To All SCJ
Dear Brothers,
On the anniversary of the Founder's birth, the Ven. Fr. Leo Dehon, the Superior General and his council decided to canonically erect the Region of Mozambique as the 23rd Province (MZ) of the Congregation. This is a significant step for the Region and a noteworthy event for the North Italian Province.
This establishment as Province is the conclusion of the celebration of fifty years of Dehonian presence in Mozambique. Right after World War II our missionaries went to a territory called Zambesia, which already existed as a diocese, to preach the Gospel and to promote human welfare of those people. A steady flow of young missionaries from the North Italian Province as well as some sent periodically from the South Italian Province and from Portugal contributed toward the development of this area into a religious province. The new province (MZ) at present consists of 61 religious (of all ages without any generation gaps) in 12 communities; also present are one priest and two scholastics from the LU province. The effort made by the missionaries to inculturate the Dehonian charism as the key element in this "implantatio ecclesiae" succeeded in achieving a province that is truly Mozambican: there are 22 native religious, with 1 bishop, 4 priests, 17 scholastics, 3 novices, and 2 postulants.
The events that took place after Mozambique obtained independence, and the resulting fratricidal wars, were the crucible in which the Christians evangelized by our missionaries were proven. As a laity they took responsibility for the future of their christian communities into their own hands. The destruction wreaked by the war, the exodus of peoples from their native villages demanded new policies so that the work of evangelization and human welfare could be done on the scene. Such policies have been already adopted over the past few years at the Region's various Assemblies. Despite widespread destruction, the new Province has the necessary structures for formation and for its apostolic works. In a spirit of internationality, a group of Mozambican theology students are at the Cameroun Scholasticate at Ngoya.
This occasion serves to acknowledge the North Italian Province which has given the Congregation a new religious province, the result of a generous effort through personnel and finances. The province of Mozambique can be added to the LU and AU provinces as another jewel in which the IS province can take glory. "We, the Congregation" can be grateful to the IS province in that, while implanting the Church as part of its missionary effort and in keeping with the examples provided by the older European provinces, this activity was accompanied by the development of the Congregation. Our congratulations include the hope that the IS Province begin new missionary efforts in other countries and, in the spirit of We, the Congregation, actively collaborate in international efforts.
As of this date, the Superior General and his Council has named the Regional Superior, Fr. Onorio Matti, "provincial administrator ad interim" of the Mozambican province, granting him all the prerogatives and competencies which belong to a provincial superior. In this function, the provincial administrator shall be assisted by the members of the previous regional council and by the regional treasurer. The new provincial administration will take office on 19 June, 1998, Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the meanwhile, consultations will be made for the new administration according to the procedures proposed by the regional Assembly and already approved by the Superior General and his Council.
Dear brothers, the Superior General, away from Rome at this moment, has asked me to send you this timely news which I do in his name.
I invite you to thank the Lord who has thus enriched our religious family consecrated to his Divine Heart with a new religious province. Let us ask the Virgin Mary to be present through her intercession among our confreres engaged in the apostolic mission of bringing men to new birth .
Let us commit the new Mozambican province to the protection of our now Venerable Father Dehon.