Missionaries of Africa
Initial Formation

Stagiaires' Meeting: 21st - 26th February 2005

Venue: Atiman House, Dar es Salaam

Participants:

From Tanzania/Kenya/Sudan AWOTWI, Charles (Gh)(2nd Yr) CHEMBE, Leander (Zm)(2nd Yr) CHITEMBEYA, (Zm)(2nd Yr) POTOCKI, Marek (Pol)(2nd Yr) UJWIGOWA, Richard (Cg)(2nd Yr) DOGUILES, Lito (Ph)(1st Yr) SHEHU, Victor (Ng)(1st Yr) TIENDREBEOGO Gaetan (BF)(1st Yr)

From Ethiopia SUZE,David(Cg)(2nd Yr) NGULUBE,Moses (Zm)(1st Yr) From Uganda DYDZIK, Marcin (Pol)(2nd Yr) ELICOR, Michael (Ph)(1st Yr) KALENGWE, Seba (Cg)(1st Yr)

DYER, Bill (USA)(Animator)

Introduction:

Bill officially opened the meeting on Monday evening, 21st February. Each participant was asked to introduce himself, while all enjoyed some simple refreshments. We then modified the proposed timetable to suit our needs and found "volunteers" to assure the smooth functioning of the meeting.

The next morning we started our first full workday with a recollection given by John Slinger, Provincial Tan/Ken/Sud. He helped us to reflect on the community, determining whether it has been a source of support or stress and what has been our contribution to building the communities in which we are stationed. During the personal sharing, we noticed that generally the community is a source of support, however, there are some situations when life in community is stressful. All feel that community is necessary and is part of our identity.

On Tuesday afternoon we did a brainstorming about our hopes and expectations for this meeting. The results were as follows:
-- have a chance to share about community life, our work experiences, our
faith; learn from one another's experiences
-- be together with other stagiaires to relax and enjoy one another's company
-- get a better idea of what lies ahead for us 1st year stagiaires
-- make some proposals for improving the stage

Work method:
To help us get the maximum out of our limited time together, Bill conducted short
surveys before each our sharing sessions. This gave us a chance to get some background material for our exchanges and avoid a lot of repetition.

The main topics for our consideration were these: Stage Appointment, Community Life,
Spiritual Life, Apostolate, Impact of the Chapter, Transitions and Suggestions on Improving
the Stage.

Stage Appointment:
Through the survey, we discovered that nine of us are working in parishes (4 rural
and 5urban) and four of us are working on projects. The stage appointments of ten of us match the preferences we expressed during the Spiritual Year. The remaining three found that they matched only somewhat.
As we see it, all of our appointments fit the objectives of the Society in one way or another. Eight of us are involved with matters touching JPIC issues, the marginalized, AIDS ministry and the youth. Four are doing primary evangelization and three are doing work in the realm of dialogue and encounter. (These categories are often overlapping.)
We also had a look at the more practical aspects of our stage. Eleven of us had an organized course to help us learn the language. Two did not but had to make do more or less on their own. Some effort (perhaps insufficient) was made by the provinces to initiate the stagiaires to the history and culture of the people among whom they live and work.
Another practical aspect of the stage is obtaining a driver's license. Of the thirteen stagiaires at the meeting, seven had already obtained their license for driving a car and six for driving a motorbike. The rest will soon get theirs.
The five second-year stagiaires in TKS, had all taken the IELTS (the English exam required by Tanganza) and all had passed the exam. The other second year stagiaires will be taking the exam in March.
Organizationally the stage went well for us and eleven out of thirteen of us felt that they had been sufficiently supported by the one in charge of stagiaires at the provincial level.
At this point, ten of us said that, after ordination, we would like to return to the country of our stage. Two would rather go to another country, whilst one seemed undecided.

Having looked at those practical matters, we then turned to the more important questions concerning our life as stagiaires; questions which would lend themselves to sharing and reflection.

