Comboni Lay Missionaries

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Central African Republic

News from Central África

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Maria Augusta Hello everybody,

I hope you are well as your entire family.

I am in Bangui, I have arrived last night. All the apostolic community and I are well, thank God.

I pass today through the Holy Door of the Cathedral of Bangui. I was there on the opening day, but I could not get through, we went through one of the side doors. I really enjoyed going through it today.

In Central Africa was opened first the door of the Cathedral of Bangui, by the Pope, before the others! On December 20 the Holy Door of the Cathedral of Mbaiki, our diocese opened. Christmas Day opened the Holy Door of each parish. From January 17 until yesterday, the Holy doors opened in all the chapels that had door and the Blessed Sacrament was exposed in all of them for worship, in the custody that the Holy Father offered to our diocese and also offered to all other Central African´s. People were on pilgrimage on foot to the nearby chapels. We, on Sunday, went to delivered it to the parish of Safa. They came to procure us 6 km from the town and then went in procession to the church and remained in worship. The monstrance with the Blessed will visit all the parishes of the diocese until the end of “The Holy Year of Mercy”.

Since 13 December, I do not come to Bangui, there is always plenty to do in the Mission…

Since early January, a teacher and I are giving some afternoon classes to students to see if they begin to read. There are many students in CE2 (4th grade and who do not read anything). Thank God, it seems that they begin to read a little, the first few letters. With the help of God, who gives us the strength and patience to work, and the desire of the students to learn, we will get to learn. This month I was with a class during three days, but it is very difficult because students do not understand French and I do not know Sango to translate what I say. In May I will become the school principal. Pray God to help me in this new occupation.

From December 2 it has not rain, only on February 17 occurred a downpour as usual here. There were 75 days without rain … We had dry bushes, some avocado too, we will see if they still bear fruit. There were many fires in the forest and many cassava fields were burned. Many trees were burned. The atmosphere was filled with smoke, everywhere smelled like that. It was so much that made you mourn! We hope that will not cause more hunger than there are already. Thank God, it came two downpours, all nature has changed… just 34 hours, and tiny herbs came out where it seemed that everything looked dry. Truly, the water is the blood of the earth! Here the rain it calls “ngu ti Nzapa” = water of God, and it is true. Here in Bangui, it has not rained and everything is very dry… very hot!

Elia continues to care for malnourished children and not only. In January, she started going to Batalimo and found very serious cases, very sick children. When mothers do what they are asked (to give children everything it is distributed) they can recover well. When it comes to more serious cases, they are hospitalized sometime in the hospital.

Pygmies are still helped with medication when sick. Fortunately, because many would die since they have no money to buy them.

In the mission we have a home for the pygmies students, so they can better leverage school. Here they eat, sleep, go to school in the morning and during the evening come to study for one hour at the library. They are a dozen students.

Last week doctor Omnimos and his wife spent four days at the mission, as always very friendly. They operated 16 persons (adults and children). Thank God everything went well. This week they are also operating here in Bangui. If there were more people like them, the world would be better!

I wish you well-lived Lent.

United in Prayer

Kisses

Maria Augusta CLM

“Nzapa a ga na é”!

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Papa

November 29, Sunday, at 10, we saw pass the Alitalia plane carrying the Holy Father.

We did not go to meet him, as many people did along the road between the airport and the city center… We just left for Bangui Cathedral around 14hs, the Mass was scheduled for 17. We get earlier, we didn´t have to wait long to get in and they gave us a good place from which you could see well His Holiness. This Mass was for bishops, priests, religious and committed lay people working in parishes. Several times during his homily, people stopped to applaud him. As we had five extra invitations, we could take five pilgrims from our parish. The rest were near the Cathedral, where they attended Mass transmitted through a giant screen where they remained during the prayer vigil that lasted all night, with moments of prayer for peace, confessions and many songs. “No revenge, violence or hatred.”

rca

At five o’clock in the morning, people started heading for the stadium to attend the Mass celebrated by Pope Francisco. We arrived around seven and we had already many people in the stands.

At that time, the pope was visiting the Central Mosque of Bangui, the highlight of his visit. Due to the climate of hatred that exists in the country between Muslims and non-Muslims they are afraid that this time were canceled, thank God it was not!

