WHITE FATHERS) Modern Ecumenical Martyrs of Libya

MISSIONARIES OF AFRICA (WHITE FATHERS) Modern Ecumenical Martyrs of Libya

St. Moses the BlaSct Mkary of Egypt Alexandria

Martyrs of the Maghreb Alexandria

Anthony of Egypt

Augustine of Hippo

Bl. Michael Cyprian Iwene St. Athanasius of St

Aidan of Canterbury Tansi StS Ct yprian of Carthage

St S t C a tShetri.n eM of onica St Josephine Bakhita B l . B e n e d icS t D ta sC w aBh a l r.l e Gs Lhweabngrae a-nMd iCcohmapeanlions St Cyril of Alexandria St Frumentius of Ethiopia

ictoria Rasoamanarivo Bl. V

Bl. Isidore Bakanja

Bl. Daudi Okello and Bl. Jildo Ilwa

Anuarte Clementine Nengapeta

Bl. Saints of Africa Issue No. 439 August 2018 Pray for Us Contents Page Editor’s Word 3

Br. Amans, MAfr 4-6

A Pilgrimage to Dury 6-8

The Church in Tanzania: 150 years 9-11

Interreligious Dialogue in Pemba 12-13

Challenges and Vulnerable Youth in Tandale 14-15

Hospitality of a Retired Missionary 16-18

The African Soul of Brazil 19-21

3rd. Marian Day in Algiers 22-25

Zambian Parish Literacy Photographic Update 26

Data Privacy Notice 27

Parents and Friends 28

Prayers for the Dead 29

Information 30-31

Gift Aid Form 32

2 Editor’s Word. This year the Missionaries of Africa and the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Africa are celebrating 150 years of service to Africa and the peoples of Africa. On 26th August we will be celebrating this with a Mass at St Collumcille’s in Rutherglen, Glasgow and then on 9th December in Heston, London. Fr. Michael Heap MAfr It is a time for looking forwards and backwards. In this issue of our magazine we have articles about missionaries from the Society’s begin- nings like Br. Ammans and the present-day Catholics who remember them by making a pilgrimage. There are missionaries, like Fr. Tom Reilly, who having worked for many years in Africa are now retired, so they try to live out their missionary vocation in their own countries. We have articles about how the mission has moved on and now may be revisiting where it had once been, like Fr. John Slinger, revisiting Pemba. We have articles about a totally different approach to the “other” in the musical concerts in Algiers. And we have photos sent by Fr. Douglas Ogato showing the work being done by Christians in Zambia to help their children. The mission continues. It is timeless and ever-changing. It is the Mission of Jesus Christ sent by the Father to show his love and concern to all his children, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ in different situations, with different languages and cultures, with different daily challenges, but all needing the same thing – to know that they are loved and accepted by God, created by Him for love. No matter our circumstances He never gives up on us. The number of missionaries has gone down and it seems as if the mission is now beyond us. Yet things are easier. We no longer have to trek for months to get to our mission. We are no longer likely to die of various diseases before we even get to our mission. With modern methods of communication we can contact millions of people. Missionaries are reaching retirement age! But the number of young men and young women ready to commit their lives to the mission is growing ever greater. We have an article from a young African, Mathieu Ouedraogo, who as part of his missionary training has gone to Brazil. He is one of over 500 young men preparing to proclaim the Good News in Africa and beyond. Most of these young men are products of the Church in Africa. A Church which has produced and is producing saints, holy men and women, frequently anonymous, getting on quietly with their lives, but with lives touched by Jesus Christ. We Missionaries are proud and humbled at the same time to be part of the history of this Church.

3 Br. Amans. A Co-founder of the Church in Uganda. Taken from the Petit Echo.

Amans Antoine Delmas was born on 3rd July 1852 in the small village of Palmas, North-East of Toulouse. He arrived at the brothers' novitiate in Algiers on the 3rd September 1876 at the age of twenty-four and received the habit on the 3rd December of the same year. We do not know how he had spent the years since he had left school, but coming from a small village, it is likely that his family were farmers. His personal file contains only two items: a paper with the names of his parents and the date of his birth, and the text of his oath he which he wrote out in his own hand. Amans was the eighteenth brother to take Br. Amans MAfr the oath in the Society. Then, on1st February 1878, only fourteen months after taking the habit, the Cardinal had selected him as the only brother in the first caravan to East Africa. All but one of the fifty members of the Society had volunteered to go to Central Africa. The choice of Amans was a tribute to his maturity and reliability.

