I want to thank Him for my family. It was at home that I learnt God's love and grew up in faith. They are the ones who accepted my call... a call that made me leave and live abroad for so many years.
Ten years' ago, at the time of my holidays, my mother called me and said: “You must know that we would be very happy if you would stay in our country and be close to us all the time but... we know that you have been called to be a missionary so... go in the name of the Lord”.
After that, in 2005, knowing my parents were sick I wrote to my sister (there are only two of us at home) asking if she felt I should go back home and help her look after my parents. She replied saying: “Do not worry. Continue what you are called to do. The Lord will help us”.
I am telling you this so that you will pray for them. It is because of them that I am here today with you.
I am also telling you this so that you, parents, will have the strength to support your children when they will be called to be priests. Be ready to offer them to the Lord! Let us dream with the day when we'll have many priests serving our communities, ready to go and support other dioceses in our country too and, why not, ready to go to other countries where Jesus is not known. The task to proclaim the good news to all the world is not only for a few but for every single priest. Let us dream for the day when also the Bishop will be chosen among them.
To make it possible we need to dream for that day, we need to pray for vocations and we need to be ready to offer ourselves.
There are many people I'd like thank today. Allow me mention at least a few of them:
- Gracias a los “argentinos” que vinieron desde Argentina y desde Mozambique.
- Grazie agli amici e ai missionari della Consolata che sono arrivati dall'Argentina, dall'Italia e dal Mozambico.
- Thanks to the Consolata Missionaries in South Africa always making me feel we are a family.
- I thank those who came from Piet Retief, Pongola, Madadeni and Daveyton. The Bishop of Ingwavuma is the fruit of your love!
- Thanks to Fr Chris Chatteris, the Jesuit community and the King Dominican community in Johannesburg who welcomed me for the retreat last month.
- Thanks to the Apostolic Nuncio for presiding today the celebration and to all the Bishops and members of the SACBC who welcomed me warmly from the first day and came today to the ordination, together with those who could not come but showed in different ways they are spiritually present.
- Special thanks to Fr Declan who has been the administrator of the Vicariate and to the Servants of Mary to whom the Vicariate is entrusted for constantly developing the local church and giving life to the Vicariate through different projects.
God bless you all!
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