Kinshasa, DR Congo: Mill Hill missionaries in ‘Boyei Bolamu’ (Welcome) Workshop
The “BOYEI BOLAMU” Workshop was initiated by Cardinal Fridolin AMBONGO BESUNGU, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Kinshasa. It lasted for three days, from 26th to 28th January, 2022. This workshop is for all the missionaries who have been appointed to DRC, who have not completed five years in Congo. He throws the whole Archdiocese “into a program that invites us to walk together in the promotion of a spirituality characterized by welcoming others in their differences, attentive listening, consideration brotherhood, the enhancement of charisms of each, for the good of all, and the promotion of pastoral care.
It was sad to note that one of the reasons why this workshop was initiated is because there are some missionaries who are not following the Pastoral Plan of the Archdiocese. Which is not a missionary spirit, as P. Korse, MHM puts it, “it should be a ‘mortal’ sin to look down upon a people’s culture, their wisdom, customs, values, history, literature, techniques, symbols and language”
This workshop focused on the involvement and integration of missionaries in the overall pastoral care opens to all agents of evangelization. The concern is that we as missionaries should be faithful to the practice of the mission land, above all we should understand and adapt to the pastoral vision of the Archbishop and the way of doing things of the archdiocese in the face of the pastoral challenges imposed by our constantly changing society.
The workshop was excellent and very fruitful. It has improved our knowledge of our new mission land. It has made us understand the pastoral vision of the Archbishop and a call to live together and to create a concern for life together and a sense of collaboration between the secular clergy and regular clergy. It was as well great to meet different missionaries, where many have never hard of our Congregation. We continue praying for the spirit of collegiality and synodality in our Society and the Church.
Patrick Lonkoy Bolengu, MHM
