Above all else, we thank God for the graces which He gives me every day, especially during my stay at Dakar. May He be praised on the entire earth and forever. Joy, thankfulness and gratitude inundate me. And that is precisely why I would like to express my gratitude for the good, which you heaped upon me. That is why, similarly as the followers of Jesus, who record this, what they did on the mission, now I will inform you about their stay in Dakar during the time of preparation for the perpetual vows. First off, I will present the themes which our formators proposed. Then I will relate an overview of the session, and then finally I will relate about the difficulties.

We left Madagascar on August 4th and on the same day we arrived at Senegal in the after-noon. We were very warmly greeted. The next day we met Father Bruno, superior of the delegation in Senegal – Gwinei Bissau. He spoke to us about some practical matters, and then presented a short history of the delegation. Then Fathers Joseph Ntumba and Christopher Chuku presented us the program of our stay. We were there for a month and a few days. We truly felt at home, since our Singhalese brothers showed us great fraternal love. The retreat session began in the administration house of the delegation in Mermoz, where it lasted for three weeks.

Father Joseph Ntumba initiated the first week with the theme “Consecrated life: history, character and call for our times”. In his conferences, he endeavoured to describe consecrated life in this world. He highlighted this on three points of consecrated life: derivation and historical development, character and role, as well as actual call. He ended with the encouraging words: “Rest assured that we need you, the Congregations needs you, and Christ needs you today in order to continue His mission”.

Father Claudio spoke to us about sentiments of belonging to a new family :

In other words, Oblatica was the theme for the second week of the session. He opened up the following themes: Eugene and his family, the Smiling Virgin, the Cross, the Community, the Mission Today, the Constitutions and Rules, and the Oblate Charism.

The theme of the third week was “Life in the community of an International Congregation”. Father Rossina Rakatomalala from Madagascar presented this theme to us. He reminded us that community life is neither communism, nor conformity. Thanks to belief in One God, one Lord Jesus Christ, we have successfully left everything: our family, our culture, dear friends and our belongings.

Father Christopher Chucku terminated the session with the theme “To understand religious vows as a value of religious life”. Vows are promises made to God, in order to receive His graces or to thank Him for received graces. Making such vows is a free promise to accomplish not imposed assignments, but rather assignments chosen by us.

In the fifth week in the house of the Sisters of the Offering of our Blessed Lady in Rufisque, a retreat was preached by Father Edward Dagavounansou. “Love is very exacting, demanding” is the theme of the retreat which led us to make our perpetual vows.

In all, we numbered fifteen candidates for vows, and we were from six countries. Twelve made perpetual vows on September 8th in Parcels Ascenie (an Oblate parish in Dakar). The remaining trio continued to prepare itself for perpetual vows. I was very pleased with the session and lived retreat. The program wasn’t heavy, and every weekend was free from any special duties. Consequently, we had the occasion to visit some interesting places.

We were on the isle of Gore, whose history had a great impression on me. We visited one of the buildings, in which slaves were imprisoned prior to their transfer to America. We also visited Guanine, where Oblates minister. But before we reached our goal, we were in Poponguin – a great Marian sanctuary. We visited the city of Thies and Lake Rose. Then we visited  Zoal, Fadjiouth with its monuments and monasteries. We did a lot of visiting in Dakar as well.

The hospitality of the local people made a great impression on me. They are very welcoming, very neighbourly and show great respect for foreigners.

As Oblates, we are recognized as specialists of the missions, which show us that we must amass many experiences if we are to fulfill our mission. There were three things that bothered me a bit: first of all, the heat. I had just left behind the coolness of Madagascar, and lived through the heat in Dakar. Next were the mosquitoes, which never left us in peace. It was especially bothersome during prayer and at night. And lastly, there was the roar of the planes (as the airport was close by).

I became convinced that life in the international brotherhood, which the founder preached – that life with the poor and their many faces has become a reality. I want to express my gratitude. I thank you Lord for your goodness and I will continue to be grateful. May God bless you and assure you of health, peace and everything you yearn for.