This 2020, has been a year of experiences. We had scheduled for a usual annual retreat as we normally do at the end of the every year. But for 2020: the year of “The New Normal” came with a surprise of disrupting the organizations that are put in place. 
When we heard that Fr. Paul Decock, O.M.I. from the OMISA Province could not come to preach our annual retreat, we had to improvise and see how best we could reap the expected benefits from our annual retreat amidst this pandemic of Covid-19. The Oblate communities of Roma Valley agreed among themselves to have a common place for the animation of the retreat, though Fr. Paul had sent his retreat notes.
The Oblates of Roma Valley asked Fr. Gabriel Tlaba, O.M.I. to prepare a short animation of 15 minutes, from 09:00 Hrs to 09:15 Hrs: Monday 30th November till Thursday 3rd December 202,0 and then we had a common Mass, after which we dispersed to our respective communities for private reflections. It was only on Friday, 4th December 2020, when we shifted things to 11:00 Hrs till 12:00 because it was the closing day of our retreat. We found ourselves so graced to be near the remains of our saintly Fr. Joseph Gerard, and thus we decided to do all our common exercises in the chapel that enshrines his remains. What a blessing indeed, to be inspired to pray regularly near the tomb of this “Apostle of the Basotho.” This filled us inspiration, courage and zeal to continue with our religious commitment and the services of the flock entrusted to our care.
In line with the retreat theme: Our Identity as Oblates: Men set apart for the Gospel, we found that it is by cooperating with the Lord who called us to service that our work will be more meaningful and bear more fruit. With the example of Fr. Gerard who dedicated his entire missionary life at the service of the people of Southern Africa, and more especially Lesotho, we are spurred forward as the Oblates in Lesotho to continue our demanding work of serving the flock of God, even amidst the pandemics like Covid-19, and we should never tire because in the fatigues of our ministerial service the Lord is awaiting us to give us solace in prayer.
The journey of our lives as Oblates will always have the ups and downs, not forgetting the occasional, level strides in serving the people of God and our Constitutions and Rules are always helping us to anchor our lives on Christ, just as our brother, Ntate Joseph Gerard did.
In all we were 15 Oblates, including our two deacons from Cedara, and the Provincial Bursar from Gerard House. The Provincial paid us a visit during the course of our retreat and we were very grateful for his support during these trying moments of the corona pandemic.
L.J.C. et M.I.
By Rev. Fr. Kabelo Anthony Makatjane, O.M.I.