUARY 2013 15
Spiritual Accompaniment in the
context of Salesian Youth Ministry
Honouring the Work of God
Noticing the movement: God
sees you
joe is a 2nd year undergraduate
student at a university campus.
he has already had two sessions
with the same Salesian spiritual
director. In the previous sessions
he had expressed some interest in
considering a religious vocation.
In the present session he describes
at some length that he is not able
to pray. he feels stuck. he vaguely
mentions that he is in a relationship.
he is wondering what is actually
happening to his faith life.
When joe goes into silence and
gazes at the director with a look of
askance, the director could make
an intervention. Some less helpful
approaches would be:
To share the director’s own
personal struggles with prayer
particularly when the director was
at the age of joe. This approach
assumes that joe is growing up
exactly in the same way as the
director grew up. More importantly,
it takes for granted that God works
in the life of joe exactly as he works
in the life of the director.
To explore in further depth what
joe mentioned in passing about his
new relationship. This might just
be a way of satisfying the curiosity
of the director about intimate
stories of others. If it is important
to him, it would come up. In any
case, the issue of the relationship
is important in the context of the
spiritual accompaniment only
insofar as it affects joe’s own
relationship with God and the role
it plays in providing significance to
joe’s life.
To focus on his vocation, to
become ‘preachy’ and point out
that if someone has to be strong in
their vocation they have to be good
at prayer. Plainly put, preaching is
not the task of the spiritual director.
To start straightaway teaching joe
some effective methods of prayer.
This intervention could be useful
after exploring the struggle that he
has in prayer. So it may not be the
right intervention at this point.
On the other hand, a possible life-
giving question at this point could
be one of the following: “have you
had a conversation with God about
this?”; or, “how is God reacting to
this?; or simply, “how does God see
you, joe?”
“God Sees you,” is an important
component in the tradition of the
preventive system. It is one of
those elements that the Salesian
pedagogical tradition has inherited
from the wisdom of the mother
of Don Bosco. Mama Margaret’s
constant reminder to the boy
johnnie was not just a psychological
device to exhort good behaviour,
but a spirituality of being in union
with God. If religion is one of the
pillars of Don Bosco’s pedagogical
system, then the awareness of “God
sees you” is one of its vital blocks.
It is a spirituality that permeates
every activity of daily life. “The
challenge [Don Bosco and Mother
Mazzarello] made and continue to
make to the Church is that we meet
God, not only in prayer in Church,
but also in the rhythm of work and
daily living. The slogan written on
the corridors of Valdocco, ‘God sees
you’ and ‘every stitch an act of love
A simple model of spiritual accompaniment
Listening
To allow the person to tell their story, that
could be related to a particular experience in
life and/or prayer.
Noticing the movement
To pick up the implicit and explicit images,
expressions, moments, feelings which seem
significant for the person, and to help them
identify the movement that underpins their
faith story.
Fostering the movement
To invite the person to see if they identify
with the perceived movement, and then to
facilitate the process of exploring, valuing and
deepening that movement with an openness
to the Spirit.
In this three part series Sahaya G. Selvam, SDB, explores the meaning and method of spiritual accompaniment.
This concluding part offers some guidelines on how the individual might be helped in recognising the working of
God in them, and how this working could be fostered.
From the Province
1ST QUARTER16
A BOY WITH
Continuation from the previous issue
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, FEBRUARY 2013 17
A DREAM
The Story of Don Bosco
1ST QUARTER18
of God’ uttered in the workrooms of
Mornese were the terms Don Bosco
and Mother Mazzarello used to
describe this conviction.”
as in the case of Karen and joe,
a fruitful moment of spiritual
accompaniment could help them
respond to the presence of God in
their daily life, even though their
life might include some load of
troubles! To proceed further with
the session with joe there could
be the following hypothetical
dialogue. at this stage in the session
‘God-questions’ and ‘feeling-
questions’ are generously used!
This could lead the session through
identifying the movement of God
in joe, and to help him stay with it.
Director: have you had a
conversation with God
about your inability to
pray?
Joe: No, not really.
Director: (silence…) would you
see the conversation as a
possibility…?
Joe: (cynically) well it could be
a possibility.
Director: Would you like to try now?
What might you tell him?
Joe: God, I am just stuck in
prayer. you know how
much I love to pray…!
Director: (silence) how is God
replying to it?
Joe: he is laughing at it.
Director: laughing?
Joe: he is laughing at my
simplicity.
Director: he is laughing at your
simplicity. (Silence) how
does that feel like for you?
at this point joe might go to
another level of perceiving his
relationship with God, even if he
does not have the vocabulary to
accentuate his feelings! So the
director waits in silence.
In the above conversation the
director has actually ‘taught’ joe a
method of praying without actually
lecturing about it! joe is probably
picking up a conviction that he
could communicate with God
anywhere and in anyway. This is a
meaningful outcome of spiritual
accompaniment that is centred
around the relationship between
the directee and God. In this way,
spiritual accompaniment could
potentially facilitate the awareness
of “God sees you” which invites the
young person to open up to an
intimate relationship with God.
Fostering the Movement:
Towards an authentic meeting
with Jesus Christ
janet is a 25 year old city girl. For
nearly two years she has been in a
relationship with an older man via
the internet. he lives abroad. They
had also discussed the prospects of
getting married, though they have
not met each other. In the last two
months the communication has
been strained. he blames her for
not taking the risk of going out to
meet him. Two days ago she wrote
to him a disappointing email, and
he replied calling it quits. She finds
it difficult to say good-bye. She
feels she still loves him. yesterday,
during lunch break she “was led
into a church” in her city. Displayed
behind the lectern in the church
was the response to the psalm from
that day’s liturgy: “God is close to
the broken-hearted.”
There are two themes emerging
here: the break-up and the
experience of God. The experience
of God is bordering on awareness
that God is tangibly present in her
life even at this difficult time. how
could the session proceed from
here? Though we cannot predict
how janet might take forward this
conversation, on the part of the
director it is important to recognise
the movement and to foster it.
Director: (Mirror) God is close to the
broken-hearted.
Janet: yes, God is close to the
broken-hearted. I could
not explain why I went
into the church. I was just
led into it. and it was as if
that message was just for
me. I was really frustrated
with that guy – I was
broken!
Director: (Slows down the pace
of the session; allows
janet to complete her
sentences; plenty of
silence; mirrors back key
phrases) The message
was just for you.
