::April 2007 issue :: News Archives::

 

Message from the Superior Dear Brothers and Associates, Here we are again! In a brand new year with a lot of resolutions, aspirations and we are hoping that the year will bring along with it a lot of good. In this Issue of the OMI Zambia Newsletter, we bring you stories from our just ended Delegation Assembly which was attended by fifty two Oblates. The Assembly is a place where rich information is derived from our missions and we get to hear about our progress,; successes and failures at a goal! This Assembly was, however, quiet different from the rest. Though we still had reports from all the units, we invited speakers to come and enlighten us on topics such as religious living, formation and ministry. The most crucial subject was formation. This is because we see it best to change our formation dynamics for the benefit of the congregation and our candidates. With the construction of the Philosophy house underway, we also see that it is important for us to give our candidates more time here at home so that they can be well acquainted with the cultures of their people before they move to learn about others. We also were privileged to have Fr. William Morell OMI, the United States Oblate Province Vicar and Sr. Jane Anne Slater as our facilitators. They were excellent and we could not have asked for anything more than the gift we received through their presence. Though we have had positive witnessing from our missions and units, challenges have still rocked our delegation. Our Lady’s Hospice and Diocese of Mongu Development Centre have had their fair share of problems, but because we have Oblates and lay people who are passionate about these ministries, we have managed to hold on even when the string was about to break. The two are very important ministries through which we live our charism. We are able to reach out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS and to touch the poor people in our society and give them a chance to have a decent living. This year in our missions we hope to provide the youths, women and the laity in general a platform to express themselves. We pray that we will have the strength and energy to provide guidance where need be. As a delegation, we would like to do more in the areas of HIV/AIDS and Justice, Peace and integrity of creation. We also realise that we are an international congregation by instilling in ourselves and the scholastics the fact that we should be ready to be sent anywhere. To this effect, we have just sent off our first students to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the second group to Cameroon. Last year we reported in detail the effects of floods in our missions. We tried without much fruit to secure relief food for some of the people in our missions. We were hoping this year’s rainy season would be favourable but the situation has worsened. As compared to last year when only Western Province was hit by rains, this year the whole country has had unprecedented rains, flooding Provinces like Lusaka and Southern Provinces. These heavy and continuous rains made it difficult for farmers to cultivate, meaning we will have two years of famine in our missions. We will be monitoring the progress on the floods and will inform you of the situation obtaining in our upcoming issues of the OMI Zambia Newsletter. God keeps adding to our numbers – we are thrilled to have witnessed the ordination to priesthood of our brothers Frs. Nebby Mutale OMI and Francis Kabika. We only wish you were here to see for yourselves how much of a joy to everyone this was. We thank God, depend on Him and we ask for your prayers.

You shall be my witnesses

Being a witness means being present at the place of action. There is no remote controlled witnessing to anything. For the Zambia Oblate Delegation, it means being present at all times to observe whatever happens; whether triumphs or failures, happiness or sadness. All these call for celebration and showing gratitude to God.

This is how the delegation chose to end the year 2007, by witnessing through their ministries, projects and at the centre of it, formation.

“You shall be my witnesses” Acts 8:1 was the theme for the 2007 Zambia Oblate Delegation assembly which was held at Sambalayas Lodge in Lusaka.

The assembly started with a prayer and a reading of an inspirational passage about the geese, just to emphasise the need to be unified throughout the assembly deliberations and beyond

The Facilitators of the Assembly, Fr. Billy Morell OMI, the Vicar provincial of the United States Oblate Province and Sr. Jane Anne Slater, called on the delegates to actively listen to one another not only with ears but with the mind throughout the Assembly.

In welcoming the delegates, Zambia Oblate Delegation Superior Fr. Joseph Phiri OMI noted that the Assembly was a special moment for all the Oblate brothers as it allowed them to evaluate, share stories and to read the signs of the times.

The 2007 Assembly was however different from the rest of the assemblies as it was characterized by full participation of all delegates with a lot of lessons bordering mostly on formation.

In his report to the delegates, Fr. Phiri hoped for a fruitful witnessing from all Oblates.

“My hope is that we will hear from each other how we are witnessing as apostolic Communities by focusing our sharing on religious living, formation dynamics and our ministries,” Fr. Phiri said.

