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Father Sergio |
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| Africa/Democratic Congo - Life in the missions
- a missionary tells his story |
Dear all,
certainly not all of you have been to Congo, although some
might, but I am sure that they prefer to spend their holidays in
Rimini or in the Dolomites… Actually here in the Kananga region
there are not many tourists around and not many missionaries either
who, unfortunately, we see less and less. The one who is writing
to you is a missionary priest of Ntambue Mission in Congo, 10 km.
far from Kananga. We have been here since 1994 and our mission covers
an area of 50 square km., with 40 villages around Ntambue that is
a translation of the word "lion". It is like being in
an Italian parish three priests, one old Sister who runs the house,
and our main activities are those of any Catholic parish in the
world: mass, catechism, sacraments, groups, young people, choir,
school… |
Of course the situation in which we live is different as
we have not many comforts: paths instead of roads, no electricity, water
must be collected down in the valley, only a few people in town have a
telephone or other communication means and one has to pay to use them.
In short, this is a very poor region of the world and thanks to Leopoldo,
our computer magician, who has connected us with the American hospital
8 km. from here, we have the Internet, even though only in the evenings
when the generator works for a few hours and at night with the supply
of batteries that are charged by the sun beams.
So, the idea of being on the net is (I think…) positive… in
order to share with others our missionary life that in practice it is
so far away from everything, but it is virtually very close.
Obviously, the key word of everything is Jesus, our Lord, whom we love
and try to make known to this poor people. On the one hand, communication
is not easy because even though we have learned to speak "Tshiluba",
the world of these people is still very foreign. On the other hand it
seems easier than in our country because the faith of the people here
is genuine and great …
Concerns that are always under discussion:
1) Poverty in third world countries
2) Poverty knocks on the door ….
3) African traditional culture
4) The message of Christian love in local language
5) Missionary life (our activities)
6) Local Church
7) Needs and possibilities
8) The faith of African people
9) Disease and most frequent dangers
10) Other…
Well, I hope you enjoy meeting our Mission and remember that
Jesus teaches us to be humble of heart.
Father Sergio.
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01.12.02 Back from the villages of the Tshisenge
Center, Father Sergio reports…
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This time it was easier because the Tshisenge
Center is quite close to home therefore I could return to sleep
here in Ntambue (it is uncomfortable to sleep in a hut…).
Then I would leave again in the morning. So on Thursday, Friday,
Saturday and Sunday I celebrated Mass in all six villages of the
Center and worked at the children's faith school. This month there
are Christmas confessions as I will not return to Tshisenge before
January; we will only celebrate Christmas Mass in the four Pastoral
Centers in Ntambue (we are only three priests) and the villages
only have one Mass a month.
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This is why Mass is an important event for them. This
morning, for example, they had invited the town's parish choir and we
sang for nearly two hours. I have lost my voice although I always bring
with me a small battery amplifier that I put on the altar…
Confessions are sometimes amusing, also because I do not always understand
what people say, especially girls who are ashamed to talk to a white
man so they lower their voice…
Old women are clever, like in our country, keen on the Word of Jesus.
Unfortunately, it happens that I fall asleep when they talk to me, probably
because of the heat, I am not very good, I shut my eyes…
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Anyway, many people come to confession
to me, which means that it works out fine, I hear confessions
every month before Mass. Everything has worked out this week apart
from the rain that is not very nice when you ride a motorbike.
I always try to avoid it but sometimes it catches me on the way
and I have to wear my raincoat and try not to slip in the mud…
People along the way wave and children shout, they are happy,
it is like being on a motorbike race…
God bless you.
Father Sergio.
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Proverb of the week:
Badia ku mufue, kabadia ku munyane.
Translation.: "We inherit from a dead man, not from a sick one".
Explanation.: this funny gloomy proverb asks us to be patient in the
presence of a dying man. We must not think of inheritance until the
person is dead, it is not very nice to do so.
08.12.2002 Back from the villages of Katumba, Father Sergio reports…
Also this time, like last month, I had to go back home on Saturday evening
(luckily, this time it did not rain and there was a beautiful moon…)
due to lack of medicines. In fact they run out quickly even though I
bring with me big tins of 1.000 tablets, especially Aspirin, Paracetamol,
Chlorochine for malaria, a medicine for rheumatisms and vitamins. I
also carry with me many other medicines like those for intestinal verminosis
and antibiotics, anti-allergic and antacid medicines or drugs for asthma…
but these do not run out that fast.
