Comboni Lay Missionaries

Mission News from the Central African Republic (CAR)

LMC RCAI hope you will all be happy with the bishop’s pastoral visit and that it will bear fruit.

Here Fr. Jesús is sick, but gratefully he is getting better… The other members of the apostolic community are in good shape and we thank God for his great love for us. Fr. Samuel will leave for Ethiopia to undergo medical tests and to rest. I pray the Lord that he may return well, full of good health and strength, to face anew the challenges of mission. Today his malaria came back. I hope he will be better tomorrow, because he is due to travel home.

This time I came to Bangui to open an account for the school. There is an organization that helps us and wants us to have an account to which to send the money.

We brought along a Pygmy couple and their baby, who was born with a nose deformation, to have surgery in the same pediatric hospital where they attended little Merveille. He was already operated on and it seems it was successful. May God allow it to be so! He will be discharged on Friday and will return to Mongoumba with us so that we can follow him as long as he needs care, because in the camp there are no hygienic conditions nor anyone who can do it. I hope Honoré (that’s his name) will do well…! The parents are very happy!

Next to Honoré there is a baby who was born without an anus and the waste spreads through the abdomen. He will undergo surgery tomorrow… May the Lord allow him to get well, so that in the future he will have a normal life.

By the grace of God Marveille is now growing normally.

Maria has already recovered a bit from malaria. Keep on praying for her.

Always united in prayer.

A great missionary hug to the all world.

María Augusta, CLM from Portugal in the CAR

Mission News from the Republic of Central Africa

LMC CentroafricaThe Comboni Lay Missionary María Augusta Pires, who is stationed in Mongoumba, CAR sends us news whenever she goes through Bangui, the capital, which is the only place where she can find internet access. Here you find the latest news she sent last April.

This time I returned to Bangui early after one month. Since I was feeling tired, I took a test for malaria and it turned out positive. I have started the treatment while the symptoms are still few, so that the reaction to the medication will be less strong and there is less pain. Ana had malaria two weeks ago and feels tired, because we had with us a dentist from Poland and she accompanied her all the time for almost three weeks. In each village there were lots of teeth to be pulled. There was no possibility to treat cavities because we could not move the equipment. Thanks be to God, it helped lots of people who were in pain. Ordinarily this can be done only in Bangui and it is very expensive, with one extraction costing about F10,000 ($18). Some people needed two or three extractions and we charge a symbolic F500, which is less than $1.00.

Fr. Fernando and Fr. Jesús are fine, thanks be to God. Fr. Samuel had malaria early in March and again last week. Now he has typhoid fever (Salmonella). He will have to take one or two antibiotics. May the Lord help him to get well soon… he is a little discouraged… Please, pray for him.

María, a Pygmy woman who has cancer, was feeling a little better. But last week she started having serious diarrhea. We gave her medication to stop it, but it did not. So we started the malaria treatment with injections and immediately she improved. She has slimmed down a lot and now she needs better food. We shared our food with her to give her a more varied diet and we hope she will improve faster. Let us continue to pray to Mary and to her son Jesus.

Last week, twins were born to a mother without milk and she needed help. At this time we are taking care of nine babies. With God’s help and the generosity of those who share to help the poorest, we can work with joy and so share things with those around us.

Two weeks ago, while I was visiting the sick in the hospital, I met a woman who had had a cesarean but who, after three days, still had no milk. They asked me for milk, but I insisted that she needed to do all in her power first to make it come. So I gave her a menthol infusion and on the second day, it started coming a little. We repeated it for two more days and, thanks be to God, Patrice began to suckle well. Mother’s milk is always the best and even more here where milk is very expensive and the hygienic conditions are very poor (the hygienic care of the baby bottles and of the water used to mix the milk).  A year supply of baby milk costs about $450. Very few families can afford to buy it.

