LENTEN ACTION AT AMANI CENTRE, By Cl. Ignace MUKEMBE, SDS

AMANI CENTRE is the place for caring persons with disabilities founded by one Tanzanian woman named Josephine BAKITA. She started it in the year 1992, with only five children. She had a child who was physical handicap and this pushed her to open a Centre dealing with mental and physical handicap children.

 In the year 2006 the benefactors who were offering their run to this centre stopped and this made her to hand it over to the bishop of Morogoro Diocese, who was Adrian MUKOBA at that time. So, Amani Centre is under the bishop but the sisters of Bikira Maria Malkia wa Amani are the ones running the Centre. Actually it has two branches. The first is Mvomero, which dealing with the deaf and dumb children, and the second is Mikese for those deaf and dumb adults capable for farming and animals rearing. As challenges, many children are abandoned; there is also lack of benefactors, lack of rooms due to large number of children.

Knowing that the purpose of lent is the preparation of the believer for Easter through prayer, penance, mortification, repentance of sins, alms giving, and self-denial. As said in the apostolic age, Christians were taught that giving alms was an expression of love which was first expressed by God to them, in that Jesus sacrificed himself as an act of love for the salvation of believers. The Mater Salvatoris Scholasticate International Formation House at Morogoro  in this Lenten Season 2018, chosed Centre Amani for the Lenten action and assisted it Centre with the rice. 

N.B: for any assistance to those persons, contact +255 754 313 412 (Father Beatus Mihando). P.O. Box. 579 Morogoro.

PERPETUAL VOWS OF CL. BONIFACE MWASHINGA, By Cl. Robert Marwein, SDS

     Religious life is one of the vocations in which a person is called to follow Christ radically through the profession of the three Evangelical counsels namely chastity, poverty and obedient. The Evangelical counsels of chastity dedicated to God, poverty and obedience are based upon the words and example of the Lord. They are the divine gift, which the Church received from its Lord and which it always safeguards with the help of His Grace (cf. LG 43).

    

On January 1st 2018, The Mater Salvatoris Scholasticate International Formation House at Morogoro witnessed yet another milestone in its history. On this day Cl. Boniface Mawshinga SDS made his Perpetual Vows and twelve other confreres renewed their Religious Vows. The occasion was a giant step for these young men who intended to follow in the footsteps of  the Apostles. It displayed the love and dedication that they have for Christ and His Church. The occasion was bright and beautiful. A good number of priests and religious came to render their supports and prayers for these young men. The presence of the parents and family members of Cl. Boniface Mwashinga added more joy to the event. Many guests, friends and well wishers turnout to the occasion as well. The presence of Rev. Fr. Ponder Paulinus Ngilangwa, SDS the Provincial Superior of the Salvatorian Mission Pro-Province of Tanzania escalated the occasion even more.

     The ceremony commenced at 10:30 AM. Rev. Fr. Ponder, SDS presided over the Holy Mass and received the perpetual vows of Cl. Boniface Mwanshinga and the renewal of vows of the other twelve confreres.  In his sermon Rev. Fr. Ponder, SDS exhorted these young men to continue living up their holy vocation which they have received from the good Lord. The ceremony was lively. The choir with its melodies accompanied the ceremony wonderfully. The Holy Mass ended at 12:30 PM, and it was followed by the get-together to congratulate Cl. Boniface and others who renewed their vows.

“Into your arms, Oh my Savior and Redeemer,

I throw myself,

With you, for you, through you and in you

I wish to live and die”

(Spiritual Diary I/9)