Only a few weeks later, the first caravan left Algiers for Marseilles and Zanzibar and arrived on the southern shore of Lake Victoria on 30th December of the same year having walked from the coast at Bagamoyo. Before entering the kingdom of Mutesa it was necessary to secure the royal permission so, on the 20th January 1879, leaving Livinhac and the rest of the party at Kageye, Brother Amans with Fr. Simeon Lourdel set out for Buganda - landing on 17th February 1879 near Entebbe. When Amans and Lourdel approached Rubaga, they were put in small hut for fifteen days, in semi-confinement, sometimes without food, shivering with fever, uncertain of the fate awaiting them. Finally the Kabaka (king), Mutesa, allowed the Catholic missionaries to enter and provided Amans and Lourdel with a more spacious place to live. On 11th April a fleet of twenty-four canoes supplied by the Kabaka was ready to leave to collect the missionaries. Amans accompanied the flotilla and brought back Livinhac, Girault and Barbot, landing at Entebbe on 17th June. By then Lourdel, who had remained in Buganda, had 4 obtained a good piece of land at Nabulagala.

Livinhac wrote to the Superior General : Br. Amans is well. Although not very skil- ful, he is a great help. He is our carpenter, blacksmith; he oversees the growing of our food and work of the children. He seems happy, understands the language well and speaks it well enough. At the time, there were some twenty orphans whom the fathers had redeemed from slavery. Amans experimented with wheat growing and introduced to Uganda the first trees bearing pawpaws, oranges and lemons . He began the long tradition maintained by many brothers over the years, training young men in tech- nical trades.

Amans returned again to the southern shore of the lake in Jan- uary 1883 with the fathers when they had to evacuate Buganda. He helped to found the mission there of Bukumbi. The whole party with their Baganda followers was able to return to Buganda when Mwan- 1st MAfr caravan to East Africa ga succeeded his father Mutesa as Kabaka. The return of the missionaries was a triumph with a hundred solders forming a guard of honour and accompanied by a special envoy from the Kabaka. The mass of people increased with each village passed, and they were eventually welcomed at the palace by Mwanga himself. But when Mwanga was overthrown in 1888, Amans and Lourdel had to flee again and established a settlement for their Baganda followers at Our Lady of the Ex- iles at Nyegezi. Within a year Mwanga was restored by a Christian army and the exiles returned.

Thus Amans was present during the early years when the Church was founded in Buganda where he is regarded as an ancestor in the faith. He knew the Uganda Martyrs personally and was an official witness at the first Commission of Enquiry for the cause of their beatification, introduced in 1887, From time to time he is mentioned as being with Livinhac and Lourdel at Rubaga. While those two wrote long and frequent letters to Lavigerie, there seem to be no letters from or to Amans in the Cardinal's vast correspondence.

5 Amans liked to say that he helped found ten mis- sions, the last one being Our Lady of Peace at Koki.with Fr Gaudibert in October 1894. Years before in November 1880, Lourdel had written of Amans that he was almost never ill. But after fifteen years of heavy work and travelling, with little medical support, even his robust constitu- tion had been undermined. Prematurely white haired, he was called the dear old brother. After only two weeks at Koki, he received a message recalling him to Algiers for a rest. He travelled Br. Amans with Bp. Hirth who was also returning for health reasons. From the first days of the twelve hundred kilometre overland journey to the coast his strength declined so that for the last stages he had to be carried in a hammock - which he found very humiliat- ing. He arrived at the coast on 18th January 1895 and was very ill. Two hours after arriving at the mission of the Spiritain Fathers at Bagamoyo, he died. The diarist remarked, He hadn’t left Equatorial Africa since 1878. The Good Lord had decided that he would only rest when he reached Heaven He was buried in the mission cemetery at Bagamoyo where so many young Spiritains had preceded him. Years later, in March 1974, his remains were exhumed, placed in a Zanzibar chest, and taken back to Uganda. Now the Archbishop of Kampala has opened his cause for beatification.

A Pilgrimage to Dury by Fr. Terry Madden, MAfr. Provincial Delegate.

