Saturday, May 10, 2025
The coordinators and representatives of the Mission Secretariats of the English-speaking African countries and Mozambique (APDESAM) met from May 6th to 9th May in Nairobi (Kenya) with the aim of elaborating a sub-continental charter of mission. It has been convened and prepared by the APDESAM council of Mission in coordination with the General Council of Mission.

The first day of the Assembly started with the celebration of the Eucharist in the chapel of the Provincialate of Kenya presided over by Fr John Baptist Opargiw Keraryo, Provincial of South Africa and APDESAM coordinator, who stressed in his homily, along with the readings of the day, the need of a mission centered in Christ though with its own cost. 

On the right, the celebration of the Eucharist in the chapel of the Provincialate of Kenya
presided over by Fr John Baptist Opargiw Keraryo, Superior Provincial of South Africa.

The Provincial of Kenya, Fr Andrew Wanjohi Thumbi, officially welcomed the participants and Fr José Joaquim Luis Pedro, Provincial of Mozambique and APDESAM coordinator of mission, presented the program of the encounter and stressed the importance of a charter of mission in order to help us attain a common missionary methodology.

The day was mostly dedicated to listening to the reports of the different APDESAM circumscriptions which portrayed the many dedicated services which the Comboni missionaries render in the different APDESAM countries.

From the different reports the points that came out frequently were among others the significance of integral ecology, youth ministry, the involvement of Comboni lay missionaries as key collaborators in the missionary work, evangelization through social media, first evangelization and justice and peace.

By Zoom, the secretary-general of the mission explained how the collaboration between the general secretariat of the mission, based in Rome, and the mission secretariat of each circumscription works.

Fr. Rafael Armada and Fr. John Kennedy Onoba