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| Inizio della Settimana Santa Commencement de la Semaine Sainte Comienzo de la Semana Santa |
Holy Weeks
March 29, 2026
Holy Weeks
March 29, 2026
Having finally returned to
Bangassou on March 20th, I immediately resumed the journey that will
lead us to Easter in a few days, meeting and visiting with the various
communities.
On Sunday, March 22nd, I was in the parish of
Tokoyo, a neighborhood in Bangassou. Here, I celebrated Sunday Mass,
during which about eighty people were involved in one of the many
Catholic movements, the Fraternity of St. Joseph.
On Wednesday, I
was in Ngamana, a village 8 km from Bangassou. Here, there is a small
shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Today is the Feast of the
Annunciation, and I am celebrating here, also to inaugurate the small
shrine, which began years ago and is now finally finished.
On
Thursday, I met the children of the "Maman Tongolo" orphanage: a friend
from Cuneo gave me some hats for them, and they were very proud to wear
them!
Around 10:00 a.m., I was at the airport to say goodbye to
Bishop Aguirre, who was on his way from Bangui to Obo, where he will
remain for Easter.
On Saturday, I left for Gambo, 75 kilometers down the road from Bangui.
The
rainy season has already started, and unfortunately, the roads are
starting to get complicated. Before Gambo, there was a difficult area
with a lot of mud. We lost almost an hour because of the Blue Helmets
and had to pull a truck stuck in the mud.
In Gambo, I celebrated Palm Sunday, which is also deeply felt here.
Around
8:30 a.m., we met on the road: many people, with beautiful woven palms.
We read the Gospel of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, and then we set off
for church.
So we begin this Holy Week. On Tuesday, I will
celebrate the Chrism Mass, together with the priests of the diocese. On
Thursday, we will commemorate the priesthood, the Eucharist, and Jesus
washing the feet of the apostles.
On Friday, I will depart for
the East. My first stop will be Rafai, the day of Jesus' death, and then
on Saturday I will arrive in Zemio, where I will celebrate the Easter
Vigil and stay for a few days to bring the Peace of the Risen Christ.
Happy Holy Week, and Happy Easter!
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| Tokoyo |
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| Ngamana |
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| La strada verso Gambo e Bangui La route pour Gambo et Bangui El camino a Gambo y Bangui |
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| Domenica delle Palme a Gambo Dimanche des Rameaux à Gambo Domingo de Ramos en Gambo |
