SAGANA, MARCH 3 2015 – The General Government of the Consolata Missionaries has noted that the future of the congregation is here in Kenya.
“In about 15 years we will have a big bulk of Consolata missionaries from Africa. That means that our congregation is moving geographically from Italy to Africa and specifically Kenya. This calls on us as a congregation to invest in Africa, and I think it’s the right time to start pooling together our resources and to see how we can look at the future not depending anymore on Europe,” said Fr Marco Marini, the General councilor in charge of Africa.
Fr Marini was speaking during a regional assembly held in Sagana, Murang’a diocese February 22-27. The assembly was attended by the General Government of the Consolata Missionaries who were in the Kenya-Uganda region for their canonical visit.
The Superior General Fr Stefano Camerlengo, his Vice Fr Dietrich Pendawazima and Fr Marco Marini, the General councilor in charge of Africa have been in the Kenya-Uganda region for close to two months.
“If we take the way of the continents, we will be able to improve the quality of our mission work, build capacity, create continuity within our work and above all decentralize power,” said Fr Camerlengo in an interview with CISA.
“Either we go that way or we fail,” said Fr Marini, the councilor in charge of Africa insisting that there must be a different way of dealing with governance and leadership.
“We will need to regroup countries that speak the same language for example. Other religious congregations in Africa have done it before,” he told CISA in an interview.
The meeting also noted that the Consolata Missionaries in Kenya will be having two significant events in the May: the International Missionary Conference that will take place May 19-21, and the beatification of Sr Irene Stefani, a Consolata Missionary Sister on May 23 at Dedan Kimathi grounds in Nyeri.
