“Everyone should be a Catechist and each one will be taught a useful trade in the workshops,” Archbishop van Megen said in reference to the charism of the Brothers of St. Joseph.
“How close is your life to that of the Holy Family,” he posed, and continued, “This might be another way of doing memorial to see how close your life is to that of the Holy Family, to see that in the simplicity of life you are close to the life of Jesus.”
The Apostolic Nuncio in Kenya and South Sudan who doubles as the Permanent Observer to the United Nations Environment Program and Human Settlements Program added, “It's not about studies. It's not about always being in the spotlight. It's much more about working in the silence of the house, teaching children under a tree, or working in the field.”
He underscored the need to live the Catholic monastic practice of working and praying captured in the phrase “ora et labora” that is associated with St Benedict.
Archbishop van Megen said, “My work is prayer and my prayer is work; it simply wants to say that everything I do, fixing the car, working on the field, cleaning the dishes, can and must be to praise God. It must be a job well done to the major glory of God.”
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At the same time, the Archbishop continued, “Prayer can be very much work especially in those days and moments when you don't feel like praying. Prayer is very much also a duty to which one has to commit himself.”
“Let your prayers be perfect like your work; let it be committed,” he added.
Archbishop van Megen implored, “On this day of your Jubilee, may your Congregation continue to grow in holiness and may each and every one of you through the work of this Congregation and through the support of the Brothers around you grow ever closer to Jesus Christ, our and your Master.”
Also speaking at the April 30 event, the Superior General of the Brothers of St. Joseph said, “Marking 75 years of existence as a Congregation is truly a milestone that calls for celebration.”
“It is also a very special occasion in the life of the Church family. Jubilee is a time to deepen our examination of conscience. It is a time to celebrate God's Grace and faithfulness,” Br. Titus Walela added.
Br. Walela further said that the Diamond Jubilee of the Kenyan Congregation provides an occasion “to give God the praise, put the past failures and disappointments behind, and look to the future for a more productive life.”
“Our celebration today is to keep alive the message of God's love and what he has done for us as a Congregation. When we consider a commitment of 75 years to any lifestyle, that milestone is rare, if ever reached,” the Kenyan-born Brother said.
He continued, “We thank God that through the intercession of St. Joseph and our dear Mother Mary, we have made it with his assistance. Today, the whole congregation, led by the representative of the Holy Father, has gathered to celebrate us, our vocation, our life of service. But above all, we celebrate God, his call, his faithfulness, his mercy”, which has kept us alive.
“This milestone is a historic opportunity to shape our future together in Kenya and beyond. This celebration is an offering to you all as our Congregation clocks a new age,” the Superior General of the Brothers of St. Joseph said.
He went on to implore, “May this anniversary come with the blessings of a new season and in the excitement of today, may the joy that knows no bounds be upon all of us. May the joy of the Lord never be absent in this Church now and forever.”
Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.