INTRODUCTION

The history of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America (Maryknoll) in Musoma began on 21 October, 1946 when Frs. William Collins, Albert Good, Joseph Brannigan and Louis Bayless stepped off the Lake Steamer at Musoma town, then climbed a lorry for the nine mile trek to Nyegina Mission. Fifty years have passed and over 100 Maryknoll priests, brothers, priest associates, and lay associates have placed their hands to the plow participating in the missionary effort of the Catholic Church in present day Musoma Diocese. What I am about to present is a brief summary of the major aspects of the Society's effort in this portion of Tanzania. So, while I do mention some names, to attempt to describe the efforts of each individual would be a task beyond my capability and to elaborate on just a few would be an injustice to others.

THE EARLY YEARS

The first four missionaries and the others who followed in those early years kept themselves closely aligned with the pastoral praxis of the Missionaries of Africa, more popularly known as the White Fathers. This was the Society which preceded Maryknoll in Musoma, arriving there in 1911. Upon our arrival in 1946, there were only two missions existing: Nyegina, already mentioned, and Kowak, which was located some 25 miles north of the Mara River.

The founder of the White Fathers, Cardinal Lavigerie, established a motto for his Society: "The Conversion of Africa by the Africans." Our early Maryknollers were strongly influenced by the White Fathers and were so grateful to these missionaries for their attentive and fraternal tutelage:

When Maryknoll began its work in Musoma in 1946, a number of questions and themes relating to expatriates beginning mission work in another culture occurred concomitantly to Collins, Good, Brannigan, and Bayless. The study of language and culture, the juridical inheritance of the ecclesiastical responsibilities of the Musoma district from the White Fathers, the study and evaluation of mission methods and catechetical structures, human relations with the Tanganyikan people themselves and between the Maryknoll men and the White Fathers, all occupied the conscious mind of Collins and the 3 Maryknollers in that Fall of 1946.(Carney 105-106)

These early years were difficult ones for Maryknollers just coming to East Africa for the first time. There was no formal language school training; there was no organized approach to acculturation; there was much work to be done and so few missionaries to do it all. Yet, these men strove hard in service to their people in "the land of the 12 tribes" as an early Maryknoll movie labeled Musoma.

Within 10 years, expansion had begun from the two mother missions. By 1956, there were 5 new parishes: Masonga, Iramba, Komuge, Rosanna, and Majita. As Lou Bayless put it:

In the early days we were following in the footsteps of the White Fathers, trying to maintain their mission effort. That is, taking care of the parishes, giving the Sacraments, answering sick calls, conducting school classes in religion in the schools, preparing First Communion classes, and of course, performing preparation for marriages, performing marriages, visiting the sick, administering the last rites, and burying the dead. We just followed that. It was really pastoral, there was no great push on economic development.(Bayless, Interview, 16)

As Maryknoll began to get its feet on the ground, the creativity of these men began to unfold. Joe Brannigan researched various catechumenate programs and proposed a model which was much shorter (21 months) than the 4 year program inherited from the White Fathers. Maryknollers were debating and presenting new models because they had noticed since 1947 that during the catechumenate program many people were very active and excited. However, these same folks became lax Christians soon after baptism. Also, it had been noticed at Kowak how few men were entering the catechumenate program. It seemed that men were not willing to leave their homes for long periods of time and to put in the time required by the program. Thus, the Maryknollers began to experiment seeking out ways of making the catechumenate program more pertinent in the people's lives while still maintaining the traditional quality in introducing catechumens to the Christian way of life.

Ed Baskerville recorded the following in his Kowak African Diary in 1956:

A possible avenue of approach to some of the missionaries to rekindle the life of the catechumenate was to move all the preparation work of the catechumenate for baptism to small local outstations near the village of a cluster of people, who were interested in Christianity. It was hoped that more adults might be attracted to the catechumenate, if they did not have to leave their village and its normal social milieu for an extended period of time. It was suggested that it was now essential that a catechist be better trained and he be a man of the people in this small local outstation, who would know the people well and be capable of giving a quality instruction on Christianity. In coordination with such an effort, the priest would make more frequent trips to such local outstations to teach and celebrate the liturgy and encourage the catechumens and Christians and also spend as much time as possible talking with lapsed Christians.(Carney, 195-196)

Beginning in the mid-50s and continuing well into the 1970s ideas on how to better inculturate the Gospel were introduced in parishes throughout the diocese. Moving away from a system where everyone walked to the mission for instructions, the missionaries, utilizing their faithful group of parish catechists, began organizing their flock in more local church communities. These local village communities began to provide the "services" formerly obtained at the parish center. The priest's job was that of training catechists and lay leaders and travelling around the parish to visit these new sprouting Christian communities. Gradually, the phenomenon of Jumuyia Ndogo Ndogo (Basic Christian Communities) was experimented with in our Luo missions in the 1960s and eventually became a major pastoral priority in the AMECEA countries by 1975.

