The Jesuits in Zambia and Malawi
Province News
Volume 41, Number 1 January-February 2010
Inside this issue:
From the Provincial Congratulations Kelly Michelo was ordained deacon on 13th February. We praise God for the vocation of Kelly and we offer our congratulations and the promise of our support to him. Our able representative at the occasion was Charles Chilinda. Reports indicate that he took our troops to dinner afterwards. Even though a soldier marches on his stomach, I will keep my eye on the accounts! Mission impossible From my published timetable, it is clear to all that I have done visitation at Kitwe. But nothing could be further from the truth. Two meetings which I had not previously scheduled came up and “things fell apart”. I hope to find time for this visitation after my many travels around the world. Our silent Philosophers In mid February I attended the Arrupe Board of Governors meeting and took the opportunity to visit our philosophers too. As usual they kept philosophy to themselves. At no point
did we discuss Aristotle, Aquinas or Kant. Instead we talked about the Province: where we are, where we want to go and how to get there. I was also asked what I will do when I complete my term as Provincial; to which I gave the standard answer: I will do what the Provincial will tell me. Very Jesuit, wouldn’t you say? Keeping the rules Upon my return I found that all three tough rules were kept by the Acting Provincial: don’t recruit, don’t dismiss, and don’t sell. There are more tempting times ahead as I will be traveling to South Africa, Malawi, Kenya, UK, USA and Italy between now and April. Blessed is the servant whose master will find him at work. Planning the plan With the assistance of some of our men, I have been working on a strategic plan for the Province. The Province Strategic Plan is the grand work I would like us to embark on as a Province this year. As always I will count on your obedient cooperation. The basic question to answer in this plan will be: do we have enough soldiers to do battle or should ask for peace while the enemy forces are still far?
Lilongwe
2
Xavier House
2
Chula House
4
Chelston
4
Luwisha House
5
Nampundwe
5
St. Ignatius
6
Kasisi
6
Mumbwa
7
Canisius
7
JCTR
8
KATC
9
Pioneers
9
AP
9
CLC
10
Archives
10
Arrupe
11
Hekima
12
Bellarmino
13
Our Sick
14
Our Dead
14
Updates
14
Congratulations
14
Notices
15
Birthdays
15
A Last Word
15
Better Late ...
16
Sad news As most of you know, Felix Kabuswe Mwewa’s dad passed away some days ago. Felix made it back from the UK for the burial. We keep the
Mwewa family in our prayers. Finally, let us keep in our prayers Floyd Chanda who left the Society a few days ago. Peter Bwanali
FROM MALAWI Our Lady of the Way, Lilongwe We shall make three tents… A warm feeling characterises the atmosphere in the house with the arrival of Ken Johnson as a new member of the community. Our two distinguished guests, Nicholas Penge and Nathan Miti, are an extra breath of new life in the once very tiny community. One readily notices that there is more conversation, more recreation and more sharing. The wonderful thing of having a variety of Eucharistic celebrants is no longer a monopolized experience of Luwisha or Xavier house. Like St. Peter, the disciple, one can afford to say, “How good it is that we are here! We shall make three tents…” Indeed, it is no less an experience of the transfiguration that is currently prevailing at the mountain of 9/99. As though responding to Christ’s call to his disciples to come down the mountain of transfiguration, Nicholas bade farewell to Malawi two days ago. He had been here for a good one month planting the seed of vocations to the Society and tending the already existing vocations. It is obvious that Penge would have loved to stay longer unfortunately he reckons that the Good News has to be proclaimed to other places as well. At the end of this month, Nathan, who has been here with us for almost a month, will equally be descending the ‘mountain of transfiguration’ in order to go and proclaim the Good News to the people of Ka-
sungu until the end of April. Welcome! As we extend our sincere gratitude to Nathan and Nicholas for their companionship, we also warmly welcome Ken to Our Lady of the Wayside Community. As he awaits his employment, Ken is treating himself to some self-taught Chichewa lessons and also acquainting himself with the local community. Mwalandilidwa ndi manja awili bambo! The Scribe and the Superior Alojz, the superior, continues working tirelessly on the project of the new Jesuit School in Kasungu and also maintaining his commitment to the chaplaincy work. We are yet to find out whether he feels more pressure as Superior of Jesuits in Malawi with the current surge in the number of Jesuits at least by two for now. The scribe is just taking it easy with the socalled street children. He recently encountered a sevenyear old girl who had run away from her home to live in town for fear of witchcraft. She could no longer withstand the pressure from her master who kept on demanding that she kill her mother for feasting. Not knowing what make of her story, I simply handed over the case to our specialist in witchcraft cases. Adrian Makasa Chikwamo
FROM ZAMBIA Xavier House Quiet time The novitiate is relatively quiet with the absence of the Primi who are making their Long Retreat. They began their Retreat with two disposition days in the house, 27th – 28th January, before leaving for St Kizito Pastoral Center in Monze on the 30th. The Secundi are fully in charge of most of the works and activities in the house. All the offices left by the Primi keep the Secundi going as they look forward to the coming back of the first years. Christmas and New Year Celebrations Christmas Eve in the novitiate was celebrated in style with a small group of our neighbors from the Page 2
Research Compound. Before Mass, the novices performed a Christmas play and treated the audience to bits and pieces of Christmas carols. After Mass, we invited the Christians to remain for snacks and drinks. On Christmas Day, we had a community meal which was spiced by an exchange of gifts. New Year’s Eve started with Mass in the morning and ended with a braai in the evening while we waited the count-down into the New Year. A talk by Matthew Charlesworth, a scholastic from South Africa doing regency in Chikuni, preceded the braai. He shared about his experience in the Society and more about the Jesuits in South Africa, a region of the British Province. Then four! Three! Two! One! Vuuuuh! Province News
