AFRICA/DR CONGO - Fidelity to mission: 13 young people newly professed in the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Kinshasa (Agenzia Fides) - To be prophets and missionaries, on the roads of the world: this is the appeal launched to the 13 young people (11 Congolese and 2 Cameroonians) who, on October 7, in the liturgical memory of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, during a Mass celebrated at the Buisson Ardent novitiate, made their first religious profession in the presence of Father Jozef Matton, General Councilor of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM), who arrived from Rome for the occasion. "Choosing religious life as missionaries in the CICM congregation is a grace and also a commitment that requires fidelity. Fidelity in the mission of God through the Congregation, fidelity to the evangelical counsels, fidelity to the love of our Lord Jesus Christ", explained Father Matton, General Councilor of the Congregation. Father Jozef Matton also reiterated the message that Pope Francis addressed to the capitulars of the CICM in St. Peter's Square, during the last General Chapter, inviting them to go to the peripheries, and reminding them that religious have a prophetic role in the Church and in the world. The newly professed, grateful and excited for the day, expressed in their words the enthusiasm but also the awareness of the commitment of a "yes" to God pronounced in a complex historical moment under many aspects. "In a world where the gap between men and God increases, where poverty increases and where the climate also sends unequivocal signals, we run the 'risk' of saying yes to God - they explained -.
With hearts filled with joy for this day, we know we face a very demanding challenge: to be lights for this world mired in darkness and the shadow of death". The Buisson Ardent novitiate is one of the 2 novitiates of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, next to that of Taytay in the Philippines. Created in 1972, this novitiate celebrates its 50th anniversary next year. It formed many missionaries, including two Congolese who became superior general, Father Edouard Tsimba (2005-2011) and Father Charles Phukuta (since 2017). (EG) (Agenzia Fides, 9/10/2021)

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