Janet: actually, the moment I
saw that word ‘broken-
hearted’, I said, that’s
me. and that message
is for me. and I dwelt in
the comfort that it gave
me. and as I sat there,
I contemplated it, and
I asked, isn’t then God
close to the others whose
hearts aren’t “broken”?
(Silence). Well, the answer
(Continuation from pg 13)
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, FEBRUARY 2013 19
I came up with is, God isn’t
closer or farther, rather
it is our brokenness that
makes him appear that
way. In my misery and
brokenness I feel God
closer than I would have if
I was not so.
Director: (Some silence) What is
that like for you, janet?
Janet: (Long silence. Eyes are
swelling up with tears).
God is close to me.
Director: (Nods. Some silence)
What does that feel like
for you, janet?
Janet: Challenging… but comforting!
The simple model of spiritual
accompaniment sees the goal of
Don Bosco is known in many ways
and described by many. For instance
he was and is the father and friend
of youth. he was a young acrobat,
the son of Mama Margaret and
his father’s name was Francis from
Piedmont Italy. Today he would be
termed as the Father and founder of
the Salesian congregation among
other initiatives. Telling about Don
Bosco for the first time to many
young people would be analogous
to the innumerable questions from
the green minds. One would be
faced with the challenge of what
image of Don Bosco he would
create and leave with the young
inquisitive minds. Conversely one
would also be bowled over by the
uninformed images the young
people have about Don Bosco.
In Marsabit the name Don Bosco
sounds very new to many of the
boys who come for the daily
oratory programs at the Catholic
Technical Grounds. Beyond doubt
they are happy to hear that Don
Bosco loves them, and has provided
them a chance to grow and be
happy always. Nevertheless out of
ignorance they would ask, to meet
Don Bosco one day in his full human
form. Strictly they would demand
for an exact day that he will come to
address them. It should be known
accompaniment as building an
intimacy with God and/or jesus. In
the Salesian spirituality this intimacy
would include an integration of life
and faith, and a tangible expression
of this intimacy is service. These
aspects are presupposed by the
phrase from GC23: “an authentic
meeting with jesus Christ.”
“Spiritual direction is not simply a
doctrinal consultation,” a document
from the Congregation for Clergy
(2011) suggests. The simple model
of spiritual accompaniment that
we have explored above has at its
heart the relationship between the
directee and God/jesus. Using the
parlance of contemporary models
of counselling and therapy, the
that in their innocence they call
Fr. Waldemar, Don Bosco. at this
point, if this is the case, we embrace
the task of enlightening them
about the relationship between
Don Bosco and the Salesians.
To quench this evident thirst
we cannot but tell the stories of
the young Don Bosco’s life, his
dream at the age of nine and the
journey made by Don Bosco’s relic
to many parts of the world. Other
methodologies like the use of Don
Bosco songs and the Salesian’s
active presence would facilitate
worthy understanding of who Don
Bosco is. With these the young
people become the image of Don
Bosco to others since they start
inviting their friends to come to Don
Bosco. They get fulfillment through
simple model can be said to be
client-centred. In this sense, this
model is very contemporary in its
approach. Moreover, it does not
impose a particular belief or dogma
on the directee. It compassionately
accompanies them by finding
them where they are, by being
present to them, and by fostering
the working of God in them. In
this it is non-threatening, it has no
meta-narratives, and it is positively
post-modern. Therefore, it could be
attractive to modern young people
and effective within the context
of contemporary Salesian youth
ministry.
their active involvement in a healthy
environment for competition in
sports and participation in other
activities. We make them feel that
Don Bosco provides them with a
home, playground and place to
nourish their faith.
We would commit ourselves
to carrying the image of Don
Bosco through our daily presence
to the young because we have
encountered him in simple and
big ways. Therefore, we are called
to bless others by bearing witness
of the holy, loving and caring Don
Bosco who carried the image of
Christ in his special way through
reaching and comforting the needy
and the poor youth.
By Zeno Muema
DON BOSCO’S IMAGE MARSABIT
1ST QUARTER20
DON BOSCO DIDIA
The last few months of this year
we had several activities at Don
Bosco Didia. The staff and the
students were really busy as there
is no need to mention about the
Salesians and the Sisters as anyone
can imagine.
The Parents’ Day and Harambee
On 29th September 2012 we
organized a special harambee
along with the Parents’ day. With
the exception of few parents
everybody was present for this
great day. The parents who came
for the celebration were also very
generous towards contributing
to the harambee organized for
the occasion. The harambee
was to raise fund for building a
modern library. On this day we
also had speeches expressing our
appreciation to the parents, to the
Salesians, to the Sisters, to the staff
and to the students. It was indeed
a wonderful celebration and the
parents suggested that we organize
this type of harambees every year
and they would give their whole-
hearted support.
Graduation of the Form IV
Unlike other years, this year the
graduation of the Form IV was held
after their national examination on
27th October 2012. Rev. Fr. Sospeter
Shole, Vicar General of the diocese
of Shinyanga was the chief guest
for the celebration. he not only
presided over the holy Eucharist
but also gave away the certificates
to the Form IV leavers. 77 boys and
girls received the certificates. as
usual it was also day of expressing
our gratitude to the almighty God
and to others for all the blessings
we received in this year 2012.
The Passing away of our
Beloved Bishop
On the afternoon
of 6th November
2012 we received
the sad news of
the passing away
of our beloved
bishop, his
Lordship aloysius
Balina. Though we
were expecting
this sad news
anytime yet it
was shocking and
very sad when we
received it. Bishop Balina was very
close to us in all these years and
we miss him very much. Many of
the staff and students were able
to take part in the funeral held at
Shinyanga on 10th November 2012.
We pray that his soul may rest in
eternal peace. We also express
our sincere appreciation to the
departed bishop.
Examination and Holidays
Practically the entire month of
November was one examination
or another for our students. after
all the examinations, the school
closed for annual holidays on 30th
November 2012. The students
left for holidays on 1st December
and reported back on 9th and 14th
january 2013. Several students
stayed back during the holidays
to work in farm to show their
appreciation for Don Bosco. Much
work has been done in the farm
with the help of the tractor donated
by the Sterling Trust founded by
Mzee jasani of happy memory.
We are preparing about 100 acres
of paddy field for cultivation this
year. It is our hope that we will get
sufficient rain and God will bless
the work of our hands.
