MOTHER MARY IN AFRICA
Head of the Statue of Mother Mary at Kibeho, Rwanda, carved by Marek Kowalski and based on the models of Jean Pierre Sibomana and Faustin Kayitana. In the statue, Mother Mary holds the Seven Sorrows Chaplet, a Marian devotion reintroduced to the Catholic community by Our Lady of Kibeho.
Kibeho is the only Marian apparition on African soil, officially recognized by the Church. Mother Mary’s requests for prayers preluded the 1994 Genocide.
VOCATION PAGE
UNEXPECTED LESSONS ON A CROWDED BUS
BY FR ALDO SIERRA MCCJ
IN THIS special issue which discusses different Marian devotions in Africa, I thought of writing about the participation of Mother Mary in the discernment process of aspiring candidates for religious life. During every vocation workshop, the meditation of the rosary and the witnessing of our Comboni missionaries become integral parts of these occasions because I believe that Mary plays a special role in any vocation journey.
According to St Ambrose “Mary is the hope of the Church”. We need her help and her intercession. The Lord Jesus, whom we are following and serving, came to us physically through Mary. Being the Mother of Christ, she is the Mother of us all and also the Mother of the Church. She is the Mother of vocations, of young men and women aspiring to embrace their calling to serve the Church.
While Mary plays a significant role as an intercessor, she also fosters vocations; we believe that she prays for those who are called to religious life, helping them to persevere in their vocation. All issues of the Church and her need for vocations become Mother Mary’s concern. In the same way that she took good care of Jesus and His vocation, she also carries in her heart the pressing problems of vocations in the Church.
Mary had a special vocation, as she was part of her Son’s mission of salvation. We believe that Mary is a source of strength for those who are discerning their vocation. Her “fiat”, (in Latin “It shall be”), that big “yes”, is a profound symbol of willingness and obedience, even when faced with uncertainty and doubt, inspiring us all to respond to God’s call with a “yes.”
Our founder, St Daniel Comboni, was deeply devoted to Mary, regarding her as a great comfort to the mission. He referred to Mary as the “Mother of Africa”, to whom he entrusted the mission. Inspired by the Blessed Mother, Comboni initiated the formation of women for the mission and for the evangelizing work of the Church. We instil the same passion in our aspirants, the love for the mission and devotion to Mary and, observing her sacrificial love, answering our calling in fidelity to the Church.
BEACONS OF HOPE BY FR RAUL
We have just launched the Jubilee 2025 at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Pretoria, with its theme: “Pilgrims of Hope.” The focus of the Jubilee is that hope and kindness touch the heart of the Gospel.