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Kenya: Course of AMV african continent PDF Print E-mail
Written by AMV Africa (IMC-MC)   
Thursday, 13 December 2007
Sagana 3rd Dec 07- 4th Jan. 08

We, the Consolata Missionary animators (IMC and MC), gathered together in Sagana for the Continental one month course, send you greetings and wish you a fruitful advent season. This event is an implementation of the proposal from the last AMV continental meeting held in Iringa (Tanzania) 2004.

The objective is to help the participants so that they may be evangelizers, animators and formators. We are from South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, D. R. Congo, Kenya, Ivory Coast, and Ethiopia.

The main themes of reflection and sharing in this first week are as follows: African Cultural Knowledge (Themes and embedded beliefs); The ministry of missionary animation; Missionary animation in the local Church; Missionary animation and inculturation.

On Tuesday 4th of Dec. Mr. Odinga (a lecturer at Tangaza Collage) presented the first theme: “African Cultural Knowledge” which comprises African world view and the methodology for appropriating or articulating African Cultural knowledge. This systematic approach aims at making one debate, celebrate and critique African culture as an insider.

On Wednesday 5th of Dec. Fr. Fritz Stenger (Missionary of Africa., a lecturer at Tangaza College) presented the second theme: “the ministry of Missionary Animation”. This theme was elaborated as: the foundations of missionary animation; the mission in the world today; missionary animation; missionary animator; Vocation and discernment.

On Thursday 6th of Dec. Fr. Joseph Maina (Comboni Missionary working at the Missionary animation office at the National level in Kenya) presented the third theme: “Missionary animation in the local Church”. He traced the missionary animation in Africa from the Malawi and Zambia document of 1998 that stressed the need to be a missionary and a mission Church. To achieve this there is need for conversion (ie. Intellectual, religious, moral, mystical, and cultural) in order to arrive at a Church that is self- supporting, self- evangelizing, and self- ministering.

In the evening, we had the joy of the visit of the continental IMC superiors who are currently having their meetings in the Regional house (Nairobi). Each of them shared with us the reality of AMV in their respective regions. At present there is significant progress in the creation of animation centres and having full time animators. On the other hand there are still challenges that need to be addressed: 1) a directory for missionary animation for Africa; 2) why less vocations are coming from our areas of apostolate?. We concluded the sharing with a Eucharistic celebration in which Daniel Kivuwa, a student at Kinshasa Theologicum, renewed his religious vows.

On Friday 7th of Dec. Fr. John Lobotza (Comboni Missionary currently working at Korogocho Slum in Nairobi) presented the fourth theme: “Missionary animation and inculturation”. He opened his presentation with reference to the documents of the church. Then he defined the terms: “inculturation”; “interculturation”; and “enculturation”. Finally he presented the sources of inculturation.

On Saturday 8th of Dec. we visited the following places in Nyeri Diocese: Consolata Cathedral (built by Bishop Cavallera in 1954 and where Bishop Gatimo and Bishop Kirima are buried); the tomb of Baden-Powel (the founder of boys scouts and girl- guides; Mathare Mission (Consolata Sisters community, the cemetery where many of our Consolata Missionaries are buried, the Consolata Shrine where we celebrated the eucharist at the tomb of Sr. Irene Stefani). We had lunch with Consolata Fathers at the new site of the animation centre, then we visited the tomb of Bishop Filippo Perlo at the convent chapel of Mary Immaculate Sisters.

On Sunday 9th of Dec. we joined the Christians of Gaturi Parish in their centenary celebration. The Parish is still under our missionaries. The mass was presided over by Bishop Peter Kihara (IMC) of Marsabit. On our way back we stopped at the Cathedral of Muranga.

Through the intercession of Our Lady of Consolata, we thank God for His guidance and protection for the week we have concluded and we entrust the next in His hands, counting also with your prayers.
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 12 December 2007 )