Undergraduate Projects/Long Essays

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Touching Hearts: Mentoring In Lasallian Spirituality
(Tangaza University College, 2003) Sanchez, Agustin Ranchal
As early as in the seventh century A.D., Dorotheos stated: "No man is more unfortunate or nearer perdition than those who have no teachers on the way to God."' Mediation, spiritual direction, accompaniment, mentoring... are all synonyms for the art of going hand-in-hand with others during their life journey to help them. see more clearly the path to God. Saint John Baptist de La Salle, the founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, was a dedicated spiritual mentor who had been influenced by the contemporary spiritualities. As a guide for his Brothers, he adopted a unique style of mentoring that has become a significant part of Lasallian spirituality. As the founder of an institute of lay Brothers devoted to the Christian education of children and the young, he also formulated how the Brothers as mentors were and are to approach their pupils. Almost three centuries after his death, Brothers and Lasallian partners try to be faithful to De La Salle's inspiration to be "ministers and ambassadors of Jesus Christ" for young people, especially among the poor. The aim of this essay is to define the principles that John Baptist de La Salle used to mentor his Brothers in the various aspects of their lives and in their ministry, as well as the principles he proposed to mentor students. What has motivated me to write about this topic? I am strongly convinced that in the midst of the rapid changes in our society, religious life, and the Church, good mentors are required to guide others in their search for the knowledge of the truth coming from Christ as the means to discover their own identity. In addition, the Brothers of the Christian Schools, as lay religious educators, have numerous potentialities to respond to the always-urgent need to be models, guides, and mentors for present and future Brothers, as well as for the students who will be entrusted to their care. While the Brothers are the heart and memory of the Institute, thousands of lay Lasallian partners are called today and tomorrow to share the charism and mission of De La Salle. The limitation of pages has forced me to focus exclusively on the Brothers, though virtually all that is presented here can be applied to our lay Lasallian partners as well. Further research upon the specificity of the Lasallian mentoring for and from lay partners would be tremendously useful and complementary to this paper.
Therese Of Lisieux: Her Spirituality and Its Relevance to The Mission of The Church In Contemporary Africa
(Tangaza University College, 2003) Ivibaabu, Nchebere Christopher
The main objective of this essay is to make Therese of Lisieux better known and to make our contemporary world much more conversant with her teaching, which is so rich and relevant to our age. To meet our _objective, we will divide the essay into three chapters. In the first chapter we will study Therese from a biographical perspective with the aim of providing the historical context within which she developed, practised and taught her little way of spiritual childhood. We will divide her life into three phases or periods. The first period (1873-1877) which begins with her birth and concludes with her Mother's death, is a period in which Therese was surrounded by love and was full of life and happiness. The second period of her life (1877-1886) starts with her mother's death, which made her so timid, retiring and hypersensitive that she could not bear the company of people other than her family members. This second period came to an end on the Christmas day of 1886 when she was relieved from her touchiness. She became strong, courageous, and other-centered. The Christmas grace gave way to her third period, which spreads from 1886-1897—the period in which her spirituality came into being and took shape. The second chapter constitutes the heart of the whole study. In it, we will present the spirituality of Therese of Lisieux. We will divide our chapter into two major parts: The discovery of the little way of spiritual childhood, and the essential elements of this way. We will focus on Therese's religious experience, that is, her self-image in the light of the mystery of salvation and then look into the discovery itself. We will study in detail the essential elements of the little way of spiritual childhood, which are: confidence (filial trust), prayer, fraternal charity and missionary spirit. In our third chapter, we will present the relevance of Theresian spirituality to the mission of the Church in today's Africa. We do this by first examining what the mission of the universal Church entails. Secondly, we will look into the African situation and the challenges that it poses. Finally, we will present the Theresian response to Africa by briefly exploring the implications of her spirituality of communion, which are: commitment to works of charity, pursuit of reconciliation and peace, and interreligious and ecumenical dialogues.
