Mosocho, January 2019 – Each year during the octave of Christmas, the members of the Congregation of Mary, Mother of Mercy in Kenya host gathering, known as Provincial Day. This is a time devoted to starting life anew with the coming of the Incarnate Word and thus, a time of preparation to welcome the New Year. The 2018 celebration of Provincial Day 2018 took place in Mosocho (December 28 – 30). Many brothers among whom was Brother Wim Verschuren from the Netherlands (former superior general) participated in the event.

Lighting the Candle

To symbolize the coming of Christ, true light of the world, a candle was lit. The Provincial Superior Brother Leo van de Weijer offered welcoming remarks to the brothers, thus marking the official opening of the event. “Rejoice and be glad in the spirit” was the theme of this celebration.

Commemoration of the departed 

Our tradition to remember and pray for our departed brothers, moved Brother Augustine Monari to highlight a number of the brothers who died during the. Special mention was given to Brother Sjaak Maas who ministered in Kenya for more than 50 years.

The beautiful orchard

Brothers who participated in the communication course in Indonesia saw this time together as an opportunity to demonstrate some of the  skills that they acquired during the course. Brothers Cyprian Mbashu and Paul Orobi presented various articles on how to write material that is intended to be published on the internet and/or the various social network platforms.

Their demonstrations reveals the richness of our life as brothers. Indeed, when we put our minds, talents and skills together, the result is like a beautiful orchard containing many varieties of plants that are able to producing sufficient quantities of fruits to feed the entire society.

Evaluation of the year

The Provincial Board highlighted a number of achievements, namely the silvery jubilee of the Province of Kenya, the approach of the 175th anniversary of our congregation, various pastoral visits and formation sessions.

The Big Four agenda

During this Provincial Day the brothers discussed the ‘Big Four,’ a program of four themes that is currently the basic program for our congregation. The themes are: Jesus the merciful one ,our brother; living in God’s presence; sharing with our fellow brothers; and serving the people according to the intentions of our founder bishop Zwijsen. Those themes are considered as the fundamental pillars of our jubilee year.

Loving Mercy

Accordingly, Brother Wim used the occasion to present his newly published book entitled, “Loving Mercy”. This theme is very relevant to the contemporary society and was well-received by many brothers, (especially since mercy is a fundamental element of our spirituality).

Coming back to the Altar

The time together was concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist. All the participants were encouraged to renew their love for one another. We were reminded to accept what we cannot change and to change what we can change. Happy New Year to all the members of the Vincentian Family.

Brother Elijah Agilo CMM (Kenya)
Source: https://www.cmmbrothers.org/