Annual Report of the Mission Awareness Committee (MAC)
of the Religious Superiors' Association of Tanzania (RSAT)
June, 2005 to June, 2006


	Just before the Religious Superiors' Association of Tanzania (RSAT) Plenary Meeting in July, 1985 Rev. Marien van den Eijnden, M.Afr., the Vocation Director of the Missionaries of Africa, noticed that the main concerns of the association seemed to be Formation, Vocations, Novitiates, a Religious Seminary, etc. (inward looking concerns).  At the same time he saw the need for not just recruiting new Tanzanian members for his own institute, but also helping to promote mission awareness and to form missionaries in the Local Church (outward looking concerns).  He presented to Rev. William Moroney, M.Afr, his Regional Superior, some ideas about the need for general mission awareness in Tanzania. Since there was no department in the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC) for these concerns, he suggested that the exclusively missionary-oriented congregations and societies strictly speaking could start a committee. RSAT could keep in touch with TEC until one day this idea could become a Mission Department of the Local Church. Father Moroney asked Father van den Eijnden to present this idea to the meeting and the members supported the idea. This led RSAT to form the Mission Awareness Committee (MAC).  

	The RSAT appointed a small committee of Father Ed Hayes, M.M., Father Albert Placucci, I.M.C. and Father van den Eijnden to launch the idea. They had some informal meetings at the Maryknoll Society House in Masaki, Oyster Bay. It was the hope of the first MAC Members that from the work of MAC the priority of “Mission Awareness” would be taken up by the Local Church in Tanzania.  It was stressed that a Local Church is not a “Mature Church” until it is “sending out” missionaries.

	At the beginning of 1986 Father van den Eijnden went to Dodoma to present the idea to Bishop Mathias Isuja Joseph who was on the Executive Committee of TEC. Bishop Isuja was favorable and asked Father van den Eijnden to contact the secretary in the relevant department dealing with mission and the apostolate at the Tanzania Catholic Secretariat in Kurasini which he did.

	Members of the committee were in touch with each other both by individual contacts and correspondence for two years. The first official meeting of MAC took place in Dar es Salaam on 12 May, 1987 with representatives from the Apostles of Jesus, Consolata Missionaries, Maryknoll Society, and Missionaries of Africa together with Father Novatus Kavelaars, OFM Cap, the Secretary of RSAT.  Father Joseph Healey, M.M. was elected the Chairperson. Minute No. 2 stated: “It was hoped from the beginning that this committee would work as a leaven in the Local Church and that eventually TEC would have its own missionary department or commission.”  Minute No. 4 stated: “It was proposed and accepted that we visit the TEC Offices at Kurasini.  We were lucky to meet with Father Willibrod Slaa, the then Secretary General of TEC, who assured us that our committee, being a RSAT Committee, had the blessing of TEC since RSAT was recognized and encouraged by TEC.” Father Slaa expressed the hope that MAC would work together with the TEC Commission on Evangelization. 

	By personal visit and letter Father Healey contacted Bishop Alphonce Nsabi, the then Chairman of the TEC Commission on Evangelization.  Bishop Nsabi wrote on 29 June, 1987: “I read with interest the various activities that MAC intends to occupy itself with.  I wish you much success in all these endeavors, for the Church in Tanzania will be much helped if you can accomplish all you have set out to do.”

	The Second MAC Meeting on 1-2 June, 1988 included a representative of the Spiritans and Father Michael Gaula, the new National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS). Annual meetings were held from 1989 to 1992. A key activity was the promotion of World Mission Sunday on the next to last Sunday of October. Then due to lack of members (representatives of the RSAT societies and congregations) MAC was inactive for two and one half years.

	MAC was revived at the beginning of 1995. Father Joseph Healey was appointed the half time coordinator, living in Dar es Salaam. Three meetings were held in February, May and December. In March, 1995 members of MAC began producing a one-half hour Swahili radio programme called Sisi Sote Ni Wamisionari (“We Are All Missionaries”) on the FM Radio Tumaini and later helped to produce video and TV programmes on mission themes for Video Tumaini. One priority was the translation of various mission documents into Swahili and their printing and distribution in booklet form. To keep close links to the TEC the MAC reports and minutes were sent to Bishop Nestor Timanywa, the Chairman of the Commission for Religious (under which RSAT and its committees comes). During one conversation at Kurasini Bishop Timanywa told Father Healey: “Thank you for the MAC reports. Even though I may not answer very often, I appreciate reading about the activities of MAC.” Later the reports and minutes have been regularly sent to Bishop Augustine Shao, C.S.Sp., the present Chairman of the TEC Commission on Evangelization.

