On Sunday 22 September 2024, we finally crossed the border from Ave Maria Mission in South Sudan into the Central African Republic, following the only road linking both countries. Our Fr. Joseph Githinji, MCSPA, was the last priest they had seen in Bambuti town before he was forced to leave South Sudan in 2018. Frs. Avelino and Albert had been seven years waiting to visit these Christians, since the Spanish Comboni Bishop  from Bangassou, Msgr. Juan José Aguirre, had requested them to do so because his diocese was not able to reach out pastorally to these communities. They had been under Islamic fundamentalist militias which had flooded in from Niger and Chad. These armed groups committed many massacres and terrorised the population on both sides of the border, until our local militias, called the “Arrow Boys” flushed them out last May, after weeks of heavy fighting.

The Zande ethnic group is spread through three neighbouring countries, namely South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. Whenever they experience conflict in one country, they migrate to the neighbouring country … and vice versa.

When many of our Christians from St. Thomas and Ave Maria parishes saw the priest and some apprentices heading for the border post yesterday, they followed us on motorbikes, bicycles and on foot. Dozens of them had never been in Bambuti before. After an incredibly difficult 7 km stretch of road and several falls, we passed the new barracks of the UN Rwandan Peace contingent and reached the small chapel compound, surrounded by hundreds of faithful. The new woman Sub-Prefect of Bambuti, Madame Kumba, ushered us in, in perfect French. The Member of Parliament, Monsieur Bernard, who had just landed there in a helicopter from the capital Bangui, welcomed us and assured the people that free movement between the two countries will be guaranteed by the security forces from now on.

The atmosphere of joy and reconciliation was palpable through the singing in Sangu (local dialect), the xylophones and drums. Many years of fears and suffering seemed to have been put behind. Many people came for the sacrament of Reconciliation, and the celebration of the Eucharist was very well-participated and faith-filled! In November the local authorities promised that the road will be levelled, and a new opportunity for peace and development will once again flourish in this region.

Thanks be to God, to the Catechists and the Christians of Bambuti for the perseverance in their faith despite incredible difficulties and challenges!

by MCSPA missionaries at
Ave Maria Mission

Some say that adolescence is an invention of the Western world since the term was first introduced in 1904 by the American psychologist and educator G. Stanley Hall, who attributes specific biological and psychological characteristics to people between the ages of 14 to 24. Later, Sigmund Freud reinforced this new age segment. According to UNICEF, “adolescence is a stage with value and richness in itself, a challenging stage of many changes and questions for adolescents themselves, but also for their parents and other adults that are close to them”.

In many countries of the world, especially in Africa, it seems that this stage does not exist: one passes directly from childhood to adulthood through many rites and rituals. In our case, after seven years working in the neighborhood of El Paraíso in the Diocese of Xochimilco, we have come across this reality: that the children who used to come to our programs, stop coming because they are no longer children, but they are not adults either, many changes in a short period of time. So, we decided to accompany them in this interesting and decisive process in human development, not only physical and sexual but also psychological, “vocational, moral and of the self”.

This year, with the help of Ana Nájera, a specialist in Emotional Education and Mindfulness, workshops are being carried out for young people between 11 and 15 years of age in El Paraíso to help them make decisions, live a fullfilling life and give them tools to prevent risks such as dropping out of school, unwanted pregnancy, drug addiction, etc.

It has been months of learning and sharing and we firmly believe that it has been the beginning of the creation of a safe space for the development of positive bonds among themselves and with their parents. In this way, we can continue to work together to improve their lives and that of the community of El Paraíso.

By Luz María Mejía, MCSPA
El Paraiso, Mexico

At Ave Maria Mission in South Sudan, we have started the Rosary for Peace. These times of insecurity in the Tombura area and this being the month of Mary, we are holding the recitation of the rosary and a daily procession while praying for peace to prevail in the area.