vuuh! Vuu! a vuvuzela (traditional South African trumpet) was blown to signify the dawning of the New Year. Interviews for Candidates The novitiate received six candidates, one Malawian and five Zambians, who came for the interviews programme which took place from 8th – 15th January. A sad incident happened to the Malawian as he was going to the Jesuit Community in Lilongwe. Thugs attacked him and went away with all that he had except his passport which he begged them to let him keep. Fr. Alojz helped him to find his way to Lusaka. Novices showed solidarity with the candidate by helping him with clothes and shoes. Otherwise the whole programme went well with the candidates. Union of hearts and minds We were happy to receive Fr. Peter Bwanali, the Provincial, for manifestation of conscience on 14th – 15th January; he summed up with a conversation on the 19th of the same month. Fr. Bwanali only saw the novices. It was indeed a successful and blessed moment. The Assistant for Africa Novices were privileged to meet Father General’s Assistant for Africa, Fr. Jean-Roger Ndombi, on 30th December, a day after the end of the Province Assembly. He highlighted how the Society operates. He shared with novices his life as a Jesuit to the time he was chosen to be the Assistant for Africa. His sharing was filled with both successes and challenges in his journey. He explicitly highlighted how the vow of obedience helped him take up missions that he was suddenly asked to take. It is evident in the way he was appointed Provincial of West Africa while teaching at Hekima College. He was just told while on holiday in his native land, Congo Brazzaville, that he had to go and hand over at Hekima before taking the new office. Visitors On another occasion, the Socius to the Provincial for Zimbabwe Province, Fr. Joe Arimoso, also gave a talk to the novices on 15th January. He talked about the challenges in Zimbabwe, especially in the education sector. He is one of the board members selected to revise the education curriculum in Zimbabwe. He also shared about his wonderful time in the novitiate and about some of his friends in our province. Novices couldn’t let him go without sharing his experiences as Socius of Zimbabwe. We benefited from and enjoyed his sharing. The CLC group had a discernment weekend to draw up their annual programme. Fr. James McGloin was part of the group while Fr. Emmanuel Mumba Volume 41, Number 1
directed them in their discernment. This took place during the last weekend of January. Fr. Zapala also visited us for his eight days retreat. Another visitor we had was Shane Daly, a second year novice from Ireland, who was on his way to Kasisi to do his pastoral experiment in the orphanage. He stayed with us for three days before heading for Kasisi Jesuit Community. Others who came for their long retreat were Sisters of the Child Jesus. Two of them came in December while two others came later in January. They are being directed by Fr. Danel who has not taken any day of repose himself. Hopefully he will relax after the last two finish. We are grateful to all our visitors who spiced up the mood of prayer in the house. Christian Brothers Novices The presence of novices of the Christian Brothers has increased the already large number of people attending the morning Mass. The chapel is often full especially when the Sacred Heart Brothers and Handmaid Sisters are in attendance. The novitiate of the Christian Brothers has 11 novices drawn from different parts of Africa. There is no Zambian among them. The Zambian novices go elsewhere. These novices have also been joining us for choir practice in order to learn local and English songs. Kalemba Course – Mariology 2nd – 3rd February. Novices had a chance of attending a course on Mariology presented by Fr. Ron Walker of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI). The course helped novices to understand the burning issues about Mary the Mother of Jesus. It was informative. The course was well attended by different congregations. Works of mercy The novices attended the burial of the maternal grandfather of Edson Hambayi which took place on 6th February at Chingwele Cemetery. Besides this funeral, one of our workers, Damiano Phiri, lost a twoyear old granddaughter by the name of Ruth. Novices also helped to put Ruth to rest at Leopards Hill Cemetery on 11th February. Actually, Elpidius Kalyepe was called to baptize the girl 30 minutes before she died. Fr. Kalyepe shared in the theology of St Francis Xavier who was baptizing people in India for them to attain salvation. Classes Of late classes have been exciting as novices learn more about the Constitutions, our pathway to God. Fr. John Moore has been articulating the parts of the Constitutions making us appreciate the spiritual growth one attains in due course. Br. Felix Majichi has also been treating the novices with a counseling course. Novices feel much more equipped now to deal Page 3
with some cases which come their way during apostolates. Classes have been wonderful and offering more room for growth in the novitiate. French classes also continue at Alliance Francaise. It’s getting deeper and wider. Lenten Season We began the season in style this year with a community party in the house on the eve of Ash Wednesday. Members of the community of John Chula
House also joined in the meal. Meanwhile, the weekend before the beginning of Lent, novices went for a picnic in Kafue at the Water Front beside the Kafue River. It was a relaxing moment which relieved the pressure of being alone without the Primi. A boat cruise made their day more exciting. It was nice to be on the speedboat cruising on the Kafue River for the first time. Tilimboyi Nchimunya
Chula House All quiet down Chula House way. The late night explosions on New Year’s Eve which awakened some of the brothers turned out to be fireworks rather than the gunshot it was thought to be. That apart, the first two months of 2010 have been unusually quiet. No new patients, no visitors, no retreatants. Klaus is to be seen once more at Airport Arrivals, Zenon Pilsyk wends his way to Kanakantapa, Tom McGivern is daily Massing priest at nearby con-
vents while Jan Kielbasa has settled into his archival duties along with Zenon and Tom. ‘Our’ kittens were ‘donated’ to friends by Klaus but the few cats still around are about to become mothers once more! Fr Hilary quietly celebrated his 88th birthday at the end of January. A Happy New Year to all. Tom McGivern
Chelston Prayer, fasting The Lenten theme in Chelston parish this year is “A Call for Conversion.” One of the means to achieve such an ambitious goal is fasting from food. Lastone Lupupa illuminated us on the theology of fasting. Based on the positive results of a previous three weeks of food self-denial, he has extended that period to 40 days to keep the tradition of the brave and fervent early Christians. However, there is room for leniency. Drinking water and 100% fruit juices is allowed during the fast from 06 00 to 18 00 h. A gauge to measure the exact percentage of juice still has to be found. One of the rooms we used for dull meetings has been adapted for an adoration chapel. During Lent it is used for silent rehearsals of AMG prayers. AMG stands for Acid and Machine Guns which are employed to frighten the devil who tries hard to keep people away from going to the church. And almsgiving Fasting is intrinsically connected with almsgiving. To help the poor, parishioners are equipped with ‘seed’ envelopes. The expectation is to put inside something more than just a seed. Nonetheless, Antoni uses ground seeds. He resolved to start buying bags of mealie meal again for the less fortunate in Kamanga. Being reminded of his oppression towards the works by one of the visitors and additionally stimulated by Isaiah 58, he decided to raise the salaries of the workers. Both God and the Prophet might be pleased, but not JCTR as it is not enough to purchase their basket. Page 4
