Every Sunday in July and in August, at 11 am, mass in two languages (French and English) is celebrated in the Church of the Missions in Aix. This mass was started by the Oblates with the assistance of the Pastoral Committee for Tourism and Leisure of Aix. Besides that, it happens that there is also an international celebration in this Church.
Participants of the De Mazenod Experience
The 5th Sunday of Easter, two international masses were celebrated by the participants of the De Mazenod Experience. During the first mass, a missionary testimony was given by Father Savery COONGHE from Jaffna and during the second one, by Father Samuel SELLO from Lesotho. Set out below are the extracts of their testimonies:
Father Saveri Coonghe
«I am Coonghe from Sri Lanka. I joined the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1988 when I was 14 years old. It is a wonderful experience for me to be in the same place where my beloved Father and Founder St. Eugene de Mazenod lived and started our mother congregation. But you are very much blessed to visit this sacred place every day. The French Missionaries of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate came to our country and to other countries to preach the Good News from this house. The French Missionaries came to Sri Lanka in 1847 and they faced with so many difficulties. Our country was a very poor country. They did not have any facilities. The people were dying due to many kinds of sicknesses and the people underwent so many sufferings. But the beauty was that the Oblates were always with the people in their sufferings. To serve the poor people they were ready to die in an alien land for the glory of God. That is the missionary spirit. They dedicated their life totally for the service of the poor. I am a Catholic Priest today because of these missionaries».
Father Samuel Sello
«I am Fr. Samuel Sello Maliehe, Missionary Oblate. I am originally from Southern Africa, from a small country, namely Lesotho. I am glad and proud to be a member of the Oblates family, the Congregation which was founded by the son of this soil nearly 200 years ago. so with this words I can truly and prodly say I have come home where my Oblate family was born. Truly, I am at home here in Aix-en-Provence».
Krzysztof ZIELENDA, OMI
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