CELEBRATING DE MAZENOD
& JOSEPH GERARD
During the month of May the Oblate Congregation marked the
feasts of two great personalities: St.
Eugene de Mazenod and Blessed Joseph Gerard.
The remarkable achievements of these two men owed everything to their
personal encounter with God. It was in
that experience that each one of them was moved to present to the Church and to
the world, each according to his own talents and personality, the fruits of Oblate missionary vocation.
Today, we who follow in their footsteps stand to benefit by
rediscovering these two personalities.
We need to deepen our understanding of them in order to profit of the
inspiration which they can bring into our work of evangelization in today’s
world. It is also important to meditate
on their friendship with God, so that we can nourish our own relationship with
Christ. With them we can deepen our
Oblate roots and strengthen the bonds of friendship in our community.
Let us continue to celebrate our Oblate heritage and pray
for the inspiration that set Eugene de Mazenod and Joseph Gerard ablaze. By following their examples, we too ‘move the mountains’.
May St. Eugene De Mazenod and Blessed Joseph Gerard pray for us!
Emile
MOTEAPHALA, O.M.I.
Provincial
150th ANNIVERSARY OF OBLATE MISSION IN
SOUTHERN AFRICA
On Saturday, June 2, 2007, Father Emile Moteaphala and
several other Oblates from Lesotho, will travel to Durban, in the Oblate
Province of Natal, to take part in the 150th Anniversary of the
Oblate Mission in the whole of Southern Africa.
In an open-letter to the Provincial of Natal, where the
first Oblate Missionaries arrived in 1852 and kick-started their mission in the
region, Fr. Moteaphala states the following:
“On behalf of the Oblate Province of Lesotho, and on my own behalf, I hereby sincerely
congratulate the Oblate Province of Natal on the occasion of the 150th
anniversary of the Oblate presence and missionary work in the Province. What
makes this occasion even more special is that it also marks the 150th
anniversary of the First Evangelization of the indigenous Africans in the whole
of Southern Africa.
“We, in Lesotho, have even a greater reason to celebrate and
to give thanks to God because in 1861 our beloved King Moshoeshoe I, who was
thirsting for nothing but
peace, requested the assistance of the Oblate Missionaries who were working
in this territory. That is how Blessed
Joseph Gerard and his companions
ended-up coming to our Mountain Kingdom where they achieved wonders.
“We whole-heartedly join the Oblates of the Province of
Natal, and the Oblate Congregation at large, in celebrating this mile-stone in
our work of evangelization. May the
grace of this celebration bring us many more vocations of dedicated young men
who are willing to carry the Oblate Cross to the ends of the world.”
ORDINATION – PRIESTHOOD
The
following candidates have been accepted for ordination to the priesthood:
- Clement
Lebohang Bereng, from Good Shepherd Mission, Ha Tšepo.
- Joseph
Matsietse Paoane, from Good Shepherd Mission, Ha Tšepo.
The date of their ordination will be
appear in the next publication.
VENTURA PROJECT
Activities
at Ventura Project are once again at full speed. The reforms at the project started with the
installation of the new Board of Trustees on May 7, 2007. The new Board members who will oversee the
progress and success of this farming project are Frs. Emmanuel Khosi
Makubakube, Atang Lucas Leluma and Moeketsi Andreas Moeti.
In line
with the agreement between the Province and the General Administration, a team
of forensic auditors has been brought in to perform a detailed forensic audit
into all the financial transactions of the Trust from the year 2000 to 2007. It will also recommend appropriate policies,
procedures and reporting mechanisms for the effective financial management and
running of the project by the Oblate Province of Lesotho. The Bloemfontein-based team of KPMG Internatioanl
is led by Advocate Jannie Lubbe SC.
Whereas
Fr. Makubakube is working hand-in-hand with the forensic auditors, Frs. Moeti
and Leluma are busy organizing and putting in place a team of Oblate
representatives in the project. Fr.
Moeti explains: “Our understanding is that without active
Oblate participation and committed involvement, the project can once again get
us nowhere – a thing we can ill-afford this time around.” Fr. Moeti concluded by inviting all Oblates
to come forward with comments, criticism and suggestions of all kinds. “They
are all important in this work of reconstruction and development,” stated Fr.