In this example of work with the Luo people at Kowak and Masonga, the idea of a small cluster of people living near their village and taking all the catechumenate courses at an outstation while under the direction of a good catechist and with frequent visits of the priest, proved to have some moderate success in attracting Africans to the Christian faith. In 1961, the Kowak mission had more than 1000 Baptisms for the first time since its inception in 1933. The heart of the "new" system was the quality of the catechist's instruction in the small local group and much travelling and visiting by the priest to these small local stations. In creating some success in relation to the quality of Christian life in a community, as well as the number of Christians, it demanded much more work and physical effort on the part of the missionaries in both travel and education of his catechists.(Carney, 196-197)

THE MARYKNOLL SOCIETY SETTLES IN

On 7 December, 1950, Fr. J. Gerard Grondin M.M. was appointed Prefect Apostolic of Musoma. With this move, Musoma was transferred from the White Fathers' jurisdiction and became the responsibility of Maryknoll. With the close assistance of Fr. William Collins, Gerry Grondin helped the new church to prosper in those first years of the 50s. On 3 October, 1957, John Rudin M.M. was consecrated the first Bishop of Musoma. In a 1991 interview the then retired Bishop Rudin commented on Christian formation:

In the beginning they (catechumens) stayed at the mission for 6 months. And the idea was not just the instructions, they had a lot of that, but also the Christian way of living and praying. . . . the Christian way of living or thinking is the example of Christ, the example of the holy men and holy women, and being charitable and being kind, and trying to see that people have faults and weaknesses. We forget those things, and we try to make up for them, and help them to overcome it. And help ourselves of course to be better Christians by doing that. That's a way of life and it takes a while to do it. We thought at first, many of us, that once you get them through this 4 year course, and then it was cut to 3 years, and then to 2 years, and now I think it's basically a year but with more classes than over the 4 year period. We thought that once they learned everything in the books, and there were no obstacles to their becoming Christians, baptize them, they'll learn. But it really isn't that way. It has to go on. They've got to get tied into the church family there, the parish or the outstation, or these days jumuyia ndogo ndogo, basic community. You've got to, and that has to continue on, and it has to be a natural process, and it takes a long while to do it, to make a real Christian. That's what we felt and the way it is.(Rudin, Interview, 23-24)

Bishop Rudin accurately describes the difficulties encountered as Christianity began to spread in leaps and bounds throughout so many of the parishes in the diocese. Ed Hayes commented that when he first arrived in 1959 and for many years afterward, it seemed that every year there were 1 or 2 new missions being built in the diocese. Indeed Musoma Diocese prospered in those early 1960s. Concern for the establishment of a local clergy and religious led to the opening of St. Pius X Seminary in 1955 and in that same year the Immaculate Heart Sisters of Africa Congregation was founded. Equal concern for the development of a responsible lay leadership was expressed through the opening of the Komuge Catechetical Training Center 1966 and in 1968 the Makoko Family Center for the full development of Christian family life.

Over the years there has been a greater participation of the laity in all aspects of Church leadership and the Christian community. There have been developments in lay councils and Basic Christian Communities and the church in many parishes has been profoundly affected by the greater participation of the laity. There have also been numerous saintly examples of sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel and models of a vibrant faith expressed in the lives of so many of our Christians in Musoma Diocese. However, I believe it is still fair to say that to this day, a major pastoral challenge remains in what was described back in the 50s at Kowak as the "vibrant catechumen who becomes the lax Christian." I would see it more as the challenge of an authentic inculturation of a Christian way of life among the various peoples, one which truly touches the lives of the over 200,000 baptized Catholics of the diocese.

DIOCESAN EXPANSION

When we look upon the expansion years of the diocese in terms of the building of institutes and parishes, much of the credit goes to the Maryknoll brothers, namely Br. Fidelius, Br. John Damien Walsh and Br. Brian Fraher. These men were the planners, the engineers, and the foremen in many of those building schemes. None of the Maryknoll priests were trained for such work. Yet, the need has always been there and thus has called many of them to get involved in building also. Mission in Musoma Diocese has always challenged our Maryknollers to get involved in so many ways which has taken us outside of our formal training: extracting teeth, fitting people for eyeglasses, automobile mechanics, road construction, ambulance service, agriculture, animal husbandry, and community cooperatives, to mention just a few.

