FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES TO OUR COMMUNITY

The Anglophone Africa Catholic Community was established in 1998 to cater for the spiritual and social needs of English-speaking African migrants. Over the years, the community has grown from strength to strength. With its growth however, comes also the temptation to exclusively enclose itself within to the exclusion of other people. The catholicity of the church nonetheless, does not and should not promote such ghettoization of communities especially in the light of the metropolitan and cosmopolitan nature of Brussels as the capital of Europe and the headquarters of the European Commission. English has become a second language in Brussels; and majority of European expatriates prefer to communicate in English. Many of them also prefer to attend English masses but are discouraged to come to our community because they assume from its name that it is exclusively for Africans only. It is to address this issue, and to bring our community to fall in line with other strategic locations in Brussels where English masses are celebrated for every English-speaking person irrespective of country or continent of origin that the bishop has decided to make substantial changes to our community.

We have decided to publish below the bishop’s official letter specifying the nature of these changes. As you will read from the letter, the bishop acknowledges that changes are always difficult for people to accept. But at the same time, the society, as well life itself is evolving. One should not be contented with remaining static. We must also evolve to meet up with the current challenges. The church in Brussels has evolved substantially since the establishment of our community some 23 years ago. Perhaps, we have not paid adequate attention to these evolutions because they have not directly affected us substantially until now. But it is in continuation of this process of evolution that these changes are taking place in this community.

It is my hope that with time, we shall all adapt to this new reality.

Find below the Bishop’s Letter

Download the Bishop’s Letter

Rev. Dr. Osmond Anike (Priest-in-charge)