A new parish priest, a new deacon, and the very strong faith of the Christians of Nzacko
I returned to Bangassou on Thursday, March 13th, together with two friends, Luis and Fanny, from "Aid to the Church in Need", an organization that helps (spiritually and economically) churches in difficulty and with persecuted Christians.
On Sunday, March 16th, I arrived in Niakari, a parish 15 km from Bangassou, for the Mass and the official installation of the new parish priest, Fr. Jean Paul Goma.
On Tuesday, I set off for the Mission of Bakouma, 140 km away. The road was good, and I got there in less than 4 hours.
I was there with some priests of the diocese, and with the family of Patient Betoloum, whom I will ordain deacon on March 19th.
It was a beautiful moment of fraternity with the priests and the people of Bakouma.
Wednesday was the feast of St. Joseph, and we celebrated Mass outdoors. It was a moment of celebration and prayer for this young man who had spent the last 3 years of formation in the Urbanian seminary in Rome, and who today became a deacon, to put himself completely at the service of God and the brothers and sisters who will be entrusted to him.
After the Mass there was a lunch for over 300 people, and then dancing and singing until it got dark: the joy was great, for this community tested by the war and the rebels, not far away.
After Mass I meet the parish council, and we talked about today and the future, because destruction is the past, which we do not want to let live in resentment or desperation.
I left in the early afternoon. The rebels were gone, and we were not sad about it!
We returned to Bakouma, for a last evening with Father Amos, Father Modeste and Father Patient, before leaving, this Friday, March 21, for Bangassou.
I returned to Bangassou on Thursday, March 13th, together with two friends, Luis and Fanny, from "Aid to the Church in Need", an organization that helps (spiritually and economically) churches in difficulty and with persecuted Christians.
On Sunday, March 16th, I arrived in Niakari, a parish 15 km from Bangassou, for the Mass and the official installation of the new parish priest, Fr. Jean Paul Goma.
On Tuesday, I set off for the Mission of Bakouma, 140 km away. The road was good, and I got there in less than 4 hours.
I was there with some priests of the diocese, and with the family of Patient Betoloum, whom I will ordain deacon on March 19th.
It was a beautiful moment of fraternity with the priests and the people of Bakouma.
Wednesday was the feast of St. Joseph, and we celebrated Mass outdoors. It was a moment of celebration and prayer for this young man who had spent the last 3 years of formation in the Urbanian seminary in Rome, and who today became a deacon, to put himself completely at the service of God and the brothers and sisters who will be entrusted to him.
After the Mass there was a lunch for over 300 people, and then dancing and singing until it got dark: the joy was great, for this community tested by the war and the rebels, not far away.
Thursday,
March 21st, I left at 5:30 for Nzacko, 60 km north of Bakouma. It took 3
hours by car, because the road was terrible. Also, because it is not
uncommon to meet armed men along the track. In fact… we found them in a
village. They stopped us, made us get out, but fortunately they did not
do anything to us and let us go, after a few exchanges between us, upon
which I did not hold back from pointing out how wrong their arrogance
and their continuous looting was. Anyway, we set off again, without
incident. A couple of kilometers away we met a man on a bicycle, and we
warned him that there were bandits up ahead: he immediately turned his
bicycle around and started again from where he left off.
At 8:30 we finally arrived in Nzacko, the only parish that I have not yet been able to visit.
For the people it was a great celebration, because this parish was one of the most beautiful in the diocese: a beautiful church, with a stone bell tower, a large rectory, a hospital with a beautiful operating room, a nursery school and other rooms.
Until everything was destroyed in 2017 by the rebels. Literally destroyed!
But the people of Nzacko were not discouraged! First they began to gather under two large trees, then under a straw roof, and last year they rebuilt a temporary church, with baked bricks and cement, and a sheet metal floor and roof.
Going in there is a pilgrimage of faith, which moves me deeply. We are a few meters from the destroyed church, but the faith of these sisters and brothers has risen stronger than before!
At 8:30 we finally arrived in Nzacko, the only parish that I have not yet been able to visit.
For the people it was a great celebration, because this parish was one of the most beautiful in the diocese: a beautiful church, with a stone bell tower, a large rectory, a hospital with a beautiful operating room, a nursery school and other rooms.
Until everything was destroyed in 2017 by the rebels. Literally destroyed!
But the people of Nzacko were not discouraged! First they began to gather under two large trees, then under a straw roof, and last year they rebuilt a temporary church, with baked bricks and cement, and a sheet metal floor and roof.
Going in there is a pilgrimage of faith, which moves me deeply. We are a few meters from the destroyed church, but the faith of these sisters and brothers has risen stronger than before!
Here I celebrated Mass. Where at the
beginning the mayor also entered, a Muslim woman, whom I then visited
with in the afternoon, before leaving. It was a strong time of prayer,
but also a recognition, by the diocese and the bishop, of the treasure
that is in the hearts of these Christians.
After Mass I meet the parish council, and we talked about today and the future, because destruction is the past, which we do not want to let live in resentment or desperation.
I left in the early afternoon. The rebels were gone, and we were not sad about it!
We returned to Bakouma, for a last evening with Father Amos, Father Modeste and Father Patient, before leaving, this Friday, March 21, for Bangassou.
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| Patient è diacono Le diacre Patient |
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| Quello che resta della chiesa Les ruines de l'église |
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| La canonica distrutta Le presbytère détruit |
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