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Perpetual vows and diaconate ordination of the Comboni missionary Manuel Quembo
Saturday, March 26, 2022
On Friday, March 25th, 2022, on a very sunny day, all roads seemed to lead to Waterval, a small location and Parish in the vast Diocese of Witbank and the equally vast Province of Mpumalanga. The centre of attraction was our young Mozambican confrere Manuel Novais Quembo, aged 33, who on this day had the “twin” celebration of his perpetual vows and ordination to the diaconate.
At exactly 09:00 a few parishioners, a dozen Comboni missionaries and some local priests and religious, and of course four members of Manuel’s family, filled the small Parish Church to capacity. Fr. Jude Eugene Burgers, Provincial Superior presided over the celebration assisted by Fr. John Baptist Keraryo Opargiw, Vice Provincial Superior and Fr. Anthony Mkhari, local superior.
with Fr. Jude Burgers, Fr. John Baptist Opargiw and Fr. Anthony Mkhari at Waterval on March 25, 2022.
On the right: Bishop Thaddeus Khumalo ordaining deacon Manuel Quembo at Waterval on March 25, 2022.
Fr. Jude welcomed all present and acknowledged especially the presence of the members of Manuel’s family who came all the way from Mozambique moreover at a time when they were still grieving the loss of the mother. This fact galvanized the whole assembly in solidarity around Manuel and his family. The Provincial also reiterated that at such a celebration we were indeed all a Big Family of God. In his brief address he called on all the Comboni missionaries present to renew and revitalize our religious consecration to God as we prayerfully accompany the total self-giving of Manuel to God for the mission. In fact, every time that there is the celebration of a Comboni religious profession, the charism of our Founder is enlivened, strengthened, and set ablaze to enrich the whole Church.
This first phase of the great celebration took an hour after which Manuel, now a fully fledged member of the Institute of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus was accompanied by his Godparents to a designated place in the huge tent prepared for the Solemn Mass during which the diaconate ordination was scheduled to take place. The eucharistic celebration was presided over by His Lordship the Right Reverend Thaddeus Khumalo, Bishop of Witbank Diocese.
Bishop Khumalo made it a point to thank the Comboni Missionaries, the pioneers in this area of South Africa, for the good missionary service that they have been rendering to the people of Witbank during all these years up to the present day. He encouraged the new deacon to declare his firm “yes” to the Lord and to brace himself for the way of the Cross in the footsteps of Christ and Comboni. Both the Bishop and the Provincial in their concluding addresses challenged the youth of Waterval to listen attentively to the voice of the Lord who calls and, like the Blessed Virgin Mary, to courageously give their assent to serve the Lord in the Church as missionaries, priests and religious.
It was noted that in its over 50 years of existence, Waterval Parish has yet to produce its first priest or consecrated person. In the present situation of the Catholic Church in this Rainbow Nation this seems a very tall order indeed. However, inspired by the Gospel of the day, we dare to renew our faith in the truth that “with God nothing is impossible”!
Fr. John Baptist Keraryo Opargiw, MCCJ
Waterval, March 25th, 2022