Brazil - Mexico - Poland - Philippines - India

Opening up to Continents other than Europe and North America is of rather recent date
in the Society of Missionaries of Africa. This opening up began in the course of the 80s
and continued in the following years.

In this way the communities of Brazil and Mexico started in 1984, followed a year later by Poland,
then by the Philippines in 1991 and India in 1992. This openness is not primarily
for an increase in the numerical membership of the Society by way of recruitment.

Instead, it has in view the possibilities thus afforded for a greater variety in culture and Christian experience
at the heart of the Missionary family.

Brazil: the Curitiba Community .

Situated in Paraná State, 500 km south of Sao Paulo, this community fulfils three tasks: vocation and Missionary promotion for the Mission in Africa, Missionary training for young Brazilians and pastoral activities for a parish with 4 outstations.

L'équipe missionnaire est composée d' un ancien du Mozambique, le Père Odilo Cougil (Espagnol), qui s'occupe de la formation missionnaire des jeunes avec le Père Angelo Quim Hum Lee, d'origine chinoise et mozambicaine,. . Enfin, l'un des pionniers, qui fit partie de la toute première équipe en 1984, le Père Hubert Roy, originaire d'Angers (France), aide à la paroisse

Missionary of Africa communities in Mexico

The first house of the Society in Mexico was opened in November, 1984. The first candidates were accepted late in 1987.
The first ordination, that of Fidel Salazar del Muro, took place in 1995 and there have been a total of eight ordinations including that of Oscar Arturo Gonzalez Padilla in 2005. At the present time only 6 are still active:

Fidel Salazar del Muro, superior of the Mexican section of the province of ANA
Cristóbal Padilla G. in Mali.
Salvador Munoz Ledo Rubalcaba in Kisangani, Congo
Sergio Villasenor Salinas, stationed at the promotion community of Queretaro, Mexico.
Oscar Gonzalez Padilla in Ghana.
Victor Gonzalez Fregoso is currently in Mexico in a period of discernment.

We have just completed a process of opening a second community in the country and moving the formation first cycle there.
The community in Queretaro, a medium sized city only 200 kilometers from the capital, has our administration and promotion center.

Stationed there are the Superior, Jesus Maria Velasco from Spain.
Francis Thibault of Canada
Sergio Villasenor Salinas of Mexico

Formatorrs, Students, Provincial and Superior General

In Guadalajara where the formation program was moved in 2005 and where we just moved into a large new house we have four members:
Fidel Salazar del Muro, Superior, Mexico
Bernard Tremblay, Rector, Canada
Robert McGovern, USA
Roland Babin, Associate member, Canada

The Blessing of this new house was on the 24th November 2007.

.
Blessing Day

Candidates
There are currently thirteen candidates at all levels of formation including six in Africa.
Candidates in Africa
Stage: Ismael Mendez Almaguer, Mali
Francisco Javier Ambrosio Vargaz, Mozambique
Jaime Cerda Rizo, Zambia
Novitiate in Zambia Cesar Roberto Gallindo Melchor
Carlos alonso Guzman Lopez
Novitiate in Burkina Faso Miguel Angel Hernandez Garcia
There are seven students in the first cycle in Guadalajara

In addition there is a community experience each year in Queretaro where some pre-candidates live in community for four months leading to a final discernment for entry into the first cycle in August.
In recent years vacation promotion efforts have been centered on press and mass media efforts especially using our web site which is now the initial contact for perhaps the majority of our vocations. When time permits our promotion man, Sergio Villasenor, participates in traditional meetings and encounters sponsored by the local church.
Each member of the two communities assists in the effort to familiarize the public with our mission and bring the project closer to financial self support through publications, African art, raffles, events, and attempts to establish a network of regular donors

For more : website

Photos

the Community at Lublin : Poland

Situated 150 km southeast of Warsaw, this community is run mainly by Polish Missionaries of Africa, with the addition of a series of confreres from other Provinces, to bear testimony to the international character of our Society.

Father Jacek Wróblewski is the Rector of the House of Formation. He is backed by confreres in charge of missionary and vocation promotion. Father Boguslaw Zero from Uganda, Adam Cytrynowski and Antoni Markowski from Tanzania, and Father Herman Cornelissen, Belgian, formerly in Burundi. He returned with eagerness 17 years after an initial stay. From seeing many students pass through its doors, the House of Formation now numbers three for 2007 - 2008 intake.

The 6 other Polish Missionaries of Africa are on Mission in Algeria (3), Tunisia (1) and Zambia (2).

