AFW Newsletter_August 2010
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Transcript of AFW Newsletter_August 2010
237 skill trainees at Don Bosco Fambul receive their certificate
Freetown/SIERRA LEONE. During a great graduation 237 young women and men received
their certificate. In this respect, a five hour ceremony formed the end of a 18month skill
Dear Confreres,
Among all the
events we have lived
as a Province during
these past months,
the one that filled me
with deepest joy has
been the first
professions of our 12
novices on the 8th of
September this year.
Continued p. 2
Ghana Liberia Nigeria Sierra Leone
AFW
August - September 2010
Sunyani - 8th September 2010 – Shrine of Mary Help of Christians: Newly Professed - S Acheampong James Kofi, S Amankwaa Seth Antwi, S Aneke John Paul Chinonso, S Dike Kenneth Okechukwu, S Echegwo Gregory Chukwum, S Enu Bernard Evans, S Nwankwo George Chukwujekwu, S Nweke Emmanuel Chukwuemeka, S Okon Cornelius Ukeme, S Olamide Felix Olatunde, S Onuchukwu Sampson Olisaemeka, S Ugwuadu Matthew Ejikeneme
AFW Newsletter Aug- Sept 2010
2
(Continued from front page) That day was the feast of the Birthday of Mary, our Lady of
Hope. The profession of those novices and the arrival of 17 new ones fill us also with joy
and hope because they are the sign that God is with us and loves us. We see these “new
vocations” not only as a “promise”, as a “potential” and a “bright future” for AFW, but
they are also the “present”, the actualization of God’s gifts for us. For this, we are very
thankful to Jesus and Mary.
If you look at the other stages of formation (prenovices: 16; post novices: 31; Practical
Training: 10; students of Theology: 26) you immediately realize -as I have said - how
much the Lord blesses us with vocations. On the other hand, we see and feel how big is
our responsibility in forming them well, in transmitting unto them the Salesian Charism,
the values of our consecrated life, the Salesian Spirituality and the beauty of our
pedagogical system and the Preventive System.
As you can see, the future of our Province depends not only on the number of vocations
we are able to get, but above all in the quality of our formation houses, the formation
guides and the Salesian formation offered to them. We shouldn’t put all this
responsibility on our “formation communities and their formators”. Formation is the
responsibility of all of us! Through our witness, through our words and deeds, in one way
or another, we are all forming our young confreres.
The RM’s strenna for 2011 is entitled “Come And See” and it is focused on vocation
animation. Many of you may think: “In AFW we have no problems with vocations” or “we
are doing well”. I am also optimistic regarding vocations in AFW and about our future but
I am also a realistic person and I can see several challenges in this field that I would like
to share with you briefly as I recall them from my mind:
Strengthening our Youth Ministry with richer Christian-Salesian contents and
experiences and presenting them in an attractive and youthful way.
Bringing quality to our evangelizing and catechetical work. As our evangelization
becomes more explicit, vivid and passionate, then more vocations will come. Like Jesus,
we evangelize calling, and we call evangelizing!
Utilizing the Social Means of Communications in all its forms to reach out to a
greater number of young people with the message of the Gospel and the presentation of
the different vocations in the Church.
Making explicit the vocational proposal to those youngsters who are spiritually deep,
morally sound and personally mature enough to follow the call of the Lord.
Promoting with passion the vocation of the Salesian Brother. We have been
blessed with several vocations of Salesian brothers from Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia,
and only few from Nigeria. This year nobody professed as a Salesian Brother. That is a
sign and a call to pray more for vocations to the Brotherhood and to present attractively
this vocation to our youngsters.
Formation is the
responsibility of all of us!
Through our witness,
through our words and
deeds, in one way or
another, we are all forming
our young confreres.
AFW Newsletter Aug- Sept 2010
3
Making our vocational animation and pastoral of
vocations more systematic and methodical at
provincial and local levels. It is not enough to organize
“vocational activities”. We need a systematic plan with
clear aim and objectives, methodologies and common
criteria. This will give solidity, unity and continuity to
our pastoral of vocations.
