At the dawn of 20th February 2024, our Superior General Sr. Josephina D’Souza officially opened the two months program of “Formation for Mission” at Masaka community in Rwanda. At the beginning of the community Eucharistic celebration, Sr. Josephina gave her remarks and explained the reason why we are gathering at Masaka at this time.
“We are gathering for a reason, and the reason is formation for mission. Through baptism we are missionaries, and as Pallottines we are founded to be Missionaries.” We can trace from the history of our Congregation that our first German sisters were missionaries in Cameroon. We are here to revive the missionary spirit, thereafter to go out the peripheries to meet the people of God as we are invited by our Holy Father Pope Francis, to go out of our zone of comfort.
The Superior General highlighted that, the aim of having this program is to revive the missionary spirit in our Congregation. We are to embrace the missionary spirit as Pallottine Sisters. From our history, we learn that we need to accept to go wherever we are sent to serve the Lord, as sisters had promised in addition to the three vows of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience.
Rev. Fr. Eugene Niyonzima, SAC, Provincial Superior of the Holy Family Province of the Pallottine Fathers and Brothers, celebrated the Eucharist with us. In his homily, he reminded us that “we are missionaries by nature, and we must not contradict ourselves.” He emphasized the need to be prepared for mission, since if one is not prepared for mission, may hate it and will not hit the target. Fr. Eugene insisted that if we really need to be missionary, we need to have the “passion for mission.” Our passion for mission means “passion for God.” Failure to have passion for mission we turn to be tourists which is not our target. Since as tourists we will not be having “passion for God.”
At the beginning of this important workshop, we must keep the fire of mission burning in us as we are sent to accomplish a mission, insisted Fr. Eugene. Our Holy Founder St. Vincent Pallotti had the passion for God and he ensured that this fire was burning in his daily life. This is the reason why Pallotti had the touch of God and called God the “infinite love, immense, incomprehensible God.” Through this program we should be in position to keep the fire of love of God and mission burning in us. To ensure that this fire is constantly burning in us, we must be prayerful. Since through prayers we listen and discern the will of God in our daily living. It is through listening that we are able to accomplish the mission entrusted to us.
On the same day, valuing the importance of prayer in this noble task, the participants of this program had a recollection day directed by Fr. Eugene. The theme was; “Called to Mission: Rekindle your passion for God.” In his reflection, Fr. Eugene gave us five ways in which we can have more passion for God, basing on John 12:1-12. In the five ways, to have more passion for God, we first have to receive and remember God’s grace in us (Jn 12:1-2), secondly, we must serve God with our God-given giftedness (Jn 12:2-3), third, we must honour God over ourselves (Jn 12:4-6) and not honouring oneself like Judah. The fourth way of having passion for God is through valuing one’s relationship with Jesus over our reputation, (Jn 12:7-8) and the fifth way is to value the love of God more than our own life (Jn 12:9-12). We should be able to stand for Christ, if we really want to be missionaries.
The program of formation for mission is attended by Sr. Veronica Crasta and Sr. Rashmi Augustine from Indian Mary Mother of Divine Love Province, Sr. Odette Musabyimana, Sr. Antoinette Tuombe, Sr. Verene Mukaseti, Sr. Olive Uwayezu, Sr. Florentine Uwayezu, Sr. Francine Dusenge, from Our Lady of Kibeho Province, Sr. Innocente Mukandagijimana, is from Rwanda a missionary in Tanzania and Sr. Felister Dionisi Patric, Sr. Bertha A. Peter, Sr. Paulina P. Jacob, Sr. Getrudi J. Momburi and Sr. Martina Hilary from Queen of Peace Province, England-Tanzania. Sr. Perpetue Nyiramahoro from Rwanda and Sr. Ernestina Patrick Lasway from Tanzania, are animators of the program, whereas Sr. Marie Claire Mukeshimana and Sr. Josephina are the overseers of this workshop. The participants will as well have an opportunity to be in Tanzania for one month from 2nd April till 1st May 2024. During the sessions in Tanzania, towards the end of April, there will be official closing and missioning ceremony at Queen of Peace Provincial House Laki Tatu in Arusha.
Sr. Josephina our Superior General entrusted the participants to Our Lady of Kibeho to accompany them at the very beginning of this program. She also invited them to work together, towards realization of this project. The participants then went to the Kibeyo community for a three-week period of formation and prayer to prepare themselves for their future mission, which will be entrusted to them after this experience. The second part of the programme will then focus on human formation and self-awareness. The sisters will be helped to make peace with themselves and to consider the others with whom they will live in the community.
Text and photos: Sr. Ernestina Patrick Lasway, SAC
