Dear friends of the Scalabrinian missions,

I join you in these days before Christmas to bring you and your families the warmest wishes of the missionaries engaged in Africa. It has been a year in which we have in particular three significant opportunities to thank the Lord and enthusiastically continue our service on behalf of the most vulnerable migrants and refugees we encounter and serve in this land.

First, the joy shared with the whole congregation of the canonization of our founder, Saint John Baptist Scalabrini, a moment of grace for the whole universal Church to whom he was given as a Father of migrants. Knowing that our charism and ministry is in communion with that of the whole Church and that the heart of Pope Francis is in tune with the thought and plan of our founder sustains and encourages us to continue our service, persevering in our daily work beyond the inevitable difficulties and opening ourselves to new challenges.

The second reason for rejoicing and seeing how, after a long period of difficulties and slowdowns due to the pandemic, our communities-which, however, have never stopped-have resumed their “ordinary” path, both in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Pastoral work continues in the parishes of Holy Cross, St. Agnes and St. Patrick La Rochelle.

Cape Town’s Scalabrini Centre continues to be a hub for thousands of migrants and refugees in need of information, documents, language classes, and training for personal or professional development, and has over the years made the congregation’s name a benchmark for advocacy and welcoming people on the move in South Africa.

The SIHMA African Migration Studies Center explores dynamics on the continent, does research and publications in synergy with other prestigious institutes and universities, and offers training for pastoral agents.

Lawrence House houses minors, almost all of them foreigners, with diverse needs and not only cares for these individual cases but paves the way nationally to improve understanding of the traumatic journey of these children and how to provide appropriate accompaniment.

St. Patrick Center in Johannesburg hosts projects for migrants and refugees in collaboration with the Jesuits (JRS) and other organizations, offering response to a complicated environment where there are indeed many needs and expectations.

I would especially like to thank ASCS, which supports us with fundrasing and international volunteering, and all the collaborators involved in our projects, who with professionalism and dedication make this possible.

The third reason is the upcoming opening of the Scalabrinian mission in Uganda, about which we will send you more information soon. We have come a long way in the past two years that has led us to choose this land, so generous and welcoming to one and a half million migrants and refugees (!) to begin collaborative work with the local church to better welcome and integrate these brothers and sisters into local communities and ensure a better future for all. There is much field of work for pastoral accompaniment, social activities, research and formation and, God willing, the promotion of our charism among the laity and in vocational perspective.

We commend to the Lord the first two brethren who accepted the challenge to begin this mission, p. John Kawisha and Fr. Walter Diaz. They have been with us for a couple of months in Cape Town and will reach Uganda in early January. All this is a source of renewed missionary enthusiasm for us!

I conclude by thanking all of you who follow and support us, may the Lord bless your generosity and support that you manifest in various forms. I extend to all of you, your families and communities the best wishes for a Happy Holidays from all of us “African fathers,” confident that the heart of the saintly Scalabrini is beating strongly in this land where there is so much need for our presence and intercession.

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