Strengthening vocation animation in Sierra Leone,
Liberia and Ghana. We cannot depend all the time on
vocations coming from Nigeria. If Nigeria becomes a
Delegation in the near future: how will the other 3
countries survive and maintain all their presences if they
are few or no local vocations? Let us all awake and work
consciously for the promotion of vocations in these
countries before it is too late!
Bringing quality to our aspirantates in our 4
countries, clarifying common criteria for the running of
the different experiences and appointed qualified
Salesians to accompany aspirants.
Last but not the least: the financial dimension. It is
“easier” conceiving a child than nurturing and educating
him until he is an adult. The same with vocations to the
Salesian life. It is not only a matter of finding vocations
and sending them to the formation houses. In a
Province of approximately 140 Salesians we have 100 in
initial formation (including the prenovices). How are we
going to cover the bills of our formation houses in the
future? The Province will continue to search for funds
but we cannot continue doing it alone. We need the help
of all the houses and all the salesians. From now on, we
would like to count on your unconditional support and
thank you for your generosity.
I conclude by asking the Lord of the Harvest and to all
our Salesian Saints and Patrons for the grace of good
and holy vocations for the Church, the Congregation and
our Province. And may the Good Lord grant to all of us
the gift of spiritual accompaniment and discernment in
fidelity to God’s Will!
Fr. George Crisafulli
Provincial .
The future of our
Province depends not only on the number of
vocations we are able
to get, but above all in the quality of our
formation houses, the formation guides and
the Salesian formation offered to them. Photo: Novices Old and New
Some of our brothers in Utume have renewed their temporal vows they include; Solomon Gbaki, Philip Gbao, Nathanael Akotsaha, and Daniel Agbor, it
was indeed a nice occasion. Fr
Giovanni Rolandi AFE Vice Provincial received their vows on behalf of the Rector major of the Salesian Congregation, Fr Ambrose Anene and Fr Michael stood in as the two
witnesses. Later in the night after supper, the AFW student Association received officially all the AFW first year students as well as Fr Ambrose Anene. We also congratulated Cleric Peter Morba for his final
religious profession. All members of AFW were in
attendance, including Fr Lionel as he is enroute to Monrovia.
Peace Ike, Secretary
AFW Newsletter Aug- Sept 2010
4
15 août 2010 l’Assomption de Marie.
Aujourd’hui s’est ouverte la porte du
paradis : Marie est entrée dans la gloire de
Dieu ; exultez dans le ciel, tous les anges !
Aujourd’hui s’est ouvert la porte du Ghana :
les FMA sont entrées avec joie dans ce
Pays ; exultez, ensemble, vous les jeunes
Le matin du 14 août 2010, nous, sœurs
Ausilia Vizzi, provinciale, Bernarda
Garcia, économe provinciale, Teresita
Villegas, responsable de la nouvelle
communauté, Jacintha Irudayasamy et
Felicité Goe, nous sommes parties très tôt
d’Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, pour nous rendre
au Ghana, à Tema (Accra) pour une
nouvelle fondation dans ce Pays, la
première, pour notre province AFO « Mère
de Dieu », dans un Pays anglophone.
Un accueil très très chaleureux nous a été
resrvé à l’arrivé à la maison provinciale par
nos frères salésiens da la province AFW.
Le 15 à 7h30, à la paroisse, au début de la
messe, des enfants adressent à chacune de
nous individuellement, un mot de
bienvenue en nous offrant un bouquet de
fleurs.
Après le rite d’ouverture, un groupe de
jeunes miment les défis que nous sommes
appelées à relever dans notre mission ici au
Ghana.
Un autre moment très significatif et
important pour nous, a été la remise des
clefs du foyer des jeunes filles. En effet
après la messe nous nous sommes
rendues, avec les salésiens et un groupe de
jeunes, au foyer et le provincial le père
Georges Cristafulli a remis les clefs à
sœur Ausilia Vizzi qui, à son tour, les a
remises à sœur Teresita, sœur Jacintha et
sœur Félicité. Sœur Teresita, responsable
de la communauté, a ouvert alors la porte
de cette maison qu’elles habiteront ainsi
que beaucoup de filles.