Yet, I think it important to mention another, and perhaps more important level of our missionary endeavor. In 1967, Joe Carney wrote about Bishop Edward McGurkin M.M., then the Bishop of Shinyanga Diocese and paraphrased him in this way:

The negative judgments on the missionary church in Africa in the 20th Century are well known - superficial community life, failure to integrate, an adequate acculturation, the neglect of Christian Social Teaching, paternalism, etc., but he raised the issue, how are such questions asked? What is the strident tone of the criticism? Is one building or destroying? The answer for him lies in the ability of one to give himself to the African people, to his fellow African priest and Maryknoller. The gift might often not have the best of tools in anthropology, agriculture, theology, but people do not desire the objects, according to McGurkin, but rather the gift of the person. It is the gift of self, which is the integrating factor in the beauty of Christianity.(Carney, 237)

Personal interest in the people and personal attention to their needs are facets of the Maryknoll personality which have remained constant throughout our 50 years in Musoma. The love expressed in self-sacrifice despite whatever shortfalls may exist in various personalities, is what has endeared so many of the Maryknollers in the hearts of their people. There still remains today 8 Maryknoll priests who arrived here in the early 1950s and have remained faithful servants, working side by side with their people till this day.

Lou Bayless, commented on Rab Murphy (who died and was buried here in Musoma in 1985) in this way:

He was a likeable chap, and he always was thinking of others, and he had a remarkable memory for names. He would say John Mwita and he would retain that name John Mwita 6 months later, if he'd see him in the marketplace, he'd say: "Hello, John Mwita, how are you?" Oh that was really, very very good: to know everybody's name! So many men, women, and children, he retained those names which was remarkable, and that was a great help. He was a good missionaries.(Bayless, Interview, 20)

In general it was not easy for Maryknollers to get close to the people in the early years. The formation programs in the States did not promote this. Then the hit and miss approach to language and cultural studies presented a barrier which proved to be a cross for so many throughout their careers. Nevertheless, many bore with the trials and broke through the barriers, enabling them to draw near to the people whom they served.

This question of language and culture was prominent in the minds of our missionaries from the very beginning in 1946. However, it was not until 1964 that Maryknoll built its language school at Makoko, situated just a few miles outside of Musoma on the shores of Lake Victoria. Today, the Regional Center is situated also on the campus of the school. The first directors were Fr. George Pfister and Sr. Anita Marie MacWilliams M.M. The next year, 1965, Pfister was succeeded by Fr. Phil Sheerin. The growing predominance of the Swahili language over that of the local languages of the indigenous groups caused this school to concentrate on the national language. Courses were still offered in Luo, Kuria, Kisii and Sukuma languages, but the majority of the 2,200 who have passed through the doors of the Maryknoll Language School have taken the Swahili course.

The well organized language program; the systematic approach to culture; the library; the relaxed setting and atmosphere of the school; the cordial and helpful staff; these factors all helped meet the needs expressed over those many years and have helped better equip missionaries for their various ministries in the Swahili speaking world comprising Kenya and Tanzania.

In 1972, Maryknoll began its Overseas Training Program (OTP). The ease at which Maryknoll seminarians and brotherhood candidates have been allowed to acculturate in this country through 4 months at the language school and nearly 2 years of apprenticeship in parishes has had a major affect upon the effectiveness of Maryknoll's mission efforts over these past 24 years. These men have been better equipped for the tasks at hand in Musoma. The church has grown, local bishops have been appointed, vocations have prospered, the laity has matured and assumed greater responsibility. Maryknollers in Musoma have been called to assist, to counsel, to listen, to dialogue and be so attentive to this new community of local church. The role has changed significantly from those early days when everything was so dependent upon the Society and its personnel. Today, there is such a great need for close cooperation and working alongside the expanding personnel of the local church. The Maryknoll Language School and the years of apprenticeship in OTP, have been major factors in enabling Maryknollers to meet the challenges of the 1990s here in Musoma Diocese.

TANZANIA'S INDEPENDENCE IN 1961, UJAMAA AND THEIR EFFECTS UPON MISSION

Tanzania has been an independent nation now for 35 years. The major figure throughout most of this period has been Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere. A native of Musoma, Mwalimu Nyerere has also been a close friend to many Maryknollers over the years. His program for African Socialism, Ujamaa, had a major affect upon Maryknoll's missionary efforts beginning in the late 1960s and continuing until Nyerere's retirement in 1985. Let me give some examples where the Church's preaching of the Gospel was integrated with civil efforts in building up a national identity.

