The Apostolic Life Community of Priests, (ALCP)
The Apostolic Life Community of Priests (ALCP) is among the five of the Opus Spiritus Sancti founded by Rev Fr. Bernhard Bendel. The initial motive was the rapid growth of the other Communities/Societies precedent founded, particularly the ALCS, CAC and SIW, which seemed to be in greater need of Priests who could be readily available to provide them with Spiritual/Pastoral services. The work of looking after these Communities/Societies was already too heavy and demanding for the founder himself, given the fact that he was still the Parish Priest of Mammolshain Parish up to the year 1965. When he asked his Bishop for a Priest to assist him, but he received a negative answer.
The presence of SIP/OSS could not be of help because of their nature of being Diocesan Priests whose pastoral ministry is principally directed to serve the local churches for which they were ordained, with the obligation of obeying primarily their Bishops. This necessity made the founder to think immediately of a Communities/Societies of Priests of a missionary and apostolic nature which will be exclusively free to attend to the building up of the other foundations. Therefore, such circumstance and situation led to the humble beginning of the ALCP/OSS society on 21 November 1974 when the Founder together with a German Brother Priest called Winfried Traudes dedicated their lives to the Holy Spirit as first members of the new foundation. In the same year in December 1974, four African Seminarians made their temporary dedication to the Holy Spirit as members of the same newly developing Communities/Societies of Priest.
| As a Missionary Society, ALCP/OSS came to make the first roots in Moshi-Tanzania (Catholic Diocese of Moshi) after the founder being welcomed by the then Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Moshi late Rt. Rev. Bishop Joseph Kilasara, CSSP, who was a member of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost Fathers. The founder was also invited by another Bishop in Tanzania namely, late Rt. Rev. Bishop Adrian Mkoba, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Morogoro. With this invitation, the initial stages to have ALCP/OSS Missionary members started in December 1974, when four African Seminarians namely Ezekiel Kanje,Hendry Mushi, Tadeus Mworia and Rafael Kigunga made their temporary dedication to the Holy Spirit as members of the same newly developing Communities/Societies of Priests. The Society didn’t have its formation house and the centre i.e. General Office and Provincial Office. Thus, in 1977 the work of building the formation house which also became the Mother House and the Provincial House and Offices started at a place called Sabuko in Sanya Juu-SIHA District, Kilimanjaro Region. |
The official beginning was on the 27th February, 1980 with eighteen (18) seminarians namely Francis Mallya, Sabas Mallya, Francis Mwanga, Christopher Manase, Joseph Nsakubi, Camilus Temba, Paulinus Marandu, Emilian Urassa, John Macha, Jerome Okama, Emilian Senguo, Thomas Kilasara, Philip Msoma, Nicholas N. Massawe, Beda Nangela, Charles Camilus and Augustine Shayo. The first building had in it the outer and inside kitchen, dining, two classrooms and a recreation room. At this beginning, one of the classrooms was a dormitory for the 18 seminarians while the recreation room was a chapel for prayers and Holy Mass. The buildings continued and after completion, it could hold about forty seminarians and Priests together. This became now not only the formation house but also the Mother House for the ALCP/OSS since it is the first House in history for the ALCP/OSS since founded. |