In fact there is a great spreading of malaria from which I too suffer
badly and I spent three days in hospital during which I was put through
the mill! This disease makes you feel very bad, you can't stop feeling
sick… I recovered from it by taking 4 bowls of quinine and physiological
solution …Other times, at home, I used to take tablets of quinine
and off I went … But for these people who live in the villages
it is worse, because the health centers are 15-20 km. far and they have
to pay a lot of money for 4 tablets… Children usually die, as they
are sick many times then they recover but sometimes the disease gets
worse and we loose them…
We do all that we can. Everybody asks for medicines
and I don't make them pay most of the time (how could I?) but still
the situation is devastating. We wonder if the Lord could make things
a little bit easier: we pray also for the sick…
God bless you.
Father Sergio.
Proverb of the week:
Badi babake badiabila nzala, apu tuetu bajike tudie buloba ?
Translation.: "Those who are married die of hunger, what will we
unmarried ones eat...?"
Explanation.: rich people keep complaining, but what should we who have
no possibilities say? The aim of this proverb is to stress the selfishness
of those who have possessions and do not share them with others, those
who complain with no reason and fail to do good…
15.12.2002 Back from the villages of Nkonko Tshiela
Father Sergio reports ...
This week it was the turn of Nkonko Tshiela which is a few kilometres
from the place where (I was told) last week there has been a conflict
between two opposite factions that ended with 30 dead and some heads
were cut off and shown to the people walking by. So I obtained information
on the event from various sources and found out that it happened a few
kilometres from our territory, in a village of the nearby mission where
there is a farm belonging to a rich important merchant (probably a diamond
merchant as the nearby area is rich of diamonds). So I was told that
the chief of that territory recruited men to get rid of the merchant
who had taken over many fields and put men to work in them. The chief
claimed that he was the owner of the fields and that he had to move
out. At this point the merchant recruited some soldiers (whom he paid
personally) who put the chief's men in jail in town (30 km.far). A few
weeks later, one of the prisoners died so the worst happened. One faction
states that the chief's men went to the village to attend the funeral
of the dead man equipped with weapons so the other faction felt threatened
and retaliated. The other faction states that they simply went to the
funeral and that they were attacked by the others… Now, where is
the truth? An inquiry was set up and luckily there were no dead men
although about ten people went to hospital and nobody will bring back
to life the man who died in jail… In the meantime the other men
ran away into the bush because they were afraid of the army but the
situation is under control.
Proverb of the week:
Badi bamanye dikenga mbakashipesha
Translation.: "Those who have gone through suffering know how to
give themselves totally"
Explanation:. It is self-explanatory. For example, only a man who has
lost his son can understand this pain. The proverb also wants to encourage
us to face suffering without fear because it makes us stronger in life.
22.12.2002 Back from the villages of Kalomba, Father Sergio reports:
Yesterday evening I came back from my weekly route, the last of this
month; it will be Christmas soon, and after that there will be three
training sessions: one on Balami (community laws), a youth session and
a choir session. It will be some commitment. I will tell you what happened,
a very sad story. As every Monday, Muela (a guy) came with Misenga (his
youngest sister) who suffers from polio and is all crooked and walks
on her knees. I thought of taking her downtown to have a pair of crutches
made. They had ridden a bike for 30 km; Muela fixed a straw seat on
his bike for Misenga. Misenga did not feel well, she did not eat anything,
she drank a little water. They reached the town (another 10 km.) where
I met them on Tuesday morning at the Centre because I wanted to talk
to the doctor. Misenga did not want to undergo surgery that would have
straightened her feet and her knees, (I too think that it is too dangerous
and that there are often complications, unlike in our country) so we
decided to take a wheelchair that moves with hand-pedals. They went
home and I told them that I would come back with my jeep to pick up
the wheelchair. I went to their village on Friday to celebrate week-end
Mass and I was told that Misenga was very ill. On my return on Saturday
evening, poor Misenga was dead, without even having sat in her wheelchair…
We prayed for her.
God bless you. Tears from Father Sergio.
Proverb of the week: Badi banangabo bififiku, milembeku,
biadiku. Kadi meme amu kavinduvindu, bua kamvidebo. Bua kadilu kadi
kabuite muike ibeu, ndi mukukupa lunga...
Translation.: The best bits for the favourite ones,
the breast, and leg. Only leftovers for me. If the fire had not been
blown out I would have thrown them into it …
Explanation.: A straightforward proverb on the anger
of the poor against the rich.
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