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Fr. Steven Kamanga SIP, Diocese of Mangochi, Malawi)
The Bible contains various insights that indicate the value and importance it gives to catechesis. The first insight of catechesis in the Bible is the mystery of God’s self-revelation to humanity. This divine personal disclosure and call to divine communion happened in time and human history. The Bible reports it very well beginning with creation of the first human beings, unfolded in the history of Israel and reached completion in the person and mission of Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:3-14). This flow of events depicting God revealing Himself to his creatures is catechetical since it introduces man to faith in his Creator and calls upon him to echo the same revelation to other creatures in the practice of the received faith.
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Fr. Godina A. Chinkanda, SIP Diocese of Dedza, Malawi
Since the out break of the pandemic of covid -19 in 2020, our lives have changed a lot; so much so that we are not going to be the same again. We wear masks even in the shops and banks, which called for alarm some years back when people were seen wearing masks and tried to enter these places. However, something positive has come up with this pandemic, which has called for the need of community life.
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Fr. Gerard Ndemino, SIP Moshi, Tanzania
To begin with, please do not be mislead by the title. Both denote the same Person: the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. With this title however I just want to describe what God did in the Diocese of Moshi Tanzania some years back.
In an “IMPULSE” I wrote earlier for the SIP I commented “I feel strongly that the Holy Spirit is behind all this.” In this IMPULSE I still feel even more strongly God’s providence through the Work of the Holy Spirit.
An area in the northern part of Tanzania now known as the Moshi Diocese was evangelized by the Holy Ghost Fathers Congregation. When the Diocese was created in 1953 its first Bishop was Joseph Byrne a member of the Holy Ghost Fathers. It’s second Bishop, Joseph Kilasara, was also a member of the Holy Ghost Fathers.
To begin with, please do not be mislead by the title. Both denote the same Person: the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. With this title however I just want to describe what God did in the Diocese of Moshi Tanzania some years back.
In an “IMPULSE” I wrote earlier for the SIP I commented “I feel strongly that the Holy Spirit is behind all this.” In this IMPULSE I still feel even more strongly God’s providence through the Work of the Holy Spirit.
An area in the northern part of Tanzania now known as the Moshi Diocese was evangelized by the Holy Ghost Fathers Congregation. When the Diocese was created in 1953 its first Bishop was Joseph Byrne a member of the Holy Ghost Fathers. It’s second Bishop, Joseph Kilasara, was also a member of the Holy Ghost Fathers.
Bishop Kilasara began his priestly ministry as a Diocesan priest. Later he joined the Holy Ghost Fathers (CSSp). He was ordained Bishop of Moshi in 1960. Kilasara was a man of education. He did all he could to make sure young people from his diocese have access to good education; higher education of any kind. He sent many young people to various institutions within and outside of Tanzania.
When in Rome for Vatican II Bishop Kilasara decide to go to Germany to visit students from the Moshi Diocese who were studying in Germany. Some of these students were staying at Mamolshain where Fr. Bendel also resided. So PROVIDENTIALLY the two met in 1962.
From their meeting, eventually the Work of the Holy Spirit came to the Moshi Diocese. Bishop Kilasara retired late in 1966 and God called him to eternal rest in late in 1978.
As Bishop of Moshi and later as Bishop Emerirus he cooperated very much with Fr. Bendel to make sure that the OSS took strong roots in Moshi. He encouraged many young people to join the OSS in all its communities. Among the young people he encouraged in their studies and vocation to the priesthood is Ludovick Joseph Minde to mention but one.
I mention him particularly because many years later Ludovick Joseph Minde became Bishop of the Kahama Diocese. Later he was transferred to Moshi. On the 19th of March 2020 Bishop Ludovick Joseph Minde ALCP / OSS was installed as the Bishop of Moshi.
As a seminarian Ludovick Josph was very much encouraged to pursue his priestly vocation by Bishop Kilasara who was then EMERITUS (retired Bishop).