He reported that the United States Oblate Province is very supportive of the Zambian Delegation activities but warned the Zambian Oblates not to take the support for granted. He requested Fr. Billy to convey the message of gratitude to the people in the USA.

“I want to acknowledge the blessings we have received through the support of the Province. Visiting with the USA Administration has always been a source of strength. I can assure you that the USA Administration is very supportive of what we are doing here in Zambia.

He also acknowledged the support that the delegation has received from the regional meetings and that the regional interactions have made the delegation realise that it belongs to an international congregation.

“We take seriously the suggestions to participate on various levels of formation and cooperate with our brother Oblates….we must not limit ourselves to taking our students to Cedara for Philosophy and Theology. We are an international congregation and our missionary formation ought to prepare us to be sent wherever there is need,” he said.

He reported that the Delegation has taken a step further in collaborating with the laity by installing eleven men and women as Missionary Associates of Mary Immaculate (MAMI). He said that the theme for the 2007 delegation assembly was aimed at paying attention to appropriate religious living and sharing ideas about formation as well as brainstorming on how best the ministry can be carried on.

He spurred the delegates not to be comfortable in parishes alone but also to do a lot more in HIV/AIDS programme as well as Justice and peace.

The Superior urged the delegates to remember, as they share new ideas on formation, that they have had good formation programmes. He also urged the delegates to think of how to organise and restructure themselves so that they are available to the poor.

Besides the report from the Delegation Superior, there were also reports from Oblate Communities and Units.

The challenge for the Oblates was to ensure that they know the language of the people they minister to. By knowing the language of the people, they are not only referring to the Silozi language (which is spoken in the missions) but also to embrace other people’s culture wherever they are found.

Over 800 attend OYO 2007

The Zambia Delegation Oblate Youth Outreach (OYO) 2007 saw over 800 youths in attendance in all the units in Lusaka and Western province. The Zambian scholastics from Cedara in South Africa led the youths in different activities and various lessons on sacraments and leadership.

According to the Scholastics, in Lukulu, the hospitality was good. They had three camps and they talked about sacraments. A total of 252 people attended the outreach programmes.

In Kalabo, there were five camps. They talked about the role of the youths, leadership qualities and the importance of forming a youth council. In attendance were 251 youths.

In Limulunga, there were two camps where sexuality, drug abuse and sacraments were discussed.

At Mary immaculate, there was a one day leadership workshop, a three day sports tournament and some radio programmes at Yatsani Radio. The youths also visited the leaders of Small Christian Communities. More than 300 youths attended the programmes.

At Oblate Radio Liseli, there were eight sessions on air involving people from different churches who were interviewed on being witnesses. A forum for parents was organised on radio where the topics “what hinders the youths from being authentic and profound witnesses” were discussed.

Due to the high and unexpected high turnouts to OYO, the brothers requested for more material support to the programmes.

Religious Life is like a double edged sword

Religious life can be like a double edged sword that can balance well between negative and positive points. Therefore, there is need for a religious to carefully understand what one is getting into before making life commitment.

According to Father Don Capien, there is need for interior experience within an individual aspiring religious life, the experience which must never cease. He named this inner experience as prayer.

Father Don was the keynote speaker at the 2007 Annual Assembly for Zambian Oblates.

He said that religious life in Zambia covers a wide spectrum of race and congregations, which called for a life characterized by prayer not hard work alone.

“Prayer covers the development of an interior experience and religious life becomes shallow without the interior: Colossians 2:20. This means that a religious can not survive without prayer. We should also bear in mind that in the midst of hard work there should always be praye.”

He added that the religious are not supposed to just be ‘good’ but are supposed to be zealous – that there should be fire in them and that the gospel should make them identify with Christ. He gave an example from the Bible of the woman at the well. After an encounter with Jesus, she was never the same. Therefore, in the same way, the religious should never be the same again after their encounter with God.

He said that as one strives to lead a fulfilling religious life, there is need for heavy dependence on God other than own strength.

““We must be ready to embrace the life of poverty, one that is not self satisfying. We should not be attracted by materialism, a sense of security and safety because such leads to a weakened self esteem. Our lives should not be characterized by scandals, misuse of funds, divisions and conflict.”