La fête continue à la maison provinciale
avec un bon repas en famille salésienne.
Nous sommes en train de expérimenter ce
que disait don Bosco : « C’est ELLE qui a
tout fait ! » Nous constatons qu’ELLE nous
précède et nous accompagne. Qu’ELLE
guide encore non pas et achève ce qu’Elle
a commencé pour que le royaume de son
Fils grandisse dans ce pays béni. Sœur Ausilia Vizzi
WELCOME Arrival of Salesian Sisters in English-speaking West Africa 15th August 2010
AFW Newsletter Aug- Sept 2010
5
Br John Patrucco with Bishop Francis Alonge and with Fr Italo Spagnolo at the celebration that followed the Mass of thanksgiving held on the 14th of August 2010 and presided by the Bishop.
It was bishop Alonge who first invited the Salesians to Nigeria; three years ago we celebrated the silver Jubilee of the arrival of the Salesians – Br John was one of the pioneers together with Fr Italo.
AFW Newsletter Aug- Sept 2010
6
Freetown - SIERRA LEONE. During a great graduation 237 young women and men
received their certificate. In this respect, a five hour ceremony formed the end of a
18month skill training. On this occasion, more than 1,000 guests gathered at the St.
Anthony Hall Freetown. The Main guest speaker was the Lord Mayor of Freetown who also
handed over the first certificates to the graduates.
Thanks to the hard work of the older student-team and the catering service of Don Bosco
Fambul the whole ceremony went very well and without any problems. “This ceremony will
go down in Freetown’s history,” said the Lord Mayor who hopes for further international
and national NGOs committing themselves to the training of disadvantaged young people
in the way Don Bosco Fambul does.
The director of Don Bosco Fambul, Brother Lothar Wagner, expressed his deep gratitude to
the staff of the training department and the 91 trainers active at different workshops in
Freetown. “They were trained in the spirit of Don Bosco in order to educate young people.
They inspired, encouraged and motivated. They coped with conflicts and commonly solved
problems.”
Some statistics: Altogether, 420 trainees started their skill training in 2008. 43 trainees,
mostly women, discontinued their training. The main reason (in 31 cases) was due to
pregnancy. 148 graduates have already found an employment at a company or in a
workshop. 168 want to become self-employed. These will receive further support from
Don Bosco Fambul. Apart from a starter kit including tools they will receive micro credits
for the next year. 104 trainees either want to attend advanced training programmes or a
secondary school, or they are currently looking for work.
Hopefully a new training programme will start in 2011 after a thorough external evaluation
will have taken place. So as to modify and adapt were necessary. Among others a
vocational preparation programme is going to be introduced.
AFW Newsletter Aug- Sept 2010
7
When Fr Riccardo finished as Provincial in January, he went for some months to Liberia, rendering his service there in the community and the parish, and then in July he went home for his holidays.It was during his stay at home that the Rector Major announced that Fr Riccardo has been appointed Rector
of the Theologate in Rome at Gerini; while we rejoice at this appointment, knowing that the theology students will be well accompanied, we also know that he is a loss for the province. One of the first thing that Fr Riccardo did when he heard of his appointment was to write to the Provincial and the Province.
Dear Provincial and Confreres,
I am writing from the quiet and peaceful
environment of Beinette, my “hometown”. In
Africa we would better say “village”, because
that is what it is … with the difference that
our villages enjoy all the facilities of the large
cities and in addition a cheaper cost of life and
a serene and familiar atmosphere.
In my case, what makes more enjoyable the
village life is my family: they are all concerned
and caring to make sure that I lack nothing.
They are spoiling me!!! I will never thank God
enough for the gift of my family, even though
I have not much time to enjoy it.
The big talk of these days is the exceptional
hot”tropical” weather. I smile and let them
say… there is no way to convince them that
for us it might be considered “spring time” !!!
