(Mapangu, 09 August 2026)
- Excellency, Archbishop José Moko, Bishop of Idiofa,
- Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
It is with deep joy and a heart full of gratitude that I stand with you today, on behalf of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, valiant missionaries, some of whom are buried in this place as a sign of unwavering attachment to their land of mission.
We express our gratitude to His Excellency Archbishop José Moko Ekanga, Bishop of Idiofa, and to the organizing team for inviting us to this great event that we are celebrating today.
Thank you, Bishop, for agreeing to order our fellow priest Hugues Ngomboyo, son of this dean of Mapangu, as an eloquent sign for the missionary work of the Oblates.
Together, we are gathered in joy to celebrate this centennial, thank the Lord who looked upon his people by sending them emissaries of Jesus Christ. The first were missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, known as the Missionaries of Scheut or Scheutists. The Apostolic Prefect of Kasai, in 1926, Bishop Auguste De Clerk, sent missionaries to open the mission of Brabanta (Mapangu). Ten years later, the Apostolic Prefect ceded the extreme western part of his territory to the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate who arrived in 1931 in Ipamu, in a territory ceded by the Jesuits.
The very first Oblate priest who arrived at Ipamu on July 12, 1931 at the age of 38 was the Belgian father Eudore Hubert. He came alone from Basutoland, the current Lesotho, before being joined the same year 1931 by three other confreres. This Oblate missionary pioneer rests in a cemetery a few meters from where I stand now. (Let us keep a few moments of silence in their memory.)
I ask the Oblates present to meet with me after Mass for a few moments of prayer on the grave of our fellow brothers...
Father Eudore Hubert was parish priest of Sainte Thérèse de Mapangu. He died in Mapangu at age 69 on 25 August 1962. And he rested in the cemetery with three other confreres died in a road accident on Friday 11 August 1961 in Kumipere, near Mapangu. These are Fathers Jean-Marie Wart, Jules Koen and Abel Pisvin. All three. Physically, therefore, the Oblates left Mapangu pastoral service, but they are still there. Father Léon De Visscher, for example, prepared a long time to celebrate this unforgettable moment. But here he is held away from here by the disease...
Today, the Oblates of the Congo Province (DRC and Angola) are happy to be living witnesses of the centenary of this parish. We received the torch of evangelization from the Missionaries of Scheut. We have kept it jealously in order to transmit it in our turn to the diocesan clergy who, in turn, continue to protect this torch which means that we can still return here for this thanksgiving action of the centenary of evangelization.
Excellency,
Dear brothers and sisters,
For a hundred years God's goodness has sown his Word, raised up lives in the Church and brought forth Christian families. Coming here to sow the Gospel, our brothers and sisters once made a path of faith for us. Let us give thanks for this gift, and for all those who, through their humble and persevering service, allowed the Gospel to take flesh in your lives: missionaries, catechists, teachers, health workers, and so many other anonymous servants. Their loyalty today commits us to continue the same service, with the same spirit of abandonment and trust.
A centennial is first a living memory. He reminds us of the difficulties encountered, but above all he reminds us of the faithfulness of God who never abandoned his people. In Mapangu, faith is rooted in your cultures, in your languages, in your daily actions.
Today, we celebrate the past to be reborn at tomorrow's evangelizing mission. The Church is alive, called to announce the Good News to wounded hearts, to families who are in pain, to young people who are seeking meaning.
Brothers and sisters, pray for your pastors, support your schools and health centres, engage in catechesis and social works.
All believe in the promise of Christ: « I am with you every day, until the end of the world » (Mt 28,20). May the Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, protect the families of Mapangu, and may the intercession of Saint Thérèse and the blessed who built this Church accompany us!
Praised be Jesus Christ and Mary Immaculate!
Thank you.
P. Constant Kienge-Kienge, o.m.i.
Superior professional
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