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, FEBRUARY 2013 21
The Salesians of Monguo
Mission in Maridi County have
been preparing for over a year for
the extravagant event that took
place on Tuesday, 20th November,
as the newly constructed hospital
was inaugurated by Bishop Edward
hiiboro of the Tambora-yambo
Diocese. Several South Sudanese
government officials were present
for this grand event, including
the Governor of the Western
Equatoria State, the Minister of
Interior, the Minister of health,
the Minister of Education, and
the acting Commissioner of both
Maridi and its neighboring county,
Ibba, among many others. The
hospital was filled to overflowing
with guests from far and wide;
altogether nearly 1500 citizens of
Maridi and neighboring counties
came to witness the inauguration
of their new health center.
The celebration began as the
Minister of Interior cut the ribbon
at the entrance of the hospital and
Bishop hiiboro proceeded with
the celebration of the holy Mass.
Concelebrating Mass beside the
Bishop included Fr. Ferrington, the
Salesian Delegate Superior of Sudan
and South Sudan, Fr. john Peter, the
Rector of Don Bosco Manguo Parish,
as well as Fr. Stan, his Vice Rector.
The SDB community was pleased
also to include in the festivities
the three Visitation Sisters of Don
Bosco, the newest members of the
Salesian community in Manguo,
who arrived from India only nine
days before the celebration took
place.
During the Inauguration
Mass, the Bishop celebrated the
sacramental rites of First Eucharist
and Confirmation to ninety
students of Don Bosco Primary
School, including the initiation
of twenty-two of these students
from the Episcopal Church into the
Roman Catholic Church. It was a
joy for all present to witness these
young children eager to meet
Christ so intimately that day. Their
appreciation and reverence for the
Eucharist was a marvelous gift to
encounter.
The scriptural theme
for the inauguration Mass
was gratitude, and the
whole Salesian community
agreed that a spirit of
thanksgiving and joy was
so clearly experienced by
all throughout the event.
Bishop hiiboro spoke so
eloquently during his
homily about the beauty
and dignity of the human
person, and the gift of being
able to nurture and care for
both body and soul.
after mass, several of the
dignitaries shared their insights
with the congregation, speaking
very moving words of appreciation
and encouragement for the new
health care facility. The Minister of
health shared a powerful message,
commenting on the poor health
care statistics in South Sudan’s
Western Equatoria State, and he
praised the Salesian order for being
“a solution to this problem.” he
continued on to parallel the new
nation as a “one-and-a-half year old
child with a handicapped mother”
and called the Salesians “the good
neighbor, who comes to aid the
child in his time of great need.”
a most exciting moment
occurred during the Governor’s
speech, when he made a strong
promise to the people. he
decidedly pronounced before the
whole assembly, calling out the
Commissioner and the Chief, “you
must give land to the Don Bosco
Mission for a secondary school
within seven days!” The Governor’s
declaration was followed by
enthusiastic cheers and applause
from the audience. he went as far
as to demand a personal phone
call from the Fr. john Peter, if the
land was not promptly provided
for this purpose. None was more
encouraged than the students of
Don Bosco Primary, who are eager
to attend a secondary school as
rigorous and life-giving as the
Primary School they now attend.
Every soul in the audience was
a proud member of the Salesian
family throughout this moving
day and honored to witness to the
profound way the Salesians of Don
Bosco are ever changing South
Sudan, and this whole world, for
the better.
A New hospital in Maridi
1ST QUARTER22
“UTUME RELOADED BROTHERS ON THE
DON BOSCO CAMPAIGN TRAIL”
ENRICHING EXPERIENCE DURING THE
YOUTH ANIMATION WITH THE SALESIANS
as the first Semester came to an
end in the mid December, 2012,
most of the Utume brothers were
busy preparing to go for different
youth animation across the
country (Kenya).Meanwhile, the
annual retreat was also on course.
The brothers who took part in the
animation, vowed to celebrate the
short December holidays in style.
Their major intention was to “sell”
Don Bosco to other parts of Kenya
and not only in Nairobi as has
been the case with our weekend
apostolate. It was a real Don Bosco
mission campaign which bore
fruits.
Indeed this year we can affirm
that the dream that most of the
brothers have been having, at least
in one way was realized. This is
because; we managed to animate
several dioceses and regions in
Kenya. Raruowa Parish in homabay
Diocese, Chebukaka in Bungoma,
Sotik in Kericho, Mwanda in
Mombasa, Kithimani in Machakos
and Ndonyo Njeru in Nyahururu
as a religious person working
with the young people animation is
an obligation, and a responsibility.
But for a young person, being
called to help in the ministry it
becomes a privilege. a chance one
would never want to let go. a call
one accepts with a smile.
This is the privilege we got when
we were invited to go for a one-
week seminar to various parts of
the country. as for me and two
other Salesian youth Movement
members, we had the opportunity
to go to Bungoma, Chebukaka
Parish. Not only as youth
representatives but also as part of
the facilitating team.
The theme was “ yOUTh aND
ThE yEaR OF FaITh,” we talked to
them on diverse topics such as ,
youth leadership and spirituality,
vocations, careers, self-realization,
sexuality, liturgy and the source
were the major Parishes were the
brothers went for youth animation.
It was a nice experience being with
the youth who are not from our own
set up and above all strange to our
own style of animation. Irrespective
of all the differences, the youth
responded well to our energizing
and interactive programs/ activities
which were mainly from the
Salesian Scaffoldings. We were
moved by their spirituality which
most brothers acknowledged from
the parishes that they visited. Our
intention of going was not only to
animate the youth programs, but
we focused also much on Vocation
Promotion which we are yet to see
the results.
During these youth animation
programs, we (brothers) were not
the only ones who dominated the
shows, but we thought it wise to
have few youth with us from the
SyM-UTUME who were part of our
animating team. Even though, not
all have gone through our training,
they did their best in challenging
of worship, socio-political
involvement, peace management,
relationships, stress management,
penance, reconciliation, forgiveness
and the Eucharist and last but not
least confessions.
Upon our arrival we were
welcomed with warmth by the
parishioners. Making us feel at
home seemed their first priority.
The outcome was encouranging
with around 150 young people
from and within Chebukaka parish
taking part in the Seminar. We had
to divide them into 5 groups of 18
people, then formal introductions
and ice-breakers. We then told
them about the program for the
whole week. The schedule was to
begin at 7.00 am and end at 9:30
pm every day.
Everything ran smoothly. The
week flew past, and when it came
for us to say farewell it was so
the youth to be active ministers to
their fellow youth. all in all, we thank
the brothers who took active part
in preparing the program which
was so enriching to the youth. Not
forgetting Fr. alex Mulongo, the
Vocation Director who contacted
all these Parishes to make sure that
the necessary arrangements were
in place for us.