Moeti, beaming with joy and confidence.
APPOINTMENTS
Father
Paul Lesia Matlosa has been appointed Director of Ongoing Formation
for the Oblate Province of Lesotho.
FR.
SIMON PONOANE (cont…)
“Hoba ke
etsoe moprista ka 1963, ke ile ka sebetsa haholo Maloting. Ke hona moo ke ileng ka kenoa ke lefu la
serame seo le joale ke ntseng ke utloa litholoana tsa sona. Ke lilemong tsena tsa mosebetsi oa masimong moo
ke ileng ka bona khaello e kholo ea kholo-ea-botho (human development) ho `na
le ho batho bao ke ba sebeletsang.
“Ha ke
hlokomela tlhokahalo ena ke ile ka etsa kopo ho Baokameli ba ka ho ntumella ho
ea etsa lithuto le ho kenela lithupelo holim’a
kholo le kholiso ea motho bothong ba hae, moeeng le `meleng (PRH &
Spirituality) tseo le kajeno ke ntseng ke fana ka tsona. Lithupelo ke li entse Amerika le Canada.
“Maemo a
ntšoenyang moeeng ke ho elelloa hore bohlokoa ba kholo `meleng le moeeng ke
toro ea ka ke le mong. Ke ntho e tla
iphella ha bonolo mohla ‘ke akhelang thaole ka lesakaneng’. Ebe ke mang ea tla ntšetsa-pele tšebetso
ena! Ke ipiletsa ho lona baena hore
thomo ea rona e sephara; re romiloe ho mafutsana mafapheng `ohle a bophelo;
haholo bofutsana ba kholo ea botho tsiung tsa kajeno.
“Ke khothatsoa hanyane ke ho elelloa hore ka Afrika Boroa,
peo e bonahala e oetse mobung o motle. Bokamoso bo teng. Moprofeta o amoheloa
lichabeng. Lebitso la Molimo le bokoe.” (Simon
Moeti Ponoane, OMI).
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
June:
01 Motanyane
Alexander
04 Salooe Jacob
06 Sephamola Emmanuel
08 Mabetha Phillip
09 Paoane Joseph
10 Nthethe
Constantinus
Tampane Clement
11 Khakhane Augustinus
15 Langlois Claude
21 Pama Aloysius
23 Makara Benedict
24 Koetlisi Joseph
25 Pharoe Augustine
Shopane Francis
Letsoela Julius
26 Letsatsi Peter
27 Ramalumane Paul
July:
07
Makubakube Emmanuel
Mathibeli
Isidore
`Molaoa Lucas
16 Lerotholi Albert
23 Makhotla Abraham
Leluma Lucas
31 Heisi Bernard
BAFU BA RONA
Evelin
`Masekake Thamae, motsoali oa Brother Andreas Thamae. O hlokahetse ka la 06/05/2007. O bolokiloe ka la 26/05/2007.
Lucia
`Maseabata Maphala, khaitseli ea Brother John Maphala. O hlokahetse ka la 05/05/2007. O bolokiloe ka la 26/05/2007.
Mosa
John Salooe, moena oa Father Jacob Salooe. O hlokahetse ka la 07/05/2007. O bolokiloe ka la 19/05/2007.
Clement
Thabiso Sephelane, malome oa Brother Nathanael Posholi. O
hlokahetse ka la 29/04/2007. O bolokiloe
ka la 12/05/07
FR. CHRIS PULCHNY
Father
Chris Pulchny leaves Lesotho on June 6, 2007; for Canada. He will be back in the country towards the
end of July.
NEW OBLATE PROVINCE
On
May 21, Father Superior General presided at the inauguration of the new Central
European Province. The new Province
comprises the former German Province and the Delegation of Austria and Czech
Republic. The inauguration ceremony was
held at Hunfeld, Germany.
The first Provincial of the new
Province is Fr. Thomas Klosterkamp, formerly Provincial of Germany. The new Province has 170 members, in 20
communities.
FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING
·
June
4, 2007
·
July
2, 2007
·
August
6, 2007
·
September
3, 2007
·
October
1, 2007
·
November
5, 2007
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