From October 16 to November 12, 2017, we had the pleasure of hosting in our Delegation three confreres from Poland.

Fr. Marian Puchala OMI, Vicar Provincial of Missions and Ad Gentes Delegate, Fr. Marian Lis OMI Director of the Mission Procure, and Fr. Roman Krauz OMI, former missionary and former superior of our Delegation.

Fr. Marian Puchala came for the consultation before the nomination of Fr. Mariusz Kasperski OMI and his administration for a second term. Fr. Marian Lis came to see the completion of a few projects supported by the Mission Procure from Poland either in full, or with the help of other benefactors and the Friends of Missions. Fr. Roman Krauz came to see the situation of our Delegation, and its development.

Their visit coincided with an important moment for our Delegation, as we were in the midst of our annual meeting of Superiors and Treasurers. The three guests had a chance to direct a few words to the gathered Oblates:

• A call to religious life and living it joyfully, sharing this joy with one another, came from Fr. MarianPuchała.
• Fr. Marian Lis invited us to a continued fruitful cooperation between the Mission Procure, “Misyjne Drogi”, and “Lumen Caritatis”.
• Father Roman shared his first impressions, and experiences which he gathered from many years working in Madagascar.

Our guests spent two days in Antananarivo before departing for the Western shores of Madagascar with Father Marek Ochlak.

In this region, we have two missions :

• In the city of Morondava, where St. John Paul II church and elementary school are found, and also a few chapels in the bush and other pastoral ministries
• In Befasy we have a Mission which our Delegation took over since the feast of Christ the King in 2016.

Upon returning from Morondava, our three confreres travelled to Fianarantsoa, this time in the company of Brother Krystian. The main goal of this trip was to see our scholasticate in Mahamanina, the cradle of our future. Our guests found time to visit St. Eugene de Mazenod in Sahalava and OMIFILM, our audiovisual centre.

Their itinerary included a visit to Marolambo, our farthest, most isolated mission.

In the past few years, the road to this mission has become impassable by car. Currently, there are only 2 ways of getting to this mission: by ATV, or by hiring of an airplane from the Lutheran mission, MAF, which works with us for many years.

This time, we chose to travel by plane, and it was me who accompanied our guests. Upon arrival, we were warmly welcomed by the Oblates and Christians.

Personal and group visits with the faithful, Sisters of Marie Reparatrice, students of the carpentry school and the Centre for Women’s Improvement enriched our short visit in Marolambo. We returned to Antananarivo safely and confidently, to continue our journey to Tamatave and Mahanoro the next day.

The city and archdiocese of Tamatave are a special place for our Delegation, as it is here that 37 years ago, we began our missionary work and service in Madagascar.

Presently in Tamatave we have 3 parishes: Our Lady of Lourdes, St. John the Baptist, and St. Eugene de Mazenod.

The University chaplaincy and the apostolate of the people of the sea are also served by the Oblates of our Delegation.

We also have a formation house here, for prenovices. This academic year, 2017-18, we have 12 new candidates.

The visit in Tamatave certainly warmed Fr. Roman Krauz’s heart, since he worked there for many years and made many memories there.

At the end of our time together, we made our way to Mahanoro. This is a very large and very active mission. We were well received here, as in other places. Christians offered the guests traditional garb, from the region of the Eastern shore.

This time, Fr. Marian Lis was very happy, because he had worked in Mahanoro for a long period of time before working in Poland.

This visit, on one hand official, and on the other, fraternal, was concluded on November 11, 2017.

We hope this brings much good to our confreres from Poland, the Friends of Missions, the Delegation, and people who the Oblates work with on Madagascar.

We would like to once again thank our three confreres for their visit. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, the Polish province in cooperation with the Mission Procure for everything they have done for Madagascar.

Father Adam Szul, omi