He urged the delegates to live their lives as an open book because talking about issues affecting oneself is beyond obligation. He said that it is through opening up that they will be able to lament and cry together; stressing that it will also make them understand each other better.

Longer Formation programme better for both candidate and formators

There is need for candidates to religious life to have a longer formation programme to ensure that they are ready to take up the challenges, which come with it.

During the 2007 Delegation Assembly, Fr. John Baptista moved the Formation transformation discussion by his presentation titled ‘towards a formation capable of responding adequately to today’s needs.’

He said that globalization has increased novelty and complexity in society which makes those from the old school find it difficult to adjust to those in the new school of thought - a situation that brings stress and anxiety for both schools.

“This is throw away society where people use things once and discard them. We need to question what impact the old school living has on the youth when it comes to passing on of knowledge. People need to bear in mind that instant communication means that the youths are exposed to a whole lot of messages which differ in value. Therefore the Church has to compete for a place in the youth’s understanding because they (youths) flock behind trendsetters,” he said.

He observed that the youths who consider taking up religious life are not immune to this rapid change in society and therefore there is need for formation programmes to take into consideration this fact for the good of the congregations.

He said that the youths wanting to take up religious life require a great level of maturity in order for them to live up to the challenges of the global village. He said that because of the complexity of modern society, the growth of the youth is difficult because they always postpone their decisions and formators need to take note of that. He added that the candidates still need to be acquainted with their culture.

“Traditionally, there is a heavy dependency on elders. Despite living in a global village, tradition and culture still carry a lot of weight. Therefore before a candidate makes their final vows, they should be given an opportunity to learn more on the culture of the people. There is need to accept all the different cultures of the new recruits. Therefore, there might be need for a longer pre-novitiate training.”

He also noted that formation is meant to develop a complete person in order to prepare people for pastoral experience and that It should offer integral growth of individuals.

“Both formators and candidates have to assume their rightful responsibility. On the part of the candidate, there should be a lot of awareness as they join the novitiate and make their vows. Human maturity and freedom plays a huge role but there should be a relationship when saying yes to God’s grace and the decisions should not be psychological.”

He explained that the longer pre-novitiate programme gives the candidate vital moments for vocation discernment. Having them learn Philosophical studies before they make their vows means they will learn cultural identity and will unite more with their people. They will also embrace easily the values of the Gospel and other cultures.

He however said that in a longer pre-novitiate programme, there is fear of too much emphasis on academics than discernment.

“Therefore, there is need to focus on the person of the candidate. Formators need time as much as the candidates do. This means that prolonged pre-novitiate is in the right direction. However, there is also need to step up the fundamentals of formation in order to be convincing witnesses,” he said.

Missionaries exist to establish God's Kingdom

Missionaries must fight to be faithful to their charism because they go to areas where the gospel has not yet been preached in order to establish the Kingdom of God.

Making a presentation on ministry during the 2007 delegation assembly, Father Francois Richard said that the aim of the church is not to establish the church but to establish the Kingdom of God and that the church is only a means to establish God’s Kingdom - a sacrament of salvation.

Father Francoise said that Missionaries fit in the new church by being true to their call. Not by just being imitators of their founder but to share and be passionate about the ministries they are involved in. People need to be committed to ministries and not only leave those assigned to work on them when there is a gap to fill.

“For example, Justice and peace is very important and it should have full time members. However, missionaries need to understand that Justice and peace is not a technical thing. It is a spiritual encounter. They need to have a deep concern for the injustice of the people they live amongst. Only then would they be able to speak passionately about it.”

He noted that Missionaries need to believe in encountering God in every situation because He is always in front of them before they choose an area. His omni presence is there in places where they have never heard the good news before and there is need to stress and give encounter to the local culture.

In response to Fr. Francoise’s presentation, Fr. Joseph Phiri said that the Oblates in Zambia need to question their ministries in missions to see if they potray the Oblate charism.

“Is the evangelisation to the poor a constant re-evaluation of the missionary practice? There is need to be sensitive to the demands of the Oblate Charism. It should be first and should be a priority in order to be Oblates in character.”