During Lent, the Wednesday Mass is said in a neighborhood and on Friday the way of the Cross takes place in the same neighborhood. On Friday it will the youth of the whole parish who will take part in the JMJ. On Saturday we will have formation and on Palm Sunday it will be a great celebration. Last week, the catechumens [people preparing to be baptized] of the third year had a three day retreat and on Sunday they received the Oil of Catechumens. Since they are many, it is easier to celebrate baptism in stages.

A new CLM, Simone, who is from Italy, has arrived. He is here learning French in Bangui and we still do not know where he will go to study Sango [the local language].

I have read with joy the entire Astrolabios messages [she gets them by e-mail] and pray that the visit of D. Virgilio will yield much fruit in the future. May the pastoral visit be a success.

That the hearts of his faithful may receive with joy the bishop’s words. I pray that they may improve their lives as Christians and be true witnesses of Christ.

LMC CentroafricaBest wishes of a Happy Easter to all.

United in Christ through prayer.

A missionary hug as big as the world.

María Augusta Pires

Published in the Astrolabio Diary

 

Joy and Sorrow

Mbi bala ala…

(A greeting in Sango)…
LMC CentroafricaDuring this time of Lent we have received the grace to experience moments of joy…

…On Sunday, March 19, two sons of Central Africa, Dreyfus and Romain were ordained to the priesthood as Comboni Missionaries by Card. Dieudonné Nzapalainga, archbishop of Bangui. The Comboni parish of Our Lady of Fatima was decorated for the occasion and throughout the morning it filled up with people wanting to share in the joy of the moment, something that does not happen every year, especially with a double ordination… a sign that even in the midst of difficulties the Church of Central Africa and the Comboni family are slowly growing…
LMC Centroafrica…The next moment of joy took place the following Sunday, March 26, in the cathedral of Bangui with the episcopal ordination of the new bishop of the diocese of Bambari, a new shepherd for this remote area which is still living through troublesome days of instability and insecurity…

… these were moments of joy lived through dances, singing, showy dresses, palm branches, drums and choirs…

…but the people felt fully involved, including in the sorrowful moments typical of Lent, confessions, the Way of the Cross and the Easter Triduum, in a special way the women and the mothers kneeling during the entire celebration at the cathedral or on the red clay of the entrance to Fatima parish. The Comboni missionary shows us that the sorrow and the suffering in the history of Central Africa, not only in the past but in its daily form, brings people to identify with the history of this “man beaten, tortured, killed and crucified…

…however, after moments of pain, joy returns in the Easter Vigil, and again in the morning Mass with dances, fires, lights, the blessing with water, the choir singing Alleluia… because Life wins over death, Joy trumps Sorrow…

…Happy Easter to all and forever from Bangui: The spiritual capital of the world!

