AFRAM Formation Board meeting

The AFRAM Formation Board (AFB) held its meeting at the Divine Word Catholic Conference Centre, Adoagyiri-Nsawam in Ghana from June7-12, 2009. The participants in the picture are: Front: Thomas D’Mello (Provincial of Ghana), George Angmor (GHA), Willibrord Kamion (CNG), Joseph Villas (ANG), Carlos Lima (KEN). Second Row: Theodore Kakanou (TOG), Xene Sanchez (Zonal Coordinator), Thomas Malipurathu (Generalate Secretary for Education and Formation), Jerome Agbeko (GHA), Joy Panamthanam (GHA). Third row: Wojciech Szypula (BOT), John Asiedu (GHA), Jerry Songcog (MAD). Back row: Mervin Norohana (KEN), Guy Mazola (CNG), Joshua Gariba (GHA), Alejandro Villasante (BOT). The major point on the agenda was the evaluation of the Common Formation Centres in Tamale (GHA), Langata (KEN) and Kinshasha (CNG) which have been in existence for fifteen years. The questionnaire that had been sent out to the three Common Formation Centres was reviewed. The evaluation by the past and actual students was ranging from good to very good. The meeting also tackled issues like: policies for students going on OTP, evaluation of candidates for final vows, acceptance of students from countries where there is no SVD presence, the implementation of the General Chapter resolution on the study of a foreign language (Spanish and English) in common formation centers and the exchange of formators. The AFB also approved the holding of ongoing formation courses for the formators. Some of the formators have had no formal training in formation while others see the benefits of regular updating. The Zone will plan a formation course for the full month of June 2011.

Statistical Glimpse of the AFRAM Zone as of 20.04.2009
***The total number of members in the zone, including novices and those in temporary vows, is 551. GHA has the highest number of members totaling 163. Mission TCD is the smallest with 4 members.
***From 2004-2008 there were 68 confreres from the zone who received their first assignments. Of the 68 confreres, there were 63 priests and 5 Brothers. Those who were assigned to the AFRAM zone were 41. Twenty seven confreres were assigned outside of AFRAM: ASPAC 7, EUROPA 1, and PANAM 19.
***The highest numbers of Brothers in perpetual vows are in GHA with 24 Brothers followed by CNG with 12 Brothers.
***The Zone has 5 Bishops, 350 priests and 63 Brothers in Perpetual vows.
***In the Zone, there are 8 Brothers in temporary vows, 108 scholastics and 17 novices.
***The median age of the zone is 41.43. The youngest province is KEN with 36.45. The oldest province is GHA with 43.91.
***The number of members in the zone from other continents are: EUROPA 111 from 12 countries of birth, AMERICAS 29 from 7 countries of birth and ASIA 164 from 5 countries of birth. The three highest numbers by countries of birth are Indonesia with 73, Poland with 68 and India with 53.
Data supplied by Catalogus Editor

BOTSWANA: Dedicated to St. Kizito

For most people in Africa June 3rd goes unnoticed. It is the celebration of the feast of the Ugandan martyrs. However, the Province of Botswana pays special attention to this day because the first SVD missionaries to Botswana dedicated this province to St. Kizito, the youngest of the Ugandan martyrs. This is the only SVD province dedicated to one of the Ugandan martyrs. It was 123 years ago when 45 Christian converts (22 Catholics and 23 Anglicans) were killed on the orders of Basamula Mwanga II, Kabaka of Uganda, after they refused to renounce their faith.

BULAWAYO (ZIMB): Archbishop elect of Bulawayo

On June 20, 2009, Vatican Radio announced that His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, has named our confrere, Fr. Alex Thomas Kaliyanil SVD, Ordinary of the Archdiocese of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. Fr. Kaliyanil is currently the Superior of our SVD Mission in Zimbabwe, recently detached from the BOT Province. Fr. Kaliyanil was appointed the first superior of the Zimbabwe Mission when the then Zimbabwe district of the Botswana Province was granted a separate and autonomous status in 2008. Zimbabwe was the Archbishop-elect’s first mission assignment. Aside from doing pastoral work in various places in the archdiocese of Bulawayo, he also held several responsibilities in the SVD Botswana province. He was a member of the Provincial Council from 1999 until 2001. In 2002, he was appointed the District Superior of Zimbabwe. For a term, he also served as treasurer of the Archdiocese of Bulawayo. In 2008, he was appointed Mission Superior of Zimbabwe (2008-2011).

The Archdiocese of Bulawayo covers an area of 69,456 square kms. The population of the Archdiocese is 1,925,000 of which about 140,000 are Catholics. (Source: Archdiocese Website). On January 1, 1955, the Vicariate Apostolic of Bulawayo was given the status of a Diocese. On June 10, 1994, the Diocese of Bulawayo was raised to a Metropolitan See with the Dioceses of Gweru and Hwange as suffragans. The Holy Father John Paul II appointed Henry E. Karlen, CMM as the first Metroplitan Archbishop of Bulawayo.