A number of Ugandan, Congolese and Rwandese living in London have come together to form a group of disciples of Fr. Simeon Lourdel and Br, Amans Delmas. They call themselves The Mapeera Lourdel and Uganda Martyrs Dury Pilgrims Europe (LOMUMA). They began a year ago and now number about 40 people, meeting regularly and praying together. Their aims are: to make known the Mar- tyrs of Uganda, to promote the beatification of Simeon Lourdel, to encourage fraternity among themselves, and to offer support to the retired missionaries in Europe. Lourdel and Br. Amans stayed with the Martyrs of Uganda and encouraged them in their sufferings. They then stayed on in the mission and died in Uganda. They 6 did not suffer the same fate as the 43 martyrs, but they gave their lives for the Gospel and they should share the same glory. This year they organised their second pilgrimage to Dury, birthplace of Simeon Lourdel. We set out as a group of eight. Seven, with their cases, were crammed into a Ford Zephyr which usually serves as a London taxi, and one went ahead on the coach from Victoria. Mr. Ricardo Mulinda with his three children, Edward who very generously drove the car, Simon and me made up the passengers. A much easier journey than for those missionaries 140 years ago, but it was still a cramped experience - 7 people in the car with their luggage on their knees! Ricardo had organised the pilgrimage in advance, so we were met by Sr. Ther-

Pilgrims and Family at the Grave ese Broutin, (Co-ordinator of the Missionary Commission for the diocese) and her friend with a “nice cup of tea” French style! After we had freshened up, Sr. Therese led us on foot to the magnificent cathedral of Arras. Two of the Cathedral volunteer guides showed us around and told us its history. Returning to the diocesan house where we were staying, we found Fr. Bernard Lefebvre, a French Missionary, waiting for us. Fr. Richard Nyombi in Ugandahad contacted him from Uganda. One hundred and forty years ago it took months for the missionaries to contact Cardinal Lavigerie in Algiers. Today, our pilgrimage from London to Arras was assisted by Richard Nyombi sitting in an office in Kam- pala and communicating with Bernard in Paris!

7 On Saturday morning Sr. Therese continued with the tour of Arras. We were very kindly received by Mgr Jean-Paul Jaeger, Bishop of Arras. Our visit was an opportunity for him to hear of the life of a missionary from the diocese of Arras helping to spread of the Gospel in Uganda. Ricardo presented the bishop with a letter from the Archbishop of Kampala explaining how the Church in Uganda is seeking the beatification of this first missionary. Bishop Jaeger said would be happy to receive the Archbishop in person and this could be the beginning of a new friendship between the two Churches. Later we met the Mayor of Dury, Mr Marc Campbell, who together with his wife and a friend drove us around Dury in a Jaguar with the Saltire on the boot!! The couple are great friends of Scotland and are now the friends of the Pilgrims of Dury, London. Back in Dury and we prayed in the cemetery Simeon where Lourdel’s parents are buried, before moving on to the farm-house home of the Lourdel Family. A group of people welcomed us there, including two grandnieces of Simeon Lour- del, together with other members of the family and the present owners of the house. Next stop, the school where Simeon Lourdel sat on the benches for 6 years. The décor may have changed, but the building is just the same. The time had now arrived for the Sun- day Eucharist, in the village church on Saturday evening. The Parish Priest, Fr. Jean-Claude Facon, coming straight from his third wedding that day, welcomed us with open arms. and spoke about Simeon Lourdel, and all that has flowed from the gift of himself in Uganda and other countries of East Africa. Many people came to the evening Mass to welcome our group of Pil- grims. Fr. Bernard Lefebvre presided the celebration and afterwards the Mayor served us sandwiches and drinks in the school yard where.

At the Lourdel Family Home Surely a pilgrimage to be repeated.

8 The Church in Tanzania ; 150 years of grace. by Fr. John Slinger

Fr. John Slinger, MAfr, is from the Wirral and was born in 1941. He was ordained a missionary of Africa priest in 1972 and, apart from a term as Provincial Superior in Britain in the mid-80’s, he has served continuously in Tanzania as Provincial Superior as well as in parishes in Kigoma, and on Pemba Island. He is now working in Tandale (Tandare), a poor suburb of Dar es Salaam where the overwhelming majority of people are Muslim. His apostolate is to a great extent one of “good neighbourliness” becoming friends with all those around.

