Much has happened in the one hundred years the scjs have been in the Congo. The last thirty have seen great social, economic, political and eccelsial changes, creating new challenges for scjs

In addition, today there is an increased need for the province to establish a new list of priorities. They considered vocations and the number of native Congolese scjs. This is a happy challenge! The scj heritage is passing to their hands, and the province is taking on a Congolese flavor. It is important that inculturation continues, and is applied in light of the essential values of our charism and spirituality.

This was the theme of the week long conference in Kisangani, with more then 40 scjs in attendance. Two delegates represented the 11 scholastics studying philosophy, while the rest were able to attend the opening and closing ceremonies. On Sunday April 19th all the members of the conference were present at the scholasticate for supper, which was proceeded by a football match pitting the philosophy students against the priests and brothers. The final score was 5-4 in favor of the students.

The scholasticate is a new house, simple but nice, it is composed of eight pods and a chapel, connected by covered breezeways. It is the fruit of economic collaboration of the entire congregation. Frs. Wilson Hobold and Dino Ruaro are very dedicated to the work of the seminary.

During his visit Fr. General spent a week at the mission of Mambasa, since he was unable to visit it during his December/January visitation. It is the most isolated scj mission in the Congo because at the moment there are no accessible routes from Kisangani. The mission was at the crossroads for all the military bands operating during last year's war (Mobutistas, Mai-Mai and Kabila's soldiers).

Even though it was at the center of the conflict for several months the mission suffered very little damage, not even a pane of glass was broken. The soldiers did manage to steal gasoline, some  motocycles  and a tractor, though it was later recovered. This occurred because the people considered it their duty to guard the mission during the war. This was the direct result of the development of the Base Christian Communities within the parish, with its emphasis on sound formation.

In addition the people value the work of P. Longo Technical College, which serves about 320 students. It is a very important school, and is the only one of its kind between Bunia and Kisangani, a distance of some 700 kilometers. The school's educational philosophy and methodology was implemented by Fr. Silvano Ruaro. It is based on the principle that the school is like a family. It is a place where the total person is educated, placing special emphasis on human values, on faith, as well as on professional development. The Congo needs many more centers just like this one.