Returns and departures

 

 

 

 

 

 

Returns and departures

 
During these past few days, Fr Saverio, our Provincial Superior (on whom the communities of Arenzano, Genoa Sant'Anna, Deserto di Varazze, Bocca di Magra, Savona, Loano and Turin in Italy, Prague and Slany in Rep. .Ceca, and our 5 communities in Central Africa).

He will be staying with us for a month. For him, it is a return here because he had lived in Central Africa between 1998 and 2004. On Sunday we went together to Samba Bougoulou, one of the villages where he had worked years ago. At first people greeted him, but without recognizing who he was. Once they realized it was him, they were filled with joy in seeing him again.

During the Mass we accompanied boys and girls in the various stages of the catechumenate, and five children and a newborn were baptized by Father Saverio.

On Tuesday I accompanied him to Bouar, where he visited the other communities.  At noon the boys and young people of the Seminary prepared a small party to welcome the Provincial, but also to greet Mario and Luigina: 50 years of marriage, many of which they have been regularly coming to the Mission here to help us.

Mario, quiet and peaceful, works between 4activities; electricity, solar panels, lathe, carpentry machinery etc. etc. Luigina, a little less silent, is also busy, between the kitchen and the sewing machine.

Wednesday, June 15 was the party for the closing of our "Il Germoglio" Kindergarten, here in Baoro.

The 8 teachers worked hard to end the school year. It was a festive ceremony, and the children (between 3 and 5 years old) were proud and excited, despite the heat. There was the raising of the flag, the singing of the national anthem, some speeches, many dances and songs, and we ended up with the delivery of the notebooks of their jobs, and a bread with chocolate.

A good life, children!

Le maestre della scuola materna
Les monitrices

Mario e Luigina

Battesimi a Samba Bougoulou
Les baptpèmes à Samba Bougoulou

P.Saverio, provinciale
P.Vavier, provincial

Time is running out (and so am I).

 

 

Time is running out (and so am I).

Saturday afternoon I left for Samba Bougoulou, at 40 on the slope towards Carnot. There has been a lot of rain, and the road is very slippery. In Samba Bougoulou I met the catechist and the catechumens for the catechism exams.

It is a demanding job, to try and help boys and girls who want to become Christians to understand what they are asking for and what they want, desiring Baptism.

I returned to Baoro in the dark, around 7 pm, and the next day, Sunday, I left for Bawi, where I celebrated Mass. The catechist was a bit nervous (I discovered later that he had some family issues going on), but the celebration went well.

In this month of June, the preparation of the closing of the schools commences.  We are also preparing for the exams and questions. The pupils of our Mechanical School are also at their last stages.

Wednesday I went down to Bangui for the site meeting. It was also an opportunity to meet Fr Saverio, our provincial superior, and Fr Federico, who have just arrived from Italy.

Work on the construction site is moving along. On Wednesday, June 8th the first part of the slab between the ground floor and the first floor was finally laid.

Passing through the streets of Bangui, there are enormous lines at the various gas stations: there is a shortage of everything, and there are hundreds of motorcycles and dozens of cars waiting for hours to get a few liters of gas or diesel ...

Lavoratori in erba (e paglia)
Des travailleurs en herbe

Scuola meccanica di Baoro
L?école de Mécanique de Baoro

Gettata della prima parte della soletta a Bangui
Le coulage de la première partie de la dalle, à Bangui

Code per trovare qualche litro di carburante
A la recherche de quelques litres de carburant

 

 

Rain and work

 

 

Piove!
Il pleut!

 

Rain and work

We have definitely entered the rainy season, which will last until about November.

For the people, it is the period of sowing and agricultural work.

Saturday afternoon I went to the village of Mbormo, where I celebrated Mass. It is a village followed by the confrere, Fr Michael, who has been absent in recent weeks, called to strengthen the community of Bangui.

Sunday morning I went back to the same road, but later. In Barka Bongo (40 km from Baoro), I met Christians, confessed and celebrated the Eucharist.

These days we are refreshing the church of Baoro. After having redone the electrical and audio system, we are painting and resuming the beautiful paintings made in the 70s, which tell the Gospel in a very simple language.

Also in Bangui, from Monday to Wednesday, the work is progressing. In the next few days, part of the slab between the ground floor and the first floor will finally be thrown, and we will be able to advance a little faster, I hope.

The rain does not stop us!

Lavori al Carmel - Bangui
Travaux au Carmel - Bangui

 

Messa a Barka Bomgo
Messe à Barka Bongo

 

 

Learn…

 

Learn…

With the month of May comes the end of the school year, and for us it is also the time for the administration of the sacraments in the villages.

And it is also an opportunity to reflect on education...

These days many state schools are closing their activities. At the start of the 2021-22 school year, the state forced everyone to delay the start of schools, setting it for October 18. Now it has brought forward the exam dates for the various licenses between the end of May and the beginning of June.  Many schools have made the various ballots, and the pupils are at home ...

We, in our schools, will continue until the end of June, in order to have a "normal" school year.

In addition to the teaching times, there is also the problem of teaching methods: almost everything is done "by heart", memorization,  and what little the students think is stuck, but much disappears within a few months.  This method of learning begins in elementary school, and continues until high school: the teacher writes a summary of the lesson on the blackboard, and the pupils have to write everything down in their notebooks. Any effort of personal work and research is systematically discouraged, in addition to the fact that the books are not there, and/or are not available.

The worst thing is that above all there is a lack of reflection and reasoning: boys and girls often do not know how to make a logical step, a procedure.

In these months I have been preparing the administration of the sacraments in the villages (Baptisms, First Communions, Confirmations and Weddings). To do this, I step from village to village to take a "catechism exam": together with the catechist, we ask the candidates questions. Often the answers "by heart" are correct, but I also try to understand how much they have understood, and how they reflect on the Faith and the Christian adventure.

On Thursday and last Saturday I took the exams in the villages of Dobere, Balembe and Barka Bongo. On Sunday I returned to Dobere (50 km away), where I celebrated Mass, in which children and adults received the various passages of the catechumenate: Salt (for the first year), Oil (for those of the second year) , and Baptisms. There were 12, children, young people and adults, who received baptism.  Nadège and Germain celebrated their wedding.

It i was a long ceremony (almost 3 hours), but dense and very participatory. In the end, everyone celebrated, with dances and songs, at the catechist's house.

Dobere, trasporto acqua
Dobere, le transport de l'eau