Benn Agunga
Utume Outgoing
Correspondent.
emotional, but their appreciation
and acknowledgement of our work
with them motivated us.
But all this would not have
happened if it were not for our
sponsors, organizers, and the co-
coordinators, and also not to forget
our esteemed
deacons (Benn
agunga and Paul
Turay). I and the
SyM members
would like to give
you our heartfelt
appreciations.
and now, for
all you youth out
there, this is the
year of youth and Faith, what have
you done to acknowledge it?
Purity .W Thuo
SYM SECRETARY-UHURU CAMP
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, FEBRUARY 2013 23
KENYA YOUTH FOR PEACE
What is the Kenya youth For Peace
initiative and how did it begin?
Kenya youth For Peace is an
initiative aimed at mobilising the
youth of Kenya and across the
world to play a proactive role in
the promotion of peace in Kenya
during the forthcoming general
elections in March 2013. The
motivating force is an unfortunate
realisation that the youth have
been both perpetrators and victims
of violence during the post election
violence that triggered in 2007 -
2008. The interested parties preyed
on their youthful vigour with fake
promises as they unscrupulously
exploited them to pursue their
own objectives. Kenya youth for
Peace seeks to empower youth to
become key players in offsetting
such attempts and make consistent
choices for peace and disseminate
it particularly among their peers.
have you been involved in a
similar initiative elsewhere or have
witnessed it in other places?
In the 1990’s, there was a lot
of inter-ethnic conflicts in the
Northeast of India, my native
land. It was during this time that
the Salesian Family organized a
caravan for peace with the youth
as key players in bringing the
message of peace and harmonious
coexistence. Similarly, in the late
90’s, a meeting of the women of
the region was organized during
which women from different ethnic
communities asked forgiveness
from each other in the name of their
own communities and resolved to
work for reconciliation. In 2002, I
was part of an international team
that organized a seminar at an
asian level on the topic: “Women,
mediators of peace in asia”.
Coming from a land where the
peaceful living together of diverse
ethnic communities degenerated
into conflictual relationships with
periodic outbursts particularly
in the last decades, I feel a deep-
seated urge within me to commit
myself to promoting a harmonious
living together. The conflicts may
take on different forms in Kenya
vis a vis the Northeast of India, but
the dynamics leading to hostile
relationships have the same roots,
that is, politicization of ethnic
belongings, basic inequality,
injustices and violation of
fundamental rights among others.
Why is it also called Caravan for
Peace Kenya and what activities are
part of the program?
It is also called Caravan for
Peace because the organization
of caravans moving from one
part of the country to another
bringing the message of peace is
an integral part of the Kenya youth
For Peace initiative. however, the
actual realization depends on the
availability of funds for doing so.
Kenya youth For Peace has been
focusing mainly on the training
of trainers among the students of
universities, parishes and youth
groups of informal settlements.
It was an honour that the group
was chosen to perform on jamhuri
Day in Nyayo Stadium. What
impact do you think it had and will
continue to have on the citizens
of Kenya especially before the up-
coming elections?
yes, it was an honour and strategic
approach to be able to perform at
Nyayo stadium on jamhuri day. The
message went nationwide and across
oceans. The day after, Mr. Sammy
Lui, the Director of State Functions
called to tell me that he was receiving
many calls congratulating him for the
performance of “jivunie”. hopefully
they got the message. I would not
know how to gauge it. however, I
think that the greatest impact will
go through the young people who
were part of the performing group.
Most of them were under exams
and yet they made a lot of sacrifices
to get to the practices. They learnt
the choreography in four days under
the persistent and patient guidance
of Ponsiano Changa, a Gen Rosso
choreographer. I feel that they
themselves were surprised at what
they were able to do within such a
short span of time and under stressful
circumstances. after the performance,
I could see a sound sense of pride
beaming on their faces. By then, it
did not require us to make any more
motivating talks to convince them of
the value of what they were doing
and learning. They were ready by now
to assume the lead roles and continue
spreading the message.
how would you sum up the
experience of the young people and
the other collaborators involved in
this program?
I realized that the young people
are ready to walk the way of
peace, justice, reconciliation and
selfless commitment at all levels.
They dream of high ideals, not
all of them are looking for easy
lifestyles, rather they want to be
challenged, they are willing to walk
even the most tedious pathways.
This group becomes like leaven in
the dough influencing their peers
who may take a while to assume
a corresponding determination. I
realize that persistence serves to
make them step onto the most
demanding journey.
as regards the collaborators
involved in this programme, I must
say that I am impressed by their spirit
of faith, conviction and sacrificing
spirit. This initiative continues to be
an uphill journey for many reasons
particularly financial, but the focus
on the vision, passion and purpose
on the part of all the collaborators
involved is the engine driving it
forward. I am most grateful to them
and to all the youth. With such a
force behind, the initiative has a
long way to go into shaping the
future of Kenya, africa and, why
not, the whole world!
Sr. Virginia Bickford, FMA
an Interview with Sr. Bernadette Sangma, fma, Director of The Institute of youth Ministry (IyM)
Tangaza University College
From the FMA
1ST QUARTER24
“Jivunie” Peace Anthem Perfomed
at Nyayo
The “jivunie” Peace anthem was
performed at this year’s jamhuri
day at the Nyayo National Stadium
before the President, Mwai Kibaki,
the PM, Raila Odinga, Vice-President
Kalonzo Musyoka, other dignitaries,
a mammoth crowd and broadcast
live on national TV.
It received a great reception from
the VIP dais and the audience both
at the stadium and also at home.
Indeed, it was a dream come true
for the choir and the Kenya youth
for Peace Intiative which received
national acclaim for the first time.
It was also watched in several other
countries outside Kenya.
The song is an anthem for the
Kenya youth Peace Initiative
promoted by Tangaza College,
Catholic University of Eastern africa
and Focolare Movement.
Getting to Nyayo was an uphill task
for the group of students who had
to go through several adjudications
by Mr. Sammy Lui, the Chair and
MC of all presidential functions,
and by members of the Permanent
Presidential Music Commission.
The choir members also had to
bear with intermittent rehearsals as
they did their class assignments and
exams not to mention the frequent
traffic jams on the way to practice
at the St. Paul’s Catholic University
Chapel hall.
Further, the song had to be re-
recorded to include more Swahili
verses so as to suit the audiences
better, and a crew from Gen Rosso
comprising of josé Manuel García,
Benedikt Enderle and Ponsiano
Changa flew in from Italy 5 days to
the performance and had to not
only re-record but also bring in the
beautiful choreography you may
have seen as part of the Nyayo
stadium performance. Ponssy
(Ponsiano) was leading the central
group of dancers in the performance.
