Ready, set, and go!

Ready, set, and go!

It is strange how time passes: days that seem like seconds and seconds that seem like hours!

The end of last week and the days leading up to Monday, were very, very busy, for me and for the Bozoum community.

On Friday afternoon the children of the “Arc en Ciel” Orphanage Center express their joy and their gratitude with songs, dances, drawings and poems. And there was even a goat as a gift!

Fr Marco Poggi also arrived on Friday, he is the priest who will replace me in Bozoum, starting December 6th.

Sunday was a great day of greeting for the parish. I celebrated Mass at 8.30, and there were a lot of people as we as a lot of emotions! It was time for me to thank God for the gift of these 17 years in Bozoum: For what we have done together with the Christians and all the people of Bozoum. For the welcome and kindness of so many people, who came with simplicity to thank, many with tears in their eyes. It was not so much the moment for Fr Aurelio, but above all for the community and, even before, for God. He trusted. About me and us. The Gospel presents the parable of the talents: each one receives them, according to his abilities, and it is nice to know that God is full of joy when we play everything with it, without hiding our talents, but let them bear fruit.

In the afternoon I took a final tour of Bozoum. I passed by the home of Thierry Kanghal, a collaborator of Caritas for many years. At his house there was the  "San Vincenzo" meeting.  and today, which is World Day of the Poor, I was happy to be able to start my goodbye's with them.

I then went to the hospital, to visit a sick person, and meet the doctor, with whom I have been collaborating for years.

Monday morning there was the last flag raising at our St. Augustin Lyceum. I stopped to greet the pupils of our “Isidore Bakanjia” elementary school: the courtyard was filled with a thousand children!

Finally, around 1.30pm, I left Bozoum! The journey to Baoro was long, very long (even if it is only 180 km): the kilometers become a screen, on which many beautiful and difficult moments of these 17 years passed by. Above all, the many faces and many people passed by.

I arrived in Baoro in the evening, and here I found another parish and another community (we are 3 fathers), and new activities. While I prepared for the reopening of the Mechanical School, the work in the villages and schools, I turned a page and started with a new chapter.

Thanks!

Courage!

I bambini del Centro orfani "Arc en ciel"
Les Enfants du Centre pour les orphelins "Arc en ciel"

P.Marco Poggi, il nuovo parroco di Bozoum
Le p.Marco, nouveau curé de Bozoum

La Messa di saluto a Bozoum, domenica 15 novembre
La Messe d'au revoir, dimanche 15 novembre

Con alcuni degli alunni del nostro Liceo St Augustin
Avec certains des élèves de notre Lycée St Augustin

La scuola elementare "Isidore Bakanjia"
L'école primaire "Isidore Bakanjia"

Scuola Meccanica di Baoro
Ecole mécanique de Baoro

 

 

Slowly, but running

 

Slowly, but running

Days of hello, farewell and goodbye, that is what this last week in Bozoum has been.

Sometimes she is a mother, like Suzanne, who brings me a bag with about ten kilos of the rice she produces, and some legumes from her garden, or at times like a grandmother with a chicken. Simple gestures, accompanied by a lot of emotion, on both sides (I didn't ask the chicken, but maybe he is moved too. Anyway, I invited him to the table!).

The pupils at our St. Augustine High School read a speech on Monday morning at the flag-raising. Their teachers, who invited me in the afternoon for a moment of sharing, gave me a statue of a wise old man (patience for the old, but wise ... not yet!).

When I celebrate Mass on Sundays, there are two moments that I particularly like: when I return to the altar, after sprinkling, at Kyrie, and after the distribution of Communion.

At the beginning of Mass, we ask forgiveness for our sins. Then the priest passes by and blesses the faithful with holy water, the symbol of Baptism. When I get back to the altar, I always feel a beautiful feeling: that of being, me and the people present, clean, forgiven.

After having distributed the Eucharist, the Body of Christ, I always look forward to the most beautiful part: bringing it to the sick, the poor and those who cannot move. Then I go back to the altar, and it is not I who carry Jesus, but He who carries me. He who carries everyone.

I end with good news:

This week, in the Ceca Republic, the book “Comenius would rejoice. The story of SIRIRI" (Komensky by zajasal. Pribeh SIRIRI) was published.  It speaks of SIRIRI, a Czech NGO that helps Carmelite missions in CAR. The book was written by Ludmila Böhmova with the help of Katerina Lachmanova, author of various books on spirituality, who invited Ludmila to tell this interesting story.

The book presents the beginnings and the whole adventure of SIRIRI since 2006.  Not only is it about SIRRI but it also tells about the work of Carmelite missionaries in CAR, in particular the ministry of Father Aurelio in Bozoum, initiator and guarantor of most of SIRIRI's projects. During the last 15 years, various projects have been managed together. At the beginning it was the construction and collaboration for the Arc en ciel Orphans Center, later it was the St. Augustin Lyceum and the Foyer for pupils. SIRIRI found the money for the construction of the Ophthalmic Clinic in Bouar to support the St Michel Center (for people with AIDS). SIRIRI also regularly supports the functioning of the Lyceum, the Cana Center and the school for mechanics in Baoro, etc. In recent years, SIRIRI has developed and introduced in schools the “Apprendre en Jouant” (Learning while having fun) program based on the pedagogical principles of Comenius (hence the title of the book).

The book (in Czech) can be found here: https://www.siriri.org/rukuvruce/index.php?route=product/product&path=76_78&product_id=239 "

 

 

 

 

Con gli insegnanti del St.Augustin
Avec les enseignants du Lycée St.Augustin

Mario, al tornio, a Baoro
Mario, au tour, à Baoro

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Countdown

 

 

Countdown

These are my last few weeks in Bozoum… and time is going by very quickly. On Sunday 15 November I will be greeting the community of Bozoum at 8.30 am, I will be leaving for Baoro, in the upcoming days, to start my work there.

Sunday we celebrated the beautiful feast of All Saints, which reminds us that everyone, absolutely everyone, is called to live fully the Life that God has given us; it reminds us that the saints are many (but really many: the Apocalypse says that "they cannot be counted"); and that among the people we meet in our lives there are many saints, but really many.

Tuesday we celebrated the memory of the dead. In the Mass we read the names of all the people of the parish of Bozoum who left us this year, but we also prayed for all the dead, especially for those who, in this time of Covid, have lived this moment alone. Moreover, here in Bozoum, just in these days we received the news of the death of Sister Lydie in Congo, after a long illness. She had lived and worked here in Bozoum, from 2015 to 2018, mostly as a nurse.

On Tuesday Fr Marco Poggi arrived, who will replace me as parish priest here in Bozoum. He will be here for a few days of "apprenticeship": to see how the life of the parish is organized, but also the schools, the poor, and everything that constitutes the life of a parish priest in Bozoum.

Working with him also allows me to reflect on the many choices made this year, and to help him so that life in Bozoum is not too difficult for him.

Today, Thursday 5 November, the results of the Maturity exams finally arrived. In Central Africa, these exams, due to Covid19, were postponed to the beginning of October. The exams, all written, were corrected in Bangui, the capital. The results are, unfortunately, are usually rather disastrous: generally, only 20-30 percent of pupils succeed in passing.
But for the students of our St. Augustin Lyceum, the results are good: out of 23 students, 16 are admitted immediately (70%), and 7 will be able to resume and take an exam on some subjects (a sort of second round, or postponement ). No one failed!

Sr Lydie con Chiara (foto Paolo Silvestro)

Liceo St.Augustin, aula computer
Lycée St.Augustin, salle informatique