Into The Wilderness

Tomorrow is the day I will begin my personal retreat in solitude in the wilderness. It coincides with the beginning of the Year of the Faith, the fact I am very happy of. I humbly ask all of you for your kind prayers so that the Lord's Will is fulfilled in this time of silence, detachment and prayer. I will take all of you and all your intentions with me and will pray for you and them. I will be offline for eight days. Hopefully, this retreat I do in the jubilee year of my priesthood, will strengthen me to face boldly and calmly the challenges that lie ahead of me, my world and the Kiabakari community. Fiat Voluntas Tua, Domine!

I will come back to the blog after this experience. Take care for now!

Momentary Bucket List

Inspired by one of my favorite movies - "The Bucket List", I drew up my own momentary bucket list as I was getting ready to head down to Dar es Salaam for my business trip...

Calm Before The Storm

Friday morning, right after the Holy Mass in Our Lady of Perpetual Help chapel in the shrine. A quiet breakfast and a growing feeling of incoming storm. The calmness of the morning may be quite deceiving... In a couple of hours a 'hell' will break loose and everybody will be up to elbows deep in preparatory works, cleaning, decorating, cooking, meetings, last minute planning for the Sunday Silver Jubilee of religious vows of Sr. Mary Chongo, the superior of sisters' community in our parish. We expect some two hundred guests participating. This is a serious celebration and I gather mental strength to cope with it calmly, efficiently and professionally. Of course, the Lord is the Master of the Ceremony and we pray for His blessings so that we may do whatever we can to make this day a great success. Prayers as always very much appreciated!

Intense

The last few days have been a bit on a hectic and intense side. A couple of busy days in Dar es Salaam, then flight to Musoma on Sunday afternoon, first encounter with German volunteers who arrived to Kiabakari on September 19 and have been undergoing a crash course in swahili since then...

Big And Small

Jubilees, big and small, coming in thick and fast this year. Apart from the main celebration of the Centenary of Christianity in the territory now called Diocese of Musoma, we get invitation now and then for other jubilee events - be it a Golden or Silver Jubilee of a certain parish in the diocese, be it a Golden or Silver Jubilee of priesthood or religious vows of certain servants of God in the diocese, be it a Golden or Silver Jubilee of the marriage or baptism or the birth of our parishioners. Envelopes with invitation card come thick and fast this year! But today there will be a small exception.

Who Is Who

The seventeen day long peregrination of the Jubilee Cross in my mission cast a divine light on my understanding of the parochial community. This unique experience has become like an opening of a book of life held in God's hands in which He allowed me to have a good look. The Cross has brought out what was hidden in people, good and bad. To me, this period has become nothing less than a reenactment of - or if you will - a reliving of the Paschal Triduum, where each one of us personified someone from the main actors of that traumatic time in Jerusalem... The Jubilee Cross showed us who is who in Kiabakari parish...

It Is Done

Two vehicles vanishing in the distance, carrying the Jubilee Cross and the representatives of Mugango Parish which is the next stop in the itinerary of the Cross in the Centenary Year of Christianity in Diocese of Musoma. Whispering to myself - 'it is done...'

Touchdown

I feel so relieved and overwhelmed. The Jubilee Cross has come back home from the safari lasting from July 3rd till today, visiting all districts and outstations of the parish. This evening the Cross came to my house. We had a short liturgical service with solemn blessing of the Holy Water, blessing of the house (which I renew annually) and sung Divine Mercy chaplet for all the intentions we prayed for since the very first day till now. Then we had an agape, a supper I prepared for all who helped in the successful outcome of the peregrination of the Jubilee Cross. The dinner is over now, I'm dead tired but happy and satisfied. I will use this evening time for private prayer and a Holy Mass which I will offer for all my private intentions and for the intentions of my loved ones, relatives and friends. Tomorrow the last day. Two Masses, first at 7am with sacrament of marriage for three couples and baptism of 19 children; the second at 10am - the farewell Mass of the Jubilee Cross. People of Mugango will have their turn to welcome the sign of our salvation in their midst. We wish them all God's blessing they need and deserve!

