Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Tokyo (Fides Service) - Sr Sano Mitsuko, aged 65, a member of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary spent 25 years on mission in Algeria. Those were the dark years of civil war, social violence among Islamic fundamentalist groups notorious for massacres of innocent civilians. “But I was not afraid. The people respected me and accepted me as a women of prayer”, said Sr. Sano who has now returned to Japan.
Sister Sano set out for mission in mainly Muslim countries 29 years ago. First of all she was sent to Libya when President Gheddafi asked Pope Paul VI to send nurses for the national hospital. Four years later she was sent to Algeria, where she served for 14 years as a nurse in a remote desert village, 800 km from Algiers.
Algeria had many Catholic schools and institutions But when it obtained independence from France, in 1962 they were nationalised and today there are no longer any Catholic institutions in Algeria and many churches are now mosques, libraries or cultural centres.
There are only about 4,000 Catholics in Algiers mostly foreign priests or sisters. “The people saw us praying and respected us because Muslims have a strong sense of prayer” Sr Sano told Fides.
Rather than speaking about the Gospel, the sisters preached it with their work and testimony of love and service for others. Every day Sr Sano visited about 30 families. “Muslim women cannot leave the house unless they are accompanied by someone, even to go to hospital. So I would go to visit them. Many were suffering from diabetes, anaemia, asthma, rheumatism. We often became friends of the families we visited.”.
The Japanese missionary said family situations were often difficult, education of children attracted the lure of materialism. “We were hampered in our mission by not being allowed to use openly the name of Jesus Christ. But our task was not to lead people to baptism but rather to show Christ living and working in us, in our daily service to others. Once I was told by a local Muslim: ‘When I see you I see nobility of soul’. It was then that I realised that by living the Gospel people can see Christ living in me”.
(PA) (Agenzia Fides 14/9/2004 lines 35 words 235)
