A new look for Our Lady Queen of Peace School at Todonyang …
Pictures send powerful messages. At the school in Todonyang, we use wall murals to teach and catechize.
Lillian Omari
“The earth shook with the news He’s not here. He is risen! And in that moment, joy replaced despair and life conquered death not just that day, but for eternity.”
Members of the Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle and Mary Mother of the Church celebrate Holy Week with the christian faithful around the different missions in Turkana, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Malawi, Philippines and Mexico.
As we celebrate the passion death and resurrection of Jesus, we join our hearts with all Christians and people of good around the world to pray together for peace.
Fr. Angel Valdivia MCSPA
We would like to share with you a recent article written by our friend from Singapore Wilson Wong. He was in Turkana for a week with his family and these are some of the insights and experiences that he would like to share with us.
http://www.cps.org.sg/mission/articles/Turkana_Wilson_2016.php
El día 7 de enero llegaron a Etiopia 19 voluntarios de Chile a colaborar por dos meses en las cuatro misiones del país: Angar Guten, Muketurri, Nyangatom y Mizan Teferi. Los voluntarios apoyarán el trabajo en las guarderías, programa de pozos y agricultura, aula con niños con necesidades especiales, centros de salud y en todo lo que haga falta. Hasta la fecha 89 chilenos han venido apoyar los proyectos de nuestra Comunidad, estamos muy contentos con su visita y valoramos mucho su tiempo y energía en pos de las comunidades con las que trabajamos.
Valentina Correa
On December 12th, Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Deacon Wycliffe Ochieng was ordained to the priesthood at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle at Nariokotome Mission, Diocese of Lodwar (Turkana), northern Kenya. Wycliffe, who is 33 years old, is a member of the public association of the faithful Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle and Mary, Mother of the Church (MCSPA).
The ordination mass was presided by Rt. Rev. Dominic Kimengich, Bishop of Lodwar, who emphasized the tremendous work of the Community in the north-eastern part of this vast diocese in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the people of Turkana. He praised the number of local African vocations in the MCSPA and asked the faithful to support and pray for them.
In typical Turkana way of celebrating, the mass was very colourful with exuberant singing and dancing. The joy of the people could not have been more apparent! After the mass, there was food for all the people, who came from the different settlements by the lakeshore and the mountains, some a whole night’s trek away. There were visitors from Spain and the UK and also from Mombasa on the Kenyan coast where Wycliffe comes from.
The following day, Sunday 13th December, Fr. Wycliffe celebrated his first mass. The MCSPA asks that you keep him in prayer as he begins his journey as a priest in this mission land.
Fr. Francis Teo
Every Monday and Wednesday 4 of our collaborators take the jeepney, the local filipino public transport, after their classes at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, to Parola, a sprawling slum area at the Pier District of Manila where thousands of families live in deplorable conditions.
After braving the traffic for hours in the heat and humidity, they arrive to a windowless chapel with a falling roof to wait for the children whom they teach Basic Education and English. With no fans still available and sweating profusely, the children run towards the Centre with a great excitement to learn. It clearly shows in their little faces that it is a day they have been waiting for – they are so eager to learn. It is a challenging task but the collaborators show diligence and patience with the children as they go through the lessons.
Learning and conversing in English, they build up confidence among these children, educating them in a positive way as they gradually become aware of their possibilities and passion for education.
Fr. Steven Ochieng
On 30th Sept 2015 Fr. Avelino and Deacon Wycliffe, through the invitation of the village elders, went to Kokuselei for prayers on rain. It was such a wonderful celebration; real inculturation (a mixture of Catholic faith and Turkana culture). The prayers included marching to the top of the mount and invoking the intercessions of St. Scholastica (the patron Saint of Rain). After the prayers, three goats were killed and we had the Akiriket. That same night we had some rains in Nariokotome and light showers in the mountainous region of Kokuselei. It was a real blessing and we pray that God sends us more rains in this land of Turkana.
Deacon Wycliffe
The members of the MCSPA would like to give thanks to God, on this day of the Assumption of Our Lady, as 18 years ago Fr. Antonio Aguirre, Fr. Francis Teo and Fr. Manuel Hernández were ordained priests for the Diocese of Lodwar. They have been working for many years in Kenya especially in Turkana going to the remotest areas to bring the Good News. To date, Fr. Antonio is in Nariokotome mission, Turkana – Kenya, Fr. Francis is in Manila – Philippines and Fr. Manolo is in Benga Parish – Malawi. We give thanks for their perseverance and example in following the call to which they said YES to, some 18 years ago: “Go out and proclaim the good new to the poor”.
Lillian Omari
