Carmelite Life and Ministry is Vibrant in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The Prior General, Míċeál O’Neill and Conrad Mutizamhepo, General Councilor for Africa, conducted the canonical visitation of the Carmelite friars in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The visitation was conducted in two phases; the first part covered Kinshasa and Kisangani and took place March 19-30, 2024, while the second part took place April 19-May 4, 2024, and covered the eastern region of the country, including the communities in the dioceses of Mahagi-Nioka, Bunia, and Butembo-Beni. During the visitation, the visitators had a good insight into the vitality of Carmelite life with its beneficial effect on the lives of the peoples.

The first Carmelites from Italy arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo, then known as Zaire, in February 1973. The first missionaries were Fr Archangelo Colandrea, Fr Ubaldo Pani, and Dominico FioreI. On fire with missionary zeal, they were entrusted with the care of the mission of Jiba, founded in 1954 by the Missionaries for Africa. Soon, the Carmelite presence spread to Bunia, Mahagi-Nioka, Kinshasa, Butembo, Kisangani, and Mbujimayi. Today there are 66 Carmelites in solemn vows and 15 in simple vows. They minister in nine parishes in six dioceses as well as Carmelite houses and institutions such as hospitals and schools.

Having visited all the communities except Mbujimayi, the visitors noted with hopeful joy that the Carmelite presence in Congo is vibrant. Four young men are undergoing introduction to Carmelite life in the postulancy program at Titus Brandsma house in Butembo while ten others are learning Carmelite life in the novitiate programme at St Joseph’s, Bunia. Two friars are pursuing studies in theology at Blessed Isidore Bakanja in Kinshasa. Ongoing formation and skills training are emphasized so much that there are friars who are undergoing studies within Congo and in Italy in various fields such as theology, philosophy, administration, and medicine.

At the conclusion of the canonical visit Frs. Míċeál and Conrad participated in two significant events. The first was the celebration of the Eucharist for the closing of the Golden Jubilee Year of Carmelite presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Eucharist was presided over by the bishop of Butembo-Beni, Bishop Melchizedek Sikuli Paluku, assisted by close to fifty priests, scores of religious and a large crowd of the faithful. During the same Eucharist, three Carmelites were ordained deacons and one was ordained priest. The liturgy was so well organized that even when it rained fairly heavily, hundreds of the faithful endured the rain to witness the proceedings to their conclusion. The participation of the faithful can only be described as animated and enthusiastic. After the mass, the newly ordained and their families, friends and colleagues enjoyed a sumptuous banquet to choral as well as traditional music performances. “Participating in these activities revealed to us that the Church in Congo is youthful, alive and active. It is heartening to know that Carmel is playing a significant role in the spiritual accompaniment, educational enlightenment of the youths, and pastoral formation of multitudes,” said Fr. Conrad.

The other significant event that took place was the triennial Assembly of the Commissariat of Congo. This was held April 28-30, 2024 in preparation for the Provincial Chapter due to be celebrated in Rome in June 2024. The Assembly was made up of the priors of each community, parish priests from each parish, former Commissary Provincials, and invited friars and guests. Although not all the eligible friars attended, eighteen friars with the right to vote and 7 friars without a right to vote participated. At the beginning of the Assembly all agreed to a code of conduct, namely, to be docile to the movement of the Holy Spirit, to be punctual and regular, to respect mutuality and tolerance, and to be animated by the concern for the common good. Great effort was made to appreciate the achievements during the fifty years of Carmelite presence. These years have included a good reception of the Carmelite charism and spirituality as well as growth in the number of friars as well as lay people who are committed to witnessing to the Carmelite charism. The men also recognized the challenges encountered over the decades, some of which were outside of their control, like the destabilization of a sustainable peaceful atmosphere in the country because of outbursts of war and the insecurity and political unrest that ensues.

The political climate has impacted the socio-economic and spiritual development of the country negatively. Some political actors have sown the seeds of distrust in some ethnic communities fanning tensions, conflict, and reprisals. From the open discussions and interventions at the Assembly it was clear that Carmelites wish to be a force for socio-spiritual transformation and revival in the regions in which they are working. In line with the Carmelite Constitutions, the Carmelites renewed their commitment to live a life of allegiance to Jesus Christ in a contemplative attitude exercised in a life of prayer, fraternity and service in the midst of the people (Const 2019 §14). As such, the friars committed themselves to living the charismatic endowment of Carmel in openness to the Holy Spirit in an effort to cultivate forgiveness, reconciliation, fraternal correction, and sincere conversion to Christ; to prioritize formation and skills development; to have a leadership that will help the friars to live according to Carmelite religious life; to sustainably utilize the resources available to them and generate productivity; to commit to pooling their earnings together while at the same time cultivating transparency and accountability in administration and management; to commit to ongoing collaboration with the founding province and promotion of fraternal dialogue at all levels in the commissariat in preparation for the decision to become a province.

“Having shared in the life of the friars in the Commissariat for slightly more than four weeks, we returned to Rome with a sense of joy and hope. We were joyful to share in the Eucharist concluding the first fifty years of presence since the planting of the charism by gallant Italian Carmelites and we are hopeful that, with the seriousness demonstrated at the Assembly and the Resolutions flowing from it, the Congolese Carmel will continue to grow both numerically and qualitatively. Rooted as the Carmelite presence is in following in the footsteps of Christ inspired by the example of Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel and the fiery Prophet Elijah, we can testify to the vibrancy of Carmelite life and ministry in our communities, parishes and institutions, said Fr. Conrad.