In 1983 at the age of 61, Fr. Morand Kleiber, a former provincial and teacher, was asked to pack up his bags and undertake a new mission, professor of philosophy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where the Assumptionists were experiencing an influx of vocations thanks to the openness of the second bishop of the diocese of Beni-Butembo, Most Rev. Emmanuel Kataliko.  Bishop Kataliko, trained by the Assumptionists, who had from the beginning of their efforts in the diocese chosen to orient all vocations to the diocesan clergy, came to the conclusion that it was time to encourage the presence of male religious life in his diocese and where better to start than with the Assumptionists themselves? Thus it was that the first young Congolese entered the Assumptionist formation program in 1979. By the time Fr. Morand came in 1983 there was already a sufficient number of young religious that a house of philosophy was opened.

Fr. Morand would stay for 22 years and, once he had to return to France, left his heart behind in many ways. He decided that this people that he had served and come to love were in desperate need of financial assistance. Therefore, he organized a network of friends and relatives as benefactors and over the years the network grew as did the projects they supported. At the beginning of February Fr. Morand sent out one of his regular newsletters keeping his "friends" abreast of what is going on. You will find excerpts of his comments below.

As this new year begins, we look ahead with all of our own concerns: political, financial, familial. So, too, do our African friends but they are plunged into an indescribable poverty and unrelenting violence, the consequences of wars, given the name "liberation", from 1996-2003, but which have, in fact, never ended. The tragedy is exacerbated all the more  by the fact that by all accounts this country, five times the size of France, is one of the richest in the world in terms of raw materials. How is it that the population remains one of the poorest in the world? Exploitation by multi-national companies and rampant government corruption.

The Assumptionists who work there see these realities but they also see something else. In sub-Saharan Africa over the past 100 years (1911-2011) the number of Christians has grown from 9 million to 516 million. In the diocese which we evangelized, Beni-Butembo, beginning in 1929,  75% of the population of 1.8 million is Catholic. To me this growth is all the more stunning because here in France all I see is a Church in decline. But the Church universal is not limited to my little corner of the world. Elsewhere, such in the Congo,  the reality is much different.

Currently the network of benefactors which was begun some years ago continues to support two major groups: orphans and diabetics. We provide scholarship money so that orphans may attend school; otherwise they run the risk of becoming street kids or worse yet delinquents or boy-soldiers. We currently help three hundred such orphans a year. In recent years we have provided a large number of them with advanced vocational training in shoe-making and repairs, painting, and barbering/hair-dressing. Today thousands of orphans are praying for you, their benefactors. What is more is that one of our "graduates" has initiated a program for orphans in agricultural formation CEFOVA ( Centre de Formation et de Vulgarisation Agricole/Center for Formation in Practical, Popular Farming); here young people learn systematic ways to cultivate bananas, cassava, rice, and potatoes and to raise rabbits and chickens. The Center has also begun to travel from village to village to introduce the local populations to these advanced methods. It is one effective way to address the ever-present danger of famine.

The second area of concern is the care of diabetics. We created the Morand Kleiber Diabetic Center, currently under the supervision of Dr. Georges Musavuli. Hundreds of patients come here to be treated by him for diabetes, his specialty. We have created a special program for those over 60 who cannot afford to pay for their care and who receive no government assistance. Dr. Musavuli says of these elderly patients, "They are our parents and grand-parents. They are the ones who gave us life, loved us, and brought us to adulthood. Everything that we are, everything that we have, everything we are capable of --- it all comes from them."

Let me conclude, with much pride, with a few words reminding you of some of the many accomplishments of my fellow Assumptionists in the Congo above and beyond the very fact that their missionary efforts have resulted in the widespread evangelization of this region of the Congo. Over the years the Assumptionists have built schools (elementary and secondary schools, some of which are considered to be the finest in the area; and most recently a university offering majors in social communications, development, philosophy, and computer science; seminaries), hospitals and clinics, vocational schools, radio stations (and a plan for a television station), orphanages, centers of literacy, and centers of formation (carpentry, masonry, mechanics, dress-making, nutrition, child care, etc.). They have contributed to the overall well-being of their countrymen no matter their creed.

Today in the Province of Africa, according to a recent letter from the provincial, there are 270 members, the largest in the congregation. There are more than 40 young men who are candidates, 27 novices, and over 100 young men preparing for priesthood. They come from 4 countries: the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania (and I am not including the numbers from Madagascar, Togo, and Burkina Faso, which belong to other provinces).  Since 2005 at least 50 young religious have been sent for specialized study in philosophy, theology, anthropology, computer science, electrical engineering, agricultural studies, communications, development, business administration, accounting, civil and canon law, publishing, etc. Over 50 young men from this province have been sent as missionaries throughout the world: the Philippines, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, Spain, Turkey, the USA, France, Belgium, Italy, etc.

In spite of its poverty, Africa maintains its trademark characteristics: vitality, spiritual strength, joy, and enthusiasm. While I served there I became infected with this life. Today my friends there tell me, "We need you in Europe right now. You can help there more than ever because the wind blows from north to south and right need we need a lot of help from the north!"

If you would like to help the efforts I have mentioned, I would ask you to send a donation to:

Fr. Morand Kleiber Africa Fund
c/o the Assumptionists
Assumptionist Center
330 Market Street
Brighton, MA 02135