He noted that the Oblates need to do more in the areas of Justice, Peace and integrity of creation and HIV/AIDS. He said that the Zambia Delegation has not done much to respond to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

On empowerment, Fr. Phiri questioned the Oblates whom they give responsibilities to. He noted that the Oblates can not do much on their own and therefore the need to see the laity as collaborators not competitors.

“There is need to work with the laity and to motivate them. We need to be attentive to the aspirations of women and support their participation in pastoral work.”

He urged his fellow Oblates to put in place structures that would help to deliver effective mission work.

“The need for structures is important as they help people to be effective in mission work. There should be planning, evaluation and accountability in community life. Above all, Oblates are resources therefore we need to take care of ourselves as we work.”

After his response, the delegation heard reports from the Missionary Associates of Mary Immaculate (MAMI) representative Mrs. Mahongo Machayi who explained the many lessons that the group has learnt since they had been installed.

She reported that the group has since visited some Oblate missions in Western province and that from the time they went into the missions, they have started appreciating vocation Sundays.

“We used to take life for granted. We never really appreciated the presence of priests because we see them every day. However, when we went into the missions, the situation was different. People only have one or two chances in a year to have mass with a priest. This is when our eyes were opened and we saw that we need to be grateful to be with our priests and that we need to intensify our prayers for vocations.”

She noted that people go for vocation Sundays and pray for vocations but they do not really understand why they have to pray because they have not been to places where there are no priests.

Efforts to revive Our Lady's Hospice

Our Lady’s hospice is jointly owned by Missionary Oblates, Dominican sisters, Franciscan Missionaries of Divine Motherhood (FMDM) sisters and Missionaries of St. Patrick. The hospice has been facing a number of challenges in the past few years that threatened the institution to closure. The challenges were mainly financial and administrative.

Father Joseph Phiri OMI the Chairman for the OLH board said that there was also an urgent need to come up with a policy for direction of the hospice besides raise money for the institution.

The Hospice used to have up to 30 walk-in patients daily, some of whom would attend a health talk given by one of the nurses and the number would go up to 200 of walk in patients weekly with the cost of up to US$30 per patient, it was almost impossible to carry on. The hospice also struggled to pay salaries of workers of up to US60 per month per worker.

“The hospice went through a lot of problems in 2006/2007. However, at managerial level there has been a lot of energy put in especially with Fr. David Kalert who fought tireless to prevent the hospice from collapse.”

Also, the focus has changed from being a general clinic into one that specifically takes care of People Living with HIV/AIDS and Cancer. The Hospice will also have a centre for Cervical Cancer screening, which will be provided for free.

He said that the Hospice now takes in 33 patients at full capacity but that there are usually 25 to 28 patients admitted.

In the last quarter of 2007, a number of fundraising activities were held for the hospice which included an interdenominational prayer breakfast and a fundraising dinner.

At this fundraising prayer breakfast, whose topic was ‘All faith together against HIV/AIDS, hundreds of people from different denominations and corporate institutions were in attendance.

Also present during the prayer breakfast was the Apostolic Nuncio in Zambia, the National AIDS council Chairperson and Northmead Assemblies of God Bishop Joshua Banda and Ms Mulenga Kapwepwe.

The nuncio advised people to realise that HIV/AIDS is a disease not a punishment and to support those infected and suffering as a result of the disease.

Giving a talk on human sexuality and love, Fr. Charles Chilinda, Sj said that even though human sexuality is gift given freely by God, people need to control the emotions brought about by expressing it which is usually linked to love. He said love should be expressed as a selfless gift according to 1 Corinthians 13:4. He noted that to some extent, selfishness with regard to expressing human sexuality and stigma has led to the spread of HIV.

“People always care to attain their own self gratification. However, what kills people most is not the disease but the stigma that is associated with it. People get scared to go for Voluntary Counseling and Testing for fear of victimisation.”

He made it clear that the church favours abstinence, chastity, responsibility and integrity.

The woman’s place in the era of HIV/AIDS was also talked about during the breakfast as one that determines whether the child would be infected or not.

Ms. Mulenga Kapwepwe said that women need to be empowered so that they can play a role in order to change the attitudes of people. She was saddened by the fact that women in Zambia are taught to accept the infidelity of men adding that women had the power to change this and help fight HIV/AIDS.

