In this issue of AJANews, we pay tribute to Fr Jean Claude Michel SJ who died in Kigali on 17 June at the age of 86. In a life lived purely at the service of others, one of the many roles Fr Jean Claude filled was that of ecclesiastical assistant to the Christian Life Community (CLC) in Rwanda.

Under his guidance, the CLC decided to reach out to people living with HIV as their common apostolic mission. Their specific brief: to engage in “spiritual conversation” with them, a role of accompaniment that Fr Jean Claude prepared them for. Their mission is bearing much fruit.

In April this year, AJAN published an article by Fr Jean Claude on Good Friday, as part of our series of Lenten reflections. He ended his reflection on the narrative of the Passion of Jesus in the Gospel of John thus: “John told me, and I hope he told you, that AIDS belongs to the shadows, but that Jesus lives in the heart of the shadows, and that He has the power to shine the light of love in the heart of every one who is infected.”

It is thanks to Fr Jean Claude that we are what the community are today – Pierre Dongier and Yvonne Umurungi of the Christian Life Community (CLC) in Rwanda pay tribute to Fr Jean Claude Michel SJ… Read more

A life well lived and completely dedicated to God – Fr Jean Claude Michel SJ went about his work in Kigali conscientiously until 14 June 2015, when he felt very weak. The following day, the elderly Jesuit was hospitalized. In the evening he asked the members of his Jesuit community to visit him… Read more

Central African Republic: Candlelight Memorial Day – On 30 May, the streets of Bangui saw a big march for victims of AIDS to mark Candlelight Memorial Day. Around 400 people attended the event… Read more

Zambia: Bring treatment closer to home – Dorothy takes three days to walk to and from the hospital that stocks the medication she needs to stay alive. Carrying food and blankets to see her through the unwelcome trip, the elderly Zambian woman takes days to recover when she returns home, nursing legs swollen from tramping through the bush… Read more