after Bozoum, news from Bangassou

Saturday, July 4, 2020

Deferred Pentecost

Deferred Pentecost

We got to experience the Pentecost feast twice, here in Bozoum. In addition to the "regular" dates, about fifty boys, girls, young people and adults received the sacrament of Confirmation last Saturday.

It is the sacrament of Christian maturity, which confirms the gift of the Holy Spirit received in Baptism and makes the Christian a living witness of Christ.

Saturday morning the bishop from Bouar arrived, and in the afternoon, at 4pm, we celebrated Mass, where the Confirmation ceremony took place. The Bishop was still with us on Sunday morning, for the 8.30 Mass.

On Tuesday morning I left by car for Bouar, where at 10 am a small United Nations plane took me to Bangui. Here I had some meetings, and on Wednesday morning I left for Bouar with the young Cameroonian students of our Carmel community.

The car had some problems. After pushing it several times to restart it, 10 km from the end, it decided to say enough! The confreres from Bouar came to help us, and we were able to restart it, and to arrive at our destination around 16.30.

Today, Thursday, I had the intention of going to Bocaranga. Everything was quiet last night, but from 4.30 this morning there was fighting, so I had to give up and return to Bozoum.

In the area there are the rebels of the 3R group, who have abandoned the Karthoum agreements, and who do not want to leave the area. They live by exploiting people, in particular the Peuls breeders.

I had intended to go to Bocaranga to follow the distribution of buckets and handwashing materials and other protective measures for Covid19. Thanks to CRS, one of the Caritas of the USA, we are distributing 1,500 devices for hand washing, to place them in common spaces (markets, offices, schools, chapels, etc.).

In Bozoum, we have distributed these past days.

The virus continues to advance: there are now 3,823 cases today, with 47 deaths. What is worrisome is that the percentage of positive tests are very high: over 14.6% of the people tested are positive.

Courage!

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Deferred Easter

Deferred Easter

"And Sala Pâque awe!" (We had Easter!): It was the spontaneous acclamation by the many people of Bozoum, because we were finally able to celebrate the Baptisms that occurred during Easter.
The journey in preparing for Baptism is quite long. For boys and girls, there are 4 years of training, while for adults there are 2 years old, but much more intense.
The celebration of baptisms normally takes place during the Easter Vigil. This year, due to Covid 19, we had to delay the celebrations, and we were able to have them the past few days.
In church we had affixed on the benches, so as to respect the 1 meter distance between one person and another. The altar boys had masks, while for the faithful we are having them packaged.
So on Saturday afternoon, June 20, at 4.30 pm we started the Eucharist in which we had the Grace of 70 baptisms, 9 First Communions and 9 weddings.
The following day, Sunday 21st, the baptized were present, all dressed in white, and the rest of the community was able to wrap them up (while still maintaining appropriate distance) with affection and prayer.
And as always, after the Mass the city was filled with songs, which accompanied the new Christians.
Today, Thursday 25 June, we celebrated the Chrism Mass. Normally celebrated on Holy Thursday, this year it also had to be postponed. Today we met, about forty priests, around the Bishop and the Christian community of Bouar. At Mass the priests renewed their commitment, and then the Bishop consecrated the oils that will be used for the various sacraments: the oil for the anointing of the sick, that of the catechumens and the Chrism.
It's Easter! Even if Coronovirus continues (we have passed the 3,000 cases bar in Central Africa), Christ remains The Life of the world and of every man