Bishop Banda also emphasized the need for change of the attitude in men. He said that women and children are most vulnerable where HIV/AIDS contraction is concerned and that even in marriage, women are still in a disadvantaged position.

“Even marriage is not a safe haven for women because we still hear of gender and sexual violence in homes.”

The fundraising breakfast was attended by people from different Christian denominations as well as Moslems. It is a sure sign that people in Zambia are willing to unite to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic despite their denominational or religious backgrounds.

DMDC on the way to viability

The Diocese of Mongu Development Centre (DMDC) is one project that is in the care of Oblates that, like Our Lady’s Hospice, has equally gone through a number of challenges where funding is concerned.

Surprisingly, in the last one year, the center has received a number of boosters that include grants and donations of treadle pumps meant to enhance agricultural productivity in Western Province.
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The Director of DMDC, Mr Kusiyo Mbikusita Lewanika reported to the Delegation Assembly that the centre has ventured into organic rice growing through a grant from African Development Foundation (ADF) The organisation also received a donation of 75 treadle pumps, which are meant for irrigation farming, from Oblate Mission Development Office in Dublin, Ireland.

“DMDC still continues to venture in Agricultural support programmes for the people of Western Province. Recently, we handed out 75 treadle pumps to farmers with the aim of improving food security in the Province.”

The organisation purchased rice seed and hired labour for ploughing, planting as well as weeding of rice fields for the 75 farmers. They also organised organic manure and distributed it to the farmers.

The farmers were empowered through various workshops and trainings on business management and entrepreneurship skills, sustainable agriculture, organic vegetable production, internal control as well as extension services on how to undertake different farming activities.

Three field days were organised for the farmers with a view of having them share ideas on good farming practices they have been taught.

He noted that even though the project was on course, there is still a lot more to be done in terms of changing the mindset of farmers who are used to subsistence as opposed to commercial farming.

“Our biggest challenge is to change the perception of farming from subsistence to commercial. We must understand that subsistence is the only kind of farming that these farmers have known. However, commercial farming would make them enjoy a high return on their investment and improve their well being.”

Also, DMDC is facilitating the marketing of the crop for the targeted farmers who have never before had access to viable market. The organisation has also ventured into promoting the growing of the Jathropa plant which is still in its pilot stages. The plant can be used to produce bio oils, manufacturing of soap and lotions.

The ADF grant is also supporting a Business and Marketing Plan which is a long term project that will entail new life at DMDC.

The project is expected to help increase export quantities and agricultural production with a good percentage of marketable surpluses.

Zambia Oblate Delegation participates in WAD activities

The Zambia Oblate Delegation Administration office took the lead to ‘stop AIDS and keep the promise’ by taking part in the World AIDS Day (WAD) activities. Members of staff attended the candle light prayers held at the cathedral of the child Jesus in Lusaka and also attended a walk hosted by the Ministry of health Lusaka district.

Also, a banner was displayed at the reception to the administration office with the message: ‘Missionary Oblates Zambia Delegation. We will lead by example in order to stop HIV/AIDS and to keep the promise. Know your status, go for VCT today!’ The banner is still displayed at the reception as its message is still very relevant. There was also a talk given by an HIV/AIDS activist.

Plans are underway to continue sensitizing workers on the pandemic as well as to possibly launch the HIV/AIDS work place policy that protects those employees who might be HIV positive and those who might contract the virus in the course of their work through accidents.

Meanwhile, the week preceding World Aids Day 2007, Mary Immaculate Parish also had a number of activities that aimed at sensitizing parishioners on the pandemic.

Fr. Vincent Sakala OMI, the Associate Pastor at Mary Immaculate Parish, worked very closely with the Parishioners and the Youths in particular to organise the activities. Banners that sent out messages on HIV/AIDS and red ribbons were displayed throughout the parish premises starting from the main entrance of the parish grounds.

On the eve of World AIDS Day, the parish had candlelight prayers where Doctor Njelesani, the former World Health Organisation (WHO) representative to Geneva encouraged the church to be involved in the fight of the disease by seizing the leadership role.