The Silent Witnesses A Spirituality of the Contemplative Life in Reference to the Cottolengo Monasteries
(Tangaza University College, 2003) Mwalachl, Agatha
"Tell us something about your life". This request that has been often addressed to me either by the small groups of Christians who visit our monastery or the young people attending the prayer meetings that I used to animate, prompted my choice to do this research so as to deepen my understanding of the spirituality of the contemplative life in the Catholic Church and in our monasteries. To explain what contemplative form of religious life is today, especially to a young searching soul, as is the case of the ladies contemplating to make a choice for our monastery, a theoretical basis that is compelling and energising presented coherently is of crucial importance. This essay attempts to answer four questions. First, what is contemplative life and which are its roots in the scriptures and in the history of religious life? Second, what is the Church's teaching on the contemplative life and which are the principal elements that distinguish it from other forms of religious life? Third, what is the mission of the contemplatives? And fourth, what are the challenges facing this form of religious life and what could be the most appropriate response of the contemplatives to these challenges? The essay has four chapters. Chapter one is an elucidation of the terms spirituality, Christian spirituality and contemplative life. We found it of crucial importance to understand well the meaning and use of these terms in order to grasp the message of the whole essay. Chapter two explores the biblical and historical basis of the contemplative life in the Catholic Church. Chapter three is a discussion on the contemplative life in the economy of salvation and chapter four focuses specifically on the Cottolengo monasteries. The Cottolengo monasteries discussed in the last chapter serve as a concrete example of the reality of the contemplative life in the Catholic Church; hence completing the picture of what this style of religious life is all about. The essay closes with a general conclusion, which is a summary of whatever is discussed in the four chapters. The essay draws ideas from the already existing rich literature on the spirituality of the contemplative life and history of religious life. It is also enriched by ideas from the critical reflections gleaned from my personal experience of more than a decade in the Cottolengo Monastery in Tuuru — Kenya, together with living testimonies of my fellow sisters through discussions and interviews reported in appendix I and VII. Due to space and time limits, the essay goes straight to the point. It does not dwell much on the details about the customs and practices in the contemplative life. We have focused on the above-mentioned key themes in order to make the reader get to know what contemplative life is in a brief but complete way. Even if I am a Cottolengo contemplative, I purposely chose to develop this topic in a broad way without confining my research on the Cottolengo monasteries alone for two reasons: one, because I strongly feel cum ecclesiae, that is, I am a Cottolengo contemplative operating in the large reality of the universal Church. Secondly, although the Cottolengo Monasteries do not belong to the ancient monastic Orders such as the Augustinians, Benedictines and others, they have all the essential characteristics of any authentic contemplative community and their vocation places them at the heart of the Church. Therefore, I too can confidently say with St. Therese of Lisieux: "in my mother, the Church, I shall be love."
Therese Of Lisieux: Her Spirituality and Its Relevance to The Mission of The Church In Contemporary Africa
(Tangaza University College, 2003) Mbaabu, Nchebere Christopher
The main objective of this essay is to make Therese of Lisieux better known and to make our contemporary world much more conversant with her teaching, which is so rich and relevant to our age. To meet our _objective, we will divide the essay into three chapters. In the first chapter we will study Therese from a biographical perspective with the aim of providing the historical context within which she developed, practised and taught her little way of spiritual childhood. We will divide her life into three phases or periods. The first period (1873-1877) which begins with her birth and concludes with her Mother's death, is a period in which Therese was surrounded by love and was full of life and happiness. The second period of her life (1877-1886) starts with her mother's death, which made her so timid, retiring and hypersensitive that she could not bear the company of people other than her family members. This second period came to an end on the Christmas day of 1886 when she was relieved from her touchiness. She became strong, courageous, and other-centered. The Christmas grace gave way to her third period, which spreads from 1886-1897—the period in which her spirituality came into being and took shape The second chapter constitutes the heart of the whole study. In it, we will present the spirituality of Therese of Lisieux. We will divide our chapter into two major parts: The discovery of the little way of spiritual childhood, and the essential elements of this way. We will focus on Therese's religious experience, that is, her self-image in the light of the mystery of salvation and then look into the discovery itself. We will study in detail the essential elements of the little way of spiritual childhood, which are: confidence (filial trust), prayer, fraternal charity and missionary spirit. In our third chapter, we will present the relevance of Theresian spirituality to the mission of the Church in today's Africa. We do this by first examining what the mission of the universal Church entails. Secondly, we will look into the African situation and the challenges that it poses. Finally, we will present the Theresian response to Africa by briefly exploring the implications of her spirituality of communion, which are: commitment to works of charity, pursuit of reconciliation and peace, and interreligious and ecumenical dialogues.
