Vice-Province of Madagascar – Friends of Montfort – Mahajanga
- The new office and its activities
The new office of the association Friends of Montfort was constituted on 30 November 2022. The association is open to all, regardless of religion. It currently has 33 members, 26 women and 7 men. It is composed of 5 Protestants, one Muslim and 27 Catholics.
The first activity was a visit to the Mangarivotra orphanage. The aim was to share the joy of Christmas with the children and to make them understand that they are not alone. As they were children, we brought them toys, sweets, oil, rice, soap and clothes.
- The meeting with the Brothers
During the visit of the Brothers Vicar General, Secretary General and Vice-Provincial to Mahajanga on 6 January 2023, a meeting took place in the large conference room of Saint-Gabriel with the members of the association. The Brothers gave their support and encouragement to the work already done and to the continuation of the mission of the association.
- Celebration of the 350th anniversary of St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort
To celebrate the 350th anniversary of the birth of St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, the association held several spiritual and cultural activities. As Father de Montfort was a man of prayer, on the morning of 31 January 2023, a mass was celebrated at 5.45 a.m. in the cathedral of Mahajanga. After mass, the celebration continued in front of the statue of Father de Montfort with the recitation of the Rosary, followed by a small photo session to immortalise the moment. And to mark the event, holy cards with the photo of Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort were distributed to all those present at the mass. It was a moment of conviviality and sharing.
As for the day of 1 March 2023, it was full of emotion. It began with a mass in the courtyard of St Gabriel’s College in Mahajanga, led by Father Jeannot and animated by members of the association Friends of Montfort. The brothers, the students and some parents were pleased to join us. To strengthen the bonds of fraternity and to encourage exchanges between members and brothers, a meal was shared as a toast to the New Year. The afternoon was marked by several competitions: “Questions for a champion” on the life of Montfort for the primary pupils (9th, 8th and 7th grades). A drawing competition on the site of the saint on the school grounds for secondary school students. A poetry competition in Malagasy, French or English for secondary school students of Saint Montfort school. All these competitions were aimed at instilling the Montfortian spirit in the pupils. On the afternoon of 1 March, the brothers, accompanied by members of the association, made a procession from the school gate to the statue of Saint Louis Marie de Montfort, while praying the rosary. This was the closing of the celebration.
- Retreat for a better life
As we are in the period of Lent, the members of the Association of Friends of Montfort gathered on 19 March 2023 for a retreat. The day was animated by Brother Haja and the president of the association who took the opportunity to give a brief report on AMG.
The Brother shared the journey of Father de Montfort throughout his life. In other words, he described his childhood, his youth, his life as a preacher, his achievements as a preacher and his works. He also emphasised that this man of prayer loved God above all else and consecrated himself to Our Lady in order to reach her son Jesus.
After the conference, there was a time for personal reflection followed by confession. A Eucharist closed this day of recollection. All the members left with a heart full of thirst for wisdom and a great love for our Mother Mary.
Report on the formation of the AMG held on 10, 11 and 12 March 2023
– Following the decision taken during the assembly of the Montfortian Gabrielite Brothers at the end of December 2022, concerning the request for the training of mission leaders to encourage and improve the working methods for sharing Montfortian spirituality, a training course was held on 10, 11 and 12 March 2023, with 16 participants.
– Each mission was represented by a lay person and a brother: Anjomakely, Antananarivo, Antsirabe, Fandriana, Mahajanga and Toamasina. This formation was led by the National President, M. Jocelyn, and the Brother in charge, F. Benjamin. Although the time was very short and limited, much was done and many ideas were shared. The training was opened with a short presentation of the participants because, in fact, during the health crisis we went through, i.e. the passing of Covid, many new members joined. Then, social activities and actions were shared, and the spiritual life that is lived in each mission of the brothers was shared.
– The national president took the floor to speak about the AMG movement or “Association Montfortaine Gabriéliste” or what is called in Madagascar, “Friends of MONTFORT”. He spoke specifically of the “raison d’être” of this organisation which exists, thanks to the request of the Church, through the mediation of Pope St. John Paul II, who said that “the precious treasure left by Father of Montfort should not be restricted to the religious congregation alone, but that he sent them to share this beautiful heritage with the laity” (because this Pope is one of the saints who really lived the spirit that Father of Montfort left us). They also spoke of the aim of the Friends of Montfort, which is to live the spirituality that Montfort has left us, and of the continuation of the work he started, which is to work together to fulfil the mission that the Church has entrusted to the Brothers of St. Gabriel. It is above all a matter of “preaching the Gospel, educating and teaching”.
– The meeting continued with the intervention of Brother Haja Alphonse who summarised the history of Montfort and gave a brief account of his spirituality and his writings.- In addition, the origin of the Congregation of the Brothers of St. Gabriel and the path followed by this Congregation, (periods of great importance and with many changes), were also summarized and discussed during this formation: the time of Montfort, that of Gabriel Deshayes, during the French Revolution, and after Vatican II. (By Brother Benjamin).
– It can be said that during this meeting, the theme of “Christian management and leadership” was also addressed, during which the sharing of ways of behaving and living together by faith in the association took place. (Led by M. Jocelyn).
– Together, the participants read the “charter” (translated into Malagasy) that regulates the association. An attempt was made to explain the process that must be followed for a person to become a member, as well as the structure of the leaders that must exist in the association and their existence (hierarchies and appointments). Subsequently, the national charter was adapted to the international charter. It was successfully completed and signed by all those who participated in this national training.
– On Sunday 12th March we made an effort to evaluate what we had learnt during the formation and what remains to be done next, namely the preparation for the 120th anniversary of the Brothers of St. Gabriel in Madagascar. There will be a formation for all the Friends of Montfort throughout Madagascar to be held in Anjomakely next August. Discussions were opened to decide how all those interested will be able to attend this important moment: “logistics and transport”. The meeting concluded with a Eucharist.
– Brother RAKOTORARIMANANA Levao Antoine, Vice-Provincial, came to attend the closing of the formation, even though he arrived two days before the beginning of the formation and very tired from his trip to India and Senegal. We are especially grateful to him for his availability.
In conclusion, we are pleased to say that all the participants and all those who gave the training were satisfied. The smooth running of this training is due to the Congregation of the Daughters of Wisdom who also provided accommodation for the participants. We thank the Montfort Saint Gabriel Centre in Mahajanga for their financial support to the association. We would like to thank everyone for their selflessness towards the Friends of Montfort Mahajanga. For the glory of GOD.