Members of the choir included
students from Tangaza University
College, CUEa, Multimedia
University, University of Nairobi, KCa
University, some youth of Focolare
Movement and also members from
the informal settlements. The main
choirmaster was Stephen Omondi
of Kayamba afrika.
The song “jivunie” is a composition
of Gen Rosso Musical Group (under
Focolare Movement). The lyrics
were written by Eric Mwangi while
the music was done by the other
members of the Gen Rosso troupe. It
was officially launched at the CUEa
Conference Centre on Friday Nov
23 in an event attended by among
other dignitaries, julie Gichuru,
Elizabeth Nzani Wachira (CEO,
Ecoplan) and Sam Owen (Convener,
National Prayer Breakfast).
The Kenya youth for Peace (KyFP)
is an initiative meant to urge
Kenyans to shun tribalism and it
operates under the theme “Jivunie
nchi yako, Kabila sio Silaha” (be
proud of your country, tribe is not
a weapon). The initiative itself was
officially launched in Tangaza on
September 21 which also coincided
with the International Day of Peace.
On the same day the peace post
erected after the post election
violence in 2008 was unveiled again.
The post is on the entry driveway of
Tangaza, behind the Theology block
(Nuru house). Next to the peace post
is a line of trees planted at the same
time as a sign of how we should
allow peace to flourish.
KyFP has undertaken Training of
Trainers (ToT) on peacemaking for
students from Tangaza and CUEa
and is currently being rolled out
to the rest of the country. a ToT
has also been done in Guadalupe
Parish, adams arcade.
KyFP steering committee,
the organisers of most of the
initiative’s activities, is led by
Dr. Beatrice Churu, DPa Tangaza and
Sr. Bernadette Sangma, the Director,
Institute of youth Ministry.
C h e c k : w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m /
Caravan.for.peacePeace Twitter: @
caravanforpeace
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, FEBRUARY 2013 25
THE CHALLENGING WORLD OF SOCIAL
COMMUNICATIONS
as the Councilor for Social
Communications in the FMa
Institute, what have been some
of your greatest challenges and
accomplishments experienced
these past years?
The Sector for Social
Communication (CS) for which I am
responsible, deeply recognizes the
importance that the communication
phenomenon has in our culture.
Since the beginning of our Institute
the attention given to this reality
has been strongly alive: Don Bosco
and Maria Domenica Mazzarello
have been great communicators.
They were able to turn the works
started by them into true and real
communicative systems, giving this
same touch to the pedagogy and to
the Salesian spirituality.
The sector for Social
Communication has started as
an answer to some fundamental
questions: how can we face up to
the present culture in this society of
information? how can we translate
into the today’s reality the intuitions
of the origins? how to go forward
and achieve that leap of quality,
in line with the Church and with
history? how to value the relevance
of communication on our identity
as women, educators of young
people?
These questions also touch the
most relevant challenges that we
are called to face today, and which,
in these past years, have shown us
the direction for this project to be
undertaken and for its consequent
fulfilment.
We are particularly committed
to help – first of all the FMa -,
to pass from an instrumental
vision to a cultural conception
of communication; to assume
communication as perspective and
transversal educative practice of
the mission; to favor an institutional
communication based on the
network mentality; to dialogue with
the contemporary world, above all
with the young, so as to contribute
to the creation of a new culture
of solidarity toward an active
citizenship; to fulfil a technological
mediation through the educative
use of the new technologies.
Recently your Sector published
a booklet entitled Gong 5: In the
Culture of Communication, a Map
to Orient Ourselves. Why is it called
Gong 5 and what is the purpose of
the booklet?
The Gong is a percussion musical
instrument of Chinese origin, used
for musical purposes as well as to
send signals; it has the shape of
a plate with orlated margins, but
there are also instrument in the
shape of a bell.
The Sector of Social
Communications has assumed this
image because it gives value to
communication in its goings and
comings: word and listening. a
sound that is not simply quantity
and measure, but which evokes
processes between listening–
thinking- and intuition. It is like
an echo that calls for answers.
The percussion of the Gong at
times travels many kilometers
and communicates “news”, gives
informations, provoking an answer.
In our view, to communicate is
precisely this putting ourselves in
relation in an open way and in a
style of reciprocity, sharing good
news. Recently we have published
the fifth small volume of the Il
Gong series, preceded by other
four booklets with interesting
titles that express the content
they want to transmit: Women in
network, An antenna on the world,
For a communication of quality, Edu-
communication: small steps in the
new culture. For nearly 20 years the
Sector for Social Communication
is trying to conscientize the
Institute also through these simple
pamphlets that help to better know
and deepen the culture of today,
dominated by the paradigm of
communication.
In the booklet you state that we
are “immersed in a communication
culture.” What does this imply?
The image of “immersion” seems
to be very significant to express the
contemporary situation. It implies
to assume the metaphor of the
“fish” entirely surrounded by the
ocean; without it they cannot live.
In the past, the communicative
technologies were the dominion
of few people. Little by little they
acquired popularity, and ever more
extended groups of society took
possession of all the instruments
to communicate. Today, in every
context of the world, whether in
areas of poverty or in realities of
great wealth, the new technologies
are dominant; they don’t simply
inform, but give criteria of choice,
transmit ideas, opinions, stimulate
to assume styles of life which are
not always humanizing.
SR. GIUSEPPINA TERUGGI is the Sister responsible for Social Communications for the Congregation of the Salesian
Sisters of St. John Bosco
1ST QUARTER26
Recently we have written that life
is articulated by communication:
«Communication is to speak with
someone, is television, is assuming
and exchanging information, is
our hair-crop, is literature: the list
is infinite» wrote john FISKE in
Introduction to Communication
Studies.
“Communication” is a word with
many meanings and social practices:
space and occasion for interpersonal
encounter, which is entirely fulfilled
in dialogue; information, exchange
of experiences, sharing of
acquaintences and of knowledge,
culture for the way to be and of
appearing, as well as for the cultural
tradition which is transferred and
handed down; the media in all
their forms, old and new, from the
press to the cinema, from television
to multimediality, from Internet to
its environments of socialization.
It is a theme that interprets the
complexity of our time, an idea
which depicts a society where
everything resolves in the exchange
of information, outcome of a system
of relationships.
To say “culture of communication”
signifies to refer to a way of
behavior, to be in the world, an
environment of life, an existential
context. It is “the ocean” in which
we are immersed!Top of Form
how can the different groups of the
Salesian family work together to
help young people in this culture of
communication?