In 1966 the Komuge Catechetical Training Center was opened. Its Director, Art Wille wrote the following:

The syllabus of Komuge is similar to other catechist training centers with Scripture, Theology, Liturgy, Pedagogy, Church History, Sociology, Kiswahili and Music, but the courses are all orientated toward a growing social and economic awareness in relation to development and nation-building in Tanzania. The doctrinal bases for nation-building and social and economic involvement are structured with the theology courses themselves, for instance, when Genesis is taught special emphasis is made of the person's role in governing and enjoying the fruits of the earth. The liturgy of the Eucharist is celebrated as a community sharing the sacrament of a meal, in which the offertory gifts are readily identified as the fruits of the earth. The Post Vatican II emphasis on the role of the lay person in Church and the Church's responsibility itself in the modern world is stressed in the sociology course as well as the theology course.(Carney, 219)

As another example, I cite the Makoko Family Center. At this institute, founded by Fr. Dave Jones and Sr. Margaret Monroe M.M. with the assistance of an African sister and 2 lay couples, 30-40 families from mostly the rural areas would gather for 3 weeks at a time. They would receive updating on Post Vatican II theology in relation to the theology of the Church as the People of God and especially the Sacraments of marriage, eucharist and penance. Half of each day, while living in a communal atmosphere, was also devoted to classes on Ujamaa socialism, the Arusha Declaration and practical experience in farming, sewing, health and child care.

Another Maryknoller writing from one of the parishes put Maryknoll's cooperation in the Ujamaa government policy in this way:

This means that the work of developing the country economically will be done right in our own backyard. Certainly we cannot afford to ignore such an opportunity. If the Gospel means anything to me, it demonstrates the incarnation of God in human affairs. This indicates that we must also sympathize with the people in their day to day needs and desires, and in any way possible encourage and help them. If the modernization of the traditional village is the aim of the government and hope of the people, I am sure we can be a catalyst in some form, suitable to our talents and meaningful to the local situation. Paul Bomani lists many needs, such as rural water supplies, cooperative use of machines and implements, new marketing systems, social amenities for the young, rural health centers, electricity, rural hospitals, schools, shopping centers, small scale industries, artisans and others. We may be able to establish contracts, act as organizers, perhaps unify the local people, grant use of our facilities for social purposes and so on. The possibilities are innumerable.(Houle Diary, 1966)

It was with such zeal that Maryknoll and so many in the Catholic Church embarked on an enterprize which supported the independent Tanzanian government in an effort to build a nation. The goal for the Church was to assure a development which coincided with the Gospel and the building up of God's Kingdom on earth. Thus, a mutual alliance of cooperation was established between Church and Government. The efforts in Musoma Diocese, the home of the Father of the Nation and the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, was one of the prime examples.

MODERN TIMES: MARYKNOLL IN THE 90S

Actually, from the mid-70s and continuing on till today, the Maryknoll Society has introduced priest and lay associates to its work in Musoma. The Society has nurtured and developed this movement from a time when lay people came to work with Maryknollers on a volunteer basis, to when they came as lay associates and now as priest and lay members of the Maryknoll Mission Association of the Faithful. The priests and brothers of Maryknoll in Musoma Diocese have established a close working relationship and system of mutual support in mission with these many people over the years. Together with the Maryknoll Congregation we have fostered Maryknoll's mission particularly in pastoral ministry and in the fields of health and education. With so much growth and development in the diocese since the consecration of its first Tanzanian bishop in 1979, Bishop Anthony Mayala, and now under the leadership of his successor Bishop Justin Samba (1989), Maryknoll has much to be proud of as it peers over 50 years of Church history in this diocese.

In recent years, the Society has tried to focus its pastoral efforts in those areas where the Gospel has not yet taken root or perhaps has not yet been heard altogether. Thus, personnel have been sent to the far northeastern section of the diocese bordering on the Serengeti Wildlife Preserve to preach "ad gentes." With the diocese's ability to staff many of its parishes with local personnel, Maryknollers have also moved into more specialized ministries. Some have devoted their efforts in Religious formation ministry and chaplaincy at hospitals and schools. Others have turned to the marginated at a local leper colony and in service to those afflicted with AIDS. The spirit of the Maryknoll Hymn "to bring Christ's light and grace to all" carries on. I am often reminded of the words of Bishop James Edward Walsh when he spoke about the missionary vocation. His words went something like this: a missionaries goes to a place where he (she) is needed but not wanted; and he (she) stays there until he (she) is wanted, but no longer needed. During Maryknoll Society's celebration of 50 years of service to the church of Musoma Diocese, it behooves us to continue to reflect upon such words of wisdom.

Maryknoll's physical presence will continue to dwindle in numbers in the year's to come as we move in other directions and toward other labors in God's Kingdom. For those who will remain in the diocese, the challenge will remain. There may be many tasks which the local church will "want" us to carry on, but will not really "need" us to do so. Yet, there will also be an apostolate which will "need" the services of missionaries, apostolates which the local church cannot yet assume. May Bishop Walsh's wisdom and that of the over 100 Maryknollers who have preceded us, grace Maryknoll in these years to come.

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