Beyond the ordinary

FORMATION PROGRAM AND COMPLETION OF PRE NOVICES FORMATION HOUSE AT MUHEZA - TANGA DIOCESES -   TANZANIA

Background leading to this project proposal.

The Congregation of the CMSSTCJ has its origin in Rome, Italy in the year 1925.  In the age of about 100 years the entire Congregation has about 280 sisters in 12 countries all over the world: outside East Africa we are in Italy, Malta, Brazil, Canada, Romania Philippines, Vietnam and   Indonesia.   In East Africa we are based in Tanzania from1984, Kenya (2021), Uganda (2021) and Congo (DRC – 2023).  While the sisters in Europe and Canada are advancing in age, communities in Asia and Africa experience growth. Tanzania, being the headquarters of the East African Province, bear all the formation responsibilities for her members and the young girls within the province. It has made a countless effort to prioritize quality formation of her members though a lot still need to be done to attain a certain level of stability.

For the past 18 years, the province used part of our Spiritual Centre at Boko Parish in the diocese of Dar es Salaam as a formation house of the novices and postulants though the same building had many other apostolic activities.  Our experience with these varieties of functions had not been convenient for formation of the young girls who would rather be in a separate and private environment.  Thus, in the year 2010 we managed to purchase and restructure a family house at Lushoto in the Diocese of Tanga and in 2011 it was erected to as a novitiate. Due to infrastructure limitations, the postulants and now pre postulants have remained at the same Centre to date.  This is to say, formation houses with their related households remain a big priority.

Currently, in Tanzania, the initial formation comprises 25 pre novices, 14 novices and 40 junior sisters. Though we are constantly working and collaborating with the Congregation and other friends to provide for the needs in formation in these stages, there is still some gaps especially in the aspect of infrastructures, travel documents, residence permits which are generally costly and result on taking fewer number of those who request to join the Congregation., while on the other hand the needs of labourers in the lords vine yard is vivid in the filled of evangelization, and as Jesus said, the harvest is much but the labourers  are few, this proposal is made to seek your support to preparer future missionaries in the Church.

The house of the pre novices at Muheza in the Diocese of Tanga was started in December 2023. This is a house which can accommodate about 25 people, has 11 bedrooms all self-contained while 7 of them are shared rooms and 4 single rooms. A chapel, dining hall, sitting room a small conference room as part of this house. (shown in the drawing – plan layout). The house is designed to provide a conducive environment with appropriate infrastructure for religious formation, also at area that the formation can carry farming activities to maintain the same community. 

Up to now the Congregation has managed to erect the building, starting from foundation, walls roofing and grills on outside windows and doors. The work done so far is huge and important. Due to water shortage around the area, water harvest using the roof, will provide a reliable source. There is also a two-room building which has served for stores and accommodation of workers.  The water and electrical installation have been in only first fitting.  The province has spent amount of TZS 200,000,000/= (equivalent to USD 74,275) up to this stage of the project (land and building).  Even with this considerable contribution towards the completion of the house, the house is still unfinished, cannot be habited and so the problem is still unsolved

Formation program for pre novices and novices

The Formation program in our East Africa Province, count a minimum 4 years of religious formation before a candidate can become a professed sister, the entire program involves an average of 35 formands per year. To enhance strong Catholic faith foundation and practices…It decided to provide professional catechetical program to all formands before the stage of novitiate.

With the specific call of the Congregation “to love Jesus and make Him Loved restoring wounded humanity” emphasis on strong spiritual formation to enhance other desired integrated growths of a full human person is emphasized constantly. It is from this ground that we are actively involved in teaching the Catechism of the Church in parishes, schools and in another environment. Learning of Catechism of the Catholic church and its teaching methodology are given priorities throughout the formation years of the congregational members. In the year 2019, The Tanzania Episcopal Conference, qualified formees from our center to seat for the national Examination designated for Catechist. After good results. The formand received official sending and were recognized officially as catechist. Up to now we are still providing this program internally as we plan to accept other candidates from outside the Congregation.

The Goal is to form, all our future sisters as catechist take up the mission of evangelizing the local population with both charismatic catholic approaches. To help the believers to blend core values of the catholic faith with daily life within the African context: Help people of God to blend Spiritual values with social economic development in their families / local communities.

To achieve this goal, the program needs financial human and financial resources to be used for acquisition of training materials, remuneration of trainers, contribution on cost of living the catechists in a duration of one year. The program targets young adult especially the girls in the religious formation and any lay catholic believers.

In addition to that I would like to say we have 35 formand postulants 40 Novices who will profess this year. 45 Junior sisters who are preparing for perpetual vows to be ready for the mission. As Jesus said to his disciples, in Matthew 9: 35-38 The harvest is plentiful, but labors are few In North America (Canada/Europe) we have few but a lot of mission.