I left Liberia and came home with a well
defined programme (… at least in my mind!):
a short break with my family, a three-month
Renewal Course and then … back to AFW!!!
Far from my mind was the thought that God
had something different in store for me.
When I reached home it took me some days
before I opened my BOX. When I opened it I
came to know, what quite a number of
confreres knew already. Some of my old ICP
friends congratulated me and I … was
surprised and wondering! It was a little shock
… from which I recovered soon.
Mixed feelings and considerations are still
fighting within me. On one hand the situation
of our dear AFW with all our dreams of growth
and expansion vis-à-vis with the situation of
personnel; on the other hand the religious
availability to serve the Congregation
wherever you are asked to do so.
I have put my heart and mind at rest,
convinced that “obedience is better than
sacrifice” and that when you do the obedience
you are sure to be on the right track. I take it
as a gift from God. There is something God
wants to tell me and I hope to discover it
sooner or later.
About AFW: What will I miss most?
All of you, dear confreres, whom because of
my different responsibilities have come to
know personally. And then all the many
people I came in touch with during the 28
years spent among them: Bishops, priests and
religious, young and lay people.
Fr Riccardo with our two AFW theology students Albert and Damien as they start the year together in Gerini Rome.
Fr Riccardo being congratulated by fellow confreres during the Mass of installation.
AFW Newsletter Aug- Sept 2010
8
What do I admire most? The generosity of
the Vice-Province, that in the midst of so
many needs dares to be generous and help
the missions and the Congregation. It is an
act of faith and a bet… with God, who will
never let us down.
What is my wish and prayer? That the quality
of the confreres and of the pastoral work
make good for the scarcity of personnel in
order to build on solid ground the growth of
the Vice-Province.
What is my dream? To be back as soon as
possible.
About my new assignment:
What scares me most? The challenging
responsibility, which I resolve to face at my
best, knowing my limitations and
shortcomings. As we say in AFW: “I will try!”
With this I mean: I will put all my best efforts
in the new assignment and leave the rest to
God.
What consoles me most? To work with young
confreres in an international community, a
spectrum of the face of the Congregation.
And … dulcis in fundo? The relevant presence
of African confreres … to keep me in touch
with the AFW reality. I hope it will not cause
me too much homesickness!!!
Dear Jorge and Confreres, Thanks for all what
you are for me and for all you have given me.
Congratulations to the Finally Professed
Confreres.
And when you come to Rome… look for the
Gerini-Community!!!
Fr Riccardo, sdb.
Beinette, 23rd July 2010.
Tony writes to us from the Sudan as he shares his thoughts about starting on a new mission.
Moving out of one’s comfort zones is something many dread. However dreadful this might seem, I think it is something one should venture someday, somehow, somewhere.
We often perceive and consider the world as
something not beyond the gaze of our eyes, the thoughts of our minds and the borders of our environments. However, the world is vast beyond
our imagination. Some have said that with technology, the world is like a global parlour. However, true this statement might be, it is only
true for those who have access to these technologies. It beats my imagination how people survive in environments so remote and underdeveloped. It also beats my imagination, how people in such misery live day by day with the hope that one day their current situation will change. There is so much optimism and joy
written on their faces; so many smiles as they carry out their daily duties; so many children, playing all around, parents are there to protect them and teach them. And it is so interesting!
It is discomforting to actually leave a place you are used to, to go somewhere totally different and unpleasing. It is discomfiting when you cannot go outside your gate, just to cross the street to get something. It is discomforting when
you have to say something over and over again because those you are talking to, know little of English Language. However, it is comforting to see people who want to learn. It is comforting to be around people who appreciate you, people who are ready because they trust you to help them get to the next level. It is also comforting
to realize that after a very short time those you are working with are making swift improvements. It is comforting that I am getting attuned to the system and making it my comfort zone.
Fr Riccardo signing the letter of appointment as Rector of the Theologate in Rome, after he recited the profession of faith
AFW Newsletter Aug- Sept 2010
9
Sunyani is not a big city, just about one hundred thousand including the outskirts. But it is the middle of Ghana and this makes it an important cross-roads, with a large amount of immigration. Migrants arrive in Sunyani without any luggage, and being simply accustomed to survive, they settle for any kind of living conditions.