Next year I plan to open wide our rectory to the homeless. To complete my conversion I have to study the spirituality of giving a tithe which is founded on Malachi 13:10 and Genesis 14:17-21. A feeling of giving with a grudge has to be replaced by overwhelming joy when I calculate 10% of our income to be set aside for the Archdiocese. Construction progress 1 May, the feast of St Joseph the Worker, His Grace, Archbishop Mpundu, will bless the extended part of Kamanga church. The pace of work there has accelerated accordingly. Recently smooth flooring was being done on the verandah. Seeds, tithes, mitulo, Sunday collections, stipends and even ordinary donations help us to develop Chelston church as well. The adoration chapel is nicely arranged: photocells and airconditioning installed in several places. Raising the roof of the main church is also being considered seriously. In Malawi Nicholas Penge has been away for the whole month. He delayed his return which is a clear indication that the harvest of candidates in Malawi is plentiful. Thanks be to God for that! Antoni Baranowski
Province News
Luwisha House Coincidence of Birthdays It is incredible, so many January-borns at Luwisha House! We almost had an “outbreak” of birthdays and cakes at Luwisha. And since we are now in Lent, the scribe is hoping that indulgence in cakes will not be “prohibited” in the Lenten discipline of fasting. Unfortunately, it seems a clear case that there will be “prohibitions” on ice cream for community gatherings. We commiserate with our brothers who have fallen in love with ice cream; I know Pete Henriot will frequent the Show Grounds much more during Lent than any other time not because there are any agriculture show activities, but because they have ice cream! Movements Finally, Roy Thaden managed to get some time to make his annual retreat, in the quiet of Chikuni! It’s not clear for which year the retreat was though; I will provide you the details after enquiry with him. Some of us are beginning to question Pete Henriot’s heavy involvement with Bishops of late. Perhaps the Curia should investigate him: is he eying some vacancies in the episcopate in the country or elsewhere? We have three vacancies in the country and Pete has been up and about talking to Bishops, first accompanying them to the African Synod in Rome, then a week with the Malawian Bishops in December, then some time with them in Lusaka, and recently a couple of days with some AMECEA bishops in Nairobi. At 73, Pete could still serve for two years after retirement from JCTR. May the Curia probe the matter; this man has a fourth vow! Leonard Chiti, as I write this news, is in India attending some Jesuit-related meeting. Leonard has just taken over from Alex Muyebe as the Social Apostolate Commission Coordinator for the Province. In January and February Michael J. Kelly was involved in several workshop and training sessions in Zambia on HIV and AIDS, mostly on HIV Prevention. One of them was with Student Partnerships Worldwide (SPW) volunteers in Kabwe; again in Kabwe with the
heads of the schools where the SPW volunteers would be placed; at the Marian Shrine with youth leaders from Lusaka parishes; at Roma Girls' School with the Grade 12 girls; and at Chelston with the Voluntary Service Overseas partner organisations. In addition, from January 24th to 27th Michael participated in a joint conference for MPs from SADC countries and civil society organisations on stepping up the campaign in SADC countries for reducing the number of new HIV infections. More than 20 MPs participated, including two from Zambia and two from Malawi. The scribe himself has just returned from Kabwe and the Copperbelt for various working assignments. Jerry O’Connell is away in Ireland for medical attention and Charlie Searson is enjoying a holiday in South Africa with his brother for the next couple of weeks. Floyd Chanda left the community on 19 February to stay with his sister. We ask God’s blessings on Floyd for his future. You will probably notice that Jim McGloin and Bruno Kondrat are the most faithful stewards of Luwisha house, ever present! Jim is fattening a pair of cats that, unfortunately and against the community plans, have befriended rats in the house instead of being hostile towards them. “Den” of Hospitality Yes, all of you who come by to stay a while with us bring us blessings and lots of joy. However, very striking is the fact that we receive more guests who are non Jesuits, even non religious, than the Jesuits. Recently we had the father of the late Fr. Xavier Munsanje of Monze doicese, three pastors from the Baptist church, and three diocesan priests from Mongu. Whoever they are, all of them bring us the joy of Christian fellowship. Priva Haang’andu
Nampundwe Development projects There are two projects going on since the beginning of this year that I was involved in: one in Situmbeko and the other in Nampundwe. . In Nampundwe a sewer line was laid on the church premises and joined to the town sewer line. It consists of eight manholes that are connected between themselves by plastic pipes placed underground. The existing buildings and all future buildings on the church premises Volume 41, Number 1
will be connected by a plumber to the nearest manhole in order to get rid of sewage. The second project is going on at Situmbeko and is being carried out by the development committee of Situmbeko church council in conjunction with ZEC Caritas. It is a small storage building for safely depositing and keeping farm produce such as maize. It will cost about five million Kwacha to build, financed by donors from the Netherlands who will come to inspect it in March. Page 5
Pastoral work In the pastoral arena a lot of activity is taking place in terms of this year being the year of the priests with various workshops on parish, deanery and diocesan level. Since Alex Muyebe left our community at Luwisha House for his tertianship I have other priests from the same community who are willing to help me with the Masses at Situmbeko and Mwembeshi. On the
second Sunday in January and February Godwin Mulenga said Mass at Mwembeshi and Roy Thaden said Mass on the first Sunday of February at Situmbeko. John Mlakar
St. Ignatius Community changes With the departure of Vincent Mulenga last year and Emmanuel Mumba in 2010 the St Ignatius community is now down to 6 Jesuits. Fr Rodgers Fikwamo continues to live with us while working in the Education Office of the Catholic Secretariat. Joe Keaney and Charles Chilinda have swapped hats in the community, Charles now being the Superior and Joe the Minister. Visitors As usual we’ve had lots of visitors and we were particularly happy to accommodate Fr Joe Arimoso, Socius to the Provincial in Zimbabwe. Novena of Grace People of St Ignatius are looking forward to the annual Novena of Grace. This year we are happy
