Father KIKOUNGA NDEKESSE bids farewell in Nice

largeAbbot KIKOUNGA NDEKESSE Narcisse Clameur celebrated his tenth anniversary of priesthood at the Church of Saint Joan of Arc on Sunday, June 30, 2024. This anniversary coincided with his farewell to the Diocese of Nice.

The servant of God was ordained as a priest in Congo on June 28, 2014. This Sunday, June 30, a page was turned in his curriculum.

The Congolese priest is based in the Alpes-Maritimes and was parish priest of Saint-Almentaire in Antibes from 2018 to 2022, and then of Saint-Jerome in Nice from 2022 to 2024. From now on, it will sail to other waters that are deeper than we imagine, as long as the fish are miraculous, like Peter’s net in Lake Tiberias, the net is heavy.

sermon

The Servant of God based his sermon on two incidents in the Gospel of St. Mark.

First, the priest offers a beautiful meditation on the presence of two groups of people: one that is sociologically very close to Jesus, even to the point of overwhelming the Messiah. This group of people shows no desire to touch the Son of God, except for the woman who has been bleeding for 12 years. She has been treated by countless famous doctors and has spent all her wealth without any improvement. It is at this point that the priest gives us the central axis of St. Mark’s message in the person of Jesus, God showing his passion for life, the path that humans must take to become the Son of God. This is why Jesus restores life where it is threatened.

This group of people are both those who do not want to meet the Son of God and those who disappoint those who want to see the Savior: “ Your daughter just died. Why bother the master? » Jesus was amazed at the language of this group of people. For Jesus, everything that comes into the world is life-giving, because God created man in his own image.

Secondly, the priest emphasized the presence of a second group of people in his homily. This shows compassion: we see people weeping and shouting in support of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. We can see that in “ Talisa is here » How the life of Jesus reappears, thus symbolizing the immortality of every human being created, as the Book of Wisdom tells us: “ The power of death cannot rule the earth, for justice is immortal ».

Therefore, the priest stressed, there are compartments in our hearts where we can find two groups of people. The one who does not want to contact Jesus, but prevents a person who wants to be saved. The one who cries, accompanies and supports the family who are distraught by the mystery of death.

At this point the priest establishes a connection with the Eucharist, where Christ first invites us, lifts up our hearts and then turns them towards Jesus, who alone can build and recycle the heart of every Christian and Christian in order to be worthy to receive the Body of Christ.

Christ taught us that faith is perseverance. What is impossible for man is possible for God.

Mission accomplished? After six years of missionary work in France, the Congolese priest is returning to his country, where the work is great but the number of workers is small. We know the extent to which the Congolese Church is currently under attack from its enemies.

In his earnest homily, Fr Kikonga heartfeltly thanked all those who had walked with him during his six years of pastoral ministry.

Special thanks to God I am Philippe Youlou He did a legal internship with this company. In addition to his Christian mission, the priest also studies university courses. He obtained a Level 2 license at the Sorbonne University in Paris and is currently preparing for a civil law license that will allow him to continue his studies for a master’s degree.

• « Since I am undergoing training, I have to come to the academy every year for assessment. ” he confided.

Therefore, the timing of his return to the country this August is uncertain.

Congolese Choir

The Mass on June 30, 2024 will be celebrated by the Nice Congolese Choir Samuel Mbemba wait Welcome to Vatukulla.

The Congolese choir of Nice postponed their holidays to respond to the liturgical invitation of their compatriots and servants of God, to widespread applause.

The choir consists of (in alphabetical order): G. Bimbou, Samuel Mbemba, Elie Mbemba, Eudoxie Mbemba, Pepin Kimbangui, Hortense Tansion, Nelly Tansion, Fernande Nkodia, Annick Nkounkou, Bienvenu Watoukoula, Lucette Watoukoula.

At the end of the ceremony, a snack was shared by all in the presence of Fr François Banvillet, parish priest of St. Jerome, Fr Felix Baudoin, and many faithful.

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