Many settle in “Zongo”. It is the rubbish dump area between the old town-market and the “Wednesday market”. When they arrive from the north in Sunyani, they adapt to anything because they are already escaping from even worse conditions. The majority are of Muslim origin and Islam is the style of social, religious, school life in Zongo.
A couple of kilometres away is “Don Bosco Boys Home”. It was the youngsters residing there that drew the Salesians like a magnet to Zongo. Some years ago, a young woman, a Polish volunteer staying in “Boys Home”, aware of the poorest ones among her youngsters began going to Zongo and to set up there a kind of wandering oratory amidst the rubbish dump to play and spend time together.
Last summer a courageous step forward was taken and a holiday camp was organized right in the middle of where they were living, with the tiny elementary school being the focal point for the crowds of children that attended. This year the camp was repeated and it was an experience of being together as friends, with some time for games but also for repeat lessons especially in English and Maths which are the two bugbears for students at all levels, time for formation and for prayer.
The “Holiday Camp” experience has left an indelible mark: the desire to get to know each other in a new way. The variegated and marginalized Muslim community in Zongo met Christians to whom they could entrust their children, the most precious things they have, in an atmosphere of openness and trust.
For those who took part in running the “Zongo Holiday Camp” it was a very formative experience – being in contact with the really poor and getting to know Alima, Alhassan, Silifatu... It was a chance to learn new faces, names, life stories, meet people to love, overcoming the prejudices and barriers built and re-enforced by the different ethnic backgrounds.
The one thing that remains above all else is a new seed of hope in the heart of each one. A successful remedy for any situation where there is conflict, isolation, distance between groups; a cure that starts with seeing the other person as a human being. Don Bosco understood it perfectly: begin with the young.
This is the characteristic feature of the Salesian mission.
MUSLIM WORLD: it was my first time in my life that I shared a prolonged time with Muslim people. 180 out of 200 children in Zongo
Holiday Camp and 3 out of 15 animators were Muslims. I appreciated the positive contact with political, local and religious authorities. We shared the same concern for neglected children, we did something small together, we
welcomed everyone despite our different backgrounds. I witnessed prayer on Fridays and fasting during
Ramadan… a good lesson against superficiality which is sometimes making our being Christians so
poor! And be aware of this: the Muslim world is running like these girls in the picture! Let us run along together with them sharing the same concern for religion (let them be good Muslims and let us be good Christians!) and education. If we do
not build bridges between us it will happen that Zongo will be just a part of the town completely separated from the rest. Some of the animators (from Sunyani!)
never crossed the invisible border that leads to the slum! Thanks to
the Holiday Camp they won the fear and many prejudices. A small seed has been planted!
AFW Newsletter Aug- Sept 2010
10
For your Agenda
October 1 50th Anniversary Independence
of Nigeria 23-24 Economers’ meeting (Ashaiman,
Ghana) 18-23 CIVAM Formation Commission
(Addis Ababa, Ethiopia) 29-31 Congress on Michael Rua (Rome,
Italy) 30-31 Provincial Volunteers’ meeting
(Ashaiman, Ghana) November 1 All Saints 3-6 CIVAM plenary meeting
(Johannesburg, South Africa) 7-13 Retreat for Provincial Councillors
and Rectors with the Rector Major (Johannesburg, South Africa)
14-16 Provincial Council meeting (Johannesburg, South Africa)
21-22 Practical Trainees’ Meeting (Ashaiman, Ghana)
23-29 Annual retreat for Practical Trainees and Others (Nsawam, Ghana)
28 1st Sunday of Advent
September: 01/88 Adoma B. Yaw
03/87 Etie K. Onyeka
03/89 Seth Amankwaa
07/87 Cornelius U-Sayee
08/75 Victor Chambers
09/88 Theophilus Ehioghilen
16/69 Paolo Vaschetto
21/73 Lothar Wagner
22/90 Sesay Samuel S
22/33 Albino Sossa
25/87 Ugwu TobeChukwu
25/78 Sergej Goman
28/60 Ivan Stojanovic
October: 01/73 Cornelius Anyanwu
01/30 Henry O'Brien
2/85 Okolo M. Chinedu
08/82 Kenneth NNadi
10/63 Blamoh Harris
22/79 John Val. Mbaegbu
22/85 Moses Ogbada
25/68 Roberto Castiglione
25/22 Roy Fosker
26/86 George Nwankwo
28/86 Abraham Sesay
Ondo: Sixteen young men have started the programme for pre-novitiate with an opening mass presided by Fr George Crisafulli. In his homily Fr George encouraged them and reminded them of Don Bosco’s words to Don Pestarino: he gave him three criteria of discernment of suitability for a vocation: is the candidate ready to obey; does he take correction without grumbling and does he has a spirit of sacrifice.