The Spirituality of Blessed Francisco Palau As A Means of Fulfilling the Two Commandments꞉ Love of God and Neighbour
(Tangaza University College, 2018) Abonyi, Blessing Anayo
According to the Holy Scripture, the purpose of God is to gather the whole of creation under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, in whom, by the power of the Holy Spirit, all are brought into communion with God (Cf. Eph. 1). All creation is a community of subjects to be communed with. They need to love and be loved. We are created to love and be loved, for when we do not love, we will find our alternatives lies in loneliness, destruction and despair. Love means open arms, sacrifice, it leads to self-surrender. If we close our arms to love, we will find that we are left holding on only to ourselves. This is the problem of our world today. Many people are being denied love from their childhood to adulthood or even till death. Others are dying in loneliness, depressed, confused, disturbed, hostile or hopeless. It is our love that will heal their brokenness and their wounds. Francisco Palau experienced this love in a deeper and unique way since from his childhood; my heart developed its passion from childhood. He knew well that the supreme ideal of Christian life is to love God and to love neighbor. He knew that these two precepts of love have to be integrated in our lives: “you must always remember that perfection consist in the fulfillment of the precept of love: love of God and Love of neighbor.” He exclaimed: “God in creating my heart, breathed into it, and his breath was a law that He imposed on it, and that law says, “Love!”. My heart was built by the hand of God to love and be loved, and it only lives out of love.” The Christian life and consecrated life in particular is a call to holiness. St. Teresa of Avila has named three things that are needed for prayer and spiritual growth to be possible in life of any Christian. They are namely, detachment, humility and love. This paper concentrates only on the aspect of love and it seeks to understand the spirituality of Blessed Francisco Palau the founder of Carmelite Missionaries as a means of fulfilling the two commandments of love of God and love of neighbor. In order to capture the theme, the researcher divided the work into three chapters. Chapter one examines the Palautian spirituality of the love of God and neighbour. This chapter will explore the life, works and legacy of Blessed Francisco Palau. It presents his family background, his education, religious consecration and ordination. It also explores the influence of Blessed Francisco Palau, his Works, especially his Work: “My Relations with the Church,” which portrays the Charism he left behind as his legacy. The chapter also presents a brief explanation of this Charism, his Spirituality and the Foundation of the Carmelite Missionaries. The second chapter deals with the challenges in fulfilling this commandment of love. This lead to exploring some challenges like; gossip and envy, cold- war in Fraternal living, pastoral individualism, digital worldliness, spiritual worldliness, selfishness and spiritual slot, sterile pessimism, clericalism, careerism and vain glory, business mentality, dualistic thinking and excessive rationalism and activism. The third chapter explores the possible solution in living the values of the commandment of love. To achieve this, I propose the following as important in our times: living the beatitudes, prayer and contemplation, Response to listening, knowing one self, discernment, mindfulness, smile, appreciative attitudes to others, holistic thinking, Blessed Francisco Palau’s virtues, integration of shadows, integral self- care, asceticism, fraternal living and finally imitation of Mary the Mother of God.