to welcome Fr George Quickley, Provincial of Northwest Africa, as the director. Joe Keaney has not missed a night of the Novena for the past 16 years at St Ignatius. However, this year he has been invited to direct the Novena of Grace in St Francis Xavier’s Church, Dublin. Busy with many things Charles Chilinda is, as usual, busy with many things. He spent a few days filming in Siavonga, went to Nairobi for the Diaconate ordinations and is now preparing for a trip to China, Loyola Productions having been retained to film the visit of the Zambian delegation to China. Now that the new year is well under way, Peter Bwanali will be absent quite a bit from the community as he goes about his duty as Provincial. Joe Keaney
Kasisi Appreciation: Emmanuel Kujur wishes to thank all who offered condolences and prayers on the occasion of the death of his sister Salome in India last December. Visitors Charles Searson stayed with us for a few days in January, and Sebastian Malambo in February. Nicholas Penge came for a morning visit with the Jesuit Candidates on January 14. Outreach Tony Geoghegan joined five other Lusaka based Jesuits at the annual celebration in Roma for Irish missionaries and their friends on January 2nd. On February 1st Emmanuel Kujur and Tony attended a luncheon in honour of St John Bosco at the Salesian house in Chawama. Benoit Dondo was invited to the St Valentine celebration in UNZA on Saturday, February 13 and was the celebrant and homilist on Sunday,
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February 14, Valentine's Day. He preached on true love. Parish Church Kapyunga Nyirenda celebrated the Sunday Masses in the newly painted Kasisi Parish Church on January 17. The large congregation showed their appreciation for the great work done by Kapyunga in overseeing the repainting of the church interiorly and exteriorly. There is also a newly constructed path from the Community House to the church door. The new path is elder-friendly. Spiritual Exercises Ludwig Zapala finished his annual retreat in the Novitiate on February 2nd. Landscaping We are grateful to Happy Patrick Mzumara for organising the landscaping of the area both in front and behind the Community House.
Province News
Experiment Shane Daly, a novice from the Irish Province, has been with us since January 10. He is on his experiment in Kasisi Children’s' Home. He is due to return to Birmingham in March to continue his novitiate formation,
Leave Paul Desmarais is going to Canada on leave in April. Tony Geoghegan
Mumbwa Eucharistic adoration Here in Mumbwa, at the recommendation of the Parish Priest, we have started adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. In Advent and at Christmas time exposition was from 08 00 to 17 00 h. Despite that the practice is new here, the parishioners are responding positively. During Lent and Easter time we will continue. Pope Pius X said: " The surest, easiest, shortest way is the Eucharist". Lenten aspirations Lent is very welcome by us all. Each of our 35 outstations is receiving ashes and boxes for the Lenten fund. This year we plan to finish all days of recollection in main center in 20 days and then spend 20 days in the outstations. On Wednesdays we have an on going recollection after the 17 00 h Mass. We sit around the altar and share on the Lenten readings. Leading the group is the Family Life Movement. In our sections and outstations we will move 2 m crosses from family to family.
Novices We are grateful to Novice Master Peter Titland for recognizing our community and sending two novices for hospital experience. The novices will be welcome. I hope that they will be well equipped with rosaries—and guns because of the game in Kafue National Park. Projects Our new church at the Marian Shrine has provided a place for recollections. Now we are putting in rings to reinforce an 18 m deep well. A 600 m long Way of the Cross still awaits the construction of a stony path. The new church in Kamilambo waits for a roof. The grass roofs of the churches of St Peter Namunde and St John Shamuzinga will be replaced by permanent iron sheets through the generosity of the British Mission Office. At the ending of the rains we will move to the sites. Jakub Rostworowski
Canisius Community There is greater joy in a great harvest. St Canisius has continued to produce greater results each year. The grade 9 results for 2009 were very impressive. We recorded the highest mark in the country represented by Maisen Thabile Syachakanza with 574 out of 600. We had 32 boys getting above 500. The government placed the boarding mark for boys at 390 and Canisius recorded 127 above that mark with 112 above 400. This being the case my simple mathematics tells me that for us to retain the 127 boys in the school which has only the capacity of 120 boys at senior level cannot work. Making matters worse is the government policy of returning all those who have made a full certificate. Out of the 179 boys who sat for the Grade 9 examination, 173 obtained full certificates, giving us an approximate of 97 percent pass rate. Maybe an extra classroom block at senor level should be made to cater for all those who obtained full certificates. 24 boys were accepted at Hillcrest but a number opted to come to Canisius. Talking to those who had the option of going to Hillcrest but opted to remain, the Volume 41, Number 1
expressed similar sentiments: that the Christian values that Canisius gives made them to settle for that option. Great news indeed! A cry for more is still our motto. All work without play makes Jack a dull boy As we celebrate the great achievements in academics we realize that we need to form all rounded boys. We are avoiding the risk of forming many dull Jacks in our school by encouraging sporting activities as well. On the 30th of January Canisius hosted many schools and clubs in the famous tournament – The Canisius Open. This year’s tournament was different in that it was coloured with the official opening of a new football pitch next to the Zain tower where there stood a number of pitches some years ago. The opening was symbolized by the headmaster kicking a penalty which he unfortunately missed. Canisius football team has since played two tournaments in which they ended up reaching penalty shoot outs, winning one and losing one. Coincidence? Out of the nine disciplines that we participated in the Harry Mwanga Nkumbula memorial Page 7
tournament, we qualified to the quarter finals in six of them. I hope the Zambian spirit of being content with the quarter finals will not overtake our sports department but it will go for magis. Many hands lighten the load That was the theme set for this year’s Ash Wednesday. As we reflected on this theme we realized that we need each other’s hands to lift heavy loads. We remembered our brothers and sisters in Haiti who are suffering and pledged to extend our hands and prayers to them. After the Ash Wednesday Mass, the school went into a campaign of raising money to help our brothers and sisters in Haiti. A spirit of extending hands to the needy and not just looking on ourselves is being cultivated in the boys as expressed in the donations that they are making towards helping others. It does not matter how small one gives as many of those small gifts make a difference.
