A few years ago, the Canadian Province donated money so that we could buy a new property in Morogoro. Our current formation house is almost full, but next year we will be at more than 100% capacity. We have some creative ideas to deal with the “more than 100%!” We are converting some spaces into rooms for seminarians. For instance, we had a library that was more of a storage space, and we converted this room into a seminarian or guest room. We also have a suite that I stayed in when I first came to Tanzania, and we will convert this space into two rooms with two seminarians in each room, with a shared bathroom among them.
With some urgency, we are now turning to this new property. It is three times larger than our current formation house property. It sits halfway between our current formation house and JUCO (Jordan University College), where our seminarians study; hence, it will take half the time for them to travel to school. Over the last few years, however, we have not done much with this property. Br. Mosses and I decided that it was time to “get going.” The difficulty is that Br. Mosses and I are so busy that it is hard to find the time to work on this.
Br. Mosses and I took our night watchman, Ibrahim, with us to look things over. We discovered that two doors—one entering the property and one giving access to a guard house—were both stolen. Secondly, we were amazed at the undergrowth that had developed over a short period of time. The last time I was on this property, it was just barren ground. But now it is covered with bushes and all kinds of small trees.
The growth of trees, bushes and undergrowth is amazingly quick.
In a few weeks, we hired Ibrahim to recruit some workers and to clear the land. This cost 100,000 TSH, which is about $45. We also replaced the two stolen doors made with sturdier material. Finally, we were able to install electricity for the property. That was much more expensive, costing about 2,000,000 TSH, which is about $800. We also hired a night watchman to look after the property. Honestly, I would not want to be a night watchman here. He comes each night with his flashlight and sits (or sleeps) guarding an empty patch of property all night. Our next step is to locate a water supply and to dig a well for the property.
Profile on Postulants
Over the last three issues, I have profiled six of our postulants who are preparing to apply for novitiate that would begin on August 15, 2026. Here are two more young men who are under the care and direction of Br. Mosses, C.R.
George Martine Keng’eta
George is 21 years old, born on October 10, 2004. In addition to his mother and father, George has 2 brothers and 3 sisters; he is the third born in his family. His parish is our Buhemba Parish and he lives near the main church in Biatika.
I first met George when I was at the Buhemba Parish in 2022. Even then, it looked like he was interested in our community. He told me that he was attracted to our Charism of hope.
George enjoys table tennis, playing UNO with his fellow postulants, and learning to play volleyball. He does not know how to ride a motorcycle…we just thought that it would make a good photo!
One of the blessings of this year, for George, was meeting Fr. Eric Wagner when he visited us at Christmas time. He found Fr. Eric to be approachable, a good listener, and an easy person to talk with about the community and religious life. George really enjoys learning about and praying the Liturgy of the Hours each day. While he knows that there are ordinary misunderstandings in community, he takes heart from his experience about everyone’s good will and willingness to work through things together.
Denis Mkaluka Constatine
Denis is 25 years old and was born on October 24, 2000. In addition to his mother and father, Denis has 3 younger brothers and 1 younger sister. He is from Christ the King Parish in Mwanza, the largest city near our parishes in Buhemba and Butiama. In secondary school, Denis had great interest in history, geography, and Kiswahili.
Denis is one of our sacristans for the chapel. He is very conscientious about setting things up well. He washes the vestments regularly…I have never had such a clean alb to wear! Denis was also instrumental in organizing the Christmas decorations this year, inside and outside the chapel. Here, he is with two other postulants, Diof and Saulo, setting up the manger scene in our dining room. He is a prayerful and happy young man. He told me that he is very attracted to our charism of hope.
Through a friend, Denis contacted Fr. Yohana, our assistant vocation director, about the community. After some conversation, Fr. Yohana put Denis in contact with one of our seminarians, Gervas Sililo, who lives in a parish near Mwanza. After meeting Gervas, Denis wanted to become a Resurrectionists!
Denis likes to play volleyball and handball, and he enjoys listening to music. He has been inspired this year by his fellow postulants and seminarians as they all try to live “under the umbrella of love and peace.” He knows that there are daily challenges and miscommunications in community life, but he has found that people are willing to listen and to adjust on both sides.
More to come on www.resurrectionists.ca
Share This Post
More To Explore
Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion – March 29, 2026
Jesus is the suffering servant who undergoes much suffering and even death, but is raised up and exalted by God because of his continued trust in God.
God Loves Unconditionally
The first Principle of Resurrection Spirituality is that God loves unconditionally.
Volleyball and Profile on Postulants
A little down time with a volleyball tournament in Tanzania, and we meet two more Postulants: John and Diof.