From Rafai to Bakouma, via Bangassou
September 6, 2026
I arrived in Rafai on Wednesday, August 26, and stayed there until Monday, August 31. Rafai is a beautiful mission run by Franciscan friars.
On Saturday the 29th, I celebrated the Confirmation Mass in Meskyn, a small village 12 km away. It is a village where women seem to be in the majority, at least in church! All those being confirmed were girls, and among the congregation, at least two-thirds were women.
On Sunday the 30th, we celebrated the feast of the parish’s patron saint, Saint Augustine, in Rafai, as well as the installation of the new parish priest, Brother Marcel Lifaki.
On Monday morning, we had planned to celebrate Confirmations in a village 80 km away, on the road toward Bangassou. However, I was not feeling well because of malaria, so we postponed the Confirmations to another time and returned to Bangassou.
The week continued with various activities, including work on the new church in Lanome, which we will inaugurate on Tuesday, September 8. Unfortunately, the thieves have also been very active, and during my absence there was a major theft at the diocesan finance office.
On Saturday morning, I set off north toward Bakouma, 125 km from Bangassou.
The Abbé Augustin Aniya, who is the new parish priest of Bakouma, came with me.
The change of parish priests is an important moment for both the diocese and the communities, and we accompany it with prayer, reflection, and celebration.
We celebrated Mass in the stone church, which has now become too small and is full of cracks. During Mass, a snake calmly made its way along the roof truss…
At the end of Mass, I announced that, God willing, next year we will build a new church.
I returned to Bangassou on Sunday afternoon
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| Rafai |
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| Bakouma |
