(2008-06-27) Joy and sorrow
After a month’s break we went to visit the Chilwa Island again. This time it was even colder than before, the wind blew from the water and it was very hard to come out from under the covers in the morning. But after the sunrise, we could warm ourselves with its heat. During our stay we focused on the ministry in two chapels and baptized their catechumens and small children, had a 1st Communion, prepared couples for the Sacraments of Marriage to take place on our next visit, and we thought our time was well spent. That was our joy. The sorrow is illustrated on the pictures. On the second day of our visit, a house right next to our chapel burned down, and all of the family’s belongings, all that they had earned in their lives, went up with the smoke. When it comes to fires, our people seem to be completely helpless. But maybe there is wisdom in their ways, as a straw roof can fall in anytime and it is better to live than to risk a life trying to save a few material things. more >>
(2008-05-26) Ukwikatana pamo…
Preparations are in full swing for the construction of two new grammar school buildings. Our people from 25 villages nearby are getting the plot ready for the foundations by bringing sand, rocks and gravel. Of course, bricks will also needed to build the school. So take a look at these pictures that illustrate our “combined effort” - “ukwikata pamo” as we would say in chibemba. more >>
(2008-04-20) And all together there were….
The children who dance during Mass, or Bastella as we call them, came to Mpunde last week from Friday to Sunday. Because we didn’t have enough lodging room, we invited only a couple of girls each from about half of our remote chapels. There was tremendous joy, because many of them saw our mission for the very first time and for them Mpunde is quite the city compared to where they live. Their main program consisted of catechesis, song and dance, but they also managed to stop by our courtyard, to bother Hannibal a bit or ask for some fruit. On Sunday we ran out of sitting room in our church and had to delegate some people to the choir loft. And the liturgy was long and joyful, as shown through the beautiful song and dance of our guests. Then, we had lunch and the children returned home. And when we counted, all together there were 163 of them. more >>
(2008-04-06) It was worth it…
Last week, from Monday to Friday, a large crowd of people from all of our chapels gathered at our mission for a five-day formation program designed for small Christian Communities. For over 30 years, Catholics in Zambia, including the faithful from our parish, have been meeting every week in small groups to pray together, to meditate the Bible’s teaching, to try to help others, to visit the ill, to assist the elderly and the orphans. This year we invited one person from each group and we were able to assemble 85 people. Some of them came from the farthest chapels of our mission, over 120 km away and located by the river, and even from the island in the middle of the swamps. With the help of a Sister from the Order founded by the late Cardinal Adam himself, we spent some interesting and productive days together. What’s more, we expect to see the effects of those meetings still this year. more >>
(2008-03-28) Celebration at the clinic…
Everyone was on their way to our clinic today (the less wealthy ones on foot, the more wealthy ones on bicycles) to commemorate the previously announced World Tuberculosis Day, which reminded us about the fight against this disease that takes 1.6 million lives each year, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. On this day, through different plays, speeches, a community walk, individual testimonies of those who have been cured, our people learned all about this illness and its prevention. They learned that contracting tuberculosis does not mean death; it means that it is time to begin appropriate treatment. The army orchestra from Kabwe added a special touch by playing at our celebration. more >>