We invite you all, dear friends, to join us in countering violence by praying the Rosary. May Mother Mary hear our prayers!

by Lillian Omari, MCSPA
Ave Maria Mission,
South Sudan

Today, at Nariokotome Mission, we commemorated the 3rd death anniversary of Peter Ndung’u Chege, a member of the Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostles (MCSPA).

The eucharistic celebration in his memory was presided over by Fr. Zacchaeus Okoth. During the mass, memories of the good works he did were shared. We thank God for his life and we ask you all to continue praying for the eternal repose of Peter’s soul, his family and the MCSPA fraternity.

Peter, forever in our hearts!

By Lydia Imbala MCSPA,
Nariokotome Mision.

The 2 intense days of the Youth Formation workshop at Todonyang Parish focused on combating drug and substance abuse among youth.

Under the guidance of a dynamic speaker, the workshops delved deep into various facets of substance misuse, fostering an environment of education and empowerment. Participants were engaged in discussions on recognising warning signs of drug abuse, dissecting the underlying causes, and exploring effective support mechanisms.

As the sessions unfolded, attendees acquired practical skills for intervening in crisis situations and accessing relevant resources. Through role-playing and scenario-based exercises, they honed their ability to respond effectively to substance-related emergencies and extend aid to those in need.

Beyond imparting knowledge and skills, the workshops served as a platform for forging connections and nurturing a sense of solidarity among participants. The collaborative setting encouraged individuals to unite, exchange ideas, and collaborate towards the shared objective of building healthier and more resilient communities.

As the workshop came to a close, the departing participants were emboldened and motivated to sustain their efforts in combating drug abuse within their communities. The workshop sparked meaningful dialogue and action, underscoring the pivotal role of education, empowerment, and collective action in addressing complex social challenges.

While the football match offered a moment of relaxation and camaraderie, it was the sessions that epitomised the essence of the Todonyang Parish Youth Formation Workshop, equipping attendees with the tools and determination to effect positive change in the fight against drug and substance abuse.

By Benedict Maina
Apprentice, MCSPA.
Todonyang Mission

Fr. Alex Campón and Cosmus Onyango of the Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle, on Saturday, March 9, attended a Youth Conference on the theme “Mission Talk 2024”, organised by the Catholic Archdiocese of Jaro at Iloilo City in the Philippines.

This conference, targeting the youths of the whole archdiocese, bore the theme of “Mission: An Occasion of Grace and Moving Towards Serving our Neighbour”, saw more than 100 youths, religious sisters and lay persons in attendance.

The series of talk delivered by Fr. Peter John Guarin of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at Calmay, Iloilo, and Fr. Alex Campón captured the attention of the audience by concrete and emotional experiences of mission in Turkana North, Kenya. Fr. Peter served at the Holy Family Parish, Kaaleng, in the Diocese of Lodwar, Kenya, as a fidei donum priest in a collaboration with the Archdiocese of Jaro and the Diocese of Lodwar.

These two dioceses first established a relationship of serving the Catholic Church in Turkana in 2019, a product of the MCSPA’s bridge-building initiative between local churches. Since then, the Archdiocese of Jaro has been sending priests for mission in Turkana. Besides, the Diocese of San José, Antique, also has a similar arrangement with the Diocese of Lodwar, sending priests to work in Kaikor Parish also in the Diocese of Lodwar for more than 8 years now. The MCSPA’s zeal to build bridges between the Diocese of Lodwar and the local churches in Asia has also seen the arrival of a religious sisters’ congregation – the Mensa Domini Sisters or Sisters of the Lord’s Table – to join in the evangelisation in Turkana. These sisters, at present, have permanent communities in Kaaleng and Lodwar, and soon at Nariamawoi.

Fr. Peter Guarin reflected on one’s physical presence in a mission as the highest generosity with which we can respond to the call to be sent. He explains, “For the Turkana people, presence is enough. It is enough that you are with them. There are moments that I had no food to offer yet they told me that it was okay: ‘We are fine with it, Father, because you have stayed with us here.’” He advised the youth to be gifts to the mission and encouraged his brother priests to go out on mission because “mission is Grace, allowing us to be instruments of love and hope for the people who need us.”