Spirituality of Prayer as A Source of Unity Among the Sisters of Notre Dame in Kenya.
(Tangaza University College, 2019) Shisiali, Sumbati Dorah
This paper explores different method and ways to approach prayer among the sisters of Notre dame in Kenya. One section of the work presents the preliminary information which will include; the introduction, reasons for writing, problem facing the sisters of Notre dame, the objectives, possible questions, rationale, dimensions, challenges remedies and methodology. The paper outline, the general conclusion and bibliography will summarize the work. The first chapter of the work shall be based on prayer [vocal, meditation and contemplation], While the second chapter will explore about prayer as a source of unity. Lastly, the third chapter will address the challenges and the solutions towards prayer. Then the general conclusion will be followed by bibliography.
Toward A Model for an Igbo Christian Spirituality
(Tangaza University College, 2001-02) Nwachuicvvu, Peter
As many scholars have noted, there has been an increasing interest in spirituality since Vatican Id Council. This has been evidenced by the number of people who enroll in spirituality courses each year, many writings on spirituality, number of workshops on spirituality designed to foster the lived experience of the spiritual life. People wonder why there is this increasing interest in spirituality. This should not be surprising because the church since Vatican II has focused on the importance of inculturation of the gospel values in the different cultures. Perhaps, the most effective way of doing this is through an understanding of local spiritualities. Spirituality being a lived experience, the progressive, conscious striving toward personal integration through self- transcendence within and toward the horizon of ultimate concern,' could be a good perspective from which to assess and appreciate the cultural context of the gospel values. Spirituality deals with day to day striving towards one's life goal. When we come to Africa, we may ask ourselves, what is that that an African strives for and how is he or she living out this life project? According to John Mbiti, Africans are notoriously religious. Religion penetrates all the aspects of life so fully that it is not easy to isolate it.2 This means that the principle which controls an African's day to day striving lies in his or her religion. Similarly, the principle which governs the life of an Igbo person in Nigeria, is his or her religion. This implies that in all their life activities, religious beliefs is a guiding force. But when we examine the attitudes of the Igbo Christians today, we are forced to ask, how far has Christian values penetrated their life and their daily activities? Thus one wonders, is Christianity making any impact among the Igbos who are committed to religion and whose religious values guides all their activities? According to an English saying, "there is no smoke without fire." When I look at many Igbo Christians, I wonder what actually is the force behind what I can call a "double lifestyle" and their inconsistent adherence to the gospel message. Contemporary Igbo Christians manifest elements of "double religious consciousness" and are not completely faithful to the gospel message. "Double lifestyle or religious consciousness," is the situation where, one is a Christian and at the same time an adherent of traditional religion. One may attend Christian worship in the morning, and in the evening go to the traditional priest's shrine or participate fully in the traditional worship practices. My experience of this "double lifestyle" and unfaithfulness to the gospel message during my 1999 long vacation (May to August 1999) which I spent in some Igbo Christian communities raised many questions in me. First, what is the force that makes Igbo people to live as both Christians and believers in traditional religion simultaneously? Second, how rooted is Christianity among the Igbos, and how meaningful is Christianity to them? Lastly, how far has Christianity been incarnated in the Igbo culture? This essay, therefore, aims at examining the root cause or the force behind this "double religious consciousness," and will attempt to show how Christianity can solve this problem. This search for the cause of the "double religious consciousness"is examined from the perspective of spirituality. Spirituality in this essay is considered to be the underlying principle behind any human behaviour. This principle is considered to be the root of all human actions and the core of any human existence. In order to achieve the aim of this project, we shall divided the work into three chapters: Chapter one examines the concept of spirituality. It analyses the Christian and African Indigenous spiritualities. Chapter two focuses on aspects of African spirituality as they are found and lived in the Igbo traditional community. Then, chapter