This is the meaning of the title. A Holy Ghost Bishop has eventually been succeeded by a Bishop from the OSS (Work of the Holy Spirit). I feel even more strongly God`s PROVIDENCE.
Assuming that Bishop Kilasara from Tanzania has met with Fr. Bernard Bendel from Germany in heaven, can you imagine what they are talking about?
The Work of the Holy Spirit has done extremely well in Moshi and beyond. We in the SIP, though few, are very grateful to GOD for his PROVIDENCE.
God bless you and thank you very much for your contribution.
When in Rome for Vatican II Bishop Kilasara decide to go to Germany to visit students from the Moshi Diocese who were studying in Germany. Some of these students were staying at Mamolshain where Fr. Bendel also resided. So PROVIDENTIALLY the two met in 1962.
From their meeting, eventually the Work of the Holy Spirit came to the Moshi Diocese. Bishop Kilasara retired late in 1966 and God called him to eternal rest in late in 1978.
As Bishop of Moshi and later as Bishop Emerirus he cooperated very much with Fr. Bendel to make sure that the OSS took strong roots in Moshi. He encouraged many young people to join the OSS in all its communities. Among the young people he encouraged in their studies and vocation to the priesthood is Ludovick Joseph Minde to mention but one.
I mention him particularly because many years later Ludovick Joseph Minde became Bishop of the Kahama Diocese. Later he was transferred to Moshi. On the 19th of March 2020 Bishop Ludovick Joseph Minde ALCP / OSS was installed as the Bishop of Moshi.
As a seminarian Ludovick Josph was very much encouraged to pursue his priestly vocation by Bishop Kilasara who was then EMERITUS (retired Bishop).
This is the meaning of the title. A Holy Ghost Bishop has eventually been succeeded by a Bishop from the OSS (Work of the Holy Spirit). I feel even more strongly God`s PROVIDENCE.
Assuming that Bishop Kilasara from Tanzania has met with Fr. Bernard Bendel from Germany in heaven, can you imagine what they are talking about?
The Work of the Holy Spirit has done extremely well in Moshi and beyond. We in the SIP, though few, are very grateful to GOD for his PROVIDENCE.
God bless you and thank you very much for your contribution.
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Manfred Badum, SIP Germany
In the last few months I have been working again and again in the so-called Opus Archive in Königstein-Mammolshain. Rector Karl-Wilhelm Bruno had started this archive in his house. From his time as International Rector of the Opus there were numerous documents, but also personal letters and records and slides. Also from the time of Rectors Jim McCormick and Tom Flanagan there were the minutes of the International Leader Team, the list of finances, letters to the regions or also to bishops, as well as numerous drafts and changes for the statutes;.also circular letters from Bernhard Bendel. Not everything was well sorted, and some things will not be needed in the future. I noticed that the rectors worked a lot for the communities, through contacts on their travels, correspondence by letter or email, organizing the school of life or retreats, applying for grants for various groups, helping with problems and much more; they also wrote the annual retreats, Father Tom additionally wrote the impulses. A lot of work that is really to be appreciated!
In the last few months I have been working again and again in the so-called Opus Archive in Königstein-Mammolshain. Rector Karl-Wilhelm Bruno had started this archive in his house. From his time as International Rector of the Opus there were numerous documents, but also personal letters and records and slides. Also from the time of Rectors Jim McCormick and Tom Flanagan there were the minutes of the International Leader Team, the list of finances, letters to the regions or also to bishops, as well as numerous drafts and changes for the statutes;.also circular letters from Bernhard Bendel. Not everything was well sorted, and some things will not be needed in the future. I noticed that the rectors worked a lot for the communities, through contacts on their travels, correspondence by letter or email, organizing the school of life or retreats, applying for grants for various groups, helping with problems and much more; they also wrote the annual retreats, Father Tom additionally wrote the impulses. A lot of work that is really to be appreciated!
