Kitchener community celebrates 150 years of Mission

Wednesday, November 22, 2017
The mood was joyful and the celebration grand as the Comboni Missionaries in Kitchener, Ontario (Canada) commemorated 150 years of mission. St. Joseph Parish is a vibrant, multi-cultural community. The Eritrean and South Sudanese communities continue to thrive and grow. The celebration on October 21, was celebrated by two bishops and eight priests. Three choirs provided beautiful music: the St. Joseph English choir, Eritrean choir, and South Sudanese choir. The first reading was read in Arabic and the second reading in Tigrinya. The prayer intentions were spoken in seven different languages: Spanish, Tigrinya, Malayalam, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Acholi. Following the truly joyous Mass, more than 160 guests enjoyed dinner and listened while Fr. David Baltz shared his missionary experience in Uganda. Lay Missionaries Mark and Maggie Banga, along with their three children, spoke of their experience in Ethiopia.