Community Life
Desirous of sharing our experiences, we were first asked to give some precise information about our particular situations. We discovered that, with two exceptions, we were all living in communities of three or more Missionaries of Africa, in addition to the stagiaire. Almost all felt that they were well received in their respective communities, which had been prepared in varying degrees for the arrival of a stagiaire. Half of us had the experience of having some one in the community clearly designated to be in charge of the stagiaire. The others were in situations, which were less clear. In ten communities they have meetings once a month. Several others have meetings less frequently. All said they spend a good bit of time talking about scheduling the work and tending to house maintenance. Many do have opportunities to have more in-depth sharing. The majority of the communities have monthly recollections (community, diocesan or sector). Over half the stagiaires benefited from a "midterm evaluation" given top them orally by their community. This was requested two years ago by the stagiaires and is seen as a good way to give the stagiaires practical feedback.

Having gathered this background information, we then shared our experiences of support and care received from our communities. The support and care of the community were especially felt during difficult moments and times of discouragement i.e. sickness, funerals. Nevertheless there were also situations when we felt frustrations, resentments, anger, stress and even hurt. As regards these negative feelings and experiences, it was generally remarked that their main causes are: lack of trust, openness, and appreciation; habitual, negative criticism and racist remarks and attitudes; jumping to conclusions and blaming; a pyramidal approach to community life, supposing a top-down style of communication, rather than a circular approach, entailing a whole network of inter-communication.
Through our exchanges, we found that it isn't enough to notice the difficulties and to identify their causes. We also need to learn ways of handling such stressful situations both now and in the future. One way is to bring these matters to the attention of those directly involved. Such issues should also be discussed during community meetings. We need to recognize that different people have different ways of viewing the same reality. Those differences have to be taken into account by all concerned, beginning with ourselves. Listening to others and asking them questions can be a helpful way to foster real communication and to avoid misunderstandings and stressful situations

Spiritual Life
A short survey of our spiritual and personal lives brought forth the following information. All of us have chosen our spiritual companions and have regular meetings with them, usually every second month. Half of us have a day off every week while the other half do not. Seven have taken their annual local leave; six have yet to do so. Eight have done their annual retreat; five have not yet done theirs. Nine do quiet, personal prayer on daily basis and have a fixed time for it. Others do it several times a week. The majority did not find it conducive having quiet personal prayer in a church/chapel with other confrères. Rather private rooms are seen more appropriate for personal prayer. It was evident from our sharing that we also take spiritual reading seriously. Most of us are able to do it several times a week. Others do it daily. Prayer was found to be important for us, especially in stressful situations. It is an opportunity to recognize concretely that the Lord is our strength and hope, the focus of our lives, both in our relationships with other community members and in our relationships with those among whom we live and work.

Challenges in living the Evangelical Counsels:

Poverty
In our exchanges, it became clear that the challenge here was not primarily a question of money. In fact we found that we all seem to have managed fairly well with our monthly allowances. Most of us shared about other situations where we really felt the challenge of poverty. These included the difficulty and frustrations associated with learning a new language, sometimes coupled with comparisons (by the wider community) with our predecessors; requests made to us for material help; relationships which seem to be animated by material benefit; being despised because of country of origin or religious affiliation. In many of these situations we felt quite powerless and we received them as so many opportunities to recognize our own poverty and accept it as a means of drawing closer to the poor around us and to the Lord.

Chastity
In our sharing on this topic, many mentioned that it was not easy talking about matters concerning sexuality in their communities. A good number of confreres seem to be ill at ease with the whole domain of sexuality and with relationships with women in particular. Some shared that, in the societies in which they live, there is a distinct separation between the sexes in almost all aspects of daily life. Nevertheless there are discrete signs here and there which turn out to be invitations to sexual relations. These are very tempting and are not always easy to handle. For some of the people among whom we live and work the concept of chastity in celibacy is unthinkable and that makes people doubt the possibility of living this counsel. Some shared their experience of homosexual advances being made to them by some local people. These came as something of a surprise and were perceived as a call to be vigilant and prudent. We also saw that there is the temptation for one to go along with the stream of the local culture and of the global culture, where physical expression of one's sexuality has almost become the order of the day. Striking a balance between our commitment to chastity and relating with people without compensating or taking flight is one of the biggest challenges we face as stagiaires.

