By Brother Daniel Ouma Owidhi Ssenyomo
ROME – Fourteen temporary professed Brothers who will be making a perpetual commitment as Brothers of the Sacred Heart and Xaverian Brothers came together to begin their four-month Program in Preparation for Perpetual Profession on January 13 at the Generalate of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in Rome. Two Xaverian Brothers, Brother Jean-Paul wa Ngoy Mbayo from The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Brother Daniel Ouma Owidhi Ssenyomo of Kenya, joined 12 Brothers of the Sacred Heart. As the staff of the Rome Spirituality Institute welcomed them, little did they expect the coming months to be unlike anything the world had previously experienced.
For several weeks, Italy was the worldwide epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. On March 9, the Italian Prime Minister announced a national quarantine. Since then, no one has left the property except for medicine and groceries.
Fortunately, all are well, and the group prays daily for each other’s well-being. As a community whose members represent five continents, they are constantly called to be aware of the trials and suffering of the world. They pray, in word and deed, that God delivers from the pandemic, but also that they heed the message this present suffering holds for all.