On Sunday the Ottawa community celebrated the completion of the program of studies of Fr. Paulin Makiala. Fr. Paulin presided at the Eucharist with its zoom extension to the Dehon Sunday Community. In his homily Fr. John van den Hengel connected Fr. Paulin’s stay to the Sunday Gospel of the true vine: “Fr. Paulin has been a moment of growth and joy for us. It has been fascinating to watch how from being a stranger to us – except through the bond that we have as members of the same Congregation – to entering fully into our community. His has been the kind of process that the Gospel talks about – the slow, at times painful, but also joyful becoming part and parcel of our lives together. Now he is part of our vine; he brought his life-force with him and mixed it with ours and he has enriched us with his care, his joy, his smile and laughter, and his picking up on things that us older guys find more and more difficult to do. He has now completed the studies for which he came to Canada (that is the reason for asking him to preside today.) But he completed more than his studies in these past three years. He became part of us. For however difficult it is, he brought with him the word of the Letter of John of today: he taught us his faith in the name of Jesus but also his central commandment: Love one another just as he has commanded us. So we hope that even when he might go back to the Congo, he will continue to abide with us in the power of Jesus. We congratulate you this day, but we also thank you, Paulin.”