Fr. Alex’s talk drew on the vast experience of his 28 years of priesthood and as a missionary in Kenya. There have been big moments for him as a missionary though his early days in the mission remain remarkable. It was while he was assigned to keep records of babies and mothers at the nutrition programs that he found his purpose. Fr. Alex emotionally narrates, “It was really an incredible discovery for me. I can now say that it was there in Turkana when I clearly saw the confirmation that God wanted me to become a missionary priest and dedicate my life to it. Certainly, the most significant was not the input that I gave there as a volunteer, or the efforts or effects of my volunteering work, rather it was what I received in return as my experience there.” Besides, Fr. Alex encouraged the audience of the need to move from and to go out of our comfortable and established set-ups and embrace new states of mind and purpose. This is our discovery of the grace that represents mission.

A discussion session followed after the talks with some from the audience wanting to know the challenges of being in a mission. Fr. Alex responded that loneliness can rob one of the joys of being in a mission. He recalled certain moments during the Covid-19 pandemic when he felt the pangs of loneliness, being locked out from his fellow missionaries: “At times you can feel empty in the face of need, when you don’t have solutions to problems of the people.”

Fr. Peter added that it is easy to fall into the temptation of being “busy” to a point of forgetting to pray and to be with the Lord who provides. Mission work can be very demanding and we can easily get lost in the work. He encouraged the audience to pray for missionaries for that is also part of being on a mission.

The Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle (MCSPA) thanks the Archdiocese of Jaro under the guidance of the Most Reverend Archbishop Jose Romeo Lazo, for its warm welcome. And of course, we thank Fr. Arthur “King” Flores, the Director of the Archdiocesan Commission on Mission, and Fr. John who is the director of the Youth Commission and to all the organising team of the “Mission Talk 2024″ for their invitation and opportunity to speak to the youth of Jaro. “Damo nga salamat!”

Cosmus Onyango, MCSPA Apprentice,
Metro Manila, Philippines.

The inhabitants of Nyangatom region in south-west Ethiopia are agro-pastoralists. The biannual rainfall pattern in the area allows them to practice rain-fed agriculture during the two rainy seasons, ranging roughly from April to June and then from September to November. The main crops grown are sorghum, maize and beans. What is not a common agricultural practice is the cultivation of fruit trees and vegetables. Moreover, scarcity of water due to prolonged droughts pose a serious risk to subsistence farming and hence to food security.

In response to this problem of food shortage, members of the Missionary Community of St. Paul the Apostle (MCSPA) at the Prince of Peace Catholic Mission at Nyangatom have come up with pilot farms both at Kakuta and Naturomoe schools so as to help women acquire new skills in farming.

We use the drip system of irrigation at the farms, and despite the scarcity of water in the region, we are now able to produce vegetables and fruits on the farms. The fruit from the farms is enjoyed by many in the area, especially the children at both the schools.

By Kevin Rakara
MCSPA Apprentice
Nyangatom Mission, Ethiopia

Lobur Mission marked a memorable day on February 27 when the faithful celebrated the blessing and official opening of St. Irene’s Primary School by Rt. Rev. John Mbinda, Bishop of Lodwar, who arrived a day earlier to performances by pupils from the school. The MCSPA members gave an animated and interesting account of the historical trajectory of this mission.

St. Irene’s Primary School was initiated in 2018 with only a small number of children. It has progressed from nursery to Class 1, and now reaching up to Class 5 and with a total intake of 207 pupils with the support of well-wishers from Spain who generously funded the entire project under the supervision of Maque Falgas, a member of the Secular Branch of the MCSPA. The construction of the new buildings commenced in 2021 involving the participation of the villagers. The school is expected to bring about a significant change in the education sector within the parish and also to act as a peace-building initiative in the Ilemi Triangle, a border region shared by Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan.

