Rural gospel

 

 

 

Rural gospel

The formation of the councilors of the various communities, and of the wives of the catechists ended on Saturday morning. The councilors left in the morning, and the women worked with Sister Biagina: all with knitting needles in hand, and a few balls of yarn arrived with the last containers (thank you, and if you have more we are always accepting donations ...!).

On Saturday, around 2 pm, I left with the wives of the catechists from the furthest villages, for a few days of pastoral work until Tuesday. We arrived in Yoro, 75 km away, at 5 pm, where  I spent the night. The accommodation was a bit sparse, but we managed.

Sunday, October 30, after a couple of hours of confessions, I celebrated Mass in the village chapel. In the afternoon we had a meeting with the councilors and catechists of a couple of villages, to take stock of the training received and, above all, to try to put them into practice. At 6 pm we viewed a film, for young and old.

Monday 31 October I went to Sinaforo. Since the rains are still here, the road is not passable by car, and I had to go on foot. It was only 7 km, and I arrived at 8.30 am. The chapel is made of mud, and is covered with old metal sheets. With the priest's arrival we had a bit of a feast in the village: we read the Gospel of Zacchaeus, and it felt as though I was seeing Jesus arriving in Jericho, 2000 years ago.

I returned to Yoro, still on foot, at 1 pm, and after a little rest I left for Bayanga Didi, bringing a couple of sick people who needed some treatment in the small dispensary. Upon arriving I saw the red light that shines next to the tabernacle, a small sign of the great presence of Jesus the Eucharist in this village.

Here too I showed a film, and in the meantime I met the catechist and the community. I spent the night here, and on Tuesday, November 1st we celebrated Mass on the feast of the Saints. Meetings and discussions followed, which focused mainly on the school: both here in Bayanga Didi (where we opened the nursery school last year), and in Yoro, where the schools are closed. The director of Yoro has not yet shown himself, and while the authorities (Inspector, sub prefect, head of the district) watch without actually seeing since the children have not been to school for some years!

I'm thinking of doing something ... Let's see!

I returned to Baoro on Tuesday evening, with a sick woman, whom I will bring to the doctor. Unfortunately to get some treatment here you have to move to where there are hospitals, which are far and few between, some tens or hundreds of kilometers away ...

I continue to follow the various construction sites, especially those of the schools  that we are doing, thanks to the support of the NGO SIRIRI.OPS.

 

 

Bayanga Didi

Sinaforo

Strada/sentiero per Sinaforo
Route/sentier pour Sinaforo

Yoro

Yoro

Disegni didattici
Fresques didactiques - Bawi

 

 

Always learning

 

 

 

Always learning

Over the past few days we continued with the training for those in charge of the Christian communities of Baoro and the 17 villages we follow.

It is a big commitment, and also a costly one. We must foresee the reception, training, food, and travel of the participants. During Lent 2022, the diocese of Cuneo wanted to get involved with a campaign of brotherhood, which allows us to organize formations. After the catechists, last week was the time for the members of the Legion of Mary.  These days I am here in Baoro with the wives of the catechists, as well as counselors of individual communities (various Christians who offer help, advice and take responsibility of the small village church). Next month we'll wrap up with one week of training for the choirs of all the villages.

Saturday afternoon I celebrated Mass at Samba Bougoulou, a village almost 40 km from Baoro.

Sunday was my departure for Bangui, together with the two carpenters from Baoro; Patriot and Louis.

With them on Monday, from 7am to 6pm, we dedicated ourselves to the laying of the frames of 14 doors and 4 windows, in the construction site of the new convent. On Tuesday I was present at the site meeting, where we discussed the work done and the work to be done.

With the return of Fr Michael on Wednesday morning, we had time to follow the other jobs here in the area. We are having drawings mad, didactics in schools, thanks to the Czech organization SIRIRI.OPS: a great way to decorate the classrooms, but above all to involve the children.

In the meantime we opened another construction site in Kouisso Baguera, a village 5 km from Baoro, which will become a kind of sanctuary parish church, dedicated to Mary Help of Christians.

From today, Thursday, until Saturday morning we will have two groups in formation: the counselors, and the wives of the catechists. In the morning we have seessions with Sr. Renata on the dignity of women, and her role in the church and in society, but also on family planning. Now they are knitting together with Sr. Biagina.

We are now at the end of the rainy season, but the clouds get heavier on a country that is very close to the threshold of being unable to sustain what may occur: on the one hand the will of the Government and President is to modify the Constitution at any cost, and the Constitutional Court that opposes it. We will see what this force will bring to legality in Central Africa ...

Formazione dei consiglieri
Formation des conseillers

Formazione delle mogli dei catechisti
Formation des femmes des catéchistes

Cantiere del nuovo convento di Bangui
Le chantier du nouveau couvent de Bangui

Baoro

Gli affreschi didattici per le scuole
Les fresques didactique pour les écoles

Formazione Legione di Maria
Formation de la Legion de Marie

Long live the Mission

 

 

Long live the Mission

Next Sunday is World Mission Day: missionary life is celebrated all over the world, the beating heart of the Church, and at the heart of every Christian life.