Visitors It was a great experience, perhaps similar to the biblical one of being unworthy to be visited by the mother of her savior that Elizabeth had when our Lady visited. This was felt when our community was visited by a troop from the Kizito Battalion with two commanders Pete Titland and Bert Otten on the 7th of February on their first day of repose. The saintly atmosphere that our holy novices brought and shared with us was a booster that will go a long way. That holy atmosphere was mixed with the one we experienced and shared when Roy Thaden made his retreat earlier on. It was a joy to have Fr Dorairaj’s niece visiting us. To all our Province members, our hands are open to receive you. Make it a point to visit the southern base at least once a year. Ken Simalalo
J C T R Changing Context of Work The political climate in Zambia is getting exciting. Campaigns are already underway almost a year away from the next general elections. An air of despair about the new constitution being in place by then seems clear among most Zambians, and yet the National Constitutional Conference continues to take millions of Kwacha every day from the national coffers. The MMD Government has a strong grip on national television and other government controlled media as outlets of their campaign messages. All you hear in the national media these days is government and its “good works!” That is the nature of democracy in Zambia. And it is in this environment that our works find their shape. And since our work is aimed at doing evidence-based advocacy, we, inevitably, touch some “sacred idols” and reveal some “inconvenient” truths. Amidst this almost openly corrupt and hostile political environment, we hope our work will stay true to its good values and professional standing as we strive to serve our country, especially the poor. Ins and Outs! The JCTR team just returned from a week’s strategic planning for the period 2011-2013, and no sooner had they returned than they started preparing to go on retreat! Yes, and as soon as we return from our retreat, we shall start preparing to move to our new premises. If you come to Lusaka anytime after Easter, do not look for us in the wrong place! We shall Page 8
relocate to Martin Mwamba Road, off Kwacha Road near Manda Hill. The construction is nearing completion. Organisational Transformation The JCTR will undergo several changes this year, some of them soon, others later in the year. Not only shall we soon be relocating, but there will also be changes in staffing and organisational portfolios. The Debt, Aid and Trade Programme will be the most affected, likely to lose two staff at different times this year, and its third member going on maternity leave. It means at some time, none of the current team members will be present for a period of time until the third member returns from maternity leave. As I write this news, the Director, Pete Henriot and his deputy, Leonard Chiti are up and about collecting visas to various parts of the world as part of the hand-over process. The trips are meant for the introduction of Leonard Chiti to JCTR’s cooperating partners overseas. We shall keep you in the loop about any other developments. Adieu! Priva Haang’andu
Province News
K A T C The Cardinal’s visit A few weeks ago Cardinal Keith O’Brien of Scotland visited Kasisi Agricultural Training Centre. He spent a good part of the day viewing the work at KATC and then visited two farming families in the area. One of the families visited has a son who is a priest working in Michigan. Mrs. Deka received His Eminence royally and the two hit it off well. His Eminence did a jig for the group as he was leaving. The Cardinal was in the country visiting SCIAF supported projects. SCIAF is the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund.
Field Day and Board Meeting On the 19th of February KATC had its annual field day. Over 250 people attended. The event has grown every year. The Lord blessed the day by waiting till the last tour returned to home base before opening up the heavens. The participants were mainly from government, NGOs, and tertiary level educational institutions. The guest of honour this year was Mr. A.K. Banda, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives. The Board of Trustees met on the 16th of February for the first Board meeting of the year. Paul Desmarais
Pioneers I attended the Annual Meeting of the Priests of the Archdiocese of Lusaka in December and was given the opportunity to speak briefly about the work of the Pioneers. There is no doubt that alcohol abuse continues to be a major problem in most parishes. Priests are genuinely concerned though there is always a little gentle leg-pulling. Most of them are surprised when I mentioned “Tujilijili” which is the slang word for those small plastic sachets of alcohol which are readily available nearly everywhere and are a source of concern for many people. After a retreat I gave in December in Mongu I had a day with some the Pioneers of the town especially Father Richard Lubasi Kufanga who is the PP of Limulunga Parish. An ardent supporter of the Pioneers, he has been appointed the Diocesan Chaplain. With his interest we expect great things in the West. For the year 2010 as well as our usual programme of visiting the Pioneers in some of the Dioceses around the country, we in the National Office have asked the local Pioneer Centres to visit the schools and colleges in their areas. The main purpose, as well as giving the Pioneer message, is to engage the young people in a conversation about the whole question of how alcohol
is used in the country. Our experience is that young people are very willing to talk on this topic: it is, as they say, a “hot” issue. On Monday 9th February I was visiting the seminarians who are doing their spiritual year at Emmaus. Quite a few have expressed interest in joining the Pioneers. With the permission the Rector Father Cornelius Haankomone I will go back there with a Pioneer team and lay the foundation for a new centre. If they do join it will be as Probationers which means that they will continue their probation after they go on to Mpima. If this initiative, which came from the seminarians themselves, is successful it augurs well for a number of priest Pioneers in the future. Perhaps this is our contribution to the Year of the Priest. The National Executive of the Pioneers is scattered all over Zambia but I am very grateful to two of their number, Miss Letesiya Phiri and Mr Pious Hampongo, who live in Lusaka and who meet with me once a week to implement the year plan of the National Executive. Charlie Searson
