The diaries, he said, are used officially in Senegal, Ivory Coast, Mali, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Chad, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Cameroon.
In Abuja, the Claretians in Africa own an Institute for the Formation of Formators in Abuja, the CMF Major Superior in Cameroon told ACI Africa, he said, and added, “The Institute of Consecrated Life in Africa, Abuja (INCLA) offers a unique opportunity for Claretians to contribute to the formation of formators and ensure quality for the Consecrated Life in Africa.”
The February 19-25 meeting brought together leaders of the congregation from all over the African continent at the St Joseph’s Centre belonging to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Morro Bento, a parish run by the Claretian Missionaries in Angola.
In his homily during the concluding Mass February 25, Fr. Jonivaldo Alves, from the Mozambican Mission, spoke about the figure of Abraham and his faith in God.
“This celebration also shows the universality of the Congregation which is completing 175 years since its foundation and is present in more than 70 nations, realizing the dream of Clareth our founding fathers and I would say that as a great prophet he was already prophesying an outgoing church when he said in his autobiography, my spirit is for the whole world,” Fr. Alves said.
The Brazilian-born CMF member said, “All of us are missionaries to bring Jesus to where he is forgotten or where he is not known, as Abraham evidently did, who submitted to God's plan through obedience. “
He added, “This celebration also shows the universality of the Church, which ensures that the Good News reaches everyone, through every Christian, bearing in mind that in Christ's Church, every baptized person is a missionary.”
The Claretian Priest urged the missionaries not to “settle at the top of the mountains, but to come down from the plains and meet those people in situations of risk who need to be transfigured.”
“We need to listen to Jesus, when we hear what he says, when we accept his words, when we try to put them into practice in our lives, we begin to realize what is the most humane way to face the problems of life and the evils of the world, we realize the great mistakes that humans can make and we discover the solutions that God points out to us to solve them,” Fr. Alves said.
In his closing remarks, CMF Major Superior in Angola, Fr. Gabriel Isaías, spoke of the value of this encounter for his congregation, and thanked participants for their collaboration in making the event a success.