1st October
1960 – 2010
Wishing all
Nigerians a Blessed
Independence day..
AFW Newsletter Aug- Sept 2010
11
The Stole and the Apron Bishop Tonino Bello (Translated by Fr Michael Smyth)
Stole and apron: to put the two of them on
together may sound disrespectful, almost
an act of desecration.
The stole is made for the sacristy, kept
neatly with the finely decorated chasubles
and all the other sacred linens, amidst the
perfume of incense and the mystical
language of biblical symbols. There is no
newly ordained deacon or priest who has
not received a beautiful and precious stole
as a gift from a convent of Sisters.
The apron belongs to the kitchen among
the frying pans, the bags of flour and jars
of oil, the vegetables and other ingredients,
and the plates to be washed... or in the
store with the domestic cleaning materials.
No one would think of giving an apron as a
gift, for a wedding or a birthday, much less
for an ordination.
And yet the apron is the only liturgical
dress mentioned in the Gospel... yes, the
Gospel, and the most theological of the four
- the holy gospel according to John!
For Christ’s first solemn Mass, the first
Mass in the history of the universe,
celebrated the night before he died, there
is no mention of alb, stole or chasuble, but
only of a rough piece of cloth, the apron
that Jesus put on, the perfect priestly
garment.
Maybe it would be good for us to complete
the equipment of our sacristies by including
an apron among the golden decorated
chasubles, dalmatics and stoles and the
finely embroidered albs.
An apron tailored from the stole
What matters most, anyway, is not the
inclusion of the apron in the wardrobe of
the sacristy, but to understand clearly that
the stole and the apron are like front and
back of the same priestly garment. Or
even better: they are the length and the
breadth of the same robe of service,
service of God and neighbour. The stole
without the apron is nothing more than
liturgical fashion. The apron without the
stole does not bear fruits of charity.
In John’s Gospel there are three verbs,
which are essential, simple and yet
pregnant in meaning. Together they
contain the full weight of the theology of
service. These three verbs express the
perfect complementarity of apron and stole.
Here they are: “he got up from the table”,
“he took off his garment”, and “he put on
an apron”.
He got up from the table
This means two things. First of all it means
that the Eucharist is not about sitting down.
It does not have time for a siesta. It
doesn’t allow for indulgence in food. It
forces us at a certain point to abandon the
table. It prompts action. It urges us to
leave the comfort of armchair and sofa and
to embrace the dynamism of missionary
journeys, driven by the fire burning inside.
This is the problem: too often our Eucharist
loses energy in mere choreography. We
are content to rest in the upper room, with
preachers or singers too concerned with
themselves and the impression they make,
while the congregation are bored and fall
asleep. There is no sense of commitment.
If we don’t get up from the table, the
Eucharist becomes an empty sacrament.
The drive to action is so strongly rooted in
the very nature of the Eucharist, that it
forces the one who receives it to leave the
table -even when it is received by a
sacrilegious soul, like Judas who “took the
morsel and went out at once. It was dark”.
