Fr. Patrick Chisanga OFM Conventual; new Bishop of Mansa

Dear All,

Good news!

We have a new Bishop for Mansa.

Fr. Patrick Chisanga OFM Conventual. He was the provincial of the Conventuals between 2008 and 2012 in Zambia.

While we wish him a fruitful episcopate we also welcome back our Mike with warm hands. It has been a long road! Welcome back Mike and congratulations!

Christopher Chileshe, SAP Provincial

Pope appoints Fr Chisanga Mansa bishop

By Masuzyo Chakwe, The Post Newspaper Sun 01 Dec. 2013

POPE Francis has appointed Fr Patrick Chisanga as the new bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Mansa.
According to Zambia Episcopal Conference spokesperson Fr Paul Samasumo, Fr Chisanga was a Franciscan priest of a religious congregation within the Catholic Church known as the Order of Friars Minor Conventual.

“Fr Chisanga is currently a lecturer of Psychology at St Bonaventure College in Lusaka’s Makeni township. The Diocese of Mansa has had no substantive Bishop since the retirement of Bishop Aaron Chisha on 15 January 2009. Fr Michael Merizzi, a missionary priest of the White Fathers, has been the Apostolic Administrator. Fr Merizzi will continue to be in charge of the Diocese of Mansa until the Bishop-elect, Fr Chisanga, is ordained as Bishop of Mansa, on a date to be announced,” he stated.

He stated that Fr Chisanga was born on the Copperbelt in Kamuchanga, Mufulira on May 16, 1971 and completed his secondary school education at the minor seminary of Ndola Diocese in 1990.
After school, he joined the Order of Friars Minor Conventual and upon completion of training as a Franciscan student studying philosophy and theology, Fr Chisanga was ordained a priest on June 27, 1999 in Ndola.

In 2006, Fr Chisanga obtained a doctoral degree in clinical psychology at the Gregorian University in Rome, Italy.

Since his ordination as a priest, Fr Chisanga has served the Church in various capacities as a parish priest, director of formation for the Franciscans, in charge of the Franciscans here in Zambia and as a senior lecturer of Psychology at St Bonaventure College.

ZAMBIE – Nomination de l’Évêque de Mansa

Cité du Vatican (Agence Fides) – Le Saint-Père François, en date du 30 novembre 2013, a nommé Evêque du Diocèse de Mansa, en Zambie, le Père Patrick Chisanga, O.F.M. Conv., ancien Ministre provincial de l’Ordre des Frères mineurs conventuels en Zambie.

Le nouvel Evêque est né le 16 mai 1971 à Kamuchanga, dans le Diocèse de Ndola. Une fois achevés l’école primaire à Buyantanshi et le collège, à Mufulira – Ndola, il a été admis au Petit Séminaire de Ndola. En 1990, il est entré comme Postulant au sein de l’Ordre des Frères mineurs conventuels. Il a effectué son Noviciat à Solwezi et a émis ses vœux temporaires en 1992. Après avoir achevé ses études de Philosophie et de Théologie, il a émis ses voeux perpétuels à Nairobi en 1998. Il a été ordonné prêtre le 27 juin 1999.

Après son ordination sacerdotale, il a exercé les ministères suivants : 1999-2001 : Curé de Saints Michel et Noé à Kitwe, 2001-2002 : Vice-gardien et formateur au Collège Bonaventure de Regina Pacis à Chawama-Lusaka, 2002-2006 : Etudes supérieures en Psychologie à Rome près l’Université pontificale grégorienne, 2006-2008 : Gardien et Directeur de la formation des étudiants en Théologie près le Makeny Friary de Lusaka, simultanément, enseignant de Psychologie au Collège Bonaventure de Lusaka, 2008-2012 : Ministre provincial des Frères mineurs conventuels de la Province de Zambie et Malawi. Il est actuellement professeur au Collège Bonaventure de Lusaka. (SL) (Agence Fides 30/11/2013)

Anti-Slavery campaign in the Southern Africa Province

125^th Anniversary of Cardinal Lavigerie’s Anti-Slavery campaign.

Many events and initiatives at the level of SAP during the year

As I am writing these lines, one of the major events organised at the level of SAP to mark the 125^th anniversary of Lavigerie’s Anti-Slavery campaign, has just come to an end. Initially, it had been envisaged that a bus highlighting the Anti-Slavery campaign would tour through all the sectors of the Province picking up and dropping off people as it went along. As it was, the Mozambique sector was the only one able to organise this aspect of the campaign. A minibus set off from Beira on 29^th August and travelled to Tete, the boom town along the Zambezi River, picking up some people from our parishes of Dombe and Sussundenga. A two day awareness event was organised in Tete and the same happened in Chimoio a week later. Hundreds of people took part. The final event took place in Beira, at the Nazaré centre, from 12^th to 15^th September 2013. Conferences, debates, drama, radio and television interviews took place and there was a 4-day-long continuous and interested involvement of some 80 participants. This was a considerable achievement for our confreres in Mozambique.

By Claudio Zuccala, M.Afr

FULL TEXT

TEXTE COMPLET EN FRANÇAIS

Present Magazine December 2013

Greetings! From the East where all the wise left to pitch tents up in the North. Currently, it is rather warm and dry here, but hopefully God will be merciful to send us some few drops of his blessings.
The “Come and See” session is going on well with six young men. Yesterday, we had the opportunity to visit Navutika, Mary Mother of God Parish which is in being looked after by our humorous and zealous Missionary, Abambo Joe.
The Parish is very young but full of life with a diversity of pastoral activities to explore. It was interesting to go and see what is happening up there. FULL TEXT

The Institution of Acolytes in Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Theology Students in Abidjan 2013

We are very glad to share with you our joy of a very important event that we had on the 15th November 2013. On that special day, we had a festival Eucharistic celebration where the official institution of 12 acolytes took place. Among the twelve instituted as acolytes were Paul Kitha from Malawi and Mukuka Humphrey from Zambia. The Eucharistic celebration was presided by Emmanuel NG’ONA, who is also one of the members of the General Council for the Society of the Missionaries of Africa. This is because it was the same week our community (Fraternité Lavigerie) had an official visit of Emmanuel NG’ONA and Jean-Michel Laurent the secretary to formation. We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to all those who have been supporting us in different ways. We will equally keep praying for you so that our God of love will continue being the light of yourlife. Our hope and expectation is that we become faithful servants of the Lord at all time through this ministry of acolyte. By Mukuka Humphrey and Makambi Kitha Paul 

Humphrey Mukuka

Paul Kitha

 

Conference on Mission – FENZA – 7th December

CONFERENCE ON MISSION

THEME: NEW PERSPECTIVES IN MISSION,

THE CHALLENGE FOR NEW PARADIGMS

“As the Father sent me, so am I sending you” (Jn. 20:21);

“Go out to the whole world; proclaim the gospel to all creation…” (Mk. 16:15).

How do you evangelise a man, a woman or indeed a youth who rarely or never goes to church but is all the time on the Internet “facebooking”, “twittering” and “smsing”? How do you reach out to a person who belongs to another religion? Which methodology is relevant to our context of a globalised and digitalised world?

Hear more about new ways of connecting people to Jesus Christ, moving from old to new ways of mission with continuity and discontinuity.

WHERE: At Faith and Encounter Centre (FENZA) Bauleni, behind St. Mathias Catholic Church.

WHEN: Saturday 7^th December 2013, From 14.00hrs to 17.00hrs

SPEAKERS:     

Fr. Laston Lupupa

Rev. Ezron Musonda

Fr. Marc Nsanzurwimo

We hope to see on Saturday 7^th December at 14.00hrs

FENZA Team