September 08, 2016
Rutete, Bukoba Catholic Diocese, Tanzania

Dear Father General,

Habari? Greetings from Tanzania!

We would like to give you some news from here in Tanzania since you left on the 24th of July. In our first month here, some of the diocesan clergy who were not able to attend the inauguration on the 17th of July were coming to visit us and to personaly welcome us in the Bukoba Diocese. We experienced the warm welcome from every priest that we met here as well as from the religious (women) in the diocese.

The parish is composed of 43 Small Christian Communities from the 15 villages entrusted to our care. For now we already visited some of the villages and celebrated Mass there but we are not yet reaching half of them. We have 3 sub-stations, including the parish center.

Here are some of the highlights of our stay here:

1. Since the 31st of July, Holy Eucharist are being celebrated every Sunday in the said sub-stations with the help of our parish catechists. During weekdays, the Holy Eucharist is being celebrated in the parish center at 7:00 in the morning. It was wonderful that during weekdays an average of 40-50 Christians are attending the celebration of the Holy Eucharist including children who are attending the Mass before going to school for their class. But during Sunday, the church is always full that the children (around 300 children) need to occupy the space of the sanctuary and some are standing outside. Every Friday afternoon, we celebrate Mass in the parish center for the students of primary and secondary school.

2. We started our informal class in Swahili last August 02 with a teacher from the neigbhoring village but some problems were encountered along the way. Now, we have a new intructor, a retired teacher who is also a volunteer of the parish. At present, we can slowly talk in simple Swahili and understand some of the conversations but we are still far on the way. We really need to learn the language because only few people here can speak and understand English.

3. August 06: We, including some of the parishioners, attended the annual visit of WAWATA (Wanawake Wakatoliki Tanzania- Catholic Women of Tanzania) of the Bukoba Diocese in Rutabo- St. John Bosco Preparatory Seminary. All the parishes of the diocese are bringing goods for the seminary as part of their support in the formation. It was also intended to raise funds for the seminary. The occasion was well attended by the 2 bishops, the clergy, civic leaders and the WAWATA.

Currently, we have 3 seminarians from the parish studying in the said level of formation.

4. August 07: The election for the new leaders of the Parish was conducted. We already have the Parish Pastoral Council and officers of different sub-stations and organizations. All the leaders were already sworn into office.

5. August 10: We attended the first meeting of the Deanery in Kishogo Parish (nearby Rutete).

6. As of the 13th of August, we alternate in presiding the Mass and proclaiming the Gospel everyday, including Sunday. The reflection is being given either by Fr. Erick or by one of the catechists. Hopefully, we can start delivering even a short reflection before the end of the month.

7. Last August 15, we had a simple celebration for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Ina ng Pag-asa (Philippines) Province Day, and the independence day of India.

8. We also started other pastoral works such as: home visitation and blessing of their houses, communion of the sick and elderly, and Annointing of the Sick.

9. August 19: We had our first monthly community recollection facilitated by Fr. Manuel dela Cruz, MS.

10. We asked Fr. Deodatus Katunzi and Fr. Erick Muganyizi to help us in translating La Salette prayers and Mass. We already had the Kiswahili translation of the Solemnity Mass of Our Lady of La Salette, the Memorare and the Invocation. The Bishop already approved the translation for its official use. The translation of La Salette story is still in the process.

11. August 25: We were informed that Fr. Erick was re-assigned by the Bishop to the seminary. Fr. Reginald Kashakuro is our new companion here, replacing Fr. Erick. We, with the Christians, had a simple send-off ceremony for him.

12. We already conducted the meeting with the Pastoral Council regarding the preparation for the Feast Day celebration on September 19. Next meeting was set on September 12 to finalize all that we had agreed upon. We sent invitation to all the clergy and religious of the diocese for the Feast Day although we do not expect that all can come because some parishes and religious houses are far from the parish. His Excellency Desiderius Rwoma is not yet confirming his availability for the celebration.

13. The vehicle that the Generalate purchased for the use of our local community had arrived last September 04, Sunday. Now, we have a better mobility for pastoral and community necessities.

On the lighter side: from the Christians of the parish, at present, we have 1 dog, 1 cattle, 3 pigs, 11 goats, 30 chickens, 2 ducks and 9 rabbits. Fr. Erick hired a boy to take care of the animals. He also hired 2 girls to take care of the house and of the cooking plus a guard at night and a parish office secretary.

We thank you for the support that the General Council is giving us and also of the whole congregation in any manner. Please continue to include us, our mission here in Tanzania and the people of this community in your prayers.

In Christ and Mary,

Fr. Aldrin H. Cenizal, MS

Lord, into your loving care, we entrust the Second International Meeting of La Salette Laity. May you be blessed for the big La Salette Family: Religious Priests, Brothers, Sisters and Laity. You have made it fruitful around the world. In the preparation for this meeting Lord, we want to be active participants; we want to be deeply concerned and pray for the success of these ten days.

