Contents
Jubilee in Botswana
Rondavel Blessing
Seminar
Thanksgiving Mass

From Fr. Martin cp
Homily - St. Gabriel

News of
Tobar Mhuire
Holy Cross, Ardoyne
Mount Argus
The Graan
St. Mungo's Glasgow

  

Jubilee Celebrations in Botswana
Fifty Years of Passionists &
Cross and Passion Sisters in Botswana

Our Jubilee celebrations here began on Saturday 7th December with the Blessing of the Rondavel of Remembrance and concluded on Monday 16th December with a three-hour Mass of Thanksgiving in the Cathedral of Christ the King. In between, from Monday 9th December to Friday 13th December we had a Seminar led by Fr Don Senior CP and Sr Breda Eustace CP. Don's theme was Jesus the Healer and Breda looked at many situations where the healing of Jesus was needed.

Blessing of Rondavel of Remembrance

Although this celebration came first, to many it was the heart of our ten days of celebration. One large marquee sheltered (from the sun!) representatives from all the parishes during the speeches, prayers and blessing, another provided shade during the excellent lunch that followed.

Mr A Kgarebe, former High Commissioner for Botswana in London, gave the keynote address. He noted that this was a celebration of fifty years of Passionist Presence and Ministry so that, as well as remembering the Passionist men and women who worked in Botswana, it was good that we remember their work. When the Passionists took over missionary work fifty years ago, there were only three big missions in the country, Kgale, Ramotswa and Lobatse. The Catholic church had not gained access to any of the major villages except Ramotswa. One strong reason was that the established Church had "become the Church of the tribe, traditional, legendary and a legacy of the Livingstone and Moffat explorations which all children learnt in schools". So, the coming of the Catholic Church was viewed with suspicion. Despite this and many other difficulties, through the work of the Passionists, the Catholic Church has a presence in most major centres and villages in Botswana today.

Of Bishop Urban Murphy, he said: "As we knew him, he was a simple man, a friend of everyone, always the first to greet. But behind that simplicity lay an unquestion-able thirst to spread the faith to all parts of Botswana." He had praise for the way the Passionists have worked with Bishop Boniface Setlalekgosi, praise too, for the work of the Passionist Sisters and the Calvary Sisters in Education and Health Care.

Looking for the future, he mentioned as problems the growth of the independent churches, the AIDS pandemic and the lack of local vocations. There are only four local priests in the Diocese of Gaborone. This, he said, slowed down the process of incarnating the Gospel message in the culture of the people. He then concluded by saying that these remarks in no way diminished the greatness of the earlier missionaries and the Passionists "who have and are still giving the best of themselves and even their lives to spread the Gospel."

After readings, Ignatius and Sr. Nora, Provincial of the Passionist Sisters, reflected briefly on our Passionist charism. The names of the deceased Passionists, sisters, brothers, priests who had lived and worked in Botswana or South Africa were called out, with a brief description of their lives and work. The celebration concluded with a joint blessing of the rondavel by Nora and Ignatius.