Thomas BANG, OMI
The Oblate Province of Congo organized an ongoing formation session for Young Oblates. The session aimed at empowering Young Oblates to respond effectively to contemporary missionary challenges in their missionary context. The session took place from February 5 to 8.
Addressing Contemporary Crises
Our society is facing several crises. Wars, exploitation of the weakest, poverty, the crisis of the family, the economic crisis, the moral crisis, the crisis of faith, and even the crisis of the Magisterium are present, they are some realities of our times which demand certain contextual consideration for the mission. What type of a response do the People of God expect from a missionary? What missionary methodology should apply to our days? What types of Missionary Oblates do we need for our days? These are some questions that come to the mind of a Missionary Oblate.
Cultural Context and Evangelization
To ensure the effectiveness of the evangelization mission of the Church, we need to take into account the cultural context. It is in this sense that Father Constant KIENGE-KIENGE organized a session on pastoral ethics in the context of today’s Church. This session saw the Oblates of the Province of the Congo come together, those Oblates with less than 10 years of ministry. The principal aim of this session was to build up the capacity of young Missionary Oblates, in order to enable them to respond effectively to missionary questions of our times, in the context of the mission.
Session Highlights
The session was animated by Father Thomas BANG, OMI, of Cameroon, and Father Constant KIENGE-KIENGE, OMI, Provincial of the Oblate Province of the Congo. The animators of the session, step by step, examined the following: today’s pastoral context; the necessity of a particular need; the question of abuse and its impact on our pastoral ministry; the consequences of, or the impact of abuse of minors; priests and religious, authors of sexual abuse; the knowledge of self as a means of protection.
Mutual Enrichment and Collective Reflection
For the young Oblates working in the Province of the Congo, this was a good moment of sharing and mutual enrichment. Each one shared his weak points, his fears, and also his experiences regarding certain cases. This was like a collective examination of conscience for the young Missionary Oblates.
The session began on February 5th, and ended on February 8th. This time, which seemed very short due to the intensity of the interactions, was very rich according to the testimonies of the participants.