In this “network” time, we Salesian
Educators of the young, are first of
all called to enter in a perspective
of educative networking which,
for our charism, is the way of
evangelization. Pope john Paul II, in
his document «Starting afresh from
Christ» (2002), underlined the need
to promote, within the educative
environments, a «renewed cultural
commitment» so as to keep
pace with a reality in continuous
evolution, to modulate our thinking
and working in the languages and
styles of communication, so as to
give visibility to the evangelical
message, to give quality to
communication through the old
and new media, in order to mature
critical and creative personalities,
capable of discovering, reading
and interpreting the “seeds of the
Word” within the contemporary
world. and this we do not as
single persons, but by creating an
“educative environment”.
In the light of hope, we, as
Salesian Family, are called not
to give up and surrender to the
powerful challenges of the culture
of communication, and to make
the Person of jesus known, seeking
continually a simple and convincing
language that speaks to the heart
of the young.
The Educative demand is urgent
more than ever. The young are
in need of direct and personal
relationships with their educators;
«to speak with the young is more
fruitful than to speak of the young,
would say Cardinal Martini.
We are called to go on together,
trying also planning steps with
common lines, starting from
“thinking” and “searching” together;
as mature, open and balanced
persons who know how to lead
the young, according to the time of
each, toward a Christian vision of life.
The pedagogy of faith calls us –
educators – to a high measure of
Christian life: to profess the faith in
Christ, to celebrate his mystery, to
encounter him habitually in prayer, to
live in him and to share the aspostolic
ardor (cf. XIII Synod of Bishops,
October 2012 - Message n. 5).
as Salesian Family we are questioned
and called to enter in the ecclesial
journey indicated by Pope Benedict XVI
as he encourages us commit ourselves
on roads of “truth, proclamation and
authenticity of life in the digital era”
(Message 45th GMCS, 2011) as he
shows us the style: “Silence and word:
journeys of evangelization”, because “to
educate ourselves to communication
means to learn to listen, to
contemplate, besides speaking, and
this is particularly important for the
agents of evangelization” (Message
46th GMCS, 2012).
Sr. Virginia Bickford, FMA
THE FIRST TANZANIAN, FMA
On 15th august 2012 the first FMa
from Tanzania, Sr. Sophia Gura, made
her first profession during the Eucharist
presided over by Fr. Neville Luis, SDB at
Mutuini Dagoretti. She was alone for
profession as the novices of Zambia
had returned to their province for
profession. The occasion was graced
by FMa sisters, SDB, priests, brothers,
family members among others.
The family members (mother,
brothers and sisters) were overjoyed
and referred to her as “mshangwela”.
her Parish Priest from Musoma,
Tanzania who came along with
her family members congratulated
her, stressing that she had a great
responsibility to bring other Tanzanian
girls to the FMa Congregation. Sister
Sophia is now serving in the FMa
community of Embu.
FINAL PROFESSION OF
SR. YVETTE
UWINGABIRE, FMA
Sr. yvette Uwingabire made her
perpetual vows on the 1st September
2012 in Rwanda in the community
of Kigali where she has served for six
years. It was an historical event since
it was the first FMa profession in
Rwanda. The Eucharist was presided
over by the new SDB Provincial Father
Camille joined by 10 celebrants from
the SDB communities in Rwanda and
various Diocesan priests. In his homily
Fr. Camille gave some reflections on
the three vows stating, “She is to have
nothing of her own though all will
be under her care. She will have no
husband meaning no child of her own,
but she will have so many children in
whichever mission she will serve…
”Sr. yvette is now serving in the FMa
community of Embu, Kenya.
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, FEBRUARY 2013 27
after the Study Days on initial
proclamation organised by the
Missions Department in Ethiopia,
Fr. Václav Klement sent me to visit
the houses of formation of aFE and
ZMB for missionary promotion. I
am most grateful to Fr. Provincial
and the Provincial Economer for
ensuring that I could meet the
Salesians in formation in Tanzania. a
special thanks to joseph Minja, the
Province Delegate for Missionary
animation, for organising my visit
to the prenovitiate and theologate
as well accompanying me to
Tanzania to visit the postnovitiate
and the novitiate. I am grateful that
I have met the Salesians in initial
formation of the aFE Province,
except those in practical training.
It is not uncommon for me to
hear statements like “we are in the
missions already, so what’s the
need for missionary promotion”? or
“we need personnel in our Province
why encourage local Salesians to
be missionaries abroad”? These
statements seem to indicate that
missionary promotion is often
misunderstood as fishing for
missionaries. No wonder confreres
sometimes wonder the sense
of missionary promotion in the
‘missions’!
Looking back to Don Bosco
What is missionary promotion?
It might be helpful to return to
Don Bosco in order to shed light
to what we mean by missionary
promotion. From 1841 to 1850 Don
Bosco established his first works of
the young. From 1850 to 1860, at a
time of great danger for the faith
of the people, he undertook a bold
initiative of founding the Salesian
Society in 1859 and of establishing
a printing press as well as the
publication of the Catholic Readings.
In the next fifteen years he founded
the other branches of his family:
the association of Mary help of
Christians in 1869, the Daughters
of Mary help of Christians in 1872
and the Salesian Cooperators
in 1876. Finally, he opened an
entirely new page in the life of his
young Congregation by sending
out his first missionaries in 1875,
immediately after the approval of
the Salesian Constitutions (1874).
a closer look at the missionary
thrust of Don Bosco reveals that it
is but the ultimate fruit and liveliest
manifestation of his missionary zeal
to make jesus known. This apostolic
passion is the dynamism which
underpins all his initiatives. In fact,
if we examine closely his ministry
to young people, it is easy to realise
that these were deeply permeated
by his passion to preach the Gospel.
This missionary zeal – synthesised
in Da mihi animas - was the
animating force which cuts across
all his initiatives. Father Michael Rua
wrote that “Don Bosco, in the ardent
zeal by which he was devoured,
shouted out: Da mihi animas. It
was this need to save souls which
made the old world seem narrow
and drove him to send his sons to
the distant missions of america”. In
1925, the fiftieth anniversary of the
first missionary expedition, Father
Philip Rinaldi used these words to
describe Don Bosco’s missionary
zeal: “The apostolic ardour of a
Francis Xavier had been burning
in his large heart for many a year,
fed by a divine flame which lit up
the future through his dreams... he
was a true missionary, an apostle
devoured by a passion for souls”.