For more website

Philippines: the Cebu community

The first five Filipino confreres took their Missionary Oath from 2001: Father Armand Galay is currently on Mission in Burundi, Father Bernard Monteron in Malawi. Father Luisito Poe Suarez, who is in Zambia, Walter Tubis ordained in 2005 is in Kinshasa D.R.C., and Coro Pancito Mulagao in Zambia

From l. to r. Fathers Charles Timoney, Thomas Schwiedessen, Bernard Monteron and Michele Vezzoli,

Thanks to the fine work of their predecessors, the two full-time Mission promoters, Bernard Monteron (Filipino) and Father Thomas Schwiedessen (German), devote a great deal of their time to visiting vocation clubs. These clubs bring young people together and in various towns they gather twice a month to pray, share and support one another in their interest in Africa and Missionary vocation.

..
Father Michele Vezzoli, an Italian confrere ( in the middle), Thomas on the right ,
Fr Charles Timoney behind on the left , Bernard on the left of Michele and the first on the other picture

Fr. Bernard Monteron, M.Afr. (Vocation Director) bamonteron@yahoo.com.ph ou bamonteron@skyinet.net
and
Fr. Thomas Schwiedessen, M.Afr. (Assistant Voc. Director) schwiedessen@yahoo.com ou
schwiedessen@skyinet.net

OUR STUDENTS

SPIRITUAL YEAR
Julius Ceasar Dela Cruz Maniego (28)
PASTORAL EXPERIENCE
Jurey Jame Dela Cerna (32) (Uganda)

THEOLOGY
Lito Garay Doguiles (38) (Nairobi) 2nd year

FIRST PHASE.
Ryan L.Contamina (24) 2nd year
Amoguis M. Alan (26) 1st year
Caputolan E. Clayb (26) 1st year
Galagate A. Romeo (30) 1st year
Robilla J. Geovannie (25) 1st year

………………………………………………………………………………
TOTAL STUDENTS IN FORMATION 8

ORDAINED
Bernard Amplayo Monteron (36) (Cebu) ord. 2002
Armand Galay Origenes (39) (Burundi) ord. 2002
Loloy Poe Suarez (37) (Zambia) ord. 2003
Walter Bargasa Tubis (34) (D.R.C. ) ord. 2005
Coro Pancito Mulagao (34) (Zambia) ord 2006

COMMUNITY AND FATHERS.
Community mafrcebu@skyinet.net
Students studscebu@skyinet.net
Bernard Amplayo Monteron (35) bamonteron@yahoo.com.ph ou bamonteron@skyinet.net
Thomas Schwiedessen (47) schwiedessen@yahoo.com ou schwiedessen@skyinet.net
Michele Vezzoli (66) michelevez@skyinet.net ou michelevz@yahoo.com

To see photos of ordination
Fr. Coro Pancito Mulagao

Photos of our house of Formation

India: the Bangalore Community

Located in Karnataka State, to the north-east of the better-known State of Kerala, the Bangalore community numbers 4 confreres, including one Missionary of Saint Thomas, and focuses on missionary promotion and the training of young men. Canadian Father Martin Grenier, is the Superior of the project. Formerly in Zambia, and in India since 1999, he is also in charge of the aspirants and of missionary and vocation promotion.

Dutch Father Cor de Visser is the Rector and in charge of candidates. Practically all his missionary life has been devoted to young men and their education, firstly in Uganda, then six years in Rome. He is in India since 2003.

Dutch Father Piet Kramer is the doyen of the community. In India since 2006, he is a teacher and a spiritual mentor.

Indian Father Biju John, Missionary of Saint Thomas, is the fourth member of the community. He is the third member of his Congregation to help us. We greatly appreciate his contribution and his presence among us.

... . .
Fr. Cor de Visser M.Afr, Fr. Martin Grenier M.Afr, Fr. Piet Kramer M.Afr, Fr. Biju John Mst

India amazes all those who discover its richness and diversity in its religions, cultures, traditions and languages. The young men who are interested in our vocation for Africa and who come to join the Bangalore community are therefore already, among themselves, a rich experience of intercultural life. As aspirants, they begin learning English as a language in common, before entering into Formation as such.

They then attend courses in philosophy at Suvidya College, run by the Missionaries of St Francis de Sales, (MSFS). Our candidates meet up there with 330 students from about twenty different Congregations

To see the photos

The Bangalore community, founded in 1991, can take pride in what it has already achieved.
Today, there are 35 Indian candidates in Formation: 19 in First Phase, 6 at the Kasama Spiritual Year, 4 in their second year of 'stage' and 6 in theology. Among these last-mentioned, there are two confrere deacons who will be ordained to the priesthood this year.
With the 12 aspirants from Bangalore and contacts made by confreres in this immense sub-continent, the future of the Society in India promises to be bright.