three is dedicated to establishing a model for an Igbo Christian Spirituality. In this case, the need for inculturation, the process of and approaches to inculturation of the gospel message in the Igbo culture are identified and analysed. This is followed by a general summary and conclusion of the work. This essay is based on an evaluation of existing literature relevant to the topic of study. The literature analysed include both Christian and African theologians' texts. Furthermore, particular attention is paid to the daily life of the Igbos, that is, their experiences and their nomenclatures. This enables us to explain more fully the inner feelings of the people based on their own experience and their expressions. Also, the essay is based on discussion with some Igbos and interview with some missionaries who have worked among the people. In selection of the key informants interviewed, consideration was given to those with pastoral experience among the Igbos. Ten informants were interviewed,' but out of this ten people, Fr. Declean was chosen as the Chief informant for more indepth interview. Rev. Fr. Declean has worked among the Igbos both as Parish Priest and also a lecturer in a Major Seminary for over twenty years. Also, coming from outside Igbo land and Nigeria, he was considered to be more appropriate to give an outsider's evaluation of indigenous Igbo Christians. The bible quotations in this essay are from The African Bible.' See
Inculturation - Incarnation: The Challenge of Religious Life In The Third Millennium
(Tangaza University College, 2001-03-19) Angelica Aguilar Ochoa, Paula
Today, in our changing world, we Religious are experiencing a period of crisis and of witnessing. We are living in a time of rapid change where globalisation is taking place. Our world has been defined as a "Global village" where cultural change is greatly impacting the local culture.' Understanding culture as our way of being human in the world, as our identity, we can see the influence of a global cosmopolitan society coming to tell us how to live, to feel, to act and react... This global culture is passing through our hearts and minds and it is reflected in our behaviours. For example: we can see here in Kenya Christian youth knowing "something" about the cultural heritage of the clan/tribe they belong to, but rarely this knowledge has been integrated, reflected upon and challenged so as to have a clear stand in their behaviours and options as members of the society. Few people have been able to discern which are the cultural values2 the person has received, which are the ones that this global culture is presenting and which are the Gospel values one uses to make a choice in his/her way of living. As daughters and sons of their times they are experiencing a dualistic life standard that weakens their self-identity, sense of belonging and the all-embracing African worldview of the human person.3 Consequently, we can say that we are experiencing a state of total confusion in a society of frustration and addiction. Although in a false way, addictions supply what the real cultural values formerly provided in terms of self-identity. These changes that we are facing are taking place so fast that awareness of them seldom has room in our daily lives. They leave no space to reflect, integrate and make choices about questions like: Who am I? Who am I called to be? To whom do I belong? How to deal with so many different issues: anger, stress, 'freedom', war, hatred, the mass media, consumerism, new forms of Gnosticism, etc. This is happening not only in Africa but in other continents as well. This general situation, of course, also affects the life of the Church. The Church as a body is composed of different members who belong to different social, economic and cultural backgrounds. As in the society, we are experiencing a period of transition. self-awareness and self-emptying, such as the one of the Father who, moved by perfect love that is God's essence, was revealed in the Son, the Word. Thus, God humbled himself, taking the form of a humankind who collaborated and participated in freedom in the salvation of humankind (cf. Phil 2:6-8). It is through Mary who in total availability to God was overshadowed by the Spirit, that the Word, the Son of God, became one of us in response to the Father's love. The Incarnation, something no human being could ever have imagined, constitutes a dangerous memory6 for us, prompting us to be what we are called to be (Chapter 2). That is to know ourselves as well as the Gospel' and the charism' of our institutes, in such a way that Christ may be born once again in each one of us, in our communities and consequently in the Church and the society (Chapter 3). We are called to the integrity of a prophetic love that has as its core the Kingdom of God. As expressed in the Beatitudes which embody a spirituality of conflict so necessary and urgent in the current times (Chapter 4).