You asked before I left for Glasgow if I could write a few lines regarding Tan- dale for the Newslet- ter. I’m afraid I didn’t have time. However, I can now put a few thoughts together: Broadcasting a meeting 2018 marks the 150th Anniversary of our Society but in addition the Church in Tanzania is also celebrating 150 years. In 1868 French Holy Ghost Fathers crossed from Zanzibar and sought land on the mainland to begin a Mission. They settled at Bagamoyo a settlement on the Coast to which caravans and slavers arrived from the interior before crossing to Zanzibar. A very unhealthy place, witness the cemetery of the Holy Ghost Fathers there, with so many graves of young missionaries who only lasted a few months before succumbing to sick- ness and death.

In 2018 the Tanzanian Episcopal Con- The Price of Fish frerence have designated the 4th No- vember, 2018, as the date for the main celebration which will be held at Baga- 9 moyo.

In 1878 MAfrs were welcomed at Bagamoyo by the Holy Ghost Fathers who helped them prepare their journey into the interior. The 10 confreres set out for Tabora where they split into two groups: one going north towards Lake Victoria and Uganda; the other westward towards the shores of Lake Tanganyika. One confrere, Joachim Pascal who was designated as the leader of the Tanganyika group, never made it. He died on the way near Morogoro.

These days the numbers of MAfr have decreased since 1972 when I first arrived in Tanzania. At that time we were 320 plus, working mainly in 8 dioceses in the northern, western, and central parts. How many confreres are there today? - about 34! Well, we must also look at the fruit of 150 years of mission activity. There are now 35 dioceses in the country with many clergy and religious. Last year, 2017, marked 100 years since the first 4 Tan- zanian priests were ordained at Rubya in Bukoba Diocese. The White Fathers were the first missionary group to begin formation for the priesthood. Several Brit- ish confreres taught at Rubya Seminary and are still remembered: e.g. Frs.Tom Taking life more gently McIlveney and Geoff Sweeney fro UK.

These days parishes and centres staffed by the Missionaries of Africa are ob- viously not as many as in the past. In Dar es Salaam we have two parishes, Tandale and Mbezi, the latter established in 2016 (a part of Manzese parish, the rest of which we handed to the Archdiocese). There is also a formation centre at Mbezi for candidates exploring their missionary vocation, and Atiman House facing the harbour, (formerly the harem of the Sultan of Zanzibar) is still regarded as our central house and accepts visitors. Myself, I am at Tandale Parish since 2015. The parish was started in 2005 in an

10 urban area of low cost accommodation. A striking feature is a large wholesale market for foodstuffs: grain, cereals, pulses, and fruit. The commerce in the market is mainly in the hands of Muslims. Encounter with the Muslim traders was one of the reasons for beginning the parish.

In my senior years and based on my experience on Pemba Island, I find myself drawn to this aspect of mission. I have time to move around, visiting stallholders and drinking coffee. I think the more erudite of our brethren would term this a “dialogue of life.” A lot of the conversation revolves around football and they marvel that anyone could be an Everton fan! On the whole relations between Christians and Mus- lins have been peaceful and collaborative in Tanzania (at least on the mainland). But then, peace is always fragile and cannot be taken for grant- ed.

After having had several health issues at the end of Fr. John back in time for Holy Week 2017 (including being hit on the head with an iron thuri- ble!), I have been very grateful for the NHS and the support and hospitality of Little Ealing Lane community, I now look forward to a return to Tandale in time for Holy Week.

11 INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE IN PEMBA by Frs. Elvis Ng’andwe (M.Afr) & John Slinger (M.Afr) Taking walks and greeting people door to door as we often do in Tandele, Fr. John Slinger and I, did what I often refer to as the Gospel on the streets, when we went back to Pemba Island. It was amazing to see how much both Muslims and Christians appreciate the work that was done by the Missionaries of Africa in Pemba. They reeled off a litany of confreres who had worked in Pemba; sympathising over the death of our late confrere, Fr. Helmut Huber. Sometimes we do not realise just how much we touch people with our works of love and charity. We stayed for almost 10 days, among Christians and Muslims. The inter-religious dialogue in a place where the Muslims are a majority of almost 99.99% is very different from mainland Tanzania. Islamic culture is so strong that even Christian women dress like Muslim women because that dress code has become the norm. It was interesting to sit and take coffee while listening to Islamic teachings from the Wazee (the Elders). One of them Mr Seif even asked for a sharing using the Bible and Quran. One thing that stood out; mutu- Christian or Muslim ladies? al respect. We need committed Christians and committed Muslims to help build a community founded on God’s love. At present, there is a dispute going on over a piece of land that the parish had acquired years ago, planning to construct a school. Some Muslims thought the Christians were building another church, so they pre-empted them by digging

