Our St Francis Province in Africa, Madagascar and Mauritius is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. It was established by Fr John Vaughn, the General Minister of the Order of the Friars Minor, and his general management. In 1983, 28 million fellow-brothers from different provinces of our Order and from different parts of the world came to East Africa, more specifically to Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Malawi. Today, after 25 years we can admit that all premises of this project have been carried out. A new monastic province has been established. It counts 120 brothers. They live and work in 9 countries, in 18 monastic communities.

Two years ago, during the Provincial Chapter, we decided that the best way to celebrate this jubilee would be calling a Tent Chapter in 2008. We decided to invite all the fellow-brothers who had started building this province 25 years earlier and then returned to their mother provinces.

Two years have passed very quickly. We spent a lot of time on preparing the celebration. We sent letters in which we requested for financial help, as all bigger ceremony in our Province require great expanses, most of all on plane and bus tickets, visas and renting a place which would be big enough to seat everybody. We received help, among others from the Missionary Department in Gora św. Anny. Thanks to our benefactors we were able to realize our plans. Let God bless all of you who contributed to this ceremony.

The Tent Chapter took place on 23rd – 27th June 2008 in the retreat house “Dimesse Sisters”. 62 fellow-brothers from all 9 countries of our Province and other guests took part in it. Among the guests there were: General Minister of the Order, Fr Jose Rodriguez Carballo; General Definitor for Africa, Fr Bernardo Amaral; Bishop of Djibouti and Fr Giorgio Bertin. There were also three fellow-brothers who founded our Province 25 years ago. Others could not come because of their advanced age or different illnesses, e.g. Fr John Vaughn, Fr Giacomo Bini, the former Provincial Minister or the former General Minister of our Province. Those who could not be with us had sent wishes and greetings and Fr John Vaughn had written a long letter which was read during the Chapter.

The Chapter was to start on Monday, 23rd June, during the evening prayers. However, our plans had to be changed. Fr Max and I went to the airport to welcome our guests. This went according to plan but we did not have influence on the rest. On our way back (about 25 km) we got stuck in a huge traffic jam, which became something usual here in Nairobi. Going through this section took us 2,5 hours. We reached our destination after dinner, two hours later than we had planned. That is why we decided to postpone the Chapter opening for the next day.

The official Chapter opening took place on Tuesday, the 24th June, during the morning prayers. We lighted a big candle which accompanied us through the whole Chapter like the Olympic flame. At the candle there was the symbol of the Chapter and flags of the 9 countries which constitute our Province. I made an official speech in which I presented the history of our Province and welcomed the assembled fellow-brothers, starting from the guests, of course. At 9 o’clock we celebrated a solemn Holy Mass. The General Minister was the main celebrant and the fellow-brothers we call “pioneers” (because they started establishing our Province) were at the altar with him. There were six of them at the Chapter: five brothers are still with us and the sixth came from Spain. After the Mass we gathered in a big lecture theatre where we listened to a speech delivered by our General Minister. Most of us met him for the first time. We listened very carefully to what he was saying. Time was passing in a friendly, brotherly atmosphere. In the afternoon we recollected our past. The pioneer fellow-brothers shared their experience with us. They told us about their beginnings in Africa when they started forming our Province. It was a history lesson for those who joined the Province later. We finished the official part of the day in a chapel where we recalled our dead fellow-brothers. In front of the altar there was a Franciscan habit around which the chosen fellow-brothers put candles after they heard the name of a deceased. It was a very moving service.

On Monday, the 25th June, we were talking about the present times. Each definitor presented his region, his convent and fellow-brothers’ activities. Before the Chapter started, each superior was to send to Fr Carmelo in Uganda a presentation of his convent. Fr Carmelo gathered it together and presented at the Chapter. All participants liked it very much. Fr General had his own programme. He met the representatives of the Franciscan Family in Kenya and clerical students and form teachers of our Province. Each meeting lasted several hours because everybody wanted to exploit Fr General’s presence among us to maximum.

The subject of the next day, the 26th June, was the future of our Province. In the morning we listened to a talk given by Fr Kakuba Kapia from Uganda. He is a lecturer at one of the universities there. He told us interesting things about self-supporting. This issue is risen at almost all our meetings. There are less and less benefactors who want or are able to help us. That is why we have to do everything possible to become self-supporting. We are looking for different ways of doing this. However, we are still dependent on external help. Fr Kakuba’s talk also did not help in accounting for all the vagueness. However, we were encouraged to further attempts and we will not give up until we find what we are looking for. After dinner the fellow-brothers discussed the morning talk and the board of the Province met Fr General. It was a very important and useful meeting. Later we gathered once again in the lecture theatre where I presented my plans, or rather my dreams, concerning the future of our Province. I was surprised that the fellow-brothers were listening closely to what I was saying and that I did not hear any criticism during the discussion that ensued later. For me it was a positive sign which showed that all of us try to go in the same direction and that the future of our Province is important for everybody. At 6 p.m. the retired Archbishop of Nairobi said a concelebrated Holy Mass. Our fellow-brother from Djibouti, Fr Giorgio (another bishop) was also present at the Mass. At the end of the Mass, Fr General thanked us for the invitation to the Chapter. It was his last evening here with us. We ate supper together. For the supper we also invited the clerical students who were present at the mass. Than we said goodbye to Fr General and the General Definitor who were going back to Rome. We were graced with their presence at the Tent Chapter. He was one of us, as benefits the St Francis successor.

On Friday, 27th June, we celebrated a thanksgiving Holy Mass in which we thanked for the success of the Chapter and renewed our monastic vows. And it was time to go back home. The guests stayed a little bit longer to visit the convents in which they used to work. Each of us was happy and we praised the Lord for what we had seen and heard. For us it was the next sign that we did not squander the work that other had started 25 years earlier. It was also an encouragement to continue it in the future. How will it look like in 25 years? It will be judged by those who will celebrate its golden jubilee.

Fr Sebastian

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