OMI Gathering & 75th Birthday of Br Günther OMI

On the 19th March in Holy Week the whole community of the Oblates in the Southern District met the visiting General Councillor of Asia Oceania, Fr Fredrico Labaglay OMI. He came to conduct the official consultation for Provincial in the Central Province.



The other big event was celebrating Br Günter Arndt's 75th Birthday.
We are happy to have Br Günther in Bloemfontein. He is a "baan breeker" a pioneer, in that he is leading the way in affirming that retirement can be a creative adventure as well as a necessary change of gears after long service in the mission.

He is better known in the Taung area of the Diocese of Kimberley where he worked as a Master Builder & architect.
He constructed many of the Churches and prayer houses, schools & convents.

He is still busy, even today, with the reconditioning of the Oblate House, especially the retirement section. He has recently renovated the dining room and now the front flat has been tastefully upgraded.

The consultation process went very well. There was a presentation on Leadership by Fr Labaglay which wet the appetite for the open sharing on the Urgent needs of the Province and the expectations of leadership. Ballot papers were distributed with an appeal that they should reach Rome no later than the 7th of April 2008.

The community then recreated while some had individual interviews with Fr Labaglay OMI until 5.30pm when we all went up to the Cathedral for the Mass of the Blessing of the Holy Oils.