Indeed, Don Bosco passed on to his
first Salesians and to his boys this
ardent desire to share his faith with
the poor and abandoned boys in
Valdocco, with the people of Turin
and with those who live beyond
the shores of Italy. Truly his example
indicates that the missionary
commitment to mission ad gentes
“would be the Congregation’s
on-going concern, in such a way
that it forms part of its nature and
purpose”.
The Twofold Purpose of
Salesian Missionary Promotion
In the light of Don Bosco’s
experience we can now draw
out our purpose for missionary
animation. Salesian missionary
promotion, has a twofold
purpose which are interrelated
and mutually complementary.
above all it aims at keeping alive
in every Salesian the passion to
make Jesus known and to preach
the Gospel. Such missionary zeal
leads to a rediscovery of “the
joy of being Christians, of being
sustained by the inner happiness
of knowing Christ and belonging
to his Church”. hence, an effective
missionary promotion renews
“the passion for the salvation of
others, by the joy of sharing the
experience of the fullness of life
of jesus” of individual Salesians
and, consequently, making every
member of the local and Province
community “happy from deep
within”. From this joy springs the
energies to share our Christian
faith and live radically our Salesian
life which, in turn, overcomes faith
fatigue which could be noticed in
the joylessness and inner sadness
in living the consecrated life.
Enthusiastic Salesians attract young
people to Salesian life. an effective
missionary promotion, therefore,
Do we really need missionary
promotion in Africa?
From the Mission Office, Rome
1ST QUARTER28
is also a form of vocation
promotion.
This missionary zeal that should
be present in every Salesian does
not preclude but actually implies
that there are Salesians who have
a specific vocation to be engaged
in the missionary apostolate
outside their own homeland,
cultural milieu and language group
(ad exteros); among those who
have not yet heard the Gospel,
or where the Church is not yet
fully established (ad gentes); and
in contexts where there is an
abandonment of the faith (new
evangelisation) through a life-long
commitment (ad vitam). Thus, the
second purpose of missionary
promotion which flows from its
primary aim is to help Salesians
discern if they have the call to be
missionary. Those who feel called to
be missionaries are helped to start
the initial process of discernment by
seeking the help of a spiritual guide
to discover God’s call, purify and
deepen their motives, discern their
qualities and attitudes in view of
determining their basic suitability
for Salesian missionary life.
Our Salesian vocation places us
at the heart of the Church which
“is missionary by her very nature”
because she “is sent forth to the
nations”. In the same way that
within the one Salesian vocation
some are called to be priests while
some to be brothers, similarly the
Salesian missionary vocation is a
call within our common Salesian
vocation. In this light, it is not
a matter of “we need confreres
here” nor of “escaping” from the
needs of the Province. No, no! It
is a matter of helping a confrere
respond to a personal call to be a
Salesian missionary. hence, Africae
Munus n. 167 underlines positively
that responding to the need of
missionaries in other countries and
continents on the part of africans is
“a concrete sign of the fruitfulness
of the missio ad gentes”.
Missionary Promotion in
Salesian Communities
Salesian missionary promotion
in the whole Province is under the
care of the Province Delegate for
Missionary animation (PDMa) who
works in close collaboration with
the Province Delegates for youth
ministry, social communication and
formation. In our local communities
missionary promotion could take
different forms. here are 4 simple
proposals:
The annual celebration of
the Salesian Mission Day on
a common date chosen by the
whole Province is meant to foster
awareness to different missionary
situations and overcome every
temptation to shut oneself off in
one’s own context. Every year the
Missions Department prepares a
poster, printed materials, a DVD
with short films on the theme which
are also available on You Tube. These
draw attention to the universality of
the of the Salesian charism and its
vitality as shown in the expressions
of the missionary zeal of Salesians
in different contexts.
The Monthly Missionary
Intention as well as prayer for
missionaries every 11th of the
month underline the importance
of spiritual dimension of mission
and the possibility of all confreres
to support the Congregation’s
missionary activity through their
prayer and sacrifices.
The monthly issue of Cagliero
11, distributed to the communities
through the PDMa, offers resources
not only for spiritual reading of the
community but also for the ‘Good
morning’ morning talks to students.
The formation of a missionary
group in every local setting fosters
the revival of the missionary
consciousness of young people
and the whole educative pastoral
community (EPC), revitalises the
enthusiasm for the faith and the
fascination for the Salesian charism.
This, in turn, stirs up the ardour that
gives birth to new vocations.
The Sense of Missionary
Promotion
So, do we really need missionary
promotion even in the ‘missions’?
In fact, I think we really do! Indeed,
Salesian missionary promotion
helps us to “recover the ardour of the
beginnings of the evangelisation
of the african continent” (Africae
Munus, 164) less we give in to faith
fatigue and slide back comfortably
to the joyless and ardourless
“maintenance mode” of missionary
activity!
Fr. Alfred Maravilla, SDB
Pope Benedict XVI
Launches Twitter Account
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, FEBRUARY 2013 29
Pontiff Will Send Out First
Tweet on December 12th
By Junno Arocho
The holy See Press Office officially
announced Pope Benedict XVI’s
presence on Twitter. The holy Father
is set to send out his first tweet on
December 12, Feast of Our Lady of
Guadalupe, under the username @
pontifex.
Presenting the initiative to the
press was Fr. Federico Lombardi,
director of the holy See Press
Office; archbishop Claudio Maria
Celli, President of the Pontifical
Council for Social Communication;
Professor Gian Maria Vian, director
of L’Osservatore Romano; and Dr.
Greg Burke, Media advisor to the
Vatican Secretary of State. also
present at the press conference
was Dr. Claire Diaz-Ortiz, Director of
Social Innovation for Twitter.
archbishop Celli noted the
significance of the Pope’s presence
on Twitter was not so much an
emphasis on the modern world nor
a tribute to technology, but more
importantly a means to show that
technology “is put in our hands to
announce the Gospel.”
“@Pontifex not only means ‘pope’,
it also means ‘bridge builder’, which
suggests unity with all men of good
will,” he said.
Burke stated that the Pope’s
Twitter account will allow followers
to ask the Pope questions and
engage in dialogue with the
Supreme Pontiff. The first tweets
will be answers to questions on
faith from followers who send the
holy Father questions under the
hashtag #askpontifex.
Pope Benedict XVI will send out
tweets in various languages as well.
among the languages are Spanish
(@pontifex_es), Italian (@pontifex_
it), Portuguese (@pontifex_pt),
German (@pontifex_de), Polish (@
pontifex_pl), arabic (@pontifex_ar),
and French (@pontifex_fr). Other
languages could be added later on
in the future.