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Pray with Acts 2: 1-13
Fr. Tom Flanagan
The spirituality of the Opus Spiritus Sancti emphasizes two aspects of the life of Christ: the Incarnation and Easter-Pentecost. Just a few weeks ago we celebrated Easter and on May 23 we will celebrate Pentecost. As human beings we are bound by the laws of time and space. Therefore, we separate the death of Jesus, his resurrection, the Ascension, and the sending of the Spirit into four different chronological events. We celebrate each one of them in the Church in their own unique liturgies. Yet, from a theological perspective, all four of these events are part of the one Paschal mystery. In our Opus spirituality we celebrate Easter and Pentecost as two events, though we combine them as one pillar of our spirituality.
Jesus’ resurrection is the central event of salvation history. Jesus’ rising from the dead is God’s stamp of approval on his life. What a joy for us to celebrate the good news that sin and death are overcome. Now our lives have a whole new meaning. But the Resurrection is not the end of the story! Jesus also shares the Holy Spirit with us. We celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Mary, the Apostles, and all of us at Pentecost.
Fr. Tom Flanagan
The spirituality of the Opus Spiritus Sancti emphasizes two aspects of the life of Christ: the Incarnation and Easter-Pentecost. Just a few weeks ago we celebrated Easter and on May 23 we will celebrate Pentecost. As human beings we are bound by the laws of time and space. Therefore, we separate the death of Jesus, his resurrection, the Ascension, and the sending of the Spirit into four different chronological events. We celebrate each one of them in the Church in their own unique liturgies. Yet, from a theological perspective, all four of these events are part of the one Paschal mystery. In our Opus spirituality we celebrate Easter and Pentecost as two events, though we combine them as one pillar of our spirituality.
Jesus’ resurrection is the central event of salvation history. Jesus’ rising from the dead is God’s stamp of approval on his life. What a joy for us to celebrate the good news that sin and death are overcome. Now our lives have a whole new meaning. But the Resurrection is not the end of the story! Jesus also shares the Holy Spirit with us. We celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Mary, the Apostles, and all of us at Pentecost.
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Pray with John 17: 20-26
Fr. Tom Flanagan
When we are children our parents tell us many things about life. Some of them remain with us like taped recordings that later turn on by themselves and begin to play in our mind. We hear their words and see with our mind’s eye the image of our parents and the situation in which they spoke to us. Some of the “tapes” that continue to play are helpful for us, others are not. One of the helpful ones for me is a proverb that my parents quoted to my siblings and me. That is, “the family that prays together stays together.” That proverb was also written on a small plaque that hung in our kitchen at home. We tried to put the message into practice in our daily family life.
The “family” today takes on many different forms: some possibilities are the traditional family of two parents and their children, sometimes with extended family members added, or the family might be a single parent with children, or it may be adult siblings or friends who live in the same home, or a married couple with no children. Another way to describe all of these families would be to call them a “household.” While not exactly a family, a single person who lives alone also constitutes a household. I think of the household as the smallest cell of the church. For all of these “families” – even the single person household – prayer is an important element. These praying “cells” are the building blocks for a praying church.
Fr. Tom Flanagan
When we are children our parents tell us many things about life. Some of them remain with us like taped recordings that later turn on by themselves and begin to play in our mind. We hear their words and see with our mind’s eye the image of our parents and the situation in which they spoke to us. Some of the “tapes” that continue to play are helpful for us, others are not. One of the helpful ones for me is a proverb that my parents quoted to my siblings and me. That is, “the family that prays together stays together.” That proverb was also written on a small plaque that hung in our kitchen at home. We tried to put the message into practice in our daily family life.
The “family” today takes on many different forms: some possibilities are the traditional family of two parents and their children, sometimes with extended family members added, or the family might be a single parent with children, or it may be adult siblings or friends who live in the same home, or a married couple with no children. Another way to describe all of these families would be to call them a “household.” While not exactly a family, a single person who lives alone also constitutes a household. I think of the household as the smallest cell of the church. For all of these “families” – even the single person household – prayer is an important element. These praying “cells” are the building blocks for a praying church.