Apostleship of Prayer I had the opportunity to meet the animators of the Holy Childhood from different parishes in Lusaka just before Christmas on the topic of the Apostleship of Prayer. These young adults were very frank on their feedback on the prayer leaflets. Some said they simply did not receive them, while others said received them but were not clear what it as all about and whom they were meant for. Having given them a brief introduction, they advised me to ask each Parish Priest to do the same. Volume 41, Number 1
This led directly to the short input I gave at the Province Assembly in January and also to the covering letter that went out to each parish with the prayer intentions for 2010, asking that the Apostleship be explained in a few short words at the Sunday liturgy or other gathering. This year for the first time we sent the prayer leaflets to all the Catholic schools and to each religious house in the country. The feedback from this exercise has been Page 9
good: some schools contacted the AP office and asked for extra copies. Other schools have invited me to come and tell them more about what the AP is all about. Visits to Kalundu Study Centre and to Emmaus Spirituality Centre have also been helpful. People are happy with a phrase borrowed from Father Kolvenbach that the AP leaflets can be described as “the breviaries of the poor”. They help to bridge the gap between our faith and everyday life. Two major developments are unfolding for 2010: for the first time the AP leaflets have been translated into the seven major languages of Zambia. They are going to the printer at the moment and should be in the Parishes by the end of March. The other development is that the Bishops of
Malawi at their January Plenary meeting have welcomed the proposal that the AP prayer leaflets be distributed in the Parishes of Malawi. They made one request: that the material be translated into Chichewa. We are trying to make sure that our Nyanja version will also double up as a Chewa version. Then there is the question Chitumbuka which is strong in the North of Malawi and of course in the North East of Zambia. In all this work I am greatly helped by Dr Glynn Khonje, a Parishioner of St Ignatius Parish who comes into the AP office at the Catholic Secretariat on three half days a week. His presence and support have truly been a Godsend. Charlie Searson
Christian Life Community On the weekend of January 29-31 the national executive and the national formation team of Zambia CLC held a joint meeting to set priorities for the present year. Representatives from the Kabwe, Lusaka and Namwala regions were present; sadly Chikuni was not able to send its representative. Also a member of a new community in Chipata came for the weekend. This community is made up of former Lusaka CLC members who had been transferred to Chipata because of their work. Emmanuel Mumba spent Saturday with the group giving input on discernment and helping the group to discern choices to give direction for national CLC during the year. The choices were in the areas of communication, formation, spirituality, growth in commitment and in numbers, collaboration with the Jesuits
and administration. Emmanuel ended the day celebrating the Eucharist with the group. During the first part of the Sunday programme, the regions presented reports on CLC in their areas. The rest of the morning and the early afternoon were spent making a planner and delegating responsibility for the choices that had been made the day before. We concluded the meeting with the Eucharist. The CLC members were very grateful for the hospitality offered by the novices and the Xavier House community. They also appreciated Emmanuel Mumba’s help, particularly the insights he was able to offer about the process of discernment. Jim McGloin
Archives An Ecologist before his Time Fr. Julian Merleau, S.J. was a French Missioner who worked for many years in the Zambezi Mission in Mozambique. After the Jesuits were expelled by the Portuguese Government, he begged his Superiors to be allowed him to work in the newly opened Polish mission station at Katondwe on the Rhodesian side of the Luangwa River. This is an extract from a letter he wrote to a former missionary colleague, Fr. Hankiewicz, S.J., in June 1913. There are no villages round Katondue. The closest village is about half hour on foot, where the fathers have started to build a church and school. The mission house is situated on a hill which gently slopes towards a valley full of vegetation …with a slow flowing river about 2-3 m. in width. Along the river there are many different plants Page 10
which look very picturesque with palms shooting up to the sky and 20 other different species of tree. The soil along the river is suitable for farming. I have seen 2 hectares of wheat there, which … will become the daily bread of missionaries. Agriculture in Katondue has a good future. The usually moderate climate together with the presence of water close at hand promises a lot with regard to farming. Attention! Attention!...Will this river have a conProvince News
tinuous flow of water which is necessary for agriculture? Will the climate of Katondue remain the same? I have heard from Fr. Hiller that Boroma 30 years ago was covered by trees and that the crops were very good. But now in 1913 everything has changed. Agricultural activities are practically impossible. In my opinion the reasons for this are: 1. The surrounding mountains were full of leafy trees 30 years ago. They have all gone because of the yearly bush
fires and the cutting down of the trees by both natives and missionaries. Thus, 2. The soil was eroded and in addition herds of goats and cows added to the destruction of the vegetation. ….. Kakaro Mission, 13th June 1913. Jan Kielbasa & John Moore
FROM ABROAD Arrupe College Back to books! The break is over. The new semester is on. Like most holidays, it really seemed short and fast but a refreshing and necessary break from philosophical abstractions. The second semester began on 11 January. Being back in class means: papers due, research, class presentations etc. If your name is Oderick, it also implies a position paper! The new semester has seen the promotion of, among others, Fr. Simon Makuru and Fr. Eddie Murphy to professorship in recognition of their valuable contribution to Arrupe College. Makorokoto!
Change of ‘guards’. It was not just a new semester but also a time for new officers, which saw John Bangwe becoming coordinator, Daniel Mutale Secretary and Peter Banda treasurer. The trio replace Richard Bwalya, Lloyd Chishambula and Noah Lungu, respectively. Many thanks to the former office bearers for the hard work and best wishes to the new crew. We also took time to discuss the Malawi social apostolate feasibility r eport. Apart from a number of interesting points that came up, one thing was clear from the deliberations: there is enthusiasm to see this noble cause became a reality.
