January 2022: On the world stage the dominant highlighted concerns are Covid-19 and Climate Change. Most thinking people hold that the latter is of greater concern.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis continues his courageous, prophetic mission of calling us to ecological conversion: ‘the urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change. The Creator does not abandon us; he never forsakes his loving plan or repents of having created us. Humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home’ (Laudato Si n.13).
The Franciscan Brothers are privileged to be proactive in promoting a common home that is in line with Pope Francis’ thinking and teaching. Their approach is not based on the technological paradigm (dominant development paradigm) of which Pope Francis is so critical, but on an emerging paradigm that is more holistic, people and environment centered. The Franciscan Brothers mission in Africa is: ‘to empower the marginalized in their efforts to liberate themselves and to care for the earth.’ Delivery of this mission demands the promotion of a wholistic development approach.
All our ministries in East Africa encapsulate this approach. Our education, training, research, and extension work aim at wholistic, integrated development of God given gifts, with which every person is endowed. Africa requires development not charity. The Franciscan Brothers, their Co-workers, Volunteers and Partners strive to promote sustainable development by creating environments for competence-based learning for students, farmers, development workers and marginalized rural youth.
May God continue to bless our work.