| Mission Report: Mali & Guinea-Conakry: July 2009 |
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MISSIONARY TRIP TO MALI AND GUINEA-CONAKRY - Reported by George Wirnkar, April 2-9, 2009
My Lenten journey to Mali and Guinea-Conakry was one I had been looking forward to for some time. Planning every detail of this with the Rector of St. Augustine Seminary in Mali was such a blessing. Fr. Clement Lonah, a well-trained dogmatic theologian, is Rector of St Augustine's and is very keen on helping seminarians entrusted to him and his team to ready themselves for the challenges they will face as priests.
My visit to Guinea-Conakry received the full blessing of her energetic Archbishop, Vincent Coulibaly of Conakry, who personally invited me to visit the country in order to speak at the newly erected seminary and also to the priests of the Archdiocese of Conakry.
This was a golden opportunity for HLI. We were blessed to be present at the birth of an institution that will train priests for the needs of the Church in Guinea-Conakry. This will be a center of authentic Catholic teaching, which all the Bishops of Guinea-Conakry are so determined to achieve.
AFRICA'S PRO-LIFE HEART
Every mission trip is unique and is filled with its own surprises. This one was no exception. The first surprising moment-courtesy of three friendly police officers-occurred just as we came off the plane in Bamako International Airport. I had just set down the baby bag of a tired mom who had sat next to me on the plane and, like the rest of us, was waiting for the Air Mali flight that had been delayed for 24 hours. Then, just as we descending from the terminal bus, one officer promptly offered to carry the baby, the other helped the smiling mom fill out her landing card, and I saw a third roll in a trolley for her luggage. This was done without fanfare. It was just a manifestation of the African heart - open to children, lovingly protective of moms, and pro-life to the core. One of the reasons why we travel the African continent is to ensure that this love and protection remains part of our way of life and that laws are not enacted to threaten it in any way.
SEMINARIANS FOR LIFE
Our vibrant Seminarians for Life group in this region meets regularly to pray, as well as to study and discuss various pro-life and pro-family issues. They also help in the parishes, where they bring pro-life materials and pray with the people of God. The deacons visit parishes every week, and this is a great opportunity to get the word out. During the holidays, they continue the pro-life apostolate in their various home parishes and communities in Guinea-Conakry and Mali.
Inspired by an initiative that was pioneered by HLI in Cameroon, these seminarians hosted a one-day conference in May with medical students from the Bamako Medical School (University of Bamako). These medical students come from a number of African countries, such as Cameroon, Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Gabon, and the Central African Republic. Training these future medical doctors strongly supports HLI's work in these countries and buttresses the action of the Church for life and family.
HLI'S FIRST TRIP TO GUINEA-CONAKRY
This was HLI's first trip to Guinea-Conakry, and all we knew about this country was from pre-trip notes gathered from reading and speaking to people we knew. While there, I spent four days at the brand new major seminary in Kindou Maya and two in the capital city of Conakry. The Archbishop and priests there painted a detailed picture-not just of the beautiful country I was discovering, but also of the people there and the challenges they face in their personal lives.
My flight touched down at the Conakry airport, and although several people were expecting me, I was not sure who was to meet me. Soon I found a smiling Fr. Eric Marie, who was hitherto unknown to me but was recognizable by the grey habit of the Communauté de St. Jean-a French congregation which, though founded only a few decades ago, has attracted many religious vocations.[1] His smile and habit set him apart in a country where Christians make up only 15% of the total population. There are no more than 100 priests there and barely ten white missionaries. Here is one more argument for the evangelization benefits of wearing a distinct religious habit!
A CHURCH COMING BACK TO LIFE
The Church in Guinea-Conakry is one of the longest-suffering of all the Churches in Africa. At the dawn of independence, Marxist President Ahmed Sekou Touré nationalized all schools, seized Church property and expelled all foreign missionaries. Sekou Touré was overthrown in a military coup by Lansana Conté in 1984. Conté distinguished himself not only by the oppressive iron fist with which he ruled the nation, but by the legacy of under-development he bequeathed his people when he passed away last December after 24 years of misrule.
Guinea-Conakry's three dioceses are now in the hands of a young but heroic crop of local clergy and religious. Catholics make up about 3% of the population, while Muslims make up about 85%. The Church is gradually growing again, but one of the most notable new developments is her Benedict XVI Major Seminary, located in Kindoumaya.
Coyah Maria hosts the Communauté St. Jean brothers and sisters, the Benedict XVI Seminary, and the parish church at the center of it all. This hamlet is in the village of Kindou-Mayah, which is situated just 50 km (31 miles) outside of Conakry but which, on a bad day, can take two hours to reach by car.
Until recently, the Church in Guinea-Conakry sent her seminarians to be educated in other countries-mainly in Mali and Burkina Faso. But the Catholic Church in Guinea-Conakry is at a historic crossroads. Vocations are growing, and there are many students waiting to enter the seminary, so the bishops decided to start a seminary in Guinea-Conakry in order to train their own priests in what I can attest are very challenging circumstances. With a qualified team of brothers from the Communauté St Jean-and with the donation of part of their monastery as a lecture hall-the seminary was launched last May. The kitchen is basically "open air." And as the rainy season approaches, I really wonder if meal-time will still be part of the seminary day!
A TOUGH PLACE TO LIVE
If Africa, because of its rugged terrain, is the school of life, then Guinea-Conakry is its University. Although there are five mobile phone companies, making a telephone call is not to be taken for granted even just outside Conakry. Electricity is rarely available outside the capital city. And even in the capital city, neighborhoods are served in turns every other day, and even then they only receive electricity from 6 pm to 6 am. Water is just as scarce as electricity. Hospitals also have to live with this problem.
THE KEY CHALLENGES OF THE CHURCH IN GUINEA-CONAKRY I was blessed to attend the Chrism Mass, which was held in Conakry on the Tuesday of Holy Week. This was to allow priests to join their Bishop for this celebration and be able to return back to their parishes to attend to their parishioners by Holy Thursday.
Guinea-Conakry is a largely Muslim country, but the Church is growing there. One big sign of this growth is the new seminary, which was started in order to drive this new evangelization of Guinea-Conakry by her own sons. Many of the seminarians are converts.
However, the abject poverty of this country is a challenge. They have to train their own priests, help start parishes, and support their priests. It is wonderful that HLI will be there to assist the Church with educational materials and other pro-life blessings. We look forward to a bright future in Guinea-Conakry. [1] In the United States they are known as the Congregation of St. John and have several communities in Texas, Illinois, and New Jersey.
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