After the blessing of the school, Bishop Mbinda also conferred the sacrament of Confirmation on 150 candidates from the different out-stations within Sts. Joachim and Anne Parish. This number attests to the vibrant and growing Christian community in the area, serving as an optimistic indicator of a successful endeavour of evangelization. Special thanks go to Fr. Joseph Githinji, the Parish Priest, and Fr. Andrew Yakulula, the Assistant Priest, for dedicating their zeal and energy to the missionary work taking place at Lobur Mission.

The bishop expressed his appreciation for the large number confirmands and for all the initiatives that led to the construction and opening of St. Irene’s Primary School. It is our hope that the faith may continue to grow among the people of this region and that peaceful co-existence may become a reality.

By Louis Mkweza, MCSPA Apprentice
St. John the Evangelist Lobur Mission, Turkana, Kenya.

Monday the 26th of February 2024 was a special day for the Christians of Nariamawoi Outstation under Nariokotome Mission. They waited excitedly for the arrival of Rt. Rev. John Mbinda, Bishop of the Diocese of Lodwar. Very few had seen him in person. Thus expectations were high … what significance would this visit bring? They had been singing and praying for close to 3 hours before the bishop arrived and when his car finally pulled up the dusty tracks, it was all ululations, singing and dancing!

The visit was important as some members of MCSPA at Nariokotome Mission had spent years attending to this desolate community. A water dam had been built, a bore hole dug, a nursery school built and a thriving Christian community established. The Christians however still thirst for more. They thirst for a more permanent presence of pastoral agents in their area, they thirst for more education for their children, they thirst for the Word of God on a more regular basis.

The bishop was happy with the progress made thus far and gave his blessing for the construction of a primary school, the establishment of a sisters’ convent and the building of a permanent church structure. Support will be sought from friends and benefactors to help provide these structure that will help quench the “thirst” of this community. On their part the Christian community of Nariamawoi have provided land for these developments and are very supportive of these initiatives.

A religious sisters’ congregation, the Mensa Domini Sisters from the Philippines, has been approached and they have shown great interest for this mission at Nariamawoi. The sisters are willing to run the future primary school, establish a formation house at Nariamawoi and take care of the pastoral needs in the area.

We pray for the success of this project and look forward to transforming the lives of the people in Nariamawoi, and in so doing help quench their thirst.

By Fr. Denis Odongo, MCSPA
Parish Priest, Nariokotome Mission, Turkana, Kenya

The inauguration of a building housing the new Operating Room took place near the Dispensary of Nariokotome Mission on February 23.

The building was blessed by Frs. Antonio Aguirre and Zacchaeus Okoth and officially opened by Dr. José Luis Gil and his wife Angelina Ruiz de Temiño, and Dr. Paco Galván and his wife Lola, who have been part of this project since its inception and represented all those involved in it but who could not attend the ceremony.

This project consists of an isolated building which boasts two fully-equipped operating rooms for minor outpatient surgeries. In addition, the building also has a patient recovery room for both surgical patients and for pregnant and postpartum women. Likewise, multi-purpose rooms were built for consultations and nutrition-related programs coordinated by Scholastica Wamalwa and the Health Team of Nariokotome Dispensary.

With this news, we would like to thank the efforts of all those who contributed to the development of this project, especially the missionaries at Nariokotome Mission.

We also want to thank the people who in one way or another have been part of this project, such as Jorge, Victoria, Luis Carlos, María Jesús, Begoña, Alfredo, and many other doctors, architects, engineers, and different benefactors who have made this reality possible.

It was through the Founder of the MCSPA, Fr. Francisco “Paco” Andreo who spread his enthusiasm for Turkana in 2006 to his doctor-friend, Dr. Ana Mañas, and together with her husband, Dr. Emilio Cuevas, also a traumatologist, that we created a bond of friendship and collaboration. We thank the dedication of Emilio and Ana, who continue to come to Nariokotome every year, bringing with them relatives, friends and various collaborators.

We end this news report with a saying much quoted by Paco: “Actions speak louder than words”. Today, this has been fulfilled!

By Scholastica Wamalwa, Doctor Ana Mañas and a team of friends and doctors from Spain