Operation Sambusa

Mama Sambusa is coming over to prepare some 150 samosas (sambusa in swahili) for tonight private dinner on the occasion of welcoming the Jubilee Cross in my house. I have invited some 100 people who were directly involved in the preparation of the peregrination of the Cross and the proceedings. It is a gesture of gratitude for their selfless service and commitment. Mare&Mare asked me to invite Juliana  (Mama Sambusa) to come over so that they can learn how to make them. Will get some picture of the sambusa making process and hope to post them here whenever I get my macbook back to live.

Finale

Being bit quiet this week, no posts since Sunday. Apologies for not fulfilling my hope and promise that I would post lots of pictures from the peregrination of the Jubilee Cross in the parish, but efforts of my specialist who was trying to resurrect the charger of my macbook did not bring any results so far, and I will have to wait for a fruit of the genuine generous gesture of help of one of my best friends from California. Thank you, Lou, for your spontaneous response to this crisis situation!

Unfair

Yes, we felt so disappointed last evening when we came back from the Holy Mass in Nyamongo district in Kiabakari, where there was a heavy downpour just before the Mass, messing whole setup altogether and soaking it wet completely - and here in the Kiabakari center, and Divine Mercy Hill area there was not a single drop of water. Just dust everywhere. This was unfair!

From Army Camp To Prison

The last day of the second part of the peregrination of the Holy Cross in my mission. The first part was dedicated to the communal celebrations on the parochial level, with an exception of the visit of the Cross at Sisters' convent. The second part which started last Sunday right after the Holy Mass of the Parish Feast ends today with the celebration of the Holy Mass at the last district of Kiabakari township and the handover of the Jubilee Cross to the first outstation...

Images

Just a quick info that I will post a lot of pictures from the peregrination of the Holy Cross in the parish once the charger of my macbook is working again (it is being rewired at the moment in Musoma and hopefully will work). So, God willing, by the end of this week or on Monday I will post a special photo report of the visitation of the Cross in our districts and outstations.

The Impact

As I suggested in my yesterday’s post, it’s time to gather together thoughts and reflections on what we have witnessed during the peregrination of the Holy Cross of the Centenary of Christianity Jubilee in Diocese of Musoma so far…

The Cross

The seventh day of the peregrination of the Jubilee Cross in my mission. Time flies fast indeed. Too bad my macbook cannot be used for the time being until I get my burnt charger repaired or replaced (which will take time). I will write more on what has been going on during those first seven days of an intense pastoral  program. But, I can say already in this quick post that the impact of this spiritual exercise has exceeded my optimistic expectations. I pray only that its fruits lasts...Here is a handful of pictures taken in the past days...

On The Mountain

We spent the whole day on the mountaintop with the Lord in the Mystery of His Sacred Heart. Challenging day for me pastorally as a retreat master and the only confessor available for today. Thanks be to God, everything went as planned, people attended very well the second day of the peregrination of the Jubilee Cross in the parish.

House Of Wonders

The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is an open invitation day for all to enter the House of Wonders - the Human Heart of Jesus, True God and True Man. On the second day of the peregrination of the Jubilee Cross in our parish, we will spend the whole day at the feet of the Cross, meditating on the Wonders of the Sacred Heart of the Lord...

Ave Crux, Spes Unica!

Ave Crux, Spes Unica! Hail Cross, the Only Hope! The day we have been waiting and getting ready for for many days, have finally come. The Jubilee Cross visiting all parishes of Diocese of Musoma during the centenary year of Christianity in our diocese, has come to our parish in Kiabakari after a lovely handover Mass at Butiama parish...

Anticipation

Anticipation creeping in in bucket loads. Tomorrow it will be Kiabakari parish turn to welcome the Jubilee Cross in its boundaries. The strong representation of the parish will go to Butiama to participate in the farewell Mass in the parochial church there. At the end of the Mass Butiama will hand over the Jubilee Cross to us. The seventeen days journey of the Cross through all corners of the parish will begin...

Two Signs

Just a while ago I have finished the Holy Mass of the Solemnity of the Birth of Saint John the Baptist. As today is Friday, this Mass was the last event of the recollection day in the shrine, which dates back, as I wrote on my occasions, to 1994 when we were about to begin the construction of the parochial church, and has been continuing for 17 years now on each and every Friday of the year without interruption till today...