Notes from Rome By the Most Rev. Joe Roesch, MIC Father Celestin prepared for the priesthood in Rwanda, Cameroon, and Poland. After his first vows and his philosophical studies, he went to Poland where he spent one year learning the language. He then completed his theological studies in Polish, living with our Marians at our seminary in Lublin. He learned the language so well, they wanted him to stay in Poland and work as a priest there! However, he is needed in Rwanda. Father Noel completed his priestly preparations in Rwanda and Cameroon in French. He and Fr. Celestin were ordained along with seven diocesan deacons to the priesthood by the bishop of Ruhengeri. Three other diocesan seminarians were ordained to the diaconate that day. There were also three priests celebrating their 25th Anniversary of their priesthood that day. The Mass was held outdoors next to the cathedral. It lasted 5 hours and 40 minutes (!) including songs, processions, speeches, etc. There were two bishops, 120 priests, and around 5,000 faithful! One moment that moved me came after Communion. They announced that it was now time to give thanks to God for all of the graces that He had poured out that day. The newly-ordained and the jubilarians came to the center of the field before the altar and sang a beautiful prayer of thanksgiving and praise to God. No one was in a rush to finish. They were there to praise and thank God for His goodness. The next day, we attended a Mass of Thanksgiving in Mwange, the parish of Fr. Celestin and the place where our Marian Congregation had begun its work in Rwanda 40 years ago. It is rather remote and, after the terrible genocide in the 1990s, the bishop decided that he couldn’t guarantee the safety of our missionaries there. He asked us to begin again with our work in our present location of Nyakinama, which is closer to the city. It was a blessing for some of our missionaries to return to the place where they had worked and to thank God for the gift of a priestly vocation to our community from that parish. The Mass of Thanksgiving lasted three hours. Afterwards, there were dances, poems, and speeches along with a festive lunch. Then many people went to the family home of the newly- ordained priest for a house blessing and to thank the parents for the gift of their son. One of the newly-ordained priests will work in our parish in Ruyenzi, near the capital of Kigali. The other will work in our Marian Formation Center near the Shrine of Our Lady of Kibeho. I asked our priests what they felt after the ordination. They were both filled with joy and thanksgiving to the Lord for His goodness. They both come from large families. When I witnessed the faith of the people there, I was not surprised that priestly vocations had come from such an environment. In Mwange, the superior of the vicariate asked if there were any among the young who wanted to become priests or religious sisters or brothers. Many young children raised their hands. Please pray for our Congregation around the world. We need good vocations wherever we live and work. And please pray for peace in Rwanda, for the healing of all families, and for mutual forgiveness for all who are still affected by what happened there. Amen! MASS APPEAL On the road again! I recently had the opportunity to visit our Marian vicariate in Rwanda during my general visitation there. One of the highlights of the visit was attending the priestly ordination of two of our young confrères, Fr. Celestin and Fr. Noel, and the Mass of Thanksgiving of one of them. The Most Rev. Joe Roesch, MIC, is the Superior General of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. He lives in Rome. Listen to his podcasts, including “Saint Faustina’s Diary in a Year,” on TheDivineMercy.org/podcasts and DivineMercyPlus.org/podcasts. Marian Helper • Fall 2025 • Marian.org 7 Father Joe chats with Fr. Celestin and Fr. Noel in Rwanda.
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