Obedience
Our challenges with regard to obedience include the following: lack of clear and distinct communication of decisions and proposals in the community, which sometimes leads to misunderstandings; lack of openness and dialogue; the difficulty of finding a balance in cases where there are differing convictions and points of view as regards to certain things with those in authority. We need to take steps to try to understand, to develop a sense of the relative and, in some cases, acquire the ability to let go. Approaches such as co-responsibility, dialogue and a sense of the other can be very helpful in living this counsel.

Apostolate:

For most of us, the community suggested a variety of apostolic tasks in which we might become involved. In a few cases, the stagiaire had to search on his own in order to find appropriate activities. All of us are involved in activities where the focus is on children and youth. These activities usually entail teaching, animating church groups or movements and organizing sports. Depending on the circumstances in which we find ourselves, some of us conduct liturgical services in the outstations and participate in meetings of Small Christian Communities. These activities are focused on adults and call for teaching and facilitating. A good number of us have also been asked to take care of the finances of our communities, including the purchasing of food.

Liturgical services, teaching and giving seminars are the kinds of work most of us found the most fulfilling. On the other hand, some found rather troublesome the work relating to the kitchen and finances. In this area, difficulties often arose with regard to an apparent lack of trust and to conflicting areas of responsibility. Moreover we felt the limits of our competence and experience when we were asked to intervene in matters touching relationships between parents and children, women's issues, and counseling on sexuality.

A Broader Perspective:

The 2004 Chapter

Most of us feel that, having participated in sector meetings (several were even present at the Post Capitular Assembly), the Chapter has given us an increased sense of belonging to the Society and a fuller appreciation of our charisms. Nevertheless some of us are a bit disconcerted by the fact that one of our key problems remains the lack of a clear and common vision of our mission. We are afraid about the future of the Society.

Transitions :

All of us affirmed that the preparation session for the stage, which we had in the Spiritual Year, gave us a good psychological preparation as well as some practical suggestions on how to face the challenges of the stage.

Looking to the future, most of us see the 4th phase as quite a challenge. It will mean going back to serious academic life again, being once more a student and being treated as such. This would be a new "culture" altogether. At times we might even find it difficult to get used to not having all the responsibilities we had during the stage.

All of us would like the stage kept as part of the initial formation programme of the Society, as it gives the candidate a foretaste and vision of future missionary life. It also builds our self-confidence. Our positive experiences during the stage have confirmed our missionary vocation, increased our self-knowledge and made us more aware of the necessity of our being trusting and open towards others. Even from our negative experiences we have learned something worthwhile. As missionaries we must be patient and generous. It is very important for us to see the positive in the people to whom we minister and to make that the focus of our conversations. We also have to be realistic. We all have our limits. We can't do everything we are asked or would like to do. We must also recognize that in carrying out our part of Christ's mission, we can't please everybody all of the time!

Suggestions for Improving Stage

1. Let the stagiaire choose who should be in charge of him in the community in which he is stationed.
2. Some accounting skills should be given to our candidates so that, during the stage, they can make clear accounts and manage the funds of the community efficiently.
3. Define more clearly the tasks entrusted to the stagiaire and the expectations the community have of him.
4. The stagiaires' meeting could be combined with a retreat as is done in some provinces.
5. The provinces should make funds available to stagiaires for facilitating projects, which stem from their apostolic commitments.
6. Improve communications between the stagiaires and confrères in charge of them.
7. Regular meetings of stagiaires
8. All would like to have an organized language course
9. Both the provinces and the welcoming communities should try to ensure continuity in the work of the stagiaire after his departure

Concluding Remarks:

It is clear from this report that we accomplished a lot of work during those days we spent together. But all was not work. On Thursday, we took time out and went to Bagamoyo to get in touch with our missionary roots at the Mission Museum and at the Mission Cemetery. It is in fact in Bagamoyo that the first Missionaries of Africa arrived in Tanzania. We rounded off the day with a fraternal meal shared at a popular, outdoor restaurant in Dar es Salaam.
At the end of the meeting, we looked back at our expectations and we discovered that, for the most part, the meeting had met our expectations. We left full of joy and hope, generally happy to be in the initial formation programme of the Missionaries of Africa, and ready to face the challenges which lie ahead.

Awotwi, Charles
Ngulube, Moses

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