By Dimitri Yampa, stagiaire in Dombe Parish.
From Sussundenga, the Nazare Centre in Beira and Dombe, the Missionaries of Africa together with Mozambican aspirants and stagiaires, went to Tete escorted by the ‘coluna’ because of the war affecting this area of Mozambique. Our new Superior General, Stanley Lubungo, and our new Provincial, Felix Phiri, came by the road from Lusaka, Zambia. On October 8, the mother parish of the Saint Martyrs of Uganda of Matungu in Tete gave birth to a new child; the ‘Paróquia nossa senhora das Gracas’ Parish.
The new parish was erected canonically by Bishop Inácio Saure of Tete Diocese. The ceremony started with a procession followed by the opening of the church’s doors, the ointment of the altar together with the walls inside the church. On that same occasion, Pierre Lukusa, M.Afr, was officially installed as Parish Priest.
Bishop Inácio Saure concelebrated Mass with many priests like the Missionaries of Africa, the Combonians, the Salesians, the Jesuits and diocesan priests. The Bishop invited the new Parish Priest to a collaborative ministry by carrying out his mission with joy while visiting his parishioners in their families and small communities. Symbolically, the keys of the church were given to Father Lukusa after the homely of the Bishop.
The Christians were thankful for the presence of so many Missionaries of Africa coming from abroad. Stanley Lubungo made a speech in English underlined the history of our missionaries in Mozambique, which was moderated in Portuguese by padre João de Deus (Jean de Dieu Bukuru), M.Afr. The new M.Afr community of Tete was given the mission to spread the spirit of the Society in their ministry by living in a community enriched by its values of openness and interculturality.
A fraternal meal was provided at the house of the Sisters of São José of Cluny. Everything was well organised by the Christians of the new parish. Gifts were offered to the Bishop as a sign of unity. The party ended at 17:30 by the benediction of the Bishop. May God bless this new mission and the Society of the Missionaries of Africa.
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