Holy Father’s words: “We are all brothers”, “Make every effort to achieve peace, work, pray, but remember that there is no peace without love, friendship and tolerance”. The spokesman of the displaced Muslims of Km 5, said. “We are delighted to welcome the Pope. He is not here just for Christians; he is a server, a godsend for all Central Africans”.

According to François, he is working at the UN, Pope Francisco after the official speeches, took off his shoes, crossed the mosque and went to pray at the place where Muslims pray. He said everyone was very surprised and excited because this was not in the Protocol. As a token of gratitude, a group of youths Muslims on a motorcycle, “removed the site” of the Minusca (peacekeepers of UN) and escorted the Holy Father to the stadium.

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In his homily at the Mass in the stadium Pope spoke again of Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Peace and “Pass to the other side” (“Passons a l’autre rive”), because “there is no peace without forgiveness”. “Say No to revenge, violence and hatred!”

In the street people were happy saying, “God came to us!” ” Nzapa a ga na é!”

Hopefully after the visit of the Holy Father Peace remain in this land and this people that have suffered so much have life and life in abundance.

rca

From RCA

A missionary hug

Augusta and Elia (CLM)

 

Pilgrimage route to Bangui for the Pope’s visit

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Jesus

On 25 November, the pilgrimage walk of the faithful of our parish started from Mongoumba to Bangui to participate in the ceremonies for the visit of the Pope. There were four groups of 18 people, one of them composed only of pygmies recently baptized.

We get up every day at 2.30am, ate a sweet rice porridge, so that everyone could have energy to walk. We began with prayer, then everybody start to walk, singing beautiful songs in Sango.

Every day they covered about 30kms, with joy, despite the “blisters” on the feet …

When it reached the intended location for the night, they have lunch and in the afternoon, after a short break, a catechesis on the theme of the day, followed by the Eucharist.

The topics presented were: “Reconciliation”, “Laudato Si”, “The joy of the Gospel” and “Blessed are the peacemakers”, interesting subjects that pilgrims greatly appreciated. In each catechesis was distributed to each pilgrim a symbolic ribbon theme: violet, green, red and white.

After the Mass we dined before the last rays of light.

To 20 pm everyone was in bed, I mean, sleeping on a sailcloth lying on the ground, inside or outside the chapel. The communities where we rest welcomed us warmly and showed all their support, fetching water and firewood. Two of them prepared food for more than 70 people.

Elia

Elia, three cooks (volunteers) and I were covering the pilgrimage by car, carrying everything you need to cook for six days, which eventually turned out to be seven.

Elia was tireless, with all who approached her with the injured or sore feet…

The arrival in Bangui was Saturday morning. People on the street stopped amazed to see all these people on pilgrimage, each with its cross highest than oneself, and a lively group of Pygmies in the middle. All of Mongoumba.

Activities in the house of the Comboni Missionaries in Bimbo, where the same as where we were staying, equal to those of the previous days.

It was four days of walking in which no one gave up despite the fatigue … we hope that this pilgrimage bear fruit; conversion to the Lord, in every heart, protective Earth people “hit Sopo/bata Sesse” happy preach the Gospel, men and women of peace.

A hug

Maria Augusta, Mongoumba CLM

On the way to the Mission – Sending Maria Augusta to CAR

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LMCOn October 25, echoing the message that brings the October missionary, celebrated around the world, we celebrated with joy and faith, the ceremony of sending of Maria Augusta Pires for the Central African Republic.

We thank God for a week of missionary animation in the schools of Dornelas do Zêzere and Pampilhosa, with great joy we share with the children our missionary experiences, while we gave testimony of Him who sends us always on mission.

In the four homes in the area, after a moment of prayer, was wonderful to see the faces of the elderly who opened into a big smile when we started singing and clapping… Everyone was very happy and promised to pray for missionaries every day.

On Saturday afternoon, in the Eucharist celebrated by three priests (Fr. João and Fr. Orlando, from these parishes and Father Dario of the Comboni Missionaries) in six parishes around Janeiro de Baixo (birthplace of Maria Augusta), we gave our missionary testimony as Comboni Lay Missionaries.