12 the foundation for their own building in the middle of the plot. The matter is now before the court. Listening to different views we realised that some Muslims support the Church as the rightful owner of the land. We suggested to the local priests that winning the case may leave them with the daunting task of rebuilding the bridges of peace and friendship afterwards. Since the beneficiaries of the school they want to construct would be Muslims, it might be better to go for a less confrontational out-of-court settlement.Bishop Shao of the diocese of Zanzibar showed appre- ciation for our past works and is seeking a missionary presence today. It lifted the hearts of the few Catholics and other Christians in Pemba. Many people remarked that the good neighbour approach of our confreres who lived there before had started slowing down. This was echoed by the priests there. Finding a balance between serving the local church and maintaining dialogue with Mus- lims is not as easy as it may sound.We also had time to discuss economic challenges among the local com- munities in Pemba. There seems to be a very big slow down in the past nine months. One trader referred to fixed rates having to be paid to the government re- gardless of how much you have sold. Many families struggle to have one decent meal a day.Outreach in Pem- ba is worth considering as Chatting and drinking coffee a long-term plan. We need to support the local church with formation on inter-religious dialogue, living peacefully with Muslims without competing, and on a wide range of conflict management and resolution issues. It is an ideal place for dialogue with Muslims and supporting the minority Christians there. We tried to help our faithful understand that it is not about who is right or stronger. It is about mutual respect and living peacefully. The local clergy asked if we could help them with some training on matters of Justice and Peace, especially on inter-religious dialogue. We left Pemba in 2007 but our legacy lives on. A tribute to Frs. Huber, Rossmann, Renault, Musoke, Durand, Castagna, Wani and Slinger. 13 Socio-Economic Challenges and Vulnerable Youth in Tandale by Elvis Ng’andwe (M.Afr) Fr. Elvis Ng’gandwe, MAfr., is the confrere responsible for Justice and Peace in Tanzania and is also involved in Vocations. He was born in Zambia in 1981 and although he operates from Atiman House in Dar es Salaam, he has been accompanying Fr. John Slinger in his visits to people in Tandale (Tandare) particularly to the unemployed Youth. Below he gives a few of his thoughts on what he has experienced. In 2016, the Tanzanian government launched a courageous campaign to eradicate corruption in Tanzania. However, because of the way things were popularly under- stood the campaign against corruption seems to be actually working against economic development. The fight against corruption should be well thought out and defined before being set in motion. If it is well launched, it can help the country to develop and should enhance the lives of the citizens. However, if the point of departure and the execution of the fight on corruption are mis- taken or misplaced, the economic development in that particular country may well be retarded. Note that for the economy to grow, there should be more efficiency with few- Fr. Elvis and a local businessman er restrictions. There is a common assumption that getting rid of corruption automatically leads to economic growth, that sounds good, but it is not necessarily true. Perhaps it will, perhaps not. It depends on the approach taken. While the current government in Tanzania certainly means well in fighting corruption, there have have been unintended consequences. For instance, a lot of local investors have reduced their investments in Tanzania and have taken their busi- ness elsewhere, leading to a drastic reduction in the number of jobs among the young people. So many young people idle around in the streets or sitting waiting for the day to pass.The government is aware of the reality and argues rightly that 14 it has neither reduced the salaries nor changed the economic policies, all it has done is to put a stop to corruption, therefore if anyone is crying foul it means they were benefiting from the corruption. Unfortunately, the approach the government is using has inspired fear amongst many citizens. Fr. John Slinger and I, have been doing an apostolate in Tandale which we call “Basic Needs Bas- ket”. As a preliminary inquiry into economic conditions in Tandale, we talked to local people. One person said that the government could knock on your door at anytime and ask you to justify and account for your earnings, instead of starting investigations only when there is evidence that someone has bene- fited from corrupt transactions. Ask- ing people to justify their earnings makes them think that the under- lying assumption is that they have somehow grown too rich, and this scares away local investors.With a drastic drop in local investors who John, Elvis and the motorbikes used to employ the youth, many of the young people have resorted to short term jobs like “boda-boda” drivers (drivers of motor cycles). They are usually employed by the motorcycle owners, who charge the riders pay 7000 Tanzania shillings per day. Anything over that is their salary. Anything less and they still have to pay the 7000 shillings. Unfortunately, motorcycles are frequently stolen. In most of these cases, the riders are accused. They are arrested and subjected to harsh interrogation methods. Some get acquitted and are set free, but others are convicted and sentenced to prison. Apparently some of those convicted are in fact convicted because they have no legal representation. Many feel very intimidated and cannot to give a coherent account of events, and are sent to prison sentence. Fr. John and I have been accompanying these young people by simply listening to them and trying to encourage them to remain focused. 15 Letter from a Retired Missionary in US. by Fr. Tom Reilly, MAfr.