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Fr.K.S.Gnana Jyoti, Tiruvannamalai, India
Lent is a time of preparation. During this season, the Church asks us to ready ourselves for the celebration of the central event of human history, the point around which everything else turns: the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The word, “lent “comes from “Lenton”, the Old English word for spring. As spring anticipates summer, so does the season of Lent look forward to the Easter season. The two are intimately related. Lent makes no sense without Easter. If Jesus never rose from the dead, there would be no reason to prepare ourselves for the season of the Empty Tomb.
The Spirit of God drives Jesus out into the desert for forty days and forty nights. According to Mark’s Gospel, this happened immediately after Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan, when the Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove and a voice came from the heavens saying: “You are my beloved Son. On you my favour rests.” This same Spirit drove Jesus into the desert among the wild beasts for forty days and forty nights to be tempted by Satan and ministered to by Angels. His time in the desert was meant to ready him for his public ministry.
The number forty is significant in the Scripture. During the time of Noah and the flood, it rained for forty days and forty nights. Moses spent forty days and forty nights at Mount Sinai receiving the Law. The Jews wandered in the desert for forty years. Elijah walked for forty days and forty nights to reach Mount Horeb. Jesus’ spending forty days and forty nights in the desert tells us that his message flows from and is in continuity with the great events of salvation history. It tells that Jesus stands in the great line of Moses, Elijah and all the prophets, culminating on the ministry of the Baptizer himself.
Jesus’ message is simple and straightforward; “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.” It was in the desert that this message crystallized in his mind. Only after he overcame every sort of temptation thrown at him by Satan, was he able to see with clarity the message His Father in heaven was asking Him to preach. The Kingdom of God was at hand, because Jesus, the beloved Son of God, was in their midst.
Jesus said “no” to temptation but was able to say “yes” in Gethsemane because He desired to do His Father’s Will.
Lent shows us that when we desire God’s Will we will always make the right choices. It is this desire to do God’s Will that will change us forever. It’s the magic of Lent. If we must give up something, let’s give up who we have been for who we can become.
A few years ago, an Italian newspaper carried a story about a young couple in Milan who seemed particularly devoted in their worship. The couple spent an hour or more on a regular basis sitting before a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The priest who noticed them assumed they were praying very devotedly. But it turned out, that this young couple was recharging their cell phone. They had noticed an electrical socket behind the statue of the Virgin Mary. Whenever their phone’s power supply dwindled, the young people came to the church and re-charged it from the cable behind the statue.
How are we going to re-charge our spiritual life during this Lent? Let’s be sincere. We will be happy during Easter.
Lent is a time of preparation. During this season, the Church asks us to ready ourselves for the celebration of the central event of human history, the point around which everything else turns: the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The word, “lent “comes from “Lenton”, the Old English word for spring. As spring anticipates summer, so does the season of Lent look forward to the Easter season. The two are intimately related. Lent makes no sense without Easter. If Jesus never rose from the dead, there would be no reason to prepare ourselves for the season of the Empty Tomb.
The Spirit of God drives Jesus out into the desert for forty days and forty nights. According to Mark’s Gospel, this happened immediately after Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan, when the Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove and a voice came from the heavens saying: “You are my beloved Son. On you my favour rests.” This same Spirit drove Jesus into the desert among the wild beasts for forty days and forty nights to be tempted by Satan and ministered to by Angels. His time in the desert was meant to ready him for his public ministry.
The number forty is significant in the Scripture. During the time of Noah and the flood, it rained for forty days and forty nights. Moses spent forty days and forty nights at Mount Sinai receiving the Law. The Jews wandered in the desert for forty years. Elijah walked for forty days and forty nights to reach Mount Horeb. Jesus’ spending forty days and forty nights in the desert tells us that his message flows from and is in continuity with the great events of salvation history. It tells that Jesus stands in the great line of Moses, Elijah and all the prophets, culminating on the ministry of the Baptizer himself.
Jesus’ message is simple and straightforward; “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.” It was in the desert that this message crystallized in his mind. Only after he overcame every sort of temptation thrown at him by Satan, was he able to see with clarity the message His Father in heaven was asking Him to preach. The Kingdom of God was at hand, because Jesus, the beloved Son of God, was in their midst.
