No Confirmations!

 

 

No Confirmations!

 

I didn’t celebrate any Confirmations this week, but we did have a big Pentecost celebration!

On my return from Bakouma on Tuesday, I found Bishop Aguirre, who had arrived the day before from Bangui, together with Dr Enrique Ripoll Pascual y Otrus. Enrique is here on behalf of the ILUMINAFRICA Foundation (https://iluminafrica.com/), to organise a campaign of eye surgery. He checked and reviewed our hospital’s records, and then began the consultations: 400 in total! He identified 300 cases of cataracts requiring surgery. A team will be coming in the autumn to carry out the operations and restore sight and hope to so many people. 

On Thursday the 21st, I’m heading to Bangui because a container has arrived. Given the state of the roads, we can’t find anyone willing to transport it to Bangassou. We’re therefore forced to unload everything and load it onto a lorry.

On Friday morning we got to work: opening the container and unloading it… whilst waiting for the lorry to arrive. But by 11.30 am we had to face facts: the lorry hadn’t turned up! So we had to put all the unloaded goods (three-quarters of a 12-metre container!) back under cover.

So I’m free on Saturday, and I’m making the most of it to attend a few meetings, and above all to meet the seminarians from Bangassou who are in Bangui (secondary school, preparatory course and theology). It’s the end of the year, and it’s time for important decisions. We have a large number of seminarians, and they’re doing well. And it’s wonderful, when I ask them if they’re happy, to see the smiles on the faces of these teenagers and young adults!

On Sunday I celebrate the Pentecost Mass at the Nunciature, where people from all over the world and speaking every language gather… just like in Jerusalem 2000 years ago!

On Monday morning I have to, or rather I should, be setting off for Bangassou. I’m at the airport at 6 am, with tickets and luggage and so on, but at 9.50 am the flight is cancelled due to the weather conditions…

So I head over to the container: we finish emptying it and start loading the lorry, which has finally arrived. It’s hard, painstaking work, which we stop at 3.30 pm, to resume the following day.

I’m now at the airport, waiting for the flight leaving at 8.30 am. I should arrive in Bangassou at 2 pm (!) after three stopovers: Bria, Birao, Bambari.

Come on!

Sr Elisabeth, dr Enrique, Mgr Aguirre

 

 

 

 

 

 

Birao