Fr. Tom worked for many years in Zambia, then in India. As a “retired missionary” in Washington D.C. he was struggling to find his “place”. He has written to this Magazine before, after going on marches to the US Congress in solidarity with mothers of children gunned down in the streets.

Dear Mike,

One kind of assistance that retired missionaries can offer is that of hospitality. This we do for the various visitors that we receive from Africa. They stay in our house, which we try to make “Africa friendly”. The visitors have usually been invited to the U.S. by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) or the Catholic Relief Services (CRS). They come from troubled parts of Africa. Ar- rangements are made for visits either the U.S. Congress or the U.S. State Dept. or both places to discuss the situation in their country.

Recently we had visitors from the South Sudan Council of Churches (SSCC). [see attached photo].

The purpose of their visit was to thank the United States Govern- ment for the assistance given to the South Suda- nese people from United States Aid for Internation- al Development (USAID).

Secondly, they made an appeal to the United States Government to withhold financial assistance to the South Sudanese Government. The aid money is not being used as 16 intended; that is, to aid the people of South Sudan.

Thirdly, they were asking for the U.S. government to appoint an Ambassador to South Sudan, as well as a Special Envoy for the peace process to end the civil war taking place.

By withdrawing financial assistance to the South Sudanese Government and having in place an Ambassador and Special Envoy for Peace, SSCC hope to put pressure on the South Sudanese Government to sit at the table together and discuss ways to attain peace in their war-torn country.

According to information attained from USAID, there are about one million South Sudanese Refugees in Uganda. There are two million refugees and asylum seekers from South Sudan in neighboring countries (UNHCR). More than 85 percent of the refugees in Uganda were women and children, who cited forced conscription, sexual violence, and targeted killings by armed actors as primary reasons for fleeing. Two million internally displaced. Nearly five million people faced severe food shortages. The death toll is very difficult to estimate. Do you count the people directly killed by soldiers or do you include those killed by fam- ine and lack of medical supplies?

Those already present in attempting to bring about peace in South Sudan are: Sudan Pentecostal Church, Africa Inland Church, Internal Province of Upper Nile Episcopal Church, Catholic Church, The General Secretary of The South Sudan Council of Churches, the Director for the USAID-supported Reconciliation for Peace Project South Sudan, There was supposed to be an ordained minister for the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan, but he had some health issues and he could not make the flight to the United States. Also in this party was the Senior Advisor to the South Sudan Council of Church- es, who was seconded by Switzerland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Human Secu- rity Division to aid in both South Sudan as well as their trip to the United States.

All the best, Tom

17 First row, left to right: Mr. Ferdinand von HABSBURG-LOTHRINGER, (SSCC), Fr. James OYET LATANSIO, Secretary of SSCC. Bishop Isaiah DAU, Bishop and General Overseer of the Sudan Pentecostal Church Bishop Arkanjelo WANI LEMI, Bishop of Africa Inland Church; Fr. Gabriel ASIDA, Catholic Episcopal Vicar of Terekeka Pastoral Region; Fr. Koffi Antonio, M.Afr., Second row, left to right Fr. Bartheleme Bazemo, M.Afr. Fr. Julien Cormier, M.Afr., Archbishop Hilary GARANG AWER, Archbishop of the Internal Province of Upper Nile, Episcopal Church Fr. Daniele Moschetti, a Comboni Missionary preparing for future apostolate of Justice and Peace in Newark and the U.N.. Mr. James ODONG, Director for the USAID-supported Reconciliation for Peace Project South Sudan.

