It is a great joy for us to share with you the grace that our Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate Delegation of Madagascar received from God and the Church on April 7, 2024. Yes, this second Sunday of Easter, Sunday of the Divine Mercy, two of our scholastics, Sco RANDRIATSARAFARA Enintsoa Emile OMI and Sco RAZANAJATOVO Aymar Marie Justin OMI were ordained deacons while we four deacons, Dc. RAVELONA Jean Brunot OMI, Dc. RANAIVO PANARIVO Tsiory Faniry OMI, Dc. RANAIVOSON Hasimpandeferana Hyacinthe Anatole OMI, Dc. RANDRIANANDRASANA Jean Joseph OMI were ordained priests in our parish Notre Dame de Lourdes (Toamasina). Thus, Easter joy always shines at the Delegation of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Praise be to God forever and ever.

Before this Sunday of ordination, we had a week of preparation retreat (throughout Holy Week: from all day Sunday to the Holy Saturday) preached by Fr. Denussein (Monfortain) working within the Grand Seminary Saint François de Sales Analamalotra (Tamatave). He centred the retreat on the sense of sacrament of order (deacon and priest) and on the joy of being deacon and priest following Saint Eugène de Mazenod, our Saint Founder. In addition, he spoke of current problems linked to the lives of priests in order to avoid them and enable us to live faithfully the priestly vocation.

On Saturday April 06, afternoon, there was the testimony of life shared by us the four deacons in the parish of Notre Dame de Lourdes. Everyone presented their vocational studies to this day of ordination. After that, our parents blessed us in a traditional way expressing their willingness and their joy of giving their sons to God, the Church and the OMI congregation. It was an afternoon of great joy for many people who came and listened to our sharing.

As for the Mass of April 07, it started at 9 a.m., presided by his eminence, the Bishop of Toamasina Cardinal TSARAHAZANA Désiré. Oblates and diocesan priests celebrated this Mass, including Fr. RAKOTOARISY Jean Aimé, Vicar General and Fr. RAKOTONDRAVELO Alphonse OMI, Superior of the Delegation. Diocesan priests of Fénérive-Est, Fianarantsoa and Ambositra were also present. In his homily, the Cardinal highlighted the challenges for priests today. This is prayer life, and above all to be a good pastor as God wants. A priest must know how to read the signs of the times and to make his own contribution to the building up of the Church. Fr. Rakotondravelo Alphonse OMI, in addressing the new ordained, underlined and insisted, among other things, on the importance of fidelity in all ways. He emphasized faith and prayer by recalling Pope Francis' words: “Without faith, everything collapses; Without prayer the faith goes out." He finished his words with the first obedience given to each of us ordained priests.

The ceremony lasted almost five hours. After Mass, there was a meal in the parish court to share our joy with the Oblate family, the families of the ordained and all the guests.

To conclude, we the six ordained (2 deacons and 4 priests) present to each and all of you our sincere gratitude: to the Cardinal, to the administration of the congregation led by Fr. Alphonse OMI, to the Parish and Vicar, to our OMI colleagues, to Christians, friends, families present or absent during this historic celebration for each of us, for our families and for our congregation, but also to you dear readers, benefactors of the congregation. Your communion and fraternity encourage us to give our all for evangelization where we are and wherever we will be sent.

They said :

« I am Ravelona Jean Brunot born September 12, 1990 in Vavatenina, baptized on December 18, 1990 ... I am a missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate: I made my first religious commitment on September 08, 2015 and my perpetual vows on October 30, 2022. I was ordained deacon on June 25, 2023. And I was ordained priest on April 07, 2024 with the imposition of the hands of his eminence cardinal Désiré Tsarahazana, archbishop of Tamatave. It was a great joy for me to be ordained on Sunday of the divine Mercy.

What a joy to feel sent to bring good news to the whole world as an Oblate Missionary by Mary Immaculate. I thank the good Lord who is always merciful, he called me as his collaborator as a priest of the Catholic Church.».

Fr. RANAIVOSON Hasimpandeferana Hyacinthe Anatole, omi

« This priestly ordination is a grace. A grace, because it leaves me in immense joy. An inexplicable joy because of the fact that by his love, God chose me to be among these priests and these disciples. As a priest, I count on this same divine grace to carry out fully the mission of Christ. Like his disciple, I confide in our Lord Jesus and I take him as a guarantee of my vocational journey. In all of this, I implore your prayers. Thank you very much ».

Fr. RANDRIANANDRASANA Jean Joseph OMI: This day of my ordination reminded me of my whole personal and family story since my childhood and the zeal that awakened my vocation. At the same time, this event launches me into the future. It opens up a new path before my eyes which orientates me more to a mission of sanctification, teaching and governance. To walk this path, I beg the good Lord to keep me stable in an attitude of filial obedience and to put myself continuously under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is the reason why I chose as a motto this invitation from Mary Immaculate to obey her son as a servant of Cana: "Do everything he will tell you" (Jn 2, 5b).

 Fr. RANAIVO PANARIVO Tsiory Faniry OMI:

« Here I am, send me » Isaiah 6,8
«I was very happy on April 07, 2024 and I am very happy. This day was very important and unforgettable in my life. First of all, I thank God all powerful for any grace he gave me. Then, I thank all those who helped me achieve my desire and my vocation to become a priest in the Catholic Church and in the Congregation of Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate including my parents, the teams of formators from the prenoviciate until the diaconal internship, and all my Oblate colleagues, my preachers, as well as all Christians. I also thank our Cardinal and our superior of the delegation and his councillors. I thank my parents and my families for your presence throughout the ceremony and the blessing you gave on Saturday afternoon. The celebration went well and was well organized, thanks to all those who participated in the preparation and realization including the members of the administration of the delegation, the parish priest and the vicar of the Notre Dame de Lourdes parish and their team, our Oblate colleagues and all the Christians of this parish ».

We always count on your prayers and your support and we also promise you our prayers.

God bless you !

Fr. RANDRIANANDRASANA Jean Joseph OMI