Provincial Assembly of the Comboni Missionaries in Ethiopia: “Revising the future”

Fr Isaiah Nyakundi, originally from Kenya, set the tone for the four-day work with the opening motivational reflection on “The Province we dream to have”. Fr. Isaiah has been working among the Gumuz for a dozen years. Fr Asfaha Yohannes, Provincial Superior, after welcoming the missionaries that arrived recently in ‘the land of origins’, presented his report on the state of the province under five headings: social-political-economic situation, formation, personnel, mission and economy.

Then, the assembly started studying the new Provincial Directory, chapter by chapter, debating and approving them. The draft was prepared by the respective provincial secretariats. Confrères were involved in the preparation of the section on community life. Due to lack of time, the section on economy will be studied during the next ‘Comboni Day’, an annual ongoing formation event scheduled for October.

Bishop Merhakristos Gobezayehu Getachew, Hawassa’s new Vicar Apostolic, attended the assembly on the afternoon of its third day. He shared with the participants his personal journey of three months as bishop, telling us what he found visiting all the parishes but one. He also shared some plans for the future of the Vicariate, which was started by the Comboni Missionaries over sixty years ago. Now, the Vicariate is home to one third of the Catholics in Ethiopia. Bishop Merhakristos presided over the mass at the end of the day and stayed for supper and the social that followed, welcoming with the participants of the assembly the announcement that “habemus papam”.

The provincial secretaries for finance, mission and formation presented their respective reports to the assembly, which heard also the reports from the three pastoral zones: Guji, Sidama and Gumuz. The reports were followed by a question time and sharing of ideas about what the the Comboni missionaries are doing and what they can do in the near future.

The Provincial Superior presided over the concluding mass in which scholastic Asmare Gawo Gebre renewed his consecration for the mission in the Institute of the Comboni Missionaries. Asmare finished his theological studies in Kenya and is starting his missionary service of one year in Gilgel Beles, among the Gumuz. Alluding to the episode of St Paul’s conversion – the first reading of the day –, Fr Asfaha underlined the need to allow God to open our eyes to see the reality around us in a new light.

The provincial assembly and ‘Comboni Day’ are two events where the confreres, through their participation, express and strengthen their sense of belonging to the province.

Fr José da Silva Vieira, MCCJ