But “he got up from the table” has another
meaning, which is really important: it
means that the other two verbs “he took
off his garment” and “he put on an apron”
bring salvation only if they stem from the
Eucharist. If we have not first been “at
table” even the most generous service
rendered to our brothers runs the risk of
AFW Newsletter Aug- Sept 2010
12
becoming mere philanthropy which has
little or nothing to do with the love of
Christ.
For priests, every social commitment, every
fight for justice, every effort on behalf of
the poor, every struggle for liberation,
every concern for the triumph of truth must
start from “the table”, from time spent with
Christ, from familiarity with him. We must
drink his chalice with all its implications of
martyrdom. In a word, priestly action must
begin with intense prayer.
Only then will our self-emptying be fruitful
and our sacrifices be crowned with victory.
Only then will the water we pour on our
brothers’ feet free them to walk all the way
on the road to freedom.
He took off his garment
Maybe I am forcing the text but it seems to
me that this expression of the Gospel offers
the model of priestly behaviour if it is to be
rooted in the Eucharist. Whoever sits at the
table of the Eucharist must “take off his
garment”. He must take off the garments
of one who counts the cost and calculates
his own interests. He must be ready to
share in all his nakedness. He must take
off the garments of wealth and luxury, of
waste, of a middle-class lifestyle, and
become transparent in modesty and
simplicity. He must take off the garments
of power, arrogance and control and clothe
himself instead in a veil of weakness and
poverty, knowing full well that poor is not
so much the opposite of rich but the
opposite of powerful.
We must abandon the signs of power in
order to preserve the power of the signs.
We cannot afford to fall in love with power.
Nor can we engage in any underhand
dealing that is contrary to justice, even
with the pretext of helping the poor. We
should be terrified of the danger of
manipulating pubic money. We should feel
uneasy when we hear people say that a
recommendation from us carries weight,
that our word can sway a decision, that our
requests are privileged. The allurement of
money, even when it is for the Church and
not for our own pockets, should never lead
us into complicity in dishonest dealings.
Otherwise we are developing in our lives a
series of “anti-paschs” which block the flow
of salvation from Christ’s Pasch.
Taking off the garment means becoming a
“poor clergy”, a clergy of the least, of the
poor and disinherited, of the suffering, the
illiterate, and of all those who are left
behind or trampled upon by others.
He put on an apron
Now we come to what I like to call “the
Church of the apron”. Maybe it seems too
bold an image, almost provocative. It is a
picture of the Church that reveals too
much, one of those photographs that we do
not display in public for fear people might
grumble or gossip. We keep it in the family
album and show it to a few special people.
We smile then at our lack of decorum, as if
this were a photo that was taken without
our knowing it.
The Church of the apron does not gain wide
acceptance. In the hit parade, the preferred
image of Church is of a priest in chasuble
with the lectionary in hand. But that other
image that looks like a domestic servant,
with a rag over his arm, a basin in his right
hand and a jug in the left, seems to reduce
the Church to the realm of fantasy.
We need to rediscover the way of service.
This means bending down and sharing, and
getting involved in the lives of the poor.
It is a hard road. There is the temptation to
delegate, to pay others to wash feet whilst
we avoid the inconvenience of humble
service.
But it is the only road that leads us to the
source of our kingship. The only way that
allows us to regain lost credibility is the
way of service.
Only when we have served will we be able
to speak and expect to be believed. Only
then will we be able to wear the precious
garment of our priestly dignity, and nobody
will have anything to say about it.
John’s Gospel continues: “When he had
washed their feet and put on his outer
garments again he went back to the table.
He said ...” What did he say? We know
very well what he said! It was then he
spoke that marvellous discourse that marks
the official passage from the word of the
servant to servants of the word.
AFW Newsletter Aug- Sept 2010
13
The 5 weeks camp came to a close on Thursday 19th August with the children displaying some of the skills they have learn such as introduction to computer, Soap making, cake making, knitting, etc. On Sat 21st Aug, we had the
evaluation of the summer camp with the animators at a beach party.
Tema New town had its Holiday camp coordinated by BR Michael Obolo and
helped by Michael and Chris together with the
volunteers.