Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Maputo (Agenzia Fides) - Almost four years since the arrival of the first Orionini missionaries in Mozambique, director general of the Piccola Opera della Divina Provvidenza, Rev. Flavio Peloso, made a pastoral visit to that country. The first missionaries Fr José Geraldo da Silva and Fr Suvenir Miotelli, who arrived on 21 March 2003, were entrusted with the parish of Bagamoyo (20,000 people living in 2 sq km), a poor suburb of the capital Maputo, where a simple but large church now stands. The Orionini Fathers, Fr. José Geraldo da Silva (superior and parish priest), Fr. Renato Scano and Fr. Getulio Pereira da Silva, respectively aged 35, 51 and 77 are from Brazil. “The parish has only existed for three years but it is well organised and articulated in ‘family nucleii’, with various activities and groups - Rev Peloso writes in a report to Fides -. I had a meeting with members of the pastoral council who said: “We are very grateful to you white men, you were living well elsewhere, but you came here to live with us”. They also asked me to thank the benefactors who support the mission. They proudly told me about the pastoral of the “dizimo” (tithe) with which this poor community collects money for community needs including the church building. They took me see the church benches: “we had them made with the money we collected” they said proudly. And they even manage to give a small amount to the priests.”
The recent history of this nation has been marked by long periods of war and guerrilla warfare which started in 1962 with the struggle for independence from Portugal, and ended in 1992. Vicissitudes in these tragic 30 years included also the confiscation of the resources of many church institutions and many religious congregations had to leave the country. The people suffered then and continue to pay the consequences. Many died, infrastructures were destroyed, roads and villages disseminated with mines which still reap victims today. Most Mozambicans, about 20 million, live in extreme poverty.
“I think that in our congregation no other community lives as poorly as the one I met in Bagamoyo - says Fr Flavio Peloso -. There are two small parish buildings at the side of the church. They divided one with plywood to make three tiny rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. Our priests dug a well and put a tap in front of their little house. One afternoon I sat opposite and watched the procession to that tap. Most of the people were women carrying not very large water cans. Then one or two children or adults came and took the plastic cup tied to the tap with string, putting it carefully under the tap before turning on the water and then carefully turning the water off before the cup was full. Not one drop was wasted. In the atmosphere of generosity and familiarity that has grown up around our three confreres from Brazil I was not in the least surprised to heart that the two Sunday Masses draw a congregation of about 1,200 people. On the Epiphany I saw for myself at least a thousand people inside the church and outside. Despite a temperature of 40 degrees centigrade they came an hour before Mass began. Four hours of Mass from 8 to 12 without a lull in the liturgy, well celebrated, sung and participated. On that day Fr Renato was celebrating the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood, a Brazilian in Mozambique, born of a Sardinian father and a black mother. His grandmother used to tell him about the days of slavery. Now he has come to Africa, to help these brothers and sisters, bringing them the freedom of the children of God.” (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 14/2/2007; righe 41; parole 623)
