Eagle Air is our new and only airline flying into Musoma and since they come only Mondays and Fridays, there was no Eagle Air flyby on Wednesday 31st, Jan. 2001 to help celebrate the day. This was another important day in the history of Maryknoll in Africa. At four in the afternoon a small important group of people gathered in the Makoko Language School for mass and the official ceremony of handing the school over to the Diocese of Musoma. Present were those representing the Diocese of Musoma, Bishop Justin Samba and his Vicar General Fr. Laurenti Magesa; Fr Edward Gorczaty the new Language school Director and Fr. Wojciech Koscielniak dean and member of the transition committee. Also present were four Maryknoll priests, four Maryknoll sisters, current language students and language teachers.

In his talk at the Mass, Bishop Samba mentioned that he experienced some fear and doubts at first about what he could do with the buildings. After discussing it with his advisors, he decided to try to carry on with the program. Language, he said, is a key to successful missionary work and together with good orientation, is essential to communicating God's message to others. Without a good foundation in language we will lack understanding and be divided like the proud people of Babel but with it we can achieve unity like the people and Apostles at Pentecost. Bishop Samba thanked Maryknoll for establishing and maintaining for thirty-five years a high quality program. He said the Church has been enriched by the work.

Fr. Edward Hayes had directed the last Maryknoll course which ended in December 2000. He also endured most of the burden of preparing workers and teachers to face the inevitable - the necessity of reducing personnel and salary cuts and to achieve a smooth transition to the Diocese. It was not an easy task. It was thought that maybe that was the reason he said he was happy to see this day. At the end of the Mass he assured all, however, that it was not the case but that the most important reason for being happy at this turnover is that this valuable work is going to be carried on. Turning the school over to the Diocese is in keeping with what the Maryknoll priests, brothers and sisters have always done, namely, build for the local church. Fr. Hayes mentioned some of the other apostolates and institutions which were started and turned over to the local Church; girls' school, the minor seminary which has already produced an African Bishop, Catechetical schools and a congregation of African sisters.

Turning over the language school is the completion of another Maryknoll work; the role of Maryknoll decreasing and that of the local Church increasing. Fr. Hayes said that he thinks most Maryknollers in the region were pleased to learn of the efforts to keep the school open. He paid tribute by name to every Maryknoll priest, brother, sister and lay missioner, living and deceased who had worked at the school over the years.

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