AFRICA/TOGO - Being a missionary with and for others

Lomé (Agenzia Fides) - "We are a family consisting of seven young people, all university graduates, a community leader, Father Valéry Aguh, who spent ten years in Sierra Leone; a director of studies, Jean Jacques Wisdom; and a chaperone," says Father Silvano Galli, the "spiritual director" who, at the end of the second-term exams of the propedeutic period, the preparatory year for entry into the Society of African Missions before the beginning of the three-year philosophical cycle of the SMA missionaries, offers some insights into reflections on mission and on traditional life and cultures.

"Being a missionary, far from our own lands, among unknown peoples and other cultures, means sharing the love of Christ with others and conveying to them that we are all brothers," says one of the students. "Living with people from different countries in one house means creating unity through our differences, living in harmony as brothers, learning from one another, and being open to new cultures. Being a missionary does not just mean leaving one's own country, but above all being a missionary with and for others." "It is the harmony that exists between the different colors that makes a flower beautiful," is another quote.
"Charles de Foucauld reminds us that we are missionaries by who we are, not by what we do. Challenges are part of our mission and help us gain new experiences, immerse ourselves in new cultures, learn from our mistakes, and change our perspective.
The courses have enabled me to be well-equipped as a missionary of tomorrow, not to be afraid to explore, to delve deeper, to understand other cultures without ever judging. Wisdom helps us live well with others, develop our maturity, and face the challenges that come our way."

Some of these young people had a difficult journey that prepared them for the complexities of life. One example is a young man from a "normal and well-functioning" family: "We were all living without major worries when our parents suddenly separated," he says. "This event turned our entire lives upside down, as I was still in first grade, my brother in fourth, and my sister in fifth. After my parents separated, I stayed with my aunt and uncle until I finished elementary school. It was a very difficult time. The family was a peasant family, and by second grade, I had to use a hoe because that was the only way I could eat. I was on my own. And so it was until the first year of middle school when my mother came to visit me with some clothes and then disappeared again. I had to cope with this nomadic life (back and forth) and various problems, especially the lack of affection from my parents, until I finished fifth grade. After graduating, my father decided to send me to the city of Sokodé to continue my education with a teacher. In Sokodé, I attended high school. After graduating, I went to Lomé," says the young man, "and enrolled at the University of Anthropology, passing two exams." Then I joined the Society of African Missions." (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 7/5/2025)

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