The way a person does his activities decides if he will be successful or not. Does this look common place? It is not! It is one thing knowing what to do very well, or having the energy and the intelligence to do what you wish to do, it is however another thing having the proper strategy to achieve a give task. If a person lacks the proper strategy to use his energy and intelligence to arrive at his goal, then he ends up as a failure. As you might guessed, we are talking about “a method”. A method is a particular procedure for accomplishing or approaching something. Usually, we talk of a method when the manner of doing things is systematic or established. Otherwise, we can only talk of chaos. A clear methodology is needed whenever a person does any project, because it provides a structured approach of working, it ensures reliability of the manner of working, and enhances knowledge in that particular field.
This fact explains why a nice method was needed if the first Consolata missionaries had to make any headways in evangelization in Kenya. The Founder had warned them not to expect quick results. In fact, he had told them to avoid the temptation of thinking things would be easy, or that the results would be forthcoming. They had to take time to plan, to implement the plans gradually and to evaluate them without a hurry. In truth, what we call the Consolata Missionary method today, was actually an actualization of St. Joseph Allamano’s pedagogical method. It was all about “encounter”. The Founder was a father to his missionaries: a father who loved each one intensely, so that he left an indelible memory from the very first meeting. On this point the testimonies of the first missionaries are in agreement: each of them felt understood and loved by the Founder, with the unrepeatable creativity of love.
His relations and his pedagogical method were enlivened and centred on a trusting and loving dialogue. He had close relationship with individual Missionaries, but also with the Communities (Small Seminary, Major Seminary, Novices, Missionary Sisters). He was in contact with those were near and those who were far. While some missionaries were in Africa, others were in the military, and the rest were at the Casa Madre. He had meetings and visits to the male and female missionary Institutes at Casa Madre. Through personal correspondence, St. Joseph Allamano followed, formed and directed not only the missionaries who were in Africa, but also other groups which were under his pastoral care. That close contact with people is what inspired and constituted the method that the missionaries used in the mission. The point is that we cannot talk about the Consolata missionary method without talking about the St. Joseph Allamano’s pedagogical method which involved “encounter”, “creation of relationships” and/or “mutual productive exchange”. In one word, we can call that missionary method “encounter”.
Using the advice that St. Joseph Allamano was giving from Italy, the Consolata missionaries in Africa got involved in catechism lessons in the villages, teaching elementary things in the open-air schools (lessons were done under the trees), visiting the villages to socialize and create relationship with people, and finally attending to the sick. This is what came to be known as the Consolata Missionaries’ method. As you can see, it was quite peculiar. It involved a lot of contact with the people. Just as St. Joseph Allamano had personally demonstrated in his work in Turin, the missionaries had to relate closely with the people. It was the only way to know their needs, to know them better, to know their expectation, to discover their fears, to create a bond of trust, etc. Although the Consolata Missionaries were accused by other missionary Institutes of engaging in “worldly” practices instead of “saving people’s souls”, the Consolata Missionary Method ended up being the best.
The objections of the Turinese clery against the method that Consolata Missionaries were using died away only after the publication of the “Decretum Laudis” of 28-12-1909, in which the Holy See praised that method, that way calming the anxiety of many missionaries and the heart of the Founder. The missionary method was practically everything. There was no way the missionaries could evangelize people they did not understand. The missionary method, implemented by the sons of St. Joseph Allamano, gave great results and lasting fruit in the evangelisation, foundation and service of the Church in Africa, first because of the intrinsic validity of the method itself, and second because of the dedication and spirit of those who implemented it, under the wise guidance of the Founder. This is another way of saying, that a method alone is not enough. Those who implement it must be serious and dedicated to their work. In other words, you cannot separate the work to be done, the method to be used and the character (and personality) of those who are supposed to do the work.
The Consolata Missionary Method had four key elements. First, it required learning the local language of the people. Even today, language is the key to any society. Knowing the language facilitates many things, eliminates useless conflicts and misunderstanding, and creates a credible foundation of any engagement. Aware of this, the initial Consolata missionaries ensured that they were able to communicate with the local people. Second element: the Consolata method demanded respect of the cultures of the local people. Our missionaries discovered that they had to love the culture of the kikuyu and Meru people. That meant readiness to eat local food whenever it was necessary and other things like treating people with respect. Aware that there was no way they could evangelize people who saw them as colonialists, the Consolata Missionaries learnt to respect different cultures. The third element: family environment. St. Joseph Allamano was always speaking of family spirit. He also ensured that in whatever action he did, he made people feel at home. That was his secret. People felt happy, relaxed and loved in his presence. Similarly, as part of their evangelization strategy, the Consolata Missionaries ensured that the made the people feel as part of a bigger family of God.
Fourth and lastly, the Consolata Missionaries’ method had another uniqueness: it aimed at transforming the country, “not just through religious teaching but also by training the people in agriculture, the rearing of livestock and manual skills. This confirms that the church accepted to approve the Consolata Missionaries Method because in addition to teaching people a religion which promised them life to come, it also made their life happy in this life. As you may have noticed, the strategy (or method) of the Consolata missionaries in Africa (and later in Latin America), mirrored the life style of St. Joseph Allamano. The Founder believed that a person’s work reflected himself. This explains why it is true to say that St. Joseph Allamano’s pedagogical method, which was the backbone behind the Consolata Missionary method, was aimed at holiness. It was not just about repeatedly doing an acting to make it appear as a strategy or fact. It was presenting oneself in whatever a person did. Today as we continue with our missionary duties, we should never forget that tactics without strategy is the noise just before defeat. May the lord help to always turn good human relationships into remarkable strategies of evangelization. Amen