Fr. Provincial’s visitation The Zambia-Malawi comVisitors munity was deFr. Genlighted to be visited eral did not close but rather opened by Fr. Bwanali whose visit also the chapter of included attending visitors. Among the Board of Govthe visitors early ernors meetings. this year was Fr. After individual Fred Kabwe who ZAM Province Arrupe 2010 with Fr. Provincial visitations, we had Back: Mark Ngwenya, Richard Bwalya, Eddie Murphy, Gabriel Simalso attended the a chat with the Pro- winga, Noah Lungu, Peter Bwanali, Peter Banda, Odericky Mweemba Zimbabwe Provvincial to be in Front: Lloyd Chishambula, Daniel Mutale, Jacob Kapita, John Bangwe ince Assembly in Absent: Fr Rector, Simon Makuru tune with happenearly January. As ings in the Provwell as updates ince. It was encouraging, inspiring and challenging to from the Province, Fr. Kabwe shared with us some be updated on the current status as well as the future prominent issues and impressions from our December direction of the province. Fr. Bwanali’s visit was con- Province Assembly. cluded with Mass at Mukasa house followed by a feast. The most recent visitors to Arrupe College were Superiors who constitute the Board of Governors. Volume 41, Number 1
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It was such an inspiration and encouragement to have them around and listen to them. Daniel Mutale
Hekima College Diaconate Ordination unlike the young man in the Gospel, he went away There was great jubilation at Hekima College happy. We too, on our part, were very happy with his when twenty-two young and gallant Jesuits made a fur- visit and found it very edifying. Twatotela ba shifwe, ther step in their service of God and were ordained to epashili pa kuleka! the diaconate. Among them was our own Kelly Michelo along with Sylvester Kasirori and George Course and Workshop on Spiritual Exercises and ReBwanali of the Zimbabwe Province. The Provincial’s treat Giving Delegate for Formation, Fr. Charles Chilinda repreAlong with 12 other scholastics, Charlie Chisented the Province and was on hand along with pro- lufya has just completed a five to six-month course on vincials and other delethe Exercises and regates for formation treat giving. The from other provinces of course was ably hanAfrica and a provincial dled by the Spiritual from East Asia to give Father of the House, moral support to the Fr. Varghese MalAssistancy’s newest pan, an Indian Jesuit members of the clergy. of vast experience and Kelly’s aunt, Sr. Anne a former tertian masMazuba travelled all ter. At this week’s colthe way from Chilalanlege Mass, Charlie and tambo to come and others will be prewitness her ‘son’s’ sented with certificates self-offering to the serand will formally be vice of the Church and ‘authorised’ to give God’s people. At the Exercises. reception, the Zambian contingent was beefed Upcoming Jesuit IntelDeacon Kelly Michelo with his aunt Sr Ann Mazuba up by the presence of lectual some Zambians workAt the end of ing here in Nairobi January this year, along with some Zambian Franciscan Missionary Sis- Kelly Michelo was among twenty scholars who made ters of Assisi. As the Zambians were called to the paper presentations on the idea of “the person” at the dance floor, the Tonga hit Ndayeya kwesu ku Canisius Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) Internathrew the gathering into a frenzy as many joined in to tional Symposium. Kelly focused his paper on the dance in celebration. Ncali bobobu cali cibotu. “person as a researcher, professional and administrator The new deacons are now active in the college in the context of people-centred development.” We serving and preaching at Mass as well as going out must congratulate our man who found his way among preaching in different places in Nairobi and assisting at professors and academics of high repute. Kelly’s paper the altar. On the college rota Kelly’s turn is yet to come was chosen out of countless other papers that were although he tested himself at the Province Mass cele- called for from all around the world. Mwana mucende, brated by Fr. Chilinda, a day after his ordination. keep up the good work, akuleleke mwami. Visit of the Delegate for Formation Before the ordination, the Delegate for Formation took some time to see his men and to give them some encouragement. He ended his visit by giving a very positive update on various developments in the Province. He seemed happy with his men and we think Page 12
Hekima Media Production Francis Chishala and Chrispen Matsilele [ZIM] have distinguished themselves as upcoming video and DVD producers. In the midst of a tight academic schedule, Francis and Chrispen produced a DVD celebrating twenty-five years of Hekima College. The Province News
community and JESAM highly appreciated this great work such that the two scholastics were officially hired to cover Fr. General’s visit. Congrats Francis and
Chrispen and keep the ZAM and ZIM flags high. Mwazwita bakomana! Charlie Chilufya
The Bellarmino, Rome The General of the Society of Jesus held a reception for all of us residing in Roman Houses at the beginning of the year. It was also an occasion for Fr. General to welcome all of us who are not old in Rome. He stood at the entrance of the curia to personally welcome each individual who attended the function. As I write this news for the province, Fr. General's Delegate for Roman Houses, Fr. Joseph Daoust, is visiting us at the Bellarmino. This is the second week since he has been with us, meeting individual community members for the purpose of manifestation of conscience. Some of us have commented on his portable electronic heater in his room that he managed to bring with him from the curia. It would appear that the warming or heating system of the house, which is activated at specific times, is not sufficient for some of us. As matter of fact, the
snow that Rome received on the 9th of February after about 26 years of absence is a result of cool temperatures that we have been experiencing. On an academic note, both Wilfred Sumani and I are doing fine. We managed to share light and refreshing moments together during the short break that bridged the first and second semesters in our respective institutions. I began my second semester on Monday, the 15th of February, while Wilfred begins his on the 22nd of February. As we await the celebration of the resurrection of Christ, may you always be joyful in your union with the Lord! Nshimbi Kabamba
Lent Each year, on the occasion of Lent, the Church invites us to a sincere review of our life in light of the teachings of the Gospel. This year, I would like to offer you some reflections on the great theme of justice, beginning from the Pauline affirmation: “The justice of God has been manifested through faith in Jesus Christ” (cf. Rm 3, 21-22). First of all, I want to consider the meaning of the term “justice,” which in common usage implies “to render to every man his due”... What man needs most cannot be guaranteed to him by law. In order to live life to the full, something more intimate is necessary that can be granted only as a gift: we could say that man lives by that love which only God can communicate since He created the human person in His image and likeness. Material goods are certainly useful and required – indeed Jesus Himself was concerned to heal the sick, feed the crowds that followed Him and surely condemns the indifference that even today forces hundreds of millions into death through lack of food, water and medicine – yet “distributive” justice does not render to the human being the totality of his “due.” Just as man needs bread, so does man have even more need of God. Saint Augustine notes: if “justice is that virtue which gives every one his due ... where, then, is the justice of man, when he deserts the true God?” (De civitate Dei, XIX, 21). … So we understand how faith is altogether different from a natural, good-feeling, obvious fact: humility is required to accept that I need Another to free me from “what is mine,” to give me gratuitously “what is His.” This happens especially in the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Thanks to Christ’s action, we may enter into the “greatest” justice, which is that of love (cf. Rm 13, 8-10), the justice that recognises itself in every case more a debtor than a creditor, because it has received more than could ever have been expected. Strengthened by this very experience, the Christian is moved to contribute to creating just societies, where all receive what is necessary to live according to the dignity proper to the human person and where justice is enlivened by love
From Pope Benedict’s Lenten Message Volume 41, Number 1
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OTHER NEWS Our Sick Please pray for our sick companions and friends Especially the senior members of the Province. The parents of Gerard Karas both of whom are undergoing treatment for cancer. Peter Bwanali’s mother who has been unwell recently in Malawi. Charles Chilinda’s sister who was in hospital in Lusaka not long ago. Frank O’Neill who has been sick in Cherryfield Lodge in Dublin. Roland Lesseps. A recent word on him from the Socius of the New Orleans Province: Roland is in the province infirmary where he is doing pretty well. Some cognitive issues, but generally in a good mood. Jerry O’Connell who has returned to Ireland to have a hip replacement that is scheduled to take place in early April.