Pope Francis reminds us that the heart of the mission, the heart of the Christian faith, is "to be witnesses of Christ. And it is a gift and a call for all Christians.

I, as a missionary, like to celebrate this day and this month dedicated to the Missions. I like it because it reminds me that being a missionary is a gift, a huge gift. A gift for which I have no merit. A gift that God and the Church have entrusted to me, despite my weaknesses and frailties.

On Saturday October 15th we celebrated the feast of Saint Teresa of Jesus, our founder. A woman full of love for Jesus, and full of love for the Church.

On Sunday October 16th I went to Igwe, a village of a dozen huts, 60 km from Baoro. The road was a forest path, and I got there after 2 hours of driving. The catechist, Robert, will be leaving next month for Bocaranga, to attend the school for catechists. The village is very happy with this step. I celebrated Mass under a thatched roof, and Christians brought peanuts, pumpkins and produce from the fields to the offertory, which they offered generously.

Tuesday and Wednesday I went to Bozoum. The water pump was not working, and I tried (unsuccessfully!) to fix it. It was an opportunity to greet the community, now made up of a Central African father, two Italians, one from Bolivia and a French brother. We are to review the following in Bozoum; the market, the rice cooperative, the people and the children.

This road was even worse: the last 60 km took more than 2 hours, and a lot of luck. There was a lot of mud, the road was flooded in several places, and there were holes over a meter wide.

I returned on Wednesday evening, and I received the news of the death of Fr Vittorio Corsini, a lifelong brother and friend. He was a missionary in Central Africa between 1975 and 1980, many Christians still remember him. I will remember him in prayer, in this missionary month.

 

Strada per Igwe
La route pour Igwe

Igwe

 

 

L'orchestra di Igwe
L'orchestre de Igwe

 

 

 

 

 

Along the way

 

 

P.Michael

Along the way

We are now in the last month of this rainy season. In a few weeks it will stop raining and for a few months not a drop will fall. The wind will pick up, and within 2 or 3 days, the humidity will drop from 70 or 80% to less than 20%.

The rest of the week I was in Bouar, for the pastoral meeting of the whole diocese. We finished on Saturday, after four days of work.

On Sunday I celebrated Mass in Bawi, a village 35 km from Baoro, on the road to Bangui.

I was with Fr Michael, a Central African confrere, and we continued the journey with him. In addition to the rain, we also encountered an accident: a truck had just flipped over, and we took three people, with minor injuries, to the Bossemptele hospital.

The state of the roads is getting worse and worse. The few repairs made in recent months are now ruined. There were big construction sites, financed (largely) by the World Bank: but most of the money went elsewhere. Certainly not in the repair work.

Added to this is the lack of fuel, which has dragged on since May and penalizes transport and the entire economy. Despite the passage of dozens of tankers every week, fuel remains mysteriously unavailable in Bangui. And when it is found, the price is double.

In Bangui I dedicated myself to the construction site on Monday and Tuesday. Together with Andrè, the convent's handyman, and with 2 young people from the community, we laid the sheaths and pipes in the third part of the slab between the ground floor and the first floor.

On Wednesday morning, at 5 am I resumed the road to Baoro. Despite the treacherous roads I managed to get there just before 12.

Bawi

Sul cantiere a Bangui
Le chantier de Bangui

Transumanza
La transhumance

 

Trainings and meetings

 

  

 

Trainings and meetings

On Sunday we ended the 3 days of retreat for the catechists of Baoro and of the villages with a great celebration.

During the Mass there were many people present, many with the "uniforms" of their respective movements. It is the celebration that marks the beginning of the pastoral year.

Lots of participation, many songs and dances, and an atmosphere of prayer and reverence. During the Mass the catechists renewed their commitment to the service of the Word of God and of the people with whom they live.

On Monday morning I left for Bozoum, because the community had been without water for a few days. I managed to replace the pump, and for now it works.

The road has gotten much worse in these rainy months. In some places you pass by, if possible, or you risk getting bogged down (like 2 large trucks that I found stuck halfway, almost drowned in a meter of mud). 10 km from Bozoum the road is submerged by the river for a long stretch, and with some luck I was able to pass,

On Tuesday morning we began the new school year for the young people of our Mechanical School: there were about sixty, young and motivated, and they came from even the very distant cities.

On Wednesday I left with Fr Stefano and Fr Michael for Bouar, where we participated in the Pastoral Session of the diocese: 4 days of meeting and formation, for all 14 parishes of the diocese. We were more than 100 people, including priests, nuns, catechists, and young people, representing each of the parishes. It was nice to meet everyone: there were differences in ages (we varied between 20 and 88 years old), different places of origin (we were at least 15 different nationalities), differences in training. But overall  we felt (and we are!) a family serving the kingdom of God.

 

Baoro

 

 

 

P.Stefano

 

La strada per Bozoum
La route de Bozoum

Scuola Materna "Il Germoglio"
L?école maternelle "Il Germoglio"

 

Inizio anno scolastico, Scuola Meccanica
Commencement de l'année scolaire pour lìécole mécanique

 

La diocesi in sessione
Le diocèse de Bouar en Session pastorale

 

Pausa caffé
Pause café

 

 

La cattedrale di Bouar
La cathédrale de Bouar