In his speech to the Mary Immaculate parishioners, Dr. Njelesani reminded parishioners of the high numbers of people that are still getting infected with HIV. He noted that those living with HIV/AIDS need care and support. He said that besides the availability of antiretroviral treatment, there is still a high number of people dying from AIDS related conditions. He therefore urged the church to take up the AIDS challenge and provide leadership in order to mitigate its impact among the people.

Also present during the candlelight prayers was a woman living with HIV virus who is also an HIV/AIDS activist. She shared her experiences from the time she disclosed that she was HIV positive. She encouraged parishioners to know their statuses and to take up the appropriate measures.

“If you find that you are negative, strive to stay negative. If found positive, you can still live positively by eating healthy and taking Antiretroviral medication.”

She encouraged the parishioners, especially the youths to abstain. To this effect, on world Aids Day, Mary Immaculate Parish had the youths converge at the parish Hall for various activities that included talks, drama plays and singing.

Mary Immaculate understands the important role of the need for it’s parishioners to know their HIV status as it is the entry point to HIV prevention, Care and support. Therefore, Onsite Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) Services were made available in conjuction with Latkings, a mobile Counseling and Testing Organization.

The response was overwhelming especially from the parishioners who voluntarily went to undertake tests. Thirty-six parishioners tested and received their results.

Latkings Director, Mr. Ben Miti said: “We are happy with the response from the parishioners, especially the youth. It is a unique experience for us as most of our activities are community based, not church. I urge other churches to emulate this Parish.”

Besides the entertainment from the mobile youths and the VCT services, there was also sharing through drama performances which carried messages of abashing stigma, getting involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS by supporting those affected and infected by HIV/AIDS.

Frs. Walker and Sakala were on hand to give morale support to the youths throughout the celebrations.

Immaculate Conception

Besides the WAD celebrations in December, Mary Immaculate parish had another huge celebration on the eighth. It was the feast of the Immaculate Conception which coincided with the third birthday celebration for the Parish.

OMI Day

On monday 18th February, scores of parishioners gathered still to celebrate the OMI day which on February 17. Nine pre-novices were officially received and Bro. Max Siyuni OMI renewed his vows during Mass

Mary Immaculate Parish in fresh water treat!

Finally Mary Immaculate Parish can say goodbye to the water blues.

With the help of the Unites States Oblate Province Administration and Associates, the parish was able to sink a borehole at the parish.

The borehole will provide the much needed water to the parish whose members have been at pain every time their various projects halted due to lack of water supply by the Lusaka City Council. The youths have also started their project of concrete blocks making and will benefit from the borehole.

... launches youth year.

On the sixth of January 2008, Mary Immaculate Parish launched the year of the youths. A workshop on spirituality, HIV/AIDS and youth empowerment was organised for the youths. The Parish also had mass especially for the youths.

Four Oblate Scholastics, Bros. Humphrey Milimo, Linos Mungwa, Pius Musilizo and Emmanuel Tembo were on hand to give guidance to the youths and to set the tone for the workshop. They talked about spirituality and asked the youths to talk about areas they would like to improve in their spirituality.

The youths hoped that the year 2008 would help them get more involved in Bible sharing and make them more acquainted with the parish activities. They also felt that this would be a chance for them to teach and support each other on self control in their day to day lives as a way of fighting the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

“This is a challenge for us youths to know what is happening in our parish. Some of us here do not even know who our parish priest is. We do not even know where the office for the parish priest is. We need to know them and talk to them so that they can help us in our spiritual life,” said one of the youths.

He continued: “May I also request that in catechism, we be taught more than just reciting prayers but on how to live a spiritual or Christian life as well.”

The youths appreciated the organisation of the youth day launch because it allowed them to open up to each other in talking about HIV/AIDS, something that they would not do if they were asked to amidst a horde of elderly people. They requested for more entertainment in youth cycles to help them focus on their goal and avoid vices.

“We do not want to start admiring our friends who go to wild parties every now and then. We want to be entertained and enjoy our Christian lives. We want to have variety shows so that we can explore our talents and boost our self esteem as youths,” said another youth.