	In the beginning it was thought that the MAC Members would come from the seven exclusively missionary-oriented congregations and societies strictly speaking: Apostles of Jesus, Apostolic Life Community/Opus Spiritus Sancti (ALCP/OSS), Consolata Missionaries, Maryknoll Society of Priests and Brothers, Missionaries of Africa, Society of African Missions, and Spiritans -- East African Province.  Later this was broadened to all RSAT members. Since MAC is a voluntary committee the congregations and societies that responded were those with a particular interest in mission awareness and mission animation in Tanzania: Presently there are seven other active institutes: Benedictines, Capuchins, Franciscan Conventuals, Pallottines, Precious Blood, Salesians of Don Bosco, and Salvatorians.  

      From then on MAC met twice a year. A crucial turning point was the suggestion of Father Isidore Peterhans, OFM Cap, the then Chairman of RSAT, to widen MAC to involve a large variety of Catholics (including Sisters and  laity) in MAC activities. On 27 November, 1997 MAC had its 10th Anniversary celebration at Mbagala Spiritual Centre with Bishop Evaristo Chengula, I.M.C., the Bishop of Mbeya and a former representative of the Consolata Missionaries on MAC as the Main Celebrant and Homilist. Starting in 1998 MAC began having one national meeting in Dar es Salaam (November) and one national meeting in another diocese (April). So far MAC has been to Zanzibar, Iringa, Morogoro, Dodoma, Ndanda, Songea, Moshi, and Mahenge. 

      One RSAT Executive Board Meeting emphasized that "MAC's most important work is to animate the congregations and societies to have a missionary spirit starting with the candidates' formation." This includes “Seminars on Missionary Awareness" on a regular cycle (every three years) at the Salvatorian Institute, Morogoro, Spiritan Missionary Seminary, Njiro, Arusha, and Don Bosco College of Philosophy and Youth Studies, Moshi.
One day seminars have been given in various dioceses, parishes, training centres, and youth centers. 

	A special “Mass of Thanksgiving” at Mbagala Parish, Dar es Salaam on 12 November, 2003 celebrated the 100th monthly, one-half hour Swahili radio programme on Radio Tumaini called Sisi Sote Ni Wamisionari.  Cardinal Polycarp Pengo was the Main Celebrant and gave a stirring homily on mission.  Since the first radio programme in March, 1995, 240 people have assisted in producing the programmes.  This mass together with singing and dancing, the evening party and parts of the 18th Meeting of MAC at the Mbagala Spiritual Centre are part of a 1 hour, 55 minute video produced by Video Tumaini called Sisi Sote Ni Wamisionari: Sherehe ya Vipindi 100 vya Radio. The 5 June, 2006 radio programme was No. 136.			 

	The General Fund of RSAT contributes 500,000/= Tanzanian Shillings annually to the meetings of MAC. Regular contributions come from RSAT Members and other religious congregations, mission-related organizations and individuals. There are various self-reliance projects, most recently the sale of MAC T-shirts and Caps.

	MAC members work closely with Father Liberatus Mwenda, the National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) in Tanzania.  MAC assisted PMS in the “Songea Archdiocesan Missionary Congress” from 16-26 April, 2004.  A team of 13 priests, Sisters and lay people facilitated seminars, meetings, and activities on “Evangelizing Mission” and “Missionary Week” with three main topics: “The History of Mission in Tanzania;” “We Are All Missionaries;” and “Making the Catholic Church Self Reliant.” Similar “Missionary Weeks” took place in Mbulu Diocese in November, 2004 and Mtwara Diocese in November, 2005.