While he wasn’t sure how many
tweets the holy Father would be
sending on a given day, Burke
assured that every tweet will come
straight from Pope Benedict XVI.
Other initiatives announced by
the Pontifical Council for Social
Communication would be an
upcoming youTube page for news.
va, an e-book to coincide with
the year of Faith, and a mobile
app, called “The Pope app” which
includes news, live broadcast of the
Pope’s addresses, and live webcam
feeds to St. Peter’s, Castelgandolfo
and other papal sites. The app is
due to be released this month for
iOS and will be available for android
in january.
Zenit
“The desire of this Pontiff is to
enter into dialogue with the man
and woman of today, and to speak
with them in places where they
are found,” archbishop Celli said.
Recalling the question as to how
can the Pope evangelize in 140
characters, which is the limit of
characters for an individual tweet,
archbishop Celli said that while it
is a challenge, it is not a significant
setback.
“The problem is not 140
characters; the main concern is to
give profound human expression
to the words that are given,”
archbishop Celli said. The head
of the Pontifical Council for Social
Communications stated that
Twitter would give the holy Father
the opportunity to express what
archbishop Celli described as
“pearls of wisdom”.
Greg Burke, Media advisor for
the Vatican Secretary of State,
stated that it would be surprising
if the Pope was not present on
Twitter given that it is “an excellent
means” of communication. Burke
also noted the dual meaning of the
Pope’s user name.
Pope Benedict XVI
Launches Twitter Account
“The problem is
not 140 characters;
the main concern
is to give profound
human expression
to the words that are
given,”
Church in the world
1ST QUARTER30
This is my story
On 30th September 2011, I was
admitted at Kathiani District
hospital in Nzaikoni parish,
following my swollen palm of
the right hand which eventually
burst and the pus continuously
kept oozing through four areas
around my palm. I was tested for
many things including diabetes,
hIV&aIDS, Leprosy and TB but my
sickness could not be diagnosed.
after three weeks the situation had
become worse and my palm had
started rotting because of the pus.
The doctors advised me to be taken
to a better hospital. My family then
transferred me to St Mary’s hospital
in Nairobi where I was admitted on
15th October 2011. The doctors at
St. Mary’s carried out many tests
including those which had been
done in the previous hospital. I
was operated four times on the
palm and biopsy was done twice to
find out the cause of the sickness,
but nothing was found. Meantime
the nurses were cleaning the
wound every day and giving me
medication to reduce the pain. The
swelling after a month had reduced
but, the pus did not stop oozing
and the pain had increased to an
extent that I couldn’t sleep. My
palm had even started to rot and
the flesh that joins the palm to the
rest of the hand had detached and
the even the bone could be seen.
It was on Friday, 2nd December
2011, when the doctors (3 of them)
examined me, told that they had
tried their best to cure my hand
but there seemed no improvement
therefore the only option left was
to have my right palm amputated. I
was given 3 days to make a decision.
When my husband heard about it,
he was deeply affected and he did
not support the idea. as for me, I
was so afraid of losing my hand, but
since I had suffered enough I was
ready to surrender and I told the
doctors to do what was good to save
my life. It was during that time when
my sisters (Sr, Caroline Kalondu FMa
and Sr. Christine Syombua FMa),
visited me together with other
family members and friends. I told
my sister Sr. Caroline the news about
the amputation of my hand which
was to take place in 3 days’ time. She
spoke to me and my husband and
a small rotten bone surfaced and
was removed. just imagine, from
that time on, there was no sign of
pus coming out of my palm and
it started curing and regaining its
original nature. I was not in pain
anymore.
In a week’s time, on 15th Dec.
2011, I was discharged from
St. Mary’s hospital. In order to have
easier medical attention, I stayed
with my parents who cared for me
while attending the dispensary at
the Sisters Sacred heart of jesus,
Nzaikoni Parish in Machakos for
dressing my wound until I was
completely cured. Now I am happy
with my husband and our 3 children
using my both hands to serve
them. Even though I am married to
my husband who is a member of
Salvation army, I still hold firm my
Catholic faith especially in the prayer
of the Rosary and the intercession of
Saints.
I am very grateful to the Doctors,
nurses, my family and friends who
contributed in many ways to my
cure. above all, I strongly believe
that God cured me through the
intercession of St. john Bosco and
Mary help of Christians during
his visit to Kenya, because it was
through his miraculous touch that
my healing process began and my
palm was saved from amputation.
I am sincerely grateful to God,
who healed me through Mary and
St. john Bosco. Long live john Bosco!
Jacinta Ndinda Sila,
Kauti, Nzaikoni Parish,
Machakos, Kenya.
advised us to accept the doctor’s
advice for my own good. Meanwhile
she encouraged me not to worry
because God was with me. She broke
to me the news that the relic of Don
Bosco was coming to Nairobi, and so
it was an opportune moment to pray
through his intercession and that of
Mary help of Christians for a miracle
to cure me. She also informed me
that the Sisters in
her community at
hurligham, Nairobi
had offered Mass
for my healing
that day, and
were praying for
me through the
intercession of
St. john Bosco.
On Monday,
5th Dec, 2011, my
sister brought me
a piece of cloth,
Rosary and holy
Water which had
been blessed and
placed on the
relic of Don Bosco
during the Mass. She prayed with
me while placing these holy objects
on my palm and advised me to keep
doing so. I used a bit of the holy
Water to swallow my medicine.
Believe it or not! Slowly by slowly,
my pain went on reducing and I
could afford to sleep. I was not any
more afraid of losing my palm and
even my husband had accepted
and signed the form to have my
palm amputated.
On Tuesday, I was taken to
the theatre for amputation. The
doctors undressed my palm to
check before amputation. To their
surprise and to my surprise, the pus
stopped coming out and the hand
began to dry up, and the pain had
reduced. The doctors said that they
would wait till Friday to see how
it will be. Meanwhile, the nurses
continued dressing the wound. I
continued my prayer through Don
Bosco and Mary help of Christians
intercession, by reciting the rosary
and placing the holy objects on my
sick palm. On Friday I was taken to
the theatre and the doctors carried
out a minor operation on the same
place of my palm where other 2
previous operations had been
done before in vain. Surprisingly,
SAINT DON BOSCO WORKS MIRACLES!
Don Bosco Eastern Africa, FEBRUARY 2013 31
SAINT DON BOSCO WORKS MIRACLES!
1ST QUARTER32