Our Dead Please pray that God will give eternal rest to: Maurice Ward, the brother-in-law of Tony Geoghegan, who died in Ireland on 12 December. Selina, 49, an aunt of Brian Banda (the immediate sister to his mother) who died in Matero on 12 February after an illness of 3 to 4 years. She is survived by two sons. Mr. Daniel Mwewa, 82, the father of Kabuswe Mwewa, who died in the early morning of 17 February in Nsombo. MAY THEY REST IN PEACE
Updates Left the Society Floyd Chanda signed his dismissal papers on 19 February. We wish him well in his future. Spiritual Exercises As part of his tertianship, Alex Muyebe began the Spiritual Exercises on 20 February. Please keep him in your prayers. Also continue to remember the novices doing the Exercises at St Kizito until early March. Temporary assignment Nathan Miti is in Kasungu helping in the parish until the end of April.
Congratulations To Kelly Michelo and his companions on their ordination to the diaconate. To Happy Patrick Mzumara as he turns 50 on 10 March, old enough to see Abraham. Page 14
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To Frank Woda who celebrates 60 years in the Society on 4 April. Sto lat!
Notices Rosaries There are some rosaries available. If anyone can use some, please contact the Socius.
Happy Birthday March 3 Dillon-Malone 7 Rozman 9 Desmarais 10 Oleksy 10 Mzumara 12 Mweemba 16 Lucic 18 Gerovac 22 Rovtar 22 Mooya 23 Nyadawa 25 Honzeri 28 Hidaka 30 Gagolski
Clive Stanislaus Paul Jozef H. Patrick Odericky Luka Ivan Joseph Ackson Aaron Ashley Ronald Ladislaus
April 1 Masikini 5 Murray 5 Hambayi 9 Kujur 9 Wafer 14 Henriot 17 Dorairaj 18 Brassil 18 Malambo 20 Johnson 22 Moore 26 Baranowski 28 Mulobela
David Declan Edson Emmanuel Francis Peter S. Joseph J. Paul Sebastian O. Kenneth John Antoni F. Gregory
A Last Word Jesuit Discoveries. Thanks to Bboloka Nchimunya for this month’s discovery in The Making of Pro-Life Activists: How Social Movements Mobilisation Works, by Zaid W. Munson, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, 2008, p165.
"The local priests seem very quiet on the issue [abortion] . They are only interested in attendance. It comes up once in a while, nothing that strong. And the worst of the lot are the Jesuits. The rottenest of the lot are the Jesuits. They are completely invisible on the issue of abortion, and they're in positions, running the universities and high schools, where they could have a positive impart. You know, I say only partly tongue in cheek that the Jesuits seem to be the Catholic Church's Unitarians, No spines." [quoting Michael, 42, Catholic, Boston.] Jim McGloin
Volume 41, Number 1
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Better Late Than Never News Vocation Promotion Greetings from the mobile vocation office, currently in Lilongwe. This tour of duty in Malawi is slowly coming to the close. Since our last communication, many things have happened. Noticeably in the last three months, we have had three different “come & sees”: in December we held one at the novitiate; at the beginning of January six candidates (five from Zambia and one from Malawi) came for interviews at the novitiate; and finally, we organized another “come & see” at Kasungu for the candidates in Malawi. Four candidates attended – two students from Chancellor College, one graduate of Polytechnic and another graduate of Domasi College of Education. One of the things we did during our Kasungu “Come & See” was to visit a nearby secondary school where we did vocation promotion among the pupils with the help of the aspiring candidates. We had Mass
and gave some vocation talks. The initiative was specially appreciated by the school administration, and hopefully by the searching pupils. During my past one month stay in Malawi, I have visited different colleges for vocation promotion: Kasungu Teacher Training College, Bunda College, Lilongwe Technical, College of Health Sciences and Kamuzu School of Nursing. Unfortunately, Chancellor College, Polytechnic, Natural Resources College and Mzuzu University were in session all this time. Further, I also profited to visit the families of our candidates spread through out the country. Thus, I dangled between the extremities of Blantyre in the south and Mzimba in the north. Wishing everyone of you a graceful season of Lent! Nicholas Penge
PLEASE SEND YOUR NEWS BY THE 20TH OF APRIL. Paschal news, poignant news, political news, purposeful news, playful news, pictorial news, penetrating news, periodical news, professional news! Please present yourself to the Province!
The Jesuits in Zambia and Malawi
MANY THANKS TO OUR FAITHFUL CORRESPONDENTS.
P.O. Box 33750 Lusaka zamprov@jesuits.org.zm
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