KENYA: Vatican Permits Admission of New Members to Apostles of Jesus Institute
Pontifical Commissary Fr. Raphael p’Mony Wokorach, MCCJ Credit: AMECEA Online
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
The Holy See through the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL) has authorized admission of new members to the Religious Missionary Congregation of the Apostles of Jesus (AJ) that has been under rehabilitation for over two years, Church official has disclosed.
Addressing congregants who were attending the priestly ordination of AJ members on Sunday, February 14, at their Scholasticate in Nairobi, Kenya, the Pontifical Commissary Fr. Raphael p’Mony Wokorach said the leadership of CICLSAL has opened doors for continuity with formation process in the Institute.
“Considering the efforts made so far concerning formation, this Dicastery (CICLSAL) shares the opinion expressed in your request to revoke the provision prohibiting the admission of new members to the novitiate and religious profession, both temporary and perpetual, and to Holy Orders,” Fr. Wokorach a member of the Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus (MCCJ) who is heading the Pontifical Commissariat reads an excerpt of the letter from Vatican.
“Therefore, with this letter, we revoke the prohibition to admit new members to the novitiate, and to temporary and perpetual religious profession, and to Holy Orders,” adds the message from the Prefect and Secretary to the Vatican-based Dicastery respectively.
From Left: Fr. Angelo Bettelli,FdCC, Sr. Jacinta Opondo, FSSA & Fr. Raphael Wokorach
Credit AMECEA Online
Fr. Wokorach-led Pontifical Commissariat was instituted in 2018 comprising of two Pontifical Assistants; Sr. Jacinta Auma Opondo a member of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Anna (FSSA) and Fr. Angelo Bettelli a member of Canossian Sons of Charity (FdCC) and the Secretary to the Pontifical Commissariat, Sr. Eugenia Campara a member of Daughters of Saint Paul (fsp), a team that was mandated by the Holy See to oversee the process of internal reforms and re-organization of the life of the members and of the Institute.
On the sidelines of the Sunday celebration, Fr. Wokorach told AMECEA online that CICLSAL requested the Commissariat to give a comprehensive evaluation within two years stating recommendations, plans and way forward.
“We presented the evaluation within the time frame, the Dicastery studied it and our request specifically concerning formation was that we think the Commissariat has made a step in terms of addressing formation issues,” the Ugandan-born cleric narrated.
He continued, “They acknowledged our request that work has been done to rectify some of the worries that were realized in the running of the congregation and so they accepted and that is why we have this good news from them.”
Vatican’s Permission for New Admission in the Institute
at the AJ Scholasticate Nairobi,
February, Sunday 14, 2021
Credit: AMECEA Online
Prior to the biennial report Fr. Wokorach said, “The Commissariat has been giving quarterly progress report to the Dicastery and in December 2019, we visited the office in Rome and chatted with Cardinal João the Prefect of the Dicastery, reviewed the previous reports together and he encouraged us to keep on with the work.”
Asked about the strategies in place to help the Pontifical Commissariat and members of AJ realize the granted permission by Vatican Fr. Wokorach underscored, “We have to strengthen some of the policies needed to give guidelines in formation. This should be well defined so that when a candidate is to be admitted to Postulancy, the formator knows clearly the expectations.”
He added referencing the decree issued in 2018, “We need to have formation structure and look at the formators themselves. We have already singled out a few AJ members whom we think can be prepared for this journey of formation and we are preparing them not as individual formators but to work as a team in formation.”
Additionally, the Pontifical Commissary continued highlighting the strategies, “We are coming up with Ratio formationis, a document that will stipulate the requirements and encompass the spirit that needs to be imparted in the candidates in all stages.”
The 53-year-old Congregation is the first Religious Missionary Institute of Priests and Brothers founded in Moroto, Uganda by two MCCJ Italian Missionaries, for the evangelization of Africa and the World.
Fr. Wokorach appreciated the commitment and collaboration of the Commissariat together with members of the Institute and asked for continued prayers for the congregation and the leadership so as to work ardently in fulfilling the Vatican’s request to address the needed reform of the Institute.