	MAC members try to keep close contact and collaboration with the missionary institutes (societies and congregations) and mission awareness offices and committees in neighboring Kenya and Uganda. For example, Father Jude Shayo, A.J., the former Chairperson of MAC, and Father Joseph Healey, M.M., the former Coordinator of MAC, were part of the PMS Tanzania delegation that participated in the 2004 PMS Kenya National Missionary Congress that took place in Nairobi, Kenya from 29 November to 4 December, 2004.

	We are presently in a transition stage when MAC is becoming more and more integrated into the structures of the Local Church (“Kanisa Mahalia”) in Tanzania, that is, into the structures the PMS National Office of the TEC.  This is a happy sign of growth and maturity.  At the same time it is important that the identity of RSAT’s mission awareness priorities and goals be preserved and continue. This is true of other mission animation groups that are at the service of TEC evangelization, but retain their own identity, for example, the Team of Evangelization at the Agape Centre in Dar es Salaam Archdiocese and the Undugu Association Tanzania, an organ of the Missionaries of Africa.

	It is clear that MAC has grown far beyond the original plan of RSAT.  There is now a new face/new faces of MAC.  The present leaders of the MAC National Committee are:

      Father George Kibura, I.M.C. (Chairperson)
      Mrs. Esther Chilambo (Secretary)
	Father Nicodemus Hindoy, OFM Cap (Coordinator)
	Mr. Cletus Majani (Coordinator of the Sisi Sote Ni Wamisionari Radio Programmes)

Branches of MAC have started in Dar es Salaam, Morogoro, Mwanza and Songea. Of the 44 participants in the MAC National Meeting in Songea from 23-24 April, 2004 only 10 participants came from RSAT institutes (nine priests and one brother).  The others were 19 Sisters from TCAS institutes, one archbishop, four diocesan priests and 10 lay people.  At the MAC National Meeting in Moshi from 10-11 May, 2005 a key distinction was made between:

	1. MAC-RSAT in the strict sense. Around 15 priests and brothers representing RSAT institutes.
	2. Participants in the biannual national MAC Meetings. Between 30 and 40 people.
	3. The “Wider MAC” ("MAC Pana") – the network of people interested in MAC that includes an extensive Email Mailing List and the use of the Internet. Over 135 people.

	The challenge is how to promote MAC on all three levels in close collaboration with the Local Church in Tanzania. 

      A recent missionary activity of MAC is periodic Parish Mission Days ("Siku ya Umisionari Parokiani") including three of these days so far in 2006.  A team of 12 MAC members including six priests, two Sisters and four lay people visited Kijichi Parish in Dar es Salaam Archdiocese on 5 February, 2006. The group conducted a seminar for 150 youth that started seven Youth Small Christian Communities (SCCs) and celebrated mission-oriented masses. On the Sunday during the MAC Meeting in Mahenge Diocese "MAC members went out in small groups to four different outstations of Mofu Parish to evangelize and to sensitize the faithful on the important role of missionary work. In all four outstations they emphasized the involvement of SCCs as the new way of being the church right from the grassroots. It was also observed that missionaries from overseas were no longer forthcoming. So each baptized Christian has a role to play in proclaiming the Good News to all people" (from CISA News Service). A team of 11 MAC members including four priests, two Sisters and five lay people visited Mlandizi Parish in Dar es Salaam Archdiocese on Pentecost Sunday, 3-4 June, 2006.  The group conducted a seminar on "The Mission of Youth in SCCs" ("Umisionari wa Vijana Ndani ya JNNK") and celebrated 10 mission-oriented masses in different outstations.

	The latest development in the history of MAC is the present emphasis on promoting the missionary outreach of Small Christian Communities (SCCs). This is seen in MAC Dar helping to promote the "Year of Small Christian Communities (2006-2007)" in Dar es Salaam Archdiocese and the Year 2006 monthly Sisi Sote Ni Wamisionari Radio Programmes on Radio Tumaini that have themes connected to SCCs.  An Inculturation Week on "Small Christian Communities" will take place at the Salvatorian Institute of Philosophy and Theology in Morogoro, Tanzania from 12-16 February, 2007. A small, mixed team of MAC members will coordinate and present the topic "The Missionary Outreach of Small Christian Communities."


Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Updated 9 June, 2006



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