18 Salvador da Bahia: The African Soul of Brazil by Mathieu Ouedraogo In 1888 Brazil was the last country in the Western world to abolish slavery. By then an estimated four million slaves had been imported from Africa to Brazil, that is 40% of the total number of slaves brought to the Americas. For many centuries Salvador de Bahia was the port where most slaves from Africa des- tined for Brazil were disem- barked before being sold “up country”. However, a substantial number of slaves remained in Bahia. Upon receiving my appoint- ment last year to go to Brazil for the pastoral experience (called “stage” in our con- gregation), three questions Mathieu eating with a rough sleeper quickly came into my mind: what do I have to offer to people in a country where the Catholic Church arrived 500 years ago, whereas the Church in my native country – Burkina Faso – is still in her first one hundred years of existence? Secondly I asked myself, why a Missionary of Africa in Brazil? Brazil is not in Africa? And what of the language? I tried to work it out. A short period of reflection reminded me that our missionary apostolate is by its very nature to all people. I am not going to Brazil as a doctrinal expert but as a seminarian hoping to share my faith and my love for Christ with the Mathieu and a Candomble lady 19 people I will be living with.

My first contact with Brazil, and specifically with Salvador da Bahia (the city in which the Missionaries of Africa are actively working) left me with the feelings that I was still somewhere in Africa, yet struck dumb because I could hardly speak one word of Portuguese. Salvador is the “blackest” city outside Africa. African art is everywhere, ranging from pottery to woodwork, and of course the superb ceremonies of Candomblé (a cult brought from Africa by the slaves). In Salvador you can see orixás (African gods) represented as catholic saints. For example, Obaluaiê (the healer god) is represented as St Lazarus; Oxumaré (god of wealth and fortune) is represented as St Bartholomew. Since the practice of the African cults was forbidden, the slaves gave Catholic names to all their African gods, seeing similarities between the catholic statues and the orixás. Thus the slaves worshipped their own gods behind the representations of the Catholic saints. However, I very soon discovered that I was in a new culture when I started greeting people I met on the street. There was no response at all from the other person. In my culture, saying Good Morning or Hello is the absolute minimum when you first meet someone in the day.

Salvador claims to be a Christian city, but I frequently came into contact with Catholics who go to church and then to a terreiro de Candomblé (the house of one of the Afro-Brazilian cults). In the month of February I at- tended a famous festival called Iemanjá (the god of the waters). There were many followers of the Afro-Brazilian cults as well as Catholics and Protestants who went to the beach to pay homage to Iemanjá. Flowers, perfumes, fruit and even jewelry and money were thrown into the sea to please the “Mother of the Wa- A Cacique man (original inhabitant) 20 ters,” or to gain protection and good luck. During a visit to an area of our parish where we do not yet have a settled Christian community, I was told that all Bra- zilians are Catholics by birth because the Catholic Church is the mother church and the protestant churches are in some way the daughters, meaning that one is catholic on paper but in practice one is either non-practicing or a follower of one

Ladies of the parish of the other Christian denominations. Many Catholics only turn up to church for the basics: baptism, marriage and burial.

Our parish is on the edge of Salvador, a very dangerous part of the city, with violent confrontations between drug-traffickers, as well as armed robberies. This reality limits us in reaching out to all the corners of the parish. During a casual visit to a small Christian community, I happened to meet two young men and we started up a conversation. I noticed many people around about watching us. As the conversation became friendlier one of them suddenly cried aloud: os homens estão chegando - the men (police) are coming, and they all fled away to a building leaving me alone. I realized they were traffickers when the police arrived and encircled the building where they were in. The sporadic violence, armed robbery, sexual abuse and all the rest, make this a city crying out for Justice and Peace.

Mathieu Ouedraogo is part of the parish team for 2 years before continuing to Theology. Outside of the parish undertakings, his community is actively engaged in Inter-religious dialogue, promoting the mission and missionary vocations. The influence of African religions, and the fast growing number of Christian denominations makes Salvador a fertile land for encounter and dialogue. 21 Third Islamo-Christian Marian Day Our Lady of Africa Basilica, Algiers 5 May 2018 by Jose Maria Cantal Rivas, Wf.

In 2016 the young Rector of the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa in Algiers put forward a project both daring and risky. He wanted to organise a Day of Mary in which both Muslims and Christians could participate. He was convinced that what was needed was a time and place for friendly interaction and reflection where the White Fathers could bring into play their charism , neither simply play- ing a waiting game nor being like actors with only a walk on part. He wanted, with all his confreres, to be ful- ly committed to and engaged in dialogue.

By 2018 this project had become a real meeting of friends, open to all those in Algeria who would like to bring about friendship between Muslims and Christians. The setting was ideal. The Basilica Fr. Michael O’Sullivan opens the day of Our Lady of Africa, a place well-known for its openness to peace and spirituality. We must thank the religious and civil authorities who helped this day to be a success.