We pray for all the participants, delegates of their Province, that they may work in the spirit of openness, in conviviality and brotherhood. May they take advantage of this time to know more deeply the message of the Beautiful Lady, so that they may more effectively “Make it known to all”. May they be nourished by the dialogue and sharing and the experiences of being with their brothers and sisters. May this special time in their Life as Christians help them to become better signs and agents of reconciliation.

Lord, allow us to listen to you, in order to know your Will. May the unceasing action of the Holy Spirit allow us to actualize new ways of fraternal communion and collaboration for evangelization. May this meeting be a wonderful opportunity for all present to experience being Church together, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love, of tenderness, and of mercy, who will give us the courage to work for the advancement of the Kingdom.

May Mary, the Beautiful Lady of La Salette, the Mother of the Church and our Mother, strengthen our unity. May she guide and accompany us, La Salette Laity, and especially the participants, so that this meeting be rich in its sharing and result in meaningful projects towards the fulfillment of our mission. Through her intercession, we ask that the Lord bless this meeting of 2016 so that our sense of oneness may be deepened.

Our Lady of La Salette, Reconciler of sinners, pray without ceasing for us who have recourse to you.

July 27, 2016

“Very well, my children, make this known to all my people.” Mary at La Salette.

Dear Brothers,

These few lines are being sent to you the day after our return to Rome from Tanzania, where Adilson and I have lived unforgettable moments, which certainly are very historical, with the opening of a La Salette Community in Rutete, in the Diocese of Bukoba, Tanzania, in conjunction with the commemoration of the 170th anniversary of the Apparition and the celebration of the extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis.

The road of discernment, which lasted a few years, involving the Diocese of Bukoba, the General Council, the Council of the Congregation and the whole Congregation, happily culminated on the 15th of July 2016 with the arrival of our three confreres in Tanzanian soil in order to begin the first La Salette presence in that country.

On Sunday, 17th of July, Fr. Adilson Schio, M. S. Vicar with General, Fr. Rosanno Soriano, M. S. Provinvial Superior of the Philippines and myself with the three Missionaries: Fr. Manuel dela Cruz, M. S. (Philippines) Fr. Dileesh Poriamvelil, M.S. (India) and Fr. Aldrin Cenizal, M. S. (Philippines), accompanied by Bishop Desiderius Rwoma, the Ordinary of the Diocese of Bukoba, and Bishop Methodius Kilaini, Auxiliary Bishop, were welcomed by a dozen of Diocesan Priests and around three thousand enthusiastic and festive faithful, who, escaping the scorching sun, sheltered themselves under temporary tents put up by volunteers for the occasion, around and in front of the covered outdoor altar constructed for the occasion.

During the Mass, which lasted around 4 and a half hours, 197 children were baptized by our missionaries; and 12 couples celebrated their wedding. At the end of the celebration, the Bishop blessed and enthroned the Statue of Our Lady of La Salette, and introduced the missionaries to the faithful, thus marking official the beginning of La Salette presence in this wonderful country of Tanzania. Before this, at the homily the Bishop officially announced that the new Parish will be under the patronage of Our Lady of La Salette. This decision tells all and describes the climate of warm and enthusiastic and sincere welcome (Karibu in Kiswahili) to our three Missionaries and the profound gratitude to and appreciation of our Congregation by the Diocese of Bukoba.

After lunch the festivities continued until around 6:30 with songs and dances typical of the region, and the giving of many gifts to our Missionaries among which were 7 small goats, a dozen chicken, some rabbits and a gas stove. They also offered different vestments and other sacred materials for the liturgical celebrations.

The residence which will house our confreres, constructed by the parishioners, is modest but adequate and with very welcoming atmosphere. It has electricity, but lacks running water for the moment. Each of the priests has a private room with bath and an adjacent study. There are common rooms: small parlor, a dining room, both are well ventilated, and a small kitchen, and a still empty supply room.

Foreseeing the initial difficulty of learning the language, a diocesan priest has been assigned by the Bishop to be with our confreres for a few months to help them learn the language and the culture of the people, at least until they have acquired a basic knowledge of Kiswahili. We have been very impressed and are grateful to Fr. Eric for his willingness to share his time and talents with our missionaries during this period.

In the name of the entire Congregation I would like to express my gratitude, first of all, to the three Confreres who have made themselves available to begin this new Mission, a totally new missionary experience in Tanzania. Of course our sincere gratitude goes to their Provinces of origin, Philippines and India, for having responded to the call of the General to establish this new presence of the Congregation in the Diocese of Bukoba.

As I have pointed out to them: Fr. Manuel, Fr. Dileesh, and Fr. Aldrin are not in Tanzania on their own account, but in the name of the Congregation in response to the request of the local church.

Our stay in Bukoba also gave us the opportunity to finalize and sign a contract between the Diocese of Bukoba and the Congregation that stipulates the length conditions of our presence in that local church.

