As we prepare to mark a milestone in our community, our 50th Anniversary invites us to look back with gratitude and hope. It asks of us to pause and give thanks, and also invites us to begin again and renew our commitment by deepening our bonds and to welcome new life into the heart of the community: it is both MEMORY and PROMISE.
At the cusp of our anniversary, we have been blessed with a quiet but powerful sign of life: the incorporation of 3 men into our community. These are not strangers or sudden arrivals. They have walked among us, prayed with us, eaten at our table, and worked beside us. They have lived the apprenticeship in the MCSPA not just in name but also in heart.
The stages that a potential young man or woman has to undergo before becoming a member are: Come and See, then Junior Apprentice and then Senior Apprentice.
The solemn incorporation of these new members took place on the evening of July 11th at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle at Nariokotome Mission, the motherhouse of the MCSPA.
The occasion started with a holy mass presided over by Fr. Andrew Yakulula who asked Zackayo Sakwa, Cosmus Onyango and Micheal Mwangi to always be humble as the day’s Gospel taught (Mt 10:16) because it is humility that will make them better members of the community. The three incorporated members were given a cross each as a symbol of their new life in the community: simple, silent but deeply meaningful.
At the same mass, 9 new Junior Apprentices were given scarves as a sign of commitment to their vocation on the road to being missionaries in the MCSPA. The new Junior Apprentices that received the scarves are:
1. Dionisius Kandar
2. Joel Jeremiah Robert John
3. Owen Mafupa
4. Emmanuel Okello
5. Brian Stephen Waswa
6. Patrick Omondi Oduor
7. Bereket Luigi
8. Bright Mwasangwale
9. Maria Vidal
They are from Indonesia, Malawi, Kenya, Malaysia, Ethiopia and Spain. Their presence reminds us that formation is a life-long process and the Spirit keeps beckoning.
We thank God for these signs of hope. As Scripture says, “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (Is 43:19). May this Anniversary find us ready to remember with joy, to welcome with love, and to walk forward together, as a family in Christ Jesus!
By Sokakulo Peter & Benjamin Maketa (Apprentices of the MCSPA)