The arts and crafts market which was foreseen in front of the Basil- ica, had to be abandoned because of a clash of dates but this was just as well since the rain that day The Imam of the local mosque would have soaked the customers 22 and the high winds would have blown away the things on sale!

All the advertising was set in place, posters, pamphlets, emails sent out to friends and benefactors, reports in the local press and even (through the help of friends) we got a mention on the tel- General chatting and mixing evision. Altogether we were asked for 300 over our website (www.notre-dame-afrique.org). There were even people who turned up on the day without tickets hoping for a chair in the corner somewhere.

When Fr. Michael O’Sullivan, Wf., the present Rector of the Basilica, stood up to welcome the audience, the place was full to bursting point (if basilicas can burst!). There were ordinary folk, civil and religious representatives, members of the diplomatic corps, members of the ac- ademic community, many Catholics living in Algiers. Questions from the audience Archbishop Paul Desfarges of Algiers and Sheikh Ham- dan Sahalli, imam of the local mosque also said a few words.

At 10.40 a.m. the speeches and talks began – all but one given by women.

Madam Malika Lafer from the local radio, spoke on using the radio to educate. Madam Samira Mekhaldi spoke on Women’s Experience in Passing on Faith. Madam Fazia Belaidi, from the magazine Hayat (Life) which is coedited by the 23 Red Crescent of Algiers and Caritas Algerie, spoke on An Is- lamo-Christian experience in the Promotion of Women. Madam Felicia Volpicella (cathechist for the Italian speak- ing community) spoke on the Education of Adolescents who are in a linguistic and religious minority. Dr. Mustafa Cherif (ex-Govern- ment minister and ambassador) spoke on The Holy Virgin Mary venerated by Muslims according to the Quran and the Tradition of the Prophet. To give people time to digest what was said and to prepare questions there were two musi- Musical interludes cal interludes, each followed by a round of questions. People from the audience put their questions, in Arabic or in French, to any of the people who had spoken, but also to the authorities present who were responsible for preserving the cultural and religious heritage as well as those concerned with cultural and religious diversity. It was clear that although many people were un- used to high philosophi- cal discussions, they had a real desire to live in peace and harmony.

At 1 p.m. it was a long and noisy procession which made its way to the courtyard of the basilica where a hearty meal awaited them. However, many were disappointed, One of the lady contributors 24 since Marian Couscous was advertised on the menu, yet it failed to materialise. People were left wondering what it might have been! Undaunted people started networking, exchanging experiences, taking selfies etc. Then the rain started up

Frs. Louis Lucet and Michael O’Sullivan remember the Cardinal again. Everyone went back inside the Basilica for more music and shelter at 3 p.m.

Thanks to the Italian Ambassador, the nine members of an a capella group, Pri- ma Prattica Ensemble, delighted us with their singing of hymns to the blessed Virgin from the 15th to the 20th centuries whilst a respectful silence reigned in the Basilica. We, the White Father community of three, Michael O’Sullivan from Ireland, Be- noit Mwana Nyembo from Congo and myself from Spain, finally locked the doors of the Basilica, having made sure everyone was gone and all was in order. Then we collapsed in our chairs or on the sofa thanking God for a great day. Yes, it was a worthwhile day. A day we did well to organise. We chatted about the different things said and people met and thought about next year! The Fourth Islamo-Christian Day. God willing!

25 Serenje Update Fr. Ogato has appeared several times in our Magazine de- scribing his apostolate - sacramental and educational encouraging people to provide for the education of their girl - children

Many greetings from Serenje parish. Yesterday, in company of our Provincial delegate, we toured the mission school project in Chikele to see how they’re progressing with the dream of putting up a mission supported school, for their children, who cannot go to school due to long distances to government schools. We were impressed by the progress made by the community so far. I share some pictures with you. Blessings Fr Ogato

The whole village takes part, working or encouraging the workers

Fr. Ogato (in blue) does his bit at working (and encouraging)

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White Fathers in England & Wales: Registered Charity No. 233302 Charity Registered in Scotland No. SC037981 ISSN 0262-1061 Issue No.439 30 Information The White Fathers Missionaries of Africa In England & Wales: The White Fathers 15 Corfton Road London W5 2HP email: [email protected] tel: 0208 601 7900

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