Mrs. Lungu gave a talk about HIV/AIDS and the youths asked as many questions as they could to understand how they can live positively despite their statuses. On this day, a Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) tent was made available to the youths and the response was overwhelming. This showed that the youths were ready to take up the HIV/AIDS challenge and respond to a responsible lifestyle.

With the help of the youth coordinator, Mr. Alec Mugala, a plan for youth activities for the year 2008 was drawn and the youths pledged to follow it religiously. They also pledged to hold each other accountable if some of them were lacking in commitment.

A colourful ordination for Oblate Frs. Francis Kabika and Nebby Mutale

What a wonderful service and a joyous occasion’ one would say about the ordination to priesthood of Oblate father Nebby Mutale and Francis Kabika. The ceremony took place at Mary Immaculate Parish on the second of Febuary, two thousand and eight amidst hundreds of witnesses.

Right Reverend Paul Duffy OMI of Mongu Diocese was as usual ‘honoured to ordain his brother Oblates.’

Not only was the ceremony colourful but most of the eyewitnesses spoken to revealed that it was well organised and flawless in every sense. The ceremony was attended by religious Sisters and priests from numerous congregations. Some of the guests came from as far as South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The Parish Hall was filled to capacity with people who were yearning to share in happiness with Mary Immaculate parishioners, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and families of the newly ordained priests.

Even the Zambian Scholastics based at Cedara in South Africa who were to board the bus at 12.30 hours that day, did not want just to be told about the event. They stayed on until the time their brothers were ordained and quickly hurried to catch their bus onto a two-day–trip without anything to eat! …sure they had something to bite before anyone of them collapsed.

Fr. Joseph Phiri OMI, the Zambia Oblate Delegation Superior, asked the parishioners and everyone present on that day to pray for the newly ordained so that they can carry out their duties well.

“We need to pray for them. Even though they have finished their formation, we still need to continue praying for them so that they can be servants of the people,” he said.

Thanking all who came to witness their ordination, Fr. Francis said that the two will forever remain grateful to all families, relatives, friends and Oblates who were encouraging even in times of difficulty in their formation.
The two (Fathers Nebby and Francis) spent two hours blessing people.

Reflection

The following Inspirational passage, from an Anonymous writer, was read at the beginning of the 2007 Zambia Oblate Delegation Assembly:

“As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird following. In a V formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone. Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone and quickly gets back into formation.

When a goose gets tired, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies at the point position. When a goose gets sick or wounded, two other geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and provide protection. They stay with the unhealthy member of the flock until it is either able to fly again or dies. Then they launch out again with another passing flock or try to catch up with their own.
Geese in the rear of the formation honk to encourage those up front to up their speed.

Like geese, people who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier than those who try to go it alone. If people had as much sense as geese, they would realize that ultimately their success depends on working as a team, taking turns doing the hard tasks, and sharing leadership.
“It is important that the “honking from behind” be encouraging. Otherwise it’s just honking. Members of a team need be so sacrificial, that they may be worthy of friends in times of need.” – Anonymous

Father Leo Dummer OMI, the former Zambia Oblate Delegation Treasurer sent this message to encourage the Delegates:

“How we all have to work together to make the most out of the energy we spend, the knowledge and skills which each member brings to a project to advance it to its highest degree of excellence and efficiency.
It also reminds us that not one person has all the knowledge and skill. That as we share and rotate the personnel in the leadership and other positions we will be the most successful. Of course, each person selected must have a reasonable amount of skill, talent and ability to make it work….

Notice that even the incapable individual among the geese is politely escorted out of the flock and accompanied to its proper end whether it is recuperation and rejoining the group or finishing off life. It gracefully rejoins the flock in a productive way and does not gripe and complain “that the new one is not as talented and capable as I was/am”!

Yes, God does teach us most things through his creation – and even the simplest of his creatures… how they live true their imprinted natures that frequently have far reaching value up and down the creation chain – man – angels”

– Fr Leo Dummer,OMI

Bishop Paul Duffy encourages Oblates

“The Oblate presence in Zambia is a sign of hope. Bishops in the country are aware of the work that you (Oblates) are doing because you are found in two most difficult parishes in Western Province. You are true sons of Eugene de Mazenod and never forget that you are brothers despite which parts of the world you come from.”

 

 

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