Jesus said “no” to temptation but was able to say “yes” in Gethsemane because He desired to do His Father’s Will.
Lent shows us that when we desire God’s Will we will always make the right choices. It is this desire to do God’s Will that will change us forever. It’s the magic of Lent. If we must give up something, let’s give up who we have been for who we can become.
A few years ago, an Italian newspaper carried a story about a young couple in Milan who seemed particularly devoted in their worship. The couple spent an hour or more on a regular basis sitting before a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The priest who noticed them assumed they were praying very devotedly. But it turned out, that this young couple was recharging their cell phone. They had noticed an electrical socket behind the statue of the Virgin Mary. Whenever their phone’s power supply dwindled, the young people came to the church and re-charged it from the cable behind the statue.
How are we going to re-charge our spiritual life during this Lent? Let’s be sincere. We will be happy during Easter.
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Fr. Patrick Phalawala, Zomba, Malawi
I, who look at myself as a victim with Jesus Christ, am a second born child of Luke James Phalawala and Veronica Simon Makombe, from Zomba District, in the southern part of Malawi. My parents were married in the Catholic Church in 1956 before Malawi became an independent country from the British rule. The first child was a girl who was born in 1957 but unfortunately she died young two years later. In 1959 on the 30th of January my parents gave birth to a second born child who happened to be myself and six months later in June 1959 the family moved to a Village in the Western part of Zomba District where we settled up to the time this life story and reflection were written. My parents reported that I was baptized the day I was born because they were not sure if I was going to survive because of the condition of my life. In 1961 my parents gave birth to the third born child who was a girl but unfortunately the girl died at age of two, but I was still surviving. In 1964 my parents gave birth to the twins, a boy and a girl but unfortunately they also died after a year and half. The main problem was that the big hospital was about forty kilometers away, which made it difficult for the parents to get medical help but there was also a hereditary disease that was transmitted to the new born babies who never survived to see the beauty of life.
I, who look at myself as a victim with Jesus Christ, am a second born child of Luke James Phalawala and Veronica Simon Makombe, from Zomba District, in the southern part of Malawi. My parents were married in the Catholic Church in 1956 before Malawi became an independent country from the British rule. The first child was a girl who was born in 1957 but unfortunately she died young two years later. In 1959 on the 30th of January my parents gave birth to a second born child who happened to be myself and six months later in June 1959 the family moved to a Village in the Western part of Zomba District where we settled up to the time this life story and reflection were written. My parents reported that I was baptized the day I was born because they were not sure if I was going to survive because of the condition of my life. In 1961 my parents gave birth to the third born child who was a girl but unfortunately the girl died at age of two, but I was still surviving. In 1964 my parents gave birth to the twins, a boy and a girl but unfortunately they also died after a year and half. The main problem was that the big hospital was about forty kilometers away, which made it difficult for the parents to get medical help but there was also a hereditary disease that was transmitted to the new born babies who never survived to see the beauty of life.
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Fr. Wiseman Nkomo, SIP Swaziland
As we journey towards the birth of Christ at Christmas we are reminded by St Paul that “to want to be a presiding elder is to desire a noble task. That is why the presiding elder must have an impeccable character” (1 Tim 3:1-2). This dear brothers means that we as priests of the Lord ought to be not merely irreproachable, but ought to be adorned. There is nothing as adorable as a priest clothed with justice.
The experience of the new birth of Christ should also renew the adornment that each of us received at the moment of our ordination. It would be proper therefore to say that the birth of Christ is for us priests an anniversary of our ordination. This anniversary should be a time for rededication of each of us to vest ourselves with the ornaments worthy of our lives, i.e. the decorum and propriety that was in Christ. We are called to share in the brilliance that was in Christ the light of Justice. We are called to remember that as we “take and eat” so too we accept the radiance of the shape and the form of the love that was manifested in Christ. Dear brothers we are invited to take on and wear our new coat.