Humanity of Christ in the Spirituality of St. Teresa of Avila: Relevance for Today
(Tangaza University College, 2001-02) Idiahi-Imoleh Ehigie, Daniel
St. Teresa of Avila, the 16t1 century Carmelite mystic and Doctor of the Church, taught that prayer is "nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we known loves us." This became the foundation of her spirituality. For Teresa, the relationship with God did not lie in the abstract or sublime realm. It had to be real. Thus, "the abstract distant God was gradually 'concretized' for her in Jesus."2 Hence, the humanity of Christ plays a central role in the spirituality of St. Teresa of Avila. The humanity of Christ is by no means restricted to the spirituality of the religious family of St. Teresa, the Discalced Carmelites. It does hold a message for all Christians, and in a special way for the African. The aim of this essay is to shed some light on the role of the humanity of Christ in the spirituality of St. Teresa of Avila, underscore its importance in the spiritual life of Christians, and then present some applications within the African socio-cultural milieu. It is worthy of note that several theologians have done a lot of work in the area of contextualizing Christ°logy in different African cultures. I shall draw on some of their materials in this area. I have chosen to focus my reflections on Africa as a whole, and not any particular culture for some reasons. Firstly, no previous work has been done in relating any aspect of Carmelite Spirituality to any of the local cultures in Nigeria (my country of origin). An in-depth research in this area is certainly beyond the scope of this work. It is true that presently in Africa, most of the countries are going through lots of socio-economic problems that have continued to take their toll on the people unabated. Several of the problems are common to most African countries: ethnic conflicts, wars, poverty, starvation, unemployment, political instability, low per capita income, etc. Thus, the choice of Africa as the context is intended to give a panoramic picture of what obtains in the different countries.
Childlike Simplicity and Our Lady in the Congregation Of The Little Children of Our Blessed Lady
(Tangaza University College, 2001-04) Muchingami, Florence
At the heart of humility or childlike simplicity lies faith. Faith gives this virtue value and this faith means trusting someone. Little ones according to the Gospel values are always cheerful for God is not happy to see long faces. In the world today most people prefer to discuss humility rather than live it and with that they never achieve since the true source and meaning of humility are to be found in God alone. My intention is to find some practical examples of living humility as God wants. It has been my desire since my Novitiate to explore the charism of our congregation. I am privileged this third Millennium to begin exploring this theme. I say this because what the paper contains is very limited and I feel there is more unwritten material to enrich me in the exploration of this childlike simplicity. The gift of my studies in Tangaza College has made it possible and I thank God for that. Our founder thought it best to give us childlike simplicity as our Charism and Mary our Blessed mother as our advocate and patroness. "Nothing is higher than humility says saint Ambrose, since humility is highest placed of all". In gratitude therefore, under Our Lady's patronage I would like to explore the relationship between Mary and our charism and how we as a Congregation can follow suit. The first chapter is going to be our founder Aston Chichester's biography together with the history of our foundation and the Charism and Spirituality of the Congregation. The second chapter concentrates on the theme and sources. This is to consider childlike simplicity in the Gospels i.e. (Mt. 18: 1-4) and in other sources like in the Benedictine spirituality whose contribution seems to have enriched our founder, in St Francis of Assisi whose humility he asked us to reflect on and in the Ignatian spirituality that was our founder's own. I consider too St Therese of the Child Jesus whose simplicity he asked us to contemplate on. The third chapter is focused on Our Lady and the Congregation. This would include elements of her Immaculate Conception, one of our feast days as a congregation. I will also consider her model in living childlike simplicity as well as her challenge to the congregation. Chapter four concentrates on integration of the element of childlike simplicity in one's life. I will concentrate on formation in the congregation. The virtues that surround childlike simplicity are numerous and call for a lot of contemplation in order to bring the message home. In all 'what God wants is poverty of spirit, the denial of covetous desire and the charity of self-giving, which alone opens the heart of perfect love of God and generous love for others'.1

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