Everywhere: A historic first for the Congregation

Father General and the four members of the General Team within the walls of the Union of Francophone Africa (UAF). From 11 February to 17 March 2025, the Union of French-speaking African Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (UAF) experienced an unprecedented event in its history: the visit of Father Abzalon Alvarado Tovar, Superior General of the Congregation, accompanied by four of his advisors (except for Brother Bernard, who remained in Rome). It was the first time that such a delegation had visited this entity of the Congregation, marking a significant milestone in the life of the UAF. This historic visit was structured into three stages, corresponding to the three districts that comprise the UAF.

I want to focus here on the stage that took place in the Congo District, where I had the opportunity to be present. Two advisors, Fathers Gene and Bram, arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday, 11 February 2025. Their mission continued until Tuesday, 4 March 2025, when they returned to Rome. Father General joined them on Saturday, 22 February.

From 13 to 19 February, Father Bram, accompanied by Father Antoine Khuzi Abambe, Superior of the Congo District, visited the confreres in the Tshuapa region. They travelled through Boende, Bokungu and Mondombe, where they also met the local bishop, Monsignor Toussaint Iluku, MSC. The confreres from Yalusaka converged on Mondombe to participate in this fraternal meeting.

At the same time, Father Gene, guided by Father Didier Mbela, District Councillor, visited the Mbandaka area. Several moments marked this visit, including a warm meeting with Archbishop Ernest Ngboko Ngombe, CICM, Archbishop of Mbandaka-Bikoro. They also made an enriching excursion to Iyonda with the Sisters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. One of the most moving moments was the celebration of Sunday Mass in Lingala at the parish of Saint Paul the Apostle in Mbandaka III, which was celebrated with simplicity and fervour, marking Father Gene’s first Mass in the DRC. This recalls a significant precedent: Father Abzalon himself celebrated Palm Sunday Mass in Lingala in Matete/Kinshasa in 2019.

Other highlights punctuated this stage, notably the solemn Mass at the parish of Sainte Marie Madeleine in Kinshasa, attended by many members of the large Chevalier family. At the end of this Mass, all the confreres present in Kinshasa gathered for a fraternal meeting on Sunday, 2 March, celebrated by Father Désiré Mbomba, MSC. The next day, Father Gene had a special exchange with the members of the Fraternity of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. Father General then travelled to Yaoundé, the headquarters of the UAF, where he was joined by two other members of his team, Father Chris Chaplin and Brother Simon Lumpini, after their mission in Senegal.

I experienced this visit as a moment of great joy and deep communion. Not only because it was a first for our entity, but above all because of the attitude of those in charge: they wanted, in a concrete way, to immerse themselves in the reality of our lives, to hear our joys, our sorrows, our aspirations. Father General said it clearly during our meeting in Matete: ‘We have not come only for consultations with a view to appointing a future superior of the UAF, but above all to meet you and talk with you.’

It was an open and sincere dialogue in a spirit of synodality. The confreres were able to ask all their questions, including those that touched on sensitive subjects, such as the structural future of the UAF. The discussions made it clear that nothing had been decided: the options remain open — one province? Two? Three? Now is the time to listen and discern.

This participatory approach is to be commended. As Nelson Mandela said: ‘What is done for us, which others have decided without us, is in reality against us.’ The General Council’s approach has avoided this pitfall. It does, however, commit us to assuming our share of co-responsibility. What do we want to do with our entity? What is our vision for the future of the UAF? These questions challenge us all.

The visit of the Generalate team, in this jubilee year, assumes a strong symbolic dimension: it is a sign of encouragement, communion, and renewal. It invites us to re-read our mission in the light of faith and in a spirit of hope. Thanks to this fraternal presence, we feel strengthened in our vocation and called to continue, together, on our journey towards greater unity, growth and mission.

Thank you to Father Abzalon and his advisors for their listening, closeness, and commitment. This visit will remain engraved in our hearts as a significant turning point in the life of the UAF.

Grévisse Bokuma Mopongo, MSC (Congo)