Christmas should be a time for each of us priests put on Jesus Christ, clothe ourselves with the royal mantle of His virtues. A time to show to the world that we are truly “the word made flesh” just like him who is our model. A time to adopt His sentiments, His manners, His life, in short a time to be transformed into him according to the measure of the grace which he continues to give to us. Let us like his Apostles hear him saying to us again “follow Me” (Jn 21:22)
In following Christ each of us agrees to take up his mission on earth, a mission that requires us to first, working towards personal sanctification achieved through closeness to Christ who calls us to himself and preparedness to receive the benedictions reserved to our apostolate. Having brought ourselves closer to Christ, we will through our apostolate bring sanctification of our neighbor, through communicating to the souls of others the divine life which is obtained at its adorable source Christ himself. Finally with both the Priest and God’s people closer to Christ whom we expect to welcome at Christmas for the renewal of our vocations we will conspicuously behold the fertility of our labours which is the Glory of God and the salvation of souls. We are all therefore invited to journey towards Christmas with expectant hearts ready to be renewed and transformed into Christ who calls us to “follow him.”
As we journey towards the birth of Christ at Christmas we are reminded by St Paul that “to want to be a presiding elder is to desire a noble task. That is why the presiding elder must have an impeccable character” (1 Tim 3:1-2). This dear brothers means that we as priests of the Lord ought to be not merely irreproachable, but ought to be adorned. There is nothing as adorable as a priest clothed with justice.
The experience of the new birth of Christ should also renew the adornment that each of us received at the moment of our ordination. It would be proper therefore to say that the birth of Christ is for us priests an anniversary of our ordination. This anniversary should be a time for rededication of each of us to vest ourselves with the ornaments worthy of our lives, i.e. the decorum and propriety that was in Christ. We are called to share in the brilliance that was in Christ the light of Justice. We are called to remember that as we “take and eat” so too we accept the radiance of the shape and the form of the love that was manifested in Christ. Dear brothers we are invited to take on and wear our new coat.
Christmas should be a time for each of us priests put on Jesus Christ, clothe ourselves with the royal mantle of His virtues. A time to show to the world that we are truly “the word made flesh” just like him who is our model. A time to adopt His sentiments, His manners, His life, in short a time to be transformed into him according to the measure of the grace which he continues to give to us. Let us like his Apostles hear him saying to us again “follow Me” (Jn 21:22)
In following Christ each of us agrees to take up his mission on earth, a mission that requires us to first, working towards personal sanctification achieved through closeness to Christ who calls us to himself and preparedness to receive the benedictions reserved to our apostolate. Having brought ourselves closer to Christ, we will through our apostolate bring sanctification of our neighbor, through communicating to the souls of others the divine life which is obtained at its adorable source Christ himself. Finally with both the Priest and God’s people closer to Christ whom we expect to welcome at Christmas for the renewal of our vocations we will conspicuously behold the fertility of our labours which is the Glory of God and the salvation of souls. We are all therefore invited to journey towards Christmas with expectant hearts ready to be renewed and transformed into Christ who calls us to “follow him.”
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Fr. Jean-Marie Kuzituka Did’ho, SIP South Africa
This world we all know was running to its ruin with extremist capitalism, corruption, terrorism and wars, but no one could find the emergency stop button, this gigantic machine called the world was suddenly stopped by a very small parasite invisible to the naked eye, a small virus of nothing at all.
What an irony? We are forced to stand still and do nothing. Many questions are asked without clear answers. Some ask, what will happen afterwards? When will the world resume its normal course? What will happen after the virus has been defeated? What will our life be like afterwards?
This world we all know was running to its ruin with extremist capitalism, corruption, terrorism and wars, but no one could find the emergency stop button, this gigantic machine called the world was suddenly stopped by a very small parasite invisible to the naked eye, a small virus of nothing at all.
What an irony? We are forced to stand still and do nothing. Many questions are asked without clear answers. Some ask, what will happen afterwards? When will the world resume its normal course? What will happen after the virus has been defeated? What will our life be like afterwards?