Daniel Comboni
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Final statement of the Subcontinental assembly on mission – APDESAM
Thursday, May 22, 2025
The coordinators and representatives of the Mission Secretariats of the English-speaking African countries and Mozambique (APDESAM) met from 6th to 9th May in Nairobi (Kenya) with the aim of elaborating a Sub-continental Charter of Mission. The assembly has been convened and prepared by the APDESAM Council of Mission in coordination with the General Secretariat for Mission. [See attachment]
The first day of the Assembly started with the celebration of the Eucharist in the chapel of the Kenyan Provincial House, presided over by Fr John Baptist Opargiw Keraryo, provincial superior of South Africa and APDESAM coordinator, who in his homily, drawing inspiration from the biblical readings of the day, emphasised the need for a Christ-centred mission, albeit with its costs.
presided over by Fr John Baptist Opargiw Keraryo, Superior Provincial of South Africa.
The Provincial Superior of Kenya, Fr Andrew Wanjohi Thumbi, officially welcomed the participants, and Fr José Joaquim Luis Pedro, provincial superior of Mozambique and APDESAM coordinator of Mission, presented the program of the meeting 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.
The points that came out frequently from the different reports were among others the significance of integral ecology, youth ministry, the involvement of Comboni lay missionaries as key collaborators in the missionary work, evangelisation through social media, first evangelization, and justice and peace and integrity of Creation.
Via Zoom platform, the Secretary General of the mission, Father González Galarza Fernando, explained the collaboration between the General Secretariat of the mission, based in Rome, and the secretariats of the circumscriptions and the Continental Council for Mission. The style of mission adopted by the 19th General Chapter was then presented, and further considerations were made on the redevelopment of our missionary service, based on an incarnated spirituality, fraternal community life and a specific pastoral focus on continental priorities. Thanks to an ongoing and in-depth reflection on our charism ad gentes, the subcontinent has long since identified certain priority human groups, such as nomadic-pastoralist human groups, slum dwellers and young people.
Fr. Rafael Armada and Fr. John Kennedy Onoba