I entrust the beginning and the development and growth of this new mission to the Virgin of La Salette, our patron and advocate, that she may sustain and bless this missionary endeavor of the Congregation, in this 170th anniversary of her merciful Apparition on the Holy Mountain. I also wish that the prayer of each one of us, and that of thousands of La Salette Laity spread all over the world, accompany every step of this journey and every effort of our dear confreres in the land of Tanzania. They have the sacred task of announcing the Gospel of Jesus and of making known the message of reconciliation, hope and mercy of the Beautiful Lady.

Finally, I send you the e-mail addresses of our First Missionaries in Tanzania, for you to be able to send to them your greetings, as a sign of our fraternal solidarity:

Fr. Manuel dela Cruz, M.S.: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Fr. Dileesh Poriamvelil, M.S.: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Fr. Aldrin Cenizal, M.S,: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Fraternally yours,

Fr. Silvano Marisa, M. S.

On 13 and 14 May in Salmata we held a symposium with the participation of the Provincials and delegates from all the provinces of the Congregation dedicated to the theme of the Jubilee in the context of Apparition at La Salette. Topics of the conferences have been developed by individual provinces.
Here is a list of topics:
1. Jubilee in the Old Testament (Fr. Janusz/Poland)
2. The Christ event and the proclamation of the Kingdom as a jubilee experience (France)
3. The jubilee experience in the history of the Church (Angola)
4. USA) Some problematic aspects of the Christian jubilee (Indulgence, Pilgrimage) (USA)
5. The Jubilee mentality and economic system (Brazil)
6. The jubilee as a paradigm of moral experience (India)
7. The psycho-social implications of the jubilee ( Philippines)
8. The jubilee as a lasting form of justice and peace (Argentina)
9. The jubilee experience in the Congregation (Madagascar)
10. A jubilee Theology of the apparition : the event, message, prospects. (Gian Matteo Roggio)

The symposium was attended by Silvano Marisa General and members of the General Council (Fr. Adilson Schio, Father. Henry Przeździecki) The representatives of the provinces were Fr. Alfredo Velarde (Argentina), Fr.. Edegar Silva Junior, Fr. Luis Carlos Lores, Fr. Ivo Lisaki (Brazil); Fr. Louis de Pontbriand, Fr. Andrzej Zontek (France); Fr. Piotr Cieplak (Poland); Fr. Heliodoro Santiago Bernardos, Fr. Celeste Cerroni, Fr. Jean Pierre Rabenimanana (Italy); Fr. Avelino Sangameya (Angola); Fr. Philip Naw Aung (Myanmar); Fr. Rene Butler, Fr. Ernest Corriveau (USA); Fr. Rosano Soriano (Philippines); Fr. Romuald Rakotondraibe, Fr. Jean Wenceslas Rakotomahefa (Madagascar); Fr. Biju Abraham, Father. Roy Parayil (India); Fr. Janusz Kręcidło and Father. Gian Matteo Roggio, (Theological Commission).

Below we present the video recording of the first part of the meeting.
The next part will be published as they become available
2 Part Fr. Janusz Kręcidło https://youtu.be/LtPJWk6j1os
3 Part French Province https://youtu.be/fjLphA3oXh8
4 Part American Province https://youtu.be/i3j3uDJW93g

Dear Confreres and friends of La Salette,

It is with great joy that I inform you that, through the initiative of Father Manuel dos Reis Bonfim, Rector of the Shrine of La Salette (France), Pope Francis will officially crown the statue of Our Lady of La Salette on Wednesday, May 18, 2016.

The brief and moving ceremony take place immediately after the General Audience in the St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City. On that occasion those invited to greet the Pope personally will include Fr. Manuel, Rector of the Shrine, some members of the La Salette General Council of the Congregation, Fr. Joseph Antin, Vicar General of the Diocese of Grenoble, Sr. Elisabeth, Superior General of the Sisters of Our Lady of La Salette, the Honorable Gilda Perrin, Mayor of La Salette-Fallavaux, among others.

I will take advantage of this grace-filled meeting with Pope Francis to renew the Congregation’s invitation to visit the Shrine of La Salette in France during this Jubilee Year of Mercy and the 170th Anniversary of the Apparition.

The Audience and the ceremony of the Crowning of the Virgin can be followed  on the Vatican website. You may also find it on local stations which ordinarily show the Pope’s Wednesday General Audiences, such as EWTN or Italian Television.

Given the particular importance of this moment and the undeniable relevance for the entire Congregation, I invite every community and each individual member to unite themselves with us this coming Wednesday, May 18, in prayer and in thanking God for this auspicious event.

It will also be a good occasion to further our making known the Apparition of the Beautiful Lady and her message of reconciliation.

I hold all of you in prayer and blessing.

Fr. Silvano Marisa, M.S.,
La Salette Superior General, Rome, Italy

The new La Salette Shrine Silang website is now accessible at www.lasaletteshrinesilang.net. Comments and suggestions are encourage for the improvement of the site.

Thank you!

Fr. Elmer ms