This missionary week culminated with a Mass in the parish church of Janeiro de Baixo, chaired by monsignor Virgilio, bishop of Coimbra, where we solemnly celebrated the sending of the CLM Maria Augusta Pires, that will leave next November 9 to the Mission of Mongoumba – CAR – where will make community with the CLM Elia Gomes that it is there since 2011.

In this so special and meaningful Eucharist, the church was full of Christians from the various parishes in the area who wanted to join us to pray for all missionaries. At the end of the Mass there were tears and emotion on the faces of almost everyone, moved by the words of Maria Augusta about the Mission. Many, many people came to say hello and to wish good luck for the mission and telling that they would pray for her.

After Mass Mgr. Virgilio greeted and spoke to all the people who wanted to be with him (and there were many!).

At the end of this day, I can only, thanks, thank the Bishop for his presence, his secretary Father Pedro, Father Dario, a Comboni missionary and the Fathers Juan and Orlando for the effort they put into making possible this missionary week. Everything went very well, so thank the Lord wholeheartedly.

LMCMaria Augusta Pires (CLM on the way to the Mission)

Voice from the mission

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We received with joy, a testimony from the mission of Palmira Pinheiro the Comboni missionary secular who is currently in the Central African Republic together with the CLM Elia Gomes. Here we leave the testimony of the joys and hardships of this mission in the heart of Africa.

VOICE FROM THE MISSION

Although today is not Samedi (Saturday), Samedi arrived! As always out of time, when I’ve closed the door of the clinic and look forward to some rest because fatigue gets you. However, while I get to grumble with his mother, because she is not in hours, his smile, his bright eyes like two stars, his arms outstretched towards me, make me put aside my mood completely. All are my “dears” but Samedi has a special place in my heart. He was one of my earliest success stories! He was a child destined to die, but Life won!

In the second week of my arrival, some day when I had to close the door of the clinic, a woman appears, for more signs pygmy. She gave me the impression of having some mental retardation, and holding in her arms a small child than as explained by someone who accompanied would be premature, newborn and the mother had no milk to feed him. I weighed the baby, he hardly reach 2 kilograms because the pygmies are small, but he already had a “time”. What really matters is that he was hungry, since the mother, who seemed depressed, but with huge breasts, was not motivated to breastfeed, so the mammary glands need to be stimulated by the baby’s sucking to produce the “juice of life”.

We leave them to remain in the Rehabilitation Center about a month and a half trying to feed the mother and encouraging her to breastfeed the child. This was difficult because we could not always be present and, when we went we found her lying on the veranda of the Center asleep with his huge chest extended, the child also lying next, but, of course, without the ability to take the breast and suck. We used as a strategy, another mother also pygmy, who was accompanying her malnourished tiny, Jean Pierre, another favorite of mine, whom we trust to teach and encourage her to breastfeed the child. And in this way it was overcoming the most critical phase, in which, to make matters worse appeared some diseases (malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea, etc.) to which we responded with proper medication. Until one day the mother decided to leave without saying anything, then we lost hope, and thought he would die, he will not have a chance! But to our surprise, she appeared two weeks later with the child very sick with pneumonia, tremendously weakened and we doubt we have the chance to save him. But he stayed here a few days, and began treatment, feeding the mother so that she in turn feed the child, but when everything started to go well she stop treatment and return to the “Camp”. And so she continued to appear when the child was in his last and we just kept saying, This time he will not get it! But “LIFE” is stronger than death and Samedi won! Now he is 9 months all and remains small (like all pygmy), but he weighs 8 kilograms. It is great! When I approached him, jumps of joy, smiling and opening his arms to come into my lap. 

I pressed him against my chest as a beloved son in whom I feel I’ve helped to live. He plays, laughs and has fun. It’s a happy boy! Occasionally taking his crisis of malaria, diarrhea, bronchitis, etc., but at least the mother is aware of bringing him when it is bad, because in addition to medication, always carry a bag full of food for two.

I think for me and for God: “Although I have not done anything, it was worthy to come to Mongoumba to see this child smile after being destined to die”

A hug to everyone.

Palmira Pinheiro (MSC)