Greetings, hugs, kisses, prayers and THANKS…

LMC CentroafricaSimone, CLM in Central Africa

UP AND DOWN

LMC RCAMbi bala ala…
Greetings to you in Sango…
Here also begins Lent… prayer time!
Listening to Combonis stories one of the problems of Central African Republic is that it does not exist! It is not in the news, it is confused with Congo or it is thought to be a LAND in Africa not well defined, nevertheless it exists and it is a LAND with clear limits and a history. When I have been told, although myself had to search for information in the atlas, because I did not know of its existence, it seems strange, but in this globalized and technological world we discover in the SKY new planets similar to EARTH, but in EARTH there are corners of HEAVEN ignored!… we do things UPSIDE DOWN we look at the SKY… and we forget the EARTH…
For two Sundays I went with Fr. Gabriele to Mass in the convent of the Benedictine Sisters where we celebrated in Sango (local language), and as we can imagine it was a party with drums, guitars, songs, as a concert, but during the Our Father’s Prayer is sung a cappella, clapping hands, almost out of place in the midst of everything else, is like a lament, a heartfelt prayer of a people dwelling in this EARTH and that it will not be forgotten by the Father who is in HEAVEN … a cry that goes from DOWN to UP… and a bread that descends from ABOVE to DOWN…
On the first Sunday of Lent, on the other hand, I went to Mass in the Cathedral of Bangui, where Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of the Jubilee of Mercy. Here, also the heavens (roof) and the earth (the ground) have the same color… almost like a sign of UNITY… RED LAND of Africa! In the cathedral there are no paintings, no gold, no picture frames, no luxuries, very simple (see photos)… the House of HEAVEN like the houses of the EARTH, built with red clay, a sign of communion between EARTH and HEAVEN…
“Today Bangui becomes the SPIRITUAL CAPITAL of the WORLD”. The Holy Year of Mercy has advanced on this Earth. A LAND that has suffered for several years from war and hatred, misunderstanding, lack of peace. Bangui becomes the SPIRITUAL CAPITAL of PRAYER for the mercy of the Father. All of us pray for peace, mercy, reconciliation, forgiveness, love. For Bangui, for the Central African Republic, for the world, for the countries that suffer the war and seek peace, and together we ask for love and peace. “Doye Sirirí!” (Pope Francis at the Opening of the Jubilee of the Mercy on November 29, 2015 in Bangui).
Even here, tomorrow is women’s day… on the grass in front of the cathedral they have placed a stands (I heard that will remain for some days), to raise awareness about the plight of women in the Central African Republic… They also ask not to be forgotten in this EARTH … where even the moon grows from UP to DOWN …
A greeting, a hug, a kiss, a prayer and a thank you … (in particular to women in their day).
LMC RCA
Simone CLM Central African Republic

María Augusta writes from Mongoumba (Central African Republic)

Maria Augusta LMCDear CLM, friends, family …
Anna and I are fine, thank God. The fathers in Mongoumba have malaria; we hope that with the medical treatment they will recover soon.
Fr Jesus has been in Spain. The first fifteen days accompanying the Cardinal and the Imam of Bangui who were receiving the prize of “Fraternity” offered by the Comboni magazine “Mundo Negro”. He also takes advantage of the journey to make missionary animation and sensitize about the reality that we are living here. He has also spent some time with his family.
The small Merveille returned on the 13th of this month after two months of hospitalization. I was impressed because of the way she came back. She has recover the weight she had with four months 3.5 kg when she already weighed almost 5… She suffered a lot! They have also found her tuberculosis and are treating it. I hope she quickly regain the lost weight. May the Lord do what is best for her.
The stay of the CLM Irene, from Congo, was very good. She wants to return to share her life with this people for a longer period. I learned many practical things with her on health issues, with medicines and products from nature. I liked being with her, I think she’s a real comboni. On January 2, when she had to return the barge broke in the middle of the river and went down the river with four cars, stopping after two kilometers. Only after three days it returned to its place and we were able to recover the car. Irene had the plane on day 3 so a father from Mbaiki had to come for her. She managed to pass the river by canoe. That night she slept in Mbaiki and very early in day 3 she left for Bangui, getting thus to travel to Kinshasa. It was a great adventure!
From January 23 to February 15, Anna’s father and sister were with us. They came to visit her. Communication was difficult because they only speak Polish. Through gestures and with the translation of Anna we made ourselves understood. How nice it would be if there was a language that everyone may talk…
In the month of January, we sent to Mbaiki to 5 young fellows from the parish to take training and then teach children around 3-5 years old (pre-primary). If it goes well, we will open three classes in three villages.
Yesterday, I brought from Mbaiki 3 couples, responsible for the chapels, with their 8 smaller children, they leave everything… The Lord will reward them!
We are helping a pygmy woman who has breast cancer. We took her to Bangui, stayed in the hospital for two months, where they did many tests and finally brought her to Mongoumba worse than she was. Every day he comes to eat with the Pygmy students who come to school. We also took the time to heal the breast. We give her tea that she says is helping her. Only a miracle can save her, pray for her, please. May Mary intercede for her along with her son Jesus!
For two months I have not left Mongoumba. Traveling tires me a lot because the roads are in very bad condition, full of bumps.
I wish all the laity and the family a good Lent and a holy conversion.

Maria Augusta LMC
Always united in prayer.